Cuisinart Rice Cooker/Steamer

I just bought the 7 cup Cuisinart Rice cooker/steamer today. I am planning to put it to use tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone has one and if they have any recipes to share. I have never owned a rice cooker before, but wanted to get one for more healthy options.

Thanks

I'd love some info on this as well! I bought one and it's just sitting there... doin' nothing....

I use cooked rice in recipes all the time, but since I'd never be able to use 7 cups, I don't bother with a rice steamer.  Actually, I didn't realize there are recipes for the steamer itself.

I make about 3 cups at a time and freeze it in 1/2 cup servings in flattened plastic bags. 

Here's a recipe I like

Black Beans and Brown Rice (4 servings)

2 cups each cooked, drained black beans and brown rice
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup each chopped onion celery and bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced tomatoes
dash hot sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheese

Saute the vegetables in the olive oil until soft.  Add the tomatoes and seasonings and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the beans and simmer 5 more minutes.  Put the rice into the bottom of a covered 2 quart baking dish and pour the mixture over.  Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, covered.  Uncover, top with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

i received a large rice cooker as a gift ( i think it's even bigger than 7 cups!), but only use it if i'm doing plain rice. (which isn't that often.)

one thing i can tell you is to believe what ever minimum they give you in the instructions. ours says to cook a minimum of 2 cups uncooked rice, but we NEVER eat that much. so one day i got bright and tried to do 1 cup. half of it was burnt and the rest was inedible because it tasted burnt.  

also as soon as it's done cooking i take the liner bowl out of the heating unit, otherwise the bottom rice starts to burn from the residual heat and burnt rice sticks like glue.

oh yeah... one other thing is that ours spits out a LOT of steam (not only from the small hole where it's suppose to, but also from around the edges of the lid), like covers the counter top with starchy residue, so we started putting a kitchen towel over the top, steam still escapes, but the starchy residue is caught by the towel.

all that being said I LOVE my rice cooker. i've never been able to cook rice on the stove top without burning it. and my oven is usually full of something else, so out comes the rice cooker. makes cooking plain rice fairly mindless.

Just wanted to add: 1-2 day old rice is perfect for fried rice.

UD

holy crap - seven cups of rice?  i cook 3/4 of a cup at a time, and that makes four or five servings for me.

oh - it's just possible that that's seven cups of cooked rice.  still a lot of rice, but - nevermind.

learning to cook rice in a pot was one of the best things i've ever done for my health. 

I've got one of the small little cheapie rice cookers...it makes my cup of rice just fine and I've got plenty of leftovers.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

holy crap - seven cups of rice?  i cook 3/4 of a cup at a time, and that makes four or five servings for me.

oh - it's just possible that that's seven cups of cooked rice.  still a lot of rice, but - nevermind.

learning to cook rice in a pot was one of the best things i've ever done for my health. 

 LOL, I have no intention of eating that much. But when I cook my brown rice I freeze it in 1/2 cup servings. Rice freezes really well and makes a quick addition to any meal. My mom was the one who told me I could freeze it, tried and it was great.

I'll admit, seven cups is a big one, but basically you can use it to cook rice as you would on the stove-top. Just because it can cook seven cups, doesn't mean you have to. 

I had one that died some time ago and haven't replaced it, but I used it to cook up the prepackaged rice mixes and heat leftover soups and steam vegetables as well as steaming vegetables in the veggie tray attachment. Remember, too, the liquid you use to cook the rice doesn't have to be water. Vegetable or chicken broth makes very flavorful rice, as does the addition of the herbs and spices of your choice -- try nutmeg, it's a good one.  I occasionally added chopped broccolini (a small, slightly sweeter cousin of broccoli), green onion or other quick-cooking vegetables to the rice before starting the cooker.

By the way, it is possible to freeze leftover rice in ziplock baggies to add to quick soups or puddings later.

Best,

Patricia

I used a rice cooker for years but always had hard overcooked rice in the bottom.  I have since learned from a Puerto Rican cook that the best way to make ANY quantity of fail proof rice is in a spotless regular stainless steel pot as follows:

1. Measure the quantity of rice you want but do not put it in the pot yet.  I find just 3/4 cup is fine for 2 people, but the recipe works with as much or as little rice as you need. Rinse if you prefer.  I do not.

2. Measure double the amount of water into the pot.  Add salt to taste and a little olive oil (or butter for a more American taste), and bring the water to a rapid boil on high.

3. Add the rice to the boiling water and immediate turn down to a medium low heat. Simmer gently in the open pot until the rice rises to the same level as the water.  Turn the rice but be careful not to stir it up too much or it will get sticky.

4. Cover and continue to cook on the lowest possible simmer for about 10 minutes. Then carefully turn the rice once again.

5.  Re-cover and keep on lowest possible heat for at least 5-10 minutes or until required.  Fluff it up gently before serving. If a crust develops on the bottom of the pot do not allow that to mix with the fluffed rice.  That said, if you have turned the rice as indicated, cooked it at a very low temperature after covering the pot, and kept it on the stove for less than 1/2 hour or so you should not have a bottom crust. Inexplicably, many Puerto Ricans like the crust that develops on rice pots left on the stove for hours!

This recipe works for me every time and I have moved my rice cooker out of the kitchen and into long term storage.

I use my rice cooker to cook whole grains like quinoa, millet, amaranth etc. and it turns out good every time.  If cooking something for the first time, I usually go a little under in the water amount and then just check it when it's done.  If it needs more water I just measure it and add it and flip the switch back to on from warm.  When I am cooking the whole grains I add carrots, onions. garlic, celery, mushrooms, parsnip,  or anything I feel like, some boullion, spices etc. and when it's done, it's healthy and delcious and has a wide variety of nutrients beyond just the grains.