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Rice cookers have always been able to cook one thing really well - rice. Anything beyond that, some say, and we tax the poor device's abilities.
It's true: rice cookers have their limitations. A lot of models on the market come with only two settings: "unplugged" and "cook." If you spring for the fancy ones - those tricked out $20 models - you can pimp your rice cooker with a nonstick pot, maybe even a "keep warm" setting.
The prices get even more ridiculous as the technology gets more complicated, to the point where you could be paying more than a hundred dollars for the Ferrari of rice cookery, a futuristic encapsulated model that will not only cook rice but also bake bread, cook mochi and survive a space launch.
Like any other self-respecting, overcompensating male, I too have considered laying down a hundred big ones for such a sweet appliance. Have I done so? No. Do you really need to? Heck no. All you really need to get good gourmet mileage out of your rice cooker is to know what you can and cannot expect it to do.
First of all, don't expect to have any sort of temperature control. For the most part, rice cookers work so well because they shut off once their internal thermostats go above a certain temperature, usually something above boiling. This means that searing and sautéing are out; on the other hand, braising and stewing are very much in play because the water content of the food keeps the temperature of the vessel low enough to stay on.
Also, keep in mind that things will boil, and if you're not careful, they can boil over. Always make sure to leave about an inch of space between the top of the liquid inside and the innermost lip of the rice pot and you'll be fine.
Here are a couple of examples of what a simple $20 rice cooker can crank out: Crazy Easy Split Pea Soup and some Mango Ko Choo Jang Pulled Pork that require no more than four ingredients each.
Split peas make great rice cooker soups because they're one of the few dried beans that require no soaking. I always try to keep some on hand even when I'm not spinning the rims on my rice cooker.
Dried ingredients, like the dried mango in this week's pulled-pork recipe, work wonderfully with any braise, but they work exceptionally well with the Korean ko choo jang sauce, which is sweet already since it's got mochi rice, honey and sugar along with the chili and spices.
Mango Ko Choo Jang Pulled Pork
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork butt 1 9-ounce bottle ko choo jang sauce 1 4-ounce package dried mango, chopped 1 14-ounce can beef broth
1) Combine pork, koo choo jang sauce and dried mango in a 3-cup nonstick rice cooker with both "cook" and "keep warm" settings. Add broth but leave about an inch of room from the top of the inner lip, reserving remaining broth.
2) Set rice cooker to "cook" and carefully monitor for the first hour. If boilover looks likely during that time, tilt lid open. Add remaining broth at the end of the first hour; stir and replace lid.
3) Continue to cook for another 90 minutes, flipping pork after 30. Check texture; if pork can be broken up with your rice paddle and sauce has thickened, it's done.
Serves 2 to 3.
Crazy Easy Split Pea Soup
Ingredients: 1 rice cooker cup green split peas 1 14-ounce can chicken or vegetable stock plus 1 can water 1 packet onion soup mix 2 teaspoons seasoning blend (I used Mrs. Dash)
1) Put split peas in rice pot of a 3-cup nonstick rice cooker with "cook" and "keep warm" settings. Wash thoroughly and drain, picking out any rocks or stray bits.
2) Place pot in rice cooker and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Cover and set to "cook" for about 2 hours or until peas totally disintegrate, stirring occasionally.
3) Add more water until desired consistency. Bring to boil on "cook" setting before serving.
Serves 2 to 3.
