Additional Uses for Rice Cookers

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Thanks!  Next time I fix polenta I plan to try this method.

[Sarkley]

I've just bought a rice cooker that's supposed to make perfect polenta, quinoa etc. gathering my courage to try. Any experiences out there?

[cyalexa]

I've just bought a rice cooker that's supposed to make perfect polenta, quinoa etc. gathering my courage to try. Any experiences out there?

I use mine for farro. I made oatmeal in it once but wasn't pleased with the result. 

[rotuts]

look into this book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook-Porridges/dp/1558326677/ref=sr_1_1/190-1879937-1797300?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406118129&sr=1-1&keywords=ultimate+rice+cooker

 

after getting it from the library, I got a rice cooker.  covers on/off, and fuzzy and tells you the difference.

[Blether]

So many Rice Cooker threads... I'm not a user, but was talking with a chap yesterday, who is, it turns out:  "What do you like to cook?" says I.  "I like to make spicy Asian stuff like Tom Yam Kun.  Also roast beef".  Oh, says I, "how do you make roast beef ?"

 

"Well", says he, "we don't have an oven, so I buy a piece of beef thigh (aka round, I guess?), sear it in a pan, then put it in the 炊飯器 / suihanki / rice cooker, and put it on "temperature hold" for about 20 minutes".  A piece of beef weighing about half a kilo / a pound or so, apparently.

[liuzhou]

I often do pasta in the rice cooker.

[c oliver]

I've made this recipe of Wolfgang Puck's for risotto in the rice cooker. 

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20140220/FEATURES02/302200014/rice-cooker-mushroom-risotto-wolfgang-puck

 

It's not the best I've ever had but it's better than what I've made  I'll make it again.

[haresfur]

I really like the way quinoa turns out in my fuzzy logic rice cooker - fluffy and not soggy.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Now it has again come time to fix polenta.

 

I was/am still unsure of the amount of water to use for a given quantity of cornmeal, so I took the suggested amounts from this website:

http://www.nicolevanputten.com/2013/07/31/quick-polenta/

 

That is 2 3/4 cups water to one Zojirushi go of Bob's Red Mill cornmeal (which conveniently weighs 128 gm).  Based on the polenta recipe from The Romagnolis' Table I added two teaspoons of salt.  The Romagnolis' recipe calls for two cups of cornmeal and three teaspoons of salt.  Two cups would equal about three go, and thus one teaspoon of salt per go.  However I am using Diamond Kosher salt, which is a coarse salt, so I doubled the volume of salt to get two teaspoons.

 

Based on this thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144218-wolfert-no-stir-polenta/

 

I also added a pinch of baking soda.  Even though the NP-NVC18 claims to incorporate its own technology to alkalize the cooking water.  I hope it will not hurt.

 

Currently this slurry is resting in the Zojirushi bowl with a timer set for three hours...

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Oops.   The meat with which I planned to serve the polenta is still frozen solid after more than twelve hours defrosting in the refrigerator.

 

Will it hurt to let the cornmeal soak in the Zojirushi overnight?  I'm not sure why I am asking, as one way or another I shall almost certainly find out tomorrow.

Edited September 7, 2014 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[lindag]

Although I'm not a fan myself, I used to make porridge for DH in our Zojirushi rice cooker. He maintained that it was the best oatmeal he'd ever had.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Well, twenty four hours later I looked at my polenta.  It didn't look bad or smell funny, nor did it smell bad or look funny, so I cooked it through a porridge cycle.  All was well except the polenta wasn't firm enough.  The spoon wouldn't stand in it.  I discovered that one could stir, run the reheat cycle, stir, etc. until the polenta was quite thick indeed.

 

Success.  I don't think I've had better polenta.  I ate almost all of it.

[andiesenji]

Although I'm not a fan myself, I used to make porridge for DH in our Zojirushi rice cooker. He maintained that it was the best oatmeal he'd ever had.

The rice cooker is great for steel cut or "pinhead" oats - also steel cut barley which ordinarily takes a long time to cook and with "traditional" cooking always seems to retain a hard central bit. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Well, twenty four hours later I looked at my polenta.  It didn't look bad or smell funny, nor did it smell bad or look funny, so I cooked it through a porridge cycle.  All was well except the polenta wasn't firm enough.  The spoon wouldn't stand in it.  I discovered that one could stir, run the reheat cycle, stir, etc. until the polenta was quite thick indeed.

 

Success.  I don't think I've had better polenta.  I ate almost all of it.

 

Using the above technique I made some very firm polenta.  It was delicious.