New York Renovator

I am an American. Worse, I am a Northeasterner American. Which means that I CANNOT COOK TASTY RICE. The rice I cook tastes DISGUSTING. I admit it! I have finally faced reality! That, or the family may finally mutiny unless I do. My rice was always too soft, mushy, and bland. I tried Basmati rice for a while, and that turned out nicer (i.e., it was edible), but it took a lot of time to wash, rinse, soak, cook, and wash all the dishes I used. Ugh.

People, I have seen the light.

GET A RICE COOKER.
Oh my word, why did I never get one of these before?!?!? Why have we suffered all these years?!?

I got a Black & Decker Rice Cooker and I urge you to do the same! Seriously, the thing is amazing. I’ve always been a real miser when it comes to buying small appliances. I never got a microwave unti lI was 35, never got an electric can opener until last year, never got a bread machine until a few years ago. Wow, what a difference in my life. Well worth the money. But the rice cooker, which I always thought was a silly fad, an expensive fob for “rich” women, is by FAR my favorite appliance. I use it several times a week, and it always makes the best rice. I am a rice cooker convert!

And they are not expensive, not at all! There’s a sweet Black & Decker rice cooker on sale right now at Buy.com for around $20. And the shipping is FREE! Get one for you, for your daughter, for your friends, for your sisters, for your mailman! The price is so low, and these things are totally cool! Rice is an inexpensive meal, so there are savings on that end, too. I love my rice cooker!! And best of all, ME, the Northeasterner– I can finally make edible, tasty rice!

By the way, while you’re at Buy.com, don’t forget to be a good Frugal Hack and check out their sale page. They have weekly sales and daily sales, stuff for very low prices. Buy.com has “everyday” stuff, too– household supplies, appliance parts, software, cooking tools, bedding, etc. It’s a phenomenal store and I love shopping there and grabbing deals. Check it out! You never know what great stuff you’ll find, and better yet, it’ll be stuff on SALE!

Well, I finally broke down and bought a rice cooker. WHAT on EARTH took me so long?! I don’t know why I waited– these things are so great!

I have always been a very poor cook when it came to rice. Either I bought the wrong kind, or I didn’t baby it enough, or I don’t have the patience… my rice always came out too mushy or too sticky. It was awful. It got to the point where I wouldn’t serve it anymore.

I tinkered with the idea of getting a rice cooker, for a few years. I’m usually very slow to buy new appliances. But two weeks ago I saw a little Black & Decker Rice Cooker (me and Black & Decker are like THIS, man) for $21 and thought, “Well, why not?” Boy, what a difference it has made! We can actually eat rice again!

The kind I got has no name except “Black & Decker Rice Cooker Plus.” It’s supposed to make 16 cups of cooked rice. The instructions are so easy…. *slaps head* what have I been waiting for all these years! If I knew it was this easy… sheesh!  This appliance is very much worthwhile.

I’ve made the full 16-cup recipe and the 5-cup recipe so far. The 5-cup recipe size has turned out the best, very fluffy and light. The 16-cup batch wasn’t bad– much much better than anything I’ve ever done on the stovetop– but it was a little stickier and moister than the smaller batch.

All you do it measure cups of rice (this cooker came with a measuring cup and a plastic spatula). Dump the cups of rice into the cooker. Then, add water up to the line of how many cups your poured. For example, I poured in 5 measuring cups of rice, I fill up the cooker with water to the line that says “5.” I press the switch in the “cook” position and leave it for 25 minutes. It stops cooking automatically when done, although it goes into a “Keep Warm” position. I usually unplug the cooker right after it’s done cooking, so the rice doesn’t “Keep Warm” forever and get dry on the bottom of the bowl.

I’ve had great success with the cooker. I did read a lot of reviews at Amazon and WalMart about rice cookers before buying one. A lot of people say they have had problems, particularly with the “Keep Warm” feature burning the rice at the bottom of the bowl. Honestly, I think you’d have to have the cooker at “Keep Warm” all day for the rice to burn at the bottom! I don’t know what these folks are talking about– I love this cooker and it has simplified my meal-making so much.

So thumbs up on this appliance!!