I purchased a rice cooker last night, and immediately wanted to use it
to prepare a nice brown rice-based meal.

The cooker is an Oster, and cost $30. I would have sprung for a
fancier one, but the Target I went to only had a few options, and this
was the most expensive one they had. Odd, because online they have
choices that go all the way up to $250 (I wasn't going to spend $250,
but I might have done $125).

So, first attempt:

I combined 1 cup of plain, organic, short-grain brown rice with 1 cup
of chicken broth, 1 cup of water and a little bit of sausage (maybe
1/3 cup). Threw it all in the pot and flipped the switch (there is
only one setting).

About 30 minutes later, the cooker flipped into "keep warm" mode, and
I opened it up. The rice was burned on the bottom a little, and still
pretty crunchy (like it was burned but underdone?). It still tasted
good, but I had to throw some of it away--enough that I was still
hungry.

Second attempt:

I figured I didn't put enough water in the first time. This time I
added 1 cup of broth and ~1.5 cups of water, plus the sausage (a
little more this time), and added some salt and pepper (slightly too
much as it turned out).

This time I let it all soak for 20 minutes before turning it on.

The result was tasty, but still a little too crunchy. The bottom
wasn't burnt, but some of the rice definitely browned a bit on the
bottom of the pan.

Perhaps I should have stuck to making JUST the rice in water on the
first few runs, and perfect that technique before getting more daring.
But, hey, I was hungry.


So, my questions:

1. Would the sausage affect the way the rice came out?
2. Does cooking rice with broth vs. water make a difference?
3. Should the rice "puff up" like white rice does (it didn't)?
4. Do you think I need to add MORE water? Everything I read says 2
cups water for 1 cup brown rice.
5. Is it possible to add TOO much water?
6. How long should I soak the rice before cooking?
7. Should I wash the rice (or is that the same as soaking)?
8. Would a better rice cooker (one with, say, fuzzy logic) make this
an easier experience for someone who knows very little about food and
cooking?

I am not interested in methods of cooking brown rice in the microwave
or on the stove top. If I had to do it that way, I probably never
would.


Thanks very much for any help!


Phil