Since cooking is a passion of mine, I thought I would start a series of posts on what I believe are must have kitchen tools. Cooking, like any avocation one pursues seriously, requires the right tools for the job. This brings me to the subject of today’s post: The Rice Cooker.
Besides the stove, this is probably the most used cooking device in my kitchen. A good rice cooker is indispensable for a number of reasons:
- It saves you from having to constantly watch the stove allowing you to focus on preparing other parts of the meal – set it and forget it.
- A good rice cooker allows you to make many different types and styles of rice.
- It cooks much more than rice.
- A good rice cooker will adjust the cooking method based on the ambient temperature and humidity to make perfect rice.
- Good rice cookers have a timer function that lets you set the time you want the contents to be completed by.
- It will keep the rice warm all day without the rice loosing its texture and fluffiness.
There are a couple of drawbacks to a rice cooker, especially the better ones:
- They can be expensive. More features and capacity equals more cost.
- They can take up a bit of counter space.
Most of the better rice cookers come with retractable cords and a handle so they can be easily taken out of and stored in a cabinet, but when in use they still need a bit of counter space.
Depending on what you like to cook, you may not need all of the features on a given rice cooker. Being that I enjoy making Japanese food, a rice cooker with a sushi rice setting was a must have. While thinking about it, I figured I might as well get one that can do porridge and steel cut oats as well. And since I was going to be making breakfast foods with it, I might as well get one that has a timer so breakfast is ready when I wake up. Capacity is another consideration.
I am a huge fan of Zojirushi products. In my opinion they make the best rice cookers in the world. Being that I lived alone before I met my fiancé, I settled on a 3 cup capacity rice cooker – the Zojirushi NS-LAC05. It has settings for white rice, sushi rice, porridge, brown rice, and quick cooking. Typically, even when having company over for a meal or sushi, making 3 cups of rice is plenty for but all the largest dinner parties.
Another wonderful thing about this rice cooker is the timer. Before going to bed, you can set the timer to have oatmeal ready for you when you wake up. The timer does not function as you would expect a regular timer to work like – at least on Zojirushi cookers – it does not start cook at that time, rather, the food is done cooking at that time. Add the ingredients, set the timer, and at precisely at the time you set, whatever you are preparing will be done to perfection.
Steel-cut Oats for One in the Zojirushi NS-LAC05:
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats – measured using the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker.
- 1 1/2 cups cold water – measured using the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Optional – 1/4 cup strawberries, blueberries, or any fruit you like.
Add all the ingredients, set the timer, and wake up to the smell of a delicious breakfast.
Perfect Saffron Rice in the Zojirushi NS-LAC05:
- 0.4 grams saffron
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice – measured using the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker.
- 2 1/3 cups of chicken broth – measured using the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon melted butter
In microwave safe bowl, add the chicken broth and saffron. Mix thoroughly. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Wash the rice 2 or 3 times with cold water. Put in the rice cooker. Add the salt, butter and chicken broth/saffron mix to the rice. Stir and hit start.
When done, let the rice rest 15 minutes before opening the rice cooker.
Serve and enjoy!
Char siu, oh how I love thee!
Over the last few years, I have become addicted to BBQed pork loin done char siu style. While there are many good recipes for the glaze out there, I have found that I really like the Noh brand char siu glaze. Sure, it’s cheating a little to use a prepared mix, but the flavor is so good it’s hard to argue against it.
I like to start with two loins and mix up two packages of the glaze using double the recommended amount of water. Next I place the loins and the glaze mix in a Foodsaver container and vacuum out all the air. Into the fridge they go for at least 24 hours – preferably for 48 hours. 
After they are done marinating, bring them out in the container and bring it up to room temperature. While they are warming up, mix up a fresh package of the glaze using 1.5 times as much water as recommended.
Once the grill is heated up to between 350 and 375 degrees, place each loin over the charcoal directly and give it a good sear turning them every 2 minutes. Once you have a few blackened bits on them, move them away from the direct heat and brush them with the glaze. Allow the grill to cool down to between 300 and 350 degrees and put the cover on the grill.
Turn them every 5 to 7 minutes and brush them with the glaze and re-cover the grill. Keep an eye on the heat, you want to keep the temperature between 300 and 350 degrees. It should take somewhere between 40 and 60 minutes for the internal temperature to reach 150 degrees depending on the size of the loins. DO NOT OVER COOK! After taking them off the grill, allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Being the simple man I am, I tend to serve the meat with white jasmine rice. The flavors compliment each other well and as an added bonus it’s a very healthy meal.
Enjoy!