One of the best things about microwaves is the versatility they bring to the kitchen especially when paired with a useful cooking accessory. Perhaps one of the most effective of these is the microwave rice cooker which aims to help you cook your grains much more effectively.
Below we will take a look at:
- What Is A Microwave Rice Cooker?
- How Do You Cook Rice In A Microwave Rice Cooker?
- What Is The Ratio Of Water To Rice In The Microwave?
- What Is The Best Traditional Rice Cooker under $50?
What Is A Microwave Rice Cooker?
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A microwave rice cooker is a kitchen accessory that is designed to help you cook rice as efficiently as possible using your microwave.
They are usually designed to act as steamers for your rice essentially trying to replicate a conventional rice cook.
What Are The Benefits Of Microwave Rice Cookers?
There a few main benefits to microwave rice cookers:
Reduced Loss of Grains
A major frustration for a lot of people when cooking rice in a pan or even in some cases on dedicated power rice cookers, is the fact that a lot of the grains end up getting stuck to the actual pan.
The amount of wasteage typically only becomes apparent once you have soaked the pan and cleaned it out. With a microwave rice cooker, the amount of wasteage can be reduced significantly as they tend to be non-stick. As no direct heat is applied to the base of the pan, there tends to be less wasteage.
Easier To Clean
Another pain point when cooking rice in a pot on the stove or conventional rice cooker, is how difficult it can be to clean the dishware afterwards. The rice grains can get stuck on tightly to the cookware especially if there wasn’t enough water in the mixture or the rice ends up slightly overcooked.
Cleaning the pans can be a tricky task requiring soaking in water sometimes for a number of days before the rice comes off with ease. In addition, it can sometimes leave the pan damaged.
With a microwave rice cooker, as the grains tend not to stick to the bottom, you do not have this issue to deal with.
How Do You Cook Rice In A Microwave Rice Cooker?
Cooking rice in a microwave rice cooker is relatively straightforward. You can typically measure the amount of rice you need using a standard cup/mug and a lot of rice recipes tend to be stated in cups.
Once you’ve got the water you need based on your recipe and grain type, you mix the two into a microwave rice cooker and give it a stir before you start cooking it (not during).
You then cover the rice with any lids that are provided with the rice cooker and seal it.
A lot of the ones available on the market will come with lids equipped with steam vents to get the best results. You then place the cookware in the microwave and use the suggested settings (time and power level).
What Is The Ratio of Water To Rice In the Microwave?
The ratio of water to rice in the microwave will depend on how firm/soft you like your rice. However, a lot of recipes will call for twice the amount of water to the rice.
So if you are cooking 1 cup of rice, they would advice 2 cups of water. This may vary depending on the type of rice you are cooking and how you like it done. If you like your rice softer you may want to add more water.
If you intend to cook the rice then mix it into another dish for cooking further then less water may be an idea to keep it firm before you complete the process.
What is the Best Microwave Rice Cooker under $15 on Amazon?
If you decided to give microwave rice cooker a try. Let’s take a look at our favourite microwave rice cooker.
What Is The Best Traditional Rice Cooker under $50?
If you’re still not convinced to cook rice in a microwave, we’ve you covered. Instead of confusing you with list of Rice Cookers we’ve hand-picked Best Rice Cooker that cost under $50 let’s take a look at a great rice cooker available on Amazon.
Reishunger Rice Cooker & Steamer (1.2L) 1-6 people
There are plenty of options on the market for rice cookers but this is our #1 pick simply for how well it cooks rice with pretty much next to no loss of grains. This Rice cooker comes with Steamer with 1.2L capacity, easy enough to accomodate 6 people.
This rice cooker is the best buy in this price range (under $50), gives you more value to money. It’s one we’ve used for a number of years and have always been impressed by the feel of the quality build of the product, as you would expect from any premium brand. This Rice cooker is built with Tampered glass material, only 500 watts so consume comparatively less energy. With Keep-warm function, cooker automatically shifts to keep-warm mode once rice are cooked.
Designed to help retain the moisture within the cooking chamber, the Reishunger rice cooker does a great job of providing well cooked rice with great yield. This cooker’s real highlight is its inside pot which doesn’t allow burning.
Quite usefully it comes with a handy rice spoon to help with serving. Reishunger is highly rated Rice cooker, with over 5900+ reviews on Amazon.