Should I get a rice cooker that has a steamer?
Rice cookers come in many different shapes and
sizes, each one with its own features, design, and personality. It can take
a long time to decide what you need, what you don’t need, and what you want
with your rice cooker, as well as whether or not its price is worth the
value.
When you are considering the features that you'll
want with your rice cooker, most likely you are going to come across several
that you want but don’t need, and this will affect how much you are willing
to pay for the appliance and which brand and model you ultimately buy. One
of the options that you are going to be looking at is whether or not you
want to get a rice cooker that comes with its own steamer. Not all of these
appliances have this feature, and it may actually change the way you cook
your food.
Benefits of Getting a Steamer
One of the main benefits of getting a rice cooker
that has a steamer is that you can essentially cook your entire meal with
the rice cooker itself. Place any veggies and meats that you want on the
steamer, turn it on, and when you are done you can simply and easily mix all
of the ingredients together and you are ready to make your meal.
Steamers can also be used to heat up rice buns,
warm frozen foods, and add a little bit of character or flavor to the rice
itself. Steaming with a rice cooker is easier than steaming with a pot and
creates much less of a mess and less to clean up. Similarly, steaming your
vegetables is a healthier way to cook them (they retain enzymes and vitamins
more easily) and, if nothing else, getting a rice cooker with a steamer may
give you an excuse to make vegetables more often.
Weaknesses of Steamers
Despite the benefits, steamers are certainly not
for everyone. For example, if you prefer to eat your rice plain, then a
steamer may not be for you. When you steam vegetables and meats along with
your rice, the flavor of those steamed foods gets soaked into the rice
grains, and you are left with flavored rice that may not suit your taste
buds.
Another issue is that the steamer basket in rice
cookers is rarely very large, and can often not fit many veggies or meats at
one time. Some of the baskets are so small, that they cannot fit fresh
Broccoli. Steamer size is a factor in whether or not a steamer is right for
you.
Finally, Fuzzy Logic and IH rice cookers do not
come with steamers because it makes it more difficult to control the heat.
If you decided that you wanted a steamer, you would be limited to the on/off
variety, which may not be the type of appliance you are looking for.
Overall, the steamer – like most functions on the
rice cooker – is a matter of preference. It is unnecessary, but may benefit
your cooking style, and should be considered the same way you consider all
of your rice cooker options.
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