Babysitter showed up. It was really a comedy of errors. She was horribly lost and had left my number in her dorm room. Both of us called our daycare provider within minutes of each other and got on track. I'm still annoyed with her for being late, but it all worked out. I even had time to stop for much-needed coffee on my way to the yard sale.
Regarding rice cookers, I have one, and I love it. But! I like to cook brown rice, and my rice cooker does not do a good job with the brown. Is there something I don't know?
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I'm glad your sitter made it - and amazed the twins slept through the alarms! We have a steamer (made for rice and veggies, so not really a full-on rice cooker) that does a great job with brown rice. But I suspect it's different from the model you have (one of those round ones?). I've always been abysmal at cooking rice on the stove.
Julia from Here Be Hippogriffs once mentioned that brown rice is better just boiled and drained, and you know what? she's right! I love brown rice now that I don't cook it like white rice, and it doesn't take quite as long either. If you add a little extra water, it also gives you a little more leeway should you forget about it....
Usually I add a little extra water to my electric rice cooker when I'm using it for brown rice, and that helps.
There's a Japanese website that gives directions on how to do brown rice in a rice cooker. According to them:
1. Wash the rice
2. Leave the rice soaking in water at least overnight
3. Drain the soaking water and put in a bit more water than you would for white rice to cook (their example is if you have 2 cups of water normally, increase to 2.5 cups of water)
4. Turn on like usual
General consensus is that the long soaking time is critical here.
FYI, website is at http://www.naozane.co.jp/kenkou/takikaata.htm
I usually just put in twice as much water as rice when I cook brown rice in a rice cooker. A pat of butter also adds a bit of flavor. No soaking of the rice is necessary, but it does take awhile to cook. Sometimes I also let the rice sit in the cooker 10 to 20 minutes longer after the warm light comes on.
I cook rice - including brown rice - in the microwave. Use a glass casserole dish with a lid, preferrably one that does not fit so tightly that it doesn't let steam out. A round Pyrex one works nicely. Use 1.5 x water to rice ratio, no more. I usually use a little bit less water than this. A little salt is good, too. Set the microwave on high for 5 - 6 minutes, then turn it to 50% power for 20 minutes. It should be perfect, but you might find you need an extra 5 minutes. The beauty of this is that, since the microwave turns itself off, you can't burn the rice. I always put a paper towel down underneath the casserole dish to catch any overflowing water.
I also sometimes put wheat berries in with my brown rice. They give it a nice, nutty flavor. Use half the amount of wheat berries as rice, the water ratio stays the same as if you were cooking all rice. Yum.
I can't believe my first comment ever here is about rice, but, well, here it is.
I use the ratio recommended by Cooks Illustrated in the rice cooker:
1 cup rice
2.25 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp butter or oil
Brown rice does take awhile to cook, but this turns out great!
I think you're a Cooks subscriber (since I remember your awesome post about the absurd Letter from Vermont); if so, Cooks also has a recipe from a few years ago called "Foolproof Brown Rice" in which the rice gets baked in the oven. Takes about an hour and comes out similar to rice cooker brown rice. This is the recipe that I used before I got my rice cooker.
I used to just boil brown rice, but I think either of the Cook's recipes (rice cooker or oven) yield far better rice.
I have a cheapo rice cooker and have great success with brown rice when I increase the water by about 1/2c and allow the warm setting to sit for about 15 minutes before I start scooping out the delicious goodness.
Have you ever tried quinoa? I tried it for the first time last week with some stir-fried veggies and chicken...it was DELICIOUS. Very nutty.
SO GLAD that the sitter finally showed. I hate being at the beck and call of people who forget...no matter how good they are.
How did the yard sale fare?
Can't believe the twins slept through the racket! Very impressive.
Brown rice does fine in our rice cooker, I just add extra water and allow extra time for it to cook. (just read through the other comments and realized that seems to be the consensus...)
Buddha Girl, I just bought quinoa cause I've been hearing great things about it, but have no idea how to cook it!
I too simply double the water (so that it comes to 1:2 rice:water)and turn that puppy on and it just sings with wonderful rice when it's finished.
You can get those pressurized rice cookers that are specific for brown rice and it comes out real nice. White rice cooks up pretty good in them too, just a little more sticky than in a steamed rice cooker. The steamers don't work so well on the brown.
Glad to hear your babysitter made it.
Weird. My rice cooker does a great job on brown rice, which, as you know, takes forever to cook the old-fashioned way. I have a Salton, if that helps.
Glad she showed up...:)
I hate that feeling of dread. Should you call? Where's the number? Will they EVER show up???
Glad you both made it okay!
we use only brown pretty much in our home, extra water, a bit extra time, like others have said...but this weekend I did some Indian dish a friend gave me...and some Basmati for fun...oohhh so yummy. Glad the sitter thing worked out for the most part, I do hate that.
I pretty much only cook brown rice in my rice cooker. I stand by the statement of the original anonymous poster: Twice as much water as rice makes for a perfect result every time. Alternately, about an inch of water over the rice (about to the first knuckle if you stick your finger in) amounts to about the same thing.
Also, oil the bowl of your rice cooker a little bit before you start. It makes a difference and if you use the right kind of oil it is good for you!
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