Are you trying to eat more healthy meals? Are you wondering how to use a rice cooker for more nutritious meals. Your rice cooker isn’t just a rice cooking appliance. A rice cooker is more versatile than you think.

Maybe you are considering buying a rice cooker, but you haven’t yet because you think it’s only for rice? If you only eat rice occasionally but you love the way it turns out in a rice cooker, remember there are other uses which can justify your purchase.

Rice cookers aren’t just for rice. They can make any grain better tasting and incredibly textured.

Rice cookers are particularly convenient if you want healthier meals. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, tone up or feed your family good food, a rice cooker is an essential small kitchen appliance. So, you want to know how to use a rice cooker for more than rice, read on!

How to use a rice cooker for breakfast?

Modern day rice cookers have digital displays, lots of settings and can be used for meal planning. For example, if you love steel cut oatmeal, but don’t have time to wait for the cooking process in the mornings, use a rice cooker.

Simply place the oatmeal and water in the machine the night before. Then set the timer. You’ve got a perfect breakfast cooked in the morning, exactly when you want it.

It’s hassle-free and you can add walnuts, chia, seeds, berries or other fruits for a super-healthy breakfast.

Think about how much time you can save in the morning with such easy meal prep. The toppings you can add to your oatmeal are unlimited so you have variety as well as convenience.

Will a rice cooker cook grains?

Rice cookers are amazingly convenient, easy to learn to use and very easy to clean. Use them to cook a perfect pot of beans, rice or grains such as quinoa, couscous and millet.

Once you learn how to use a rice cooker for grains you’ll never be short on ideas for dinner.

If you are vegetarian or vegan you’ll fall in love with your rice cooker. Imagine a healthy Buddha bowl full of roasted spiced chickpeas, vegetables and perfectly cooked quinoa (here is a great recipe where you could add quinoa).

Quinoa and other grains are a breeze to cook in a rice cooker. So easy and perfect every time. (And yes, I know quinoa is technically a seed, but we all refer to it as an ancient grain so I’m sure you’ll forgive me for calling it a grain!)

Rice such as arborio and jasmine can be cooked to a level of perfection that can only be achieved with a rice cooker. Once you’ve owned a rice cooker you’ll wonder how you lived without one.

How do they work?

You’ll find a wide array of rice cookers online. At the lower end of the market there are inexpensive rice cookers which are mainly designed to steam and cook rice. However, if taste and texture are important to you then an induction rice cooker combined with pressure cooking offers a more intelligent machine with superior results.

Rice cookers work in a similar way to a slow cooker. They use steam heat over a designated period of time to cook the food while preserving unique flavors and nutrition. If you want to eat healthy it’s time to get a rice cooker.

What else can a rice cooker do?

Most people don’t know that their rice cookers can be used to cook perfect boiled eggs. Eggs are full of nutrition and great if you’re watching calories. They are packed with protein and keep you feeling full longer.

The rice cooker technique involves steaming, rather than boiling, the eggs and you can cook them for hard boiled, soft or medium, just as you like them.

One of the advantages or hard boiled eggs is that they avoid the calories in oil or butter associated with frying eggs. With the convenience of a rice cooker you can have hard boiled eggs ready with very little effort and without the worry of a boil-over from a saucepan on your cooktop.

How to use a rice cooker to cook vegetables

For those who are health conscious, another incredible advantage is being able to use your rice cooker for vegetables. Preserve the nutrients in vegetables by steaming them with your rice cooker.

It is as easy as placing the steam basket into the rice cooker. Next you add the vegetables and any seasonings you desire and cover. The rice cooker does the rest.

Make sure you time your vegetables accurately to prevent overcooking. And remember water boils faster in a rice cooker than bringing it to boil in a pot. You’ll be saving time and the rice cooker will automatically keep anything you’re cooking from burning or scorching.

The verdict

There are so many tangible health benefits from using a rice cooker. If you’re looking for a versatile small kitchen appliance you can use every day to improve your food choices then look no further. Choose a good quality rice cooker and enjoy all it has to offer.

Top of the line rice cookers have non-stick pots, heaps of settings and you can buy them in just the right size for you or a large family. They come in different styles, some have retractable cords and you can even get models which speak to you.

Choose a simple design or one that’s full of technology with lots of settings and extra features like those on an induction rice cooker. Shop online for the best deals and the largest variety of rice cookers.