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I will never eat mushy rice again.
I need to confess: I cannot cook a good pot of rice. Like, at all. I’ve tried all of the pro-recommended methods and still end up with slop. It can be mushy, overcooked, undercooked, weirdly shiny, and sometimes (if I really mess it up) pudding-like. When I saw that KitchenAid was launching a compact version of its smart rice cooker, I jumped at the opportunity to test it. Despite my ineptitude, it was actually the first rice cooker I ever wanted to try.
The original version is raved about by fellow Editor Katie Brown. And I have to say that she was right. Oh, and, apparently, Ina Garten agrees. In a May issue of her email newsletter, she mentioned it in an Ask Ina question, where she discussed her salmon teriyaki recipe. “I make it with basmati rice, which I can pre-set in my new KitchenAid rice cooker. Have I mentioned how much I love my new rice cooker?” Well, with that seal of approval, do you even need my opinion?
KitchenAid Compact 8-Cup Grain and Rice Cooker with Automatic Sensing and Integrated Scale
The perks of this rice cooker are in the name. It has automatic sensors and a scale that, combined, do all of the work for you, so you’ll never have gummy rice again. I refused to try a rice cooker unless it was something I knew would make my life easier, and this machine does that and more because of those nifty additions.
Over the three months I’ve owned the appliance, I’ve put some serious miles on it. I consistently use the rice cooker every two to three days for quinoa and at least twice a week for brown and white rice. It cooks the grains or rice perfectly, no matter how I add them in. How? It has a built-in scale that gets displayed on the touchscreen. I choose the ingredient type first, whether it’s long-grain rice, short-grain rice, quinoa, beans, oats — the list goes on. All I do is pour my quinoa or rice in until I have an amount that looks right, and it tracks the weight.
After that, it asks if you’re putting the ingredient in dry, rinsed, or soaked form, and then it asks what type of liquid you’re cooking it in. No matter what configuration I choose, like soaked beans or unrinsed rice, it automatically figures out how much liquid I need to add and how long it needs to cook it. I also love that I can choose the “doneness” of my grains and rice, so if I want it anywhere between firm and soft, it has me covered. Oh, and it plays a pleasant little jingle when it’s ready. The whole process is completely stress-free.
I swear, this thing is magic. Rice, even completely unrinsed, comes out fluffy, separated, and perfectly tender every single time. I can make small to large batches of quinoa, and it always comes out the same. And, because this uses a scale, I don’t have to dirty any measuring cups along the way.
Suffice it to say that my days of sad, mushy rice are over. While I recognize that this KitchenAid rice cooker is an investment, if you struggle with cooking rice like me, it’s a sound one. And because this is the compact version at 12 x 9 x 8.7 inches, it’s small enough to keep on my countertop. Follow Ina Garten’s and my lead and try the magic for yourself — snag it at Amazon today.
Shop More Kitchen Gear That Ina Garten and I Love at Amazon
Kuhn Rikon Vegetable Peeler
Vitamix 5200 Blender
OXO Salad Spinner
KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
At the time of publishing, the price was $250.
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Read the original article on Food & Wine
