The cookware industry is still trying to deliver on the early promise of microwaves as cooking (not simply reheating) appliances. The latest incarnation of this promise is the microwave rice cooker, which claims to produce perfect rice in a flash, without the time and mess of stovetop cooking or the counter space and expense required by electric rice cookers. Hoping the microwave might indeed offer a foolproof way to make rice, we tested five models. Our favorite took some getting used to, but ultimately got the job done.
Gadget name: Progressive International Microwave Rice Cooker Set
Price: $8.99
It looks like: A sturdy, round plastic food-storage container with a vented snap-on lid.
How it’s supposed to work: This device couldn’t be simpler—rice and water are simply measured into the cooker, the lid is attached securely, and it’s all microwaved until the rice is done.
How we tested it: We used it to prepare short-grain white rice, long-grain white rice, basmati rice, and brown rice.
How it actually works: For a convenience product, it was anything but easy to get to work. Why? The wattage of home kitchen microwave ovens varies widely. It helped us to learn that microwaves penetrate only about 1½ inches into food. In order to produce a fully cooked pot of rice, we needed to give heat time to transfer beyond the surface to the inner grains. Success lay in a “low and slow” approach—using a lower power setting and more cooking time—which let heat penetrate throughout the rice and allowed the starch granules to absorb water and soften to their core.
Drawbacks: You’re left to your own devices when trying to find the best cooking times with microwave rice cookers: The instruction manuals they come with are intended only as guidelines.
Good to know: After much trial and error, and many batches of wasted rice, we stumbled upon a cooking method that produced a pot of uniformly well-cooked rice. Our winning formula was five minutes on full power, 15 minutes at 50 percent power, and then a five-minute rest.
My favorite part: The cooker is dishwasher-safe (on the top rack) and BPA-free.
Best for: A college student or apartment-dweller with a microwave and limited space.
Overall: This cooker consistently produced evenly cooked rice, but only after we’d discovered the best power level and timing. It makes enough rice for six servings, and we appreciate its simple, easy-to-clean design.
About the Author: Lisa McManus
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I got this method from a Vietnamese cookbook.
This works with any amount of rice or any size pan. Just remember that the
rice must cover the bottom of the pan at least 2 rice grains deep.
Pour rice into pan, at least 2 rice grains deep. Add cold tap water to a
depth of 1″ above the top surface of the rice layer. A very easy way to do
this is to add water so that when your forefinger is just touching the top
surface of the rice, the water reaches the first knuckle of that finger.
This distance is 1″ for virtually everybody so it really works.
Use a pan with a tight fitting lid. With pan uncovered, bring to a good
boil, then turn down heat to simmer, stir with a fork to unstick any grains
from the pot bottooom and cook covered for 20 minutes.
Then fluff up with a fork and let stand covered on a cold burner for 10
minutes. Fluff with a fork and quicky re-cover pan.
The inportant thing to remember is NEVER REMOVE THE LID while it is cooking
or standing or it may not come out properly.
I have a microwave pressure cooker need help !
No directions any ideas ATK
I have used the same method with a microwave rice cooker from Pampered Chef. Always great results. I like to use 1 cup of rice to about a cup and half of water. Also find the microwave cooker works best with no more than a cup and half of rice. Which is not great when I have a few extra guests for dinner.
What is the formula for brown rice? The instructions say 70% but does that work for 1000 watt micro or does the power level get further reduced? Thanks