Last month I bought this little, plastic, eight cup, rice cooker at Target. It was on sale for less than $10, and I figured I couldn't go wrong. I was attracted to it because it was small and lightweight. With only three burners on the RV stove, steaming a pot of rice in my usual fashion takes up precious space.
I have used it in the house at least ten times since I got it, and each time what I made in it came out good. The white rice I made was perfect. I made brown rice to put into a soup. I wanted it to be underdone so it could finish in the broth, so I cooked it for less time. It worked. Rice sometimes sticks to the pot when cooked on the stove. I had an electric rice cooker that was hard to clean. With this one, the rice didn't stick and so the clean up was easier.
I often make vegetables in the microwave using a much heavier Corning ware casserole dish. They came out just about the same using the steamer. I have also made small new potatoes which I usually boil stovetop. Again, the results were comparable.
I haven't tried any pasta yet, but the instructions say you can make pasta in it.
Overall I would give it an 8 out of 10. If you don't have the space for a large electric rice steamer in your RV, and don't want to steam rice or veggies on the stove top, this does the job.
If you are looking for one, try Target, Kmart or Walmart.
They also have them at Amazon: NordicWare Microwave Rice Cooker
Have you found any innovative treasures for your RV lately?
Membership update: We joined the Escapees. They are having a sale right now to celebrate their 35th anniversary and a new membership is $35 instead of $70. A good deal!
The rice cooker looks like a good decision for you. That's a good deal on Escapees. We were members for a year and stayed a few nights at one of their campgrounds, but we never renewed it. I think it's a good organization and we will probably join again at some point.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I hate to cook, I'm always interested in kitchen gadgets. Thanks for the review! Escapees is a GREAT deal! We really liked their parks.
ReplyDeleteWe have one just like that and use it all the time for rice and veggies. We did get a pasta boat for cooking pasta in the microwave...its an oblong size so spaghetti fits perfectly. Last Fall we had our burners taken out and a new countertop installed.....we purchased a Quisinaet oval frying pan....which I love! I love the added counter space and do not miss the burners at all!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Escapes doesn't allow 4 pups! Their loss...we have great pups!
Microhearth Microgrill, baby! That thing is amazing. I've blogged about it in the past so I'll say no more. But, to me, it's the perfect RV cooking solution.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a great little tool. May have to check it out. I think our favorite little tool is our french press. We started using one when we were tent camping and got hooked. It takes less space than a coffee maker and one pot in the morning satisfies our need for a morning cup of Joe. We also think the coffee is better than the electric drip machines.
ReplyDeleteWe love our 3 cup electric rice cooker. But your micro steamer would probably work for micro popcorn too. Did you know you can pop regular popcorn in a micro?
ReplyDeleteSince we don't do rice any more, we've never needed a rice cooker. However, we have a similar pasta cooker that is often used for vegetables. It's elongated, has a perforated lid for draining, and comes with an insert that allows for steaming. Yes it takes some storage space, but with the lid off, Suzy stores other stuff inside. We love the cooker. By the way, Suzy made great spaghetti last night and used the pasta cooker to cook ... pasta! For me. For herself, she had spaghetti squash under her sauce.
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