Good Rice Finally!!

I love cooking and I have mastered quite a few essential cooking skills. However, to my shame I have to admit that making rice is not one of those skills. I kind of just figured it always be that way and so I resigned myself to eating very little rice (either because I chose not to cook it or when I did cook it only half of it would be edible).

This last year my mom decided to get me some kitchen appliances for Christmas and this particular rice cooker was one of the gifts. It is kind of large and right now I only cook for me so my first instinct was to say thank you and ask for the receipt. I looked through the accompanying recipe book (only a few recipes) and got curious enough to decide to keep it and see if I would use it.

Turns out my mom did a great job and this was a great gift! Its very simple to use, gives specific instructions for different kinds of rice and even has a steamer attachment so I can use it for other things as well (I like multi-purpose!)

My first few experiences were fantastic. The best use I found was for potlucks. Because it has the timer to set it for when to start cooking, I just loaded up everything to make rice and plugged it in at the church. I set it to start cooking about 20 minutes before church would be over and by the time it was ready to start the potluck I had "prepared" a nice side dish of white rice. It was just that easy!

The only problem I have run into has to do with making small batches of rice. This is a large container and it was designed to make several servings of rice. Again, I usually only cook for me and I don't want a lot of rice cooked up at any given time. The first few times I made small batches I did end up with very dried out rice. I have learned to add more water than normal and that has alleviated my problem.

My favorite part is that I don't have to think about what I'm doing when I cook rice. I like to make complicated meals and its difficult to concentrate on several dishes at once so this product is great for helping me add a staple without adding more work.


GOOD:

-Easy to use. Simple instructions and only a few buttons.
-Works. I really can make good rice consistently.
-I can make a lot or a little.
-Multi-functional. This appliance also steams veggies or chicken.
-Solid. It is built well.
-Easy to clean. Pop the pot in the dishwasher and wipe down the rest.

BAD:

-Took awhile to figure out how to manage small quantities.
-Its a little pricey.