Last Updated on June 19, 2022 by
Can a rice cooker cook meat? A rice cooker can cook meat but may or may not cook meat if it is not properly tweaked. What does this mean? A rice cooker is still a cooker and it does more than just cooking rice. It is designed to cook a lot of foods but it requires a simple maneuvering in most situations to give the desired results.
One appliance that has come to the fore for making cooking easier and faster is the rice cooker. People who cook rice often or regularly would appreciate the invention of a rice cooker.
Making use of the rice cooker is as simple as putting rice in the desired measurement into the machine, then adding water or any other type of broth or mixture you want to add to it with the desired quantity of oil or butter.
Once you have fed the machine with these things then you are minutes away from having your bowl of well-made rice to enjoy. The cooking cycle of the rice cooker is completed in a way shorter time than when rice is cooked on a stove.
The rice cooker also makes sure that there is adequate and generous mixture of the broth or water with other ingredients.
Consumers enjoy the rice cooker without a doubt but most of them want to know if the rice cooker is only limited to cooking rice.
Most people would love to enjoy their rice with some meat but are not certain if they should toss the protein into the rice cooker as well. The comment section and review pages of websites are littered with the question; can a rice cooker cook meat?
HOW DOES A RICE COOKER COOK MEAT?
It is understandable why most people would not want to even experiment with the rice cooker to know if it cooks meat. It is an appliance that is very helpful and experimenting could damage it so to be on the safer side consumers would rather just ask the question and wait for an answer.
Thankfully consumers and users of rice cookers do not have to hold their breath on this one. The answer is in the affirmative.
Rice cookers can cook meat. However, most people that have tried in the past did not get the desired results. Perhaps you have tried cooking meat with the rice cooker but what you got was something that should not go into the mouth. So what is the catch? What did you do wrong?
A rice cooker can cook meat but there is a way to go about it. Simply throwing in the meat in the rice cooker and switching it on would likely not work and even leaving it on for a longer time would either mess things up or still not cook the meat properly. So if you are going to cook meat with the rice cooker then you here’s how to go about it;
SOLUTION
The rice cooker often comes with a steaming tray but some models do not have this steaming tray but you can get it on most online stores or from the manufacturers of rice cookers. The instructions on how to use the steaming tray are attached to the rice cooker or in the manual. The instructions tell you what the steaming time for most foods are so that you are aware of how to tweak the settings.
You should start off with the rice then proceed to adding the steaming tray with the meat and any vegetable if you like as the cooking concludes. It is important that you add the steaming tray towards the end of the cycle.
Rice cookers have different settings. One of such settings would allow you to just keep the pot warm. This setting is ideal for cooking meat, fish, and such other things. You can cook the meat with different ingredients such as onions, curry, soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic, ginger and other spices. You should leave the warm setting to run for about an hour. This method allows you to cook any kind of meat and even a full chicken if that is what you want.
So you can easily cook rice, vegetables and meat at the same time. You do not have to make use of other slower cookers because you want to cook meat and vegetables. The rice cooker will deliver everything to you in a good time. You also enjoy the ease of making use of just one appliance. Also cooking vegetables and meat together with your rice will surely add flavor to the rice and make it a lot better. If you are not certain of the steaming times for most foods on the rice cooker then you can check online so that you can maintain the integrity of whatever you cook so that you do not undercook or overcook.
OTHER THINGS YOU CAN COOK WITH A RICE COOKER
Now that you know that you can cook meat with your rice cooker, you are beginning to wonder what else you can cook with the rice cooker. The rice cooker being a very fast and effective appliance can tempt you to want to replace every other slower cooker with it. Can you do this?
The rice cooker can most definitely cook more than just meat and rice. It has a range that allows for a lot of foods but of course it cannot cook everything. However, you can make the most of it if you want to cook things such as;
- Vegetables
- Fish
- Chicken
- Pork roast
- Mac and cheese
- Beans
- Tofu
- Different soups, stews and even chili
Also considering that rice is a grain, you might as well try cooking other grains with the rice cooker since they are of the same nature. Grains such as polenta, grits, quinoa and even rice pilaf.
WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO COOK MEAT WITH A RICE COOKER?
There are different reasons why someone would want to cook meat with a rice cooker. The name of the appliance does not limit it to just rice so it can be used to cook a variety of foods but why would someone want to cook meat with a rice cooker? Here are some answers;
- TIME: rice cookers are considerably faster than most other cookers. You can have your food ready before you know it so it is only normal for people to want to cook meat fast as well. Meat takes some time to get ready but with a rice cooker it takes an even shorter time.
- FLAVOR: anyone that enjoys rice knows that meat adds a lot of delicious flavor to rice. Most people would want to cook the rice and meat so that the flavor is announced. Also the broth that can be made from cooking meat is another excellent way to add flavor to food.
- ENERGY: it can be stressful to cook meat separately on slower cookers. It requires steady checking and perhaps a lot of utensils too. A rice cooker easily reduces the energy required.
Having one appliance do everything at once while you kick back is a dream come true in the kitchen. So people definitely would want to cook meat with a rice cooker for the above reasons.
ADVANTAGES OF RICE COOKERS
– Rice cookers are easy to clean. This is one of their biggest advantages. You can simply separate the components and throw them into the dishwasher and have it clean, ready for use.
– Another great feature of the rice cooker is in the ability to just keep food warm without overcooking it. This means you can leave your food in the cooker until you are ready to have it served. The warming feature begins immediately after the cooking cycle.
– The most obvious merit of a rice cooker is the fact that it cooks automatically. If you are using other cookers then you might have to check and fuss over it to make sure it does not overcook or burn but the rice cooker takes away the need to worry and just gives you a well-made food when the cycle is completed.
– It used non-stick technology. This is good because it makes cleaning way much easier and food would not stick to the bottom of the cooker.
BEST CHOICE RICE COOKER AVAILABLE
Aroma Housewares Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker and Food Steamer, 4-Cups
This rice cooker is so easy to operate. Even a child can find their way around the machine. This is what people look out for in a machine these days and this brand offers it. It makes cooking very simple and quick. This brand is available on a lot of online stores and it is affordable. It also makes use of the non-stick technology. Click here to see on Amazon
Dash Mini Rice Cooker, 2-Cups
This is a mini-cooker that does not take up much space in the kitchen and the best part is that it is very affordable. Another special thing about this rice cooker is that its size does not hinder the performance. It is very efficient and easy to operate. Click here to see on Amazon
Black+Decker Rice Cooker and Food Steamer, 8-Cups
This is a large-size rice cooker that can cook for large servings. Most people who have the need for cooking large quantities of food always find this brand to be their favorite. It is easy to operate as well and has more than one deck to accommodate multiple cooking. A cooker can also keep food warm and even steams it without over-cooking it. Generally, It makes use of non-stick technology. Click here to see on Amazon
CONCLUSION ON “DOES A RICE COOKER COOK MEAT?”
Rice cookers are an awesome invention. It is a machine you do not know that you need until you have it. It makes cooking so easy and fun. With an appliance like it, you would even look forward to cooking. It is fast and easy to use. However, most people have locked themselves into believing that the rice cooker is just for one purpose alone and it is to cook rice but this article shows that it can do way more than that.
It can cook meat and it can cook a lot of other foods. With the right time and setting there are very few things you can cook with the rice cooker.
