What kinds of grains can I cook in a rice cooker?
Though rice cookers are generally designed to cook
rice, they are far more versatile a piece of equipment than many people
realize. Rice cookers can be used to cook soup, steam vegetables – and some
rice cookers can even make bread. But even beyond those additional uses
there is one use that the rice cooker is extremely well suited for, that few
people ever use to its full advantage. That is that rice cookers are
extremely useful for making other types of grain.
What Types of Grain Can Be Made in a Rice
Cooker?
Rice cookers are designed to handle any type of
grain that can be cooked the same way that one cooks rice. Examples of
grains that can be cooked in this type of appliance include:
·
Oat Groats (Oatmeal)
·
Quinoa
·
Amaranth
·
Millet
Each of these grains is extremely well suited for
these appliances, because they all require some measurement of water and
grain, as well as boiling to loosen the grains and make them more edible.
How Do You Cook With These Grains?
In order to use the rice cooker with these grains,
you simply need to follow the same directions with the rice cooker as you
would with rice. However, you do need to pay attention to the ratio of water
to grain that you need to cook these items effectively.
Quinoa, for example, uses the same measurements as
with white rice, so it is perfect for your rice cooker. For every cup of
uncooked quinoa, add 2 cups of water. The same is also true for millet. But
raw oat groats are best tasting with 3 ½ cups of water for every cup of
groats, while oatmeal can vary depending on the consistency that you like.
Benefits of Cooking Grains With the Rice
Cooker
Whole grains are extremely beneficial and are an
important part of your diet. But when whole grains are cooked incorrectly,
they can taste pretty terrible. Since all of these grains have different
cooking times, you would be forced to stand there by your pot in order to
make sure that your grains are not getting overcooked, and that they have
the correct water ratio in order to become fluffy and tasty.
This is both a considerable amount of time and far
more prone to errors. And since you and your family are not going to want to
eat these grains if they are poorly cooked, the risk involved with cooking
them in a pot is fairly substantial.
Rice cookers make sure that the process is easy and
correctly executed the first try. You simply measure out the ingredients,
place them in the rice cooker, press start, and some time later they will be
done and ready to eat. This makes it easier to work on the foods/sauces that
you are going to make to complement these grains, as well as give yourself a
healthy breakfast even before you have had your morning coffee. Rice cookers
are already equipped to handle these uses, so it makes a great deal of sense
to take advantage of them.
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