How to Use an Electric Rice Cooker

Rice can be a wonderful addition to many different meals, but unfortunately it can be hard to make correctly. Rice is low in calories, fat-free, and relatively cheap (especially when purchased in bulk at the grocery store). But sometimes when you cook rice in a pan on the stove top, it doesn't come out quite right. Often, instead of being light and fluffy, rice cooked on the stove will turn out mushy and sticky. Cooking rice in an electric rice cooker is one way to solve this problem.

An electric rice cooker is a small, counter-top appliance that has a metal pan and a lid that locks down and closes tightly to keep all the steam in the pan. You can purchase an electric rice cooker at many establishments like Wal-Mart, Target, and even Amazon.com. You should be able to get a rice cooker for less than $30 (sometimes for less than $20 if you shop around). Before using the electric rice cooker for the first time, make sure to wash all the pan before you use it to get off any residues left by manufacturing.

Using an electric rice cooker is simple. Just add 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water to the metal pan. This will make approximately 3 cups of cooked rice. If you need more than this, just multiply the recipe with the same 1:2 ratio. Once you have added the rice and water to the pan, allow the rice to soak for 5-10 minutes before doing anything. After letting the rice soak, close the lid of the rice cooker and make sure it locks into place. Then, just plug it in and turn it on. The rice cooker will heat up and you should hear water boiling and see some steam coming out after 5-10 minutes.

The electric rice cooker will generally take between 25 and 40 minutes to cook your rice, depending on how much your making. When the cooking process is complete, the electric rice cooker should chime to signal you that the rice is done. I recommend switching your rice cooker to the "warming mode" (many models do this automatically when cooking is complete) and allowing the rice to sit for an additional 5-10 minutes before opening the lid; this will help to make sure all the water is absorbed by the rice. When you're ready to eat, just open the lid of the electric rice cooker and get ready to enjoy perfectly cooked rice, everytime!