hi! i am new to healthy cooking, so i am going to have a lot of questions
on here in the near future my 1st question is... i've read that i can
use a rice cooker for chicken and fish - does anyone have any experience
with that? ...i am concerned that the chicken/fish will not cook through
and be safe.
that aside, would i use the steamer basket or the main compartment?
beginner's instructions and/or easy recipes would be so appreciated!
thanks everyone!

I saw someone (forget who) on tv, put fish in one.
lucy


"sugacookie" > wrote in message
lkaboutcooking.com...
> hi! i am new to healthy cooking, so i am going to have a lot of questions
> on here in the near future my 1st question is... i've read that i can
> use a rice cooker for chicken and fish - does anyone have any experience
> with that? ...i am concerned that the chicken/fish will not cook through
> and be safe.
> that aside, would i use the steamer basket or the main compartment?
> beginner's instructions and/or easy recipes would be so appreciated!
> thanks everyone!
>

okay, so at least it can be done? now i just need to know how/what

"sugacookie" > wrote in
lkaboutcooking.com:

> hi! i am new to healthy cooking, so i am going to have a lot of
> questions on here in the near future my 1st question is... i've
> read that i can use a rice cooker for chicken and fish - does anyone
> have any experience with that? ...i am concerned that the
> chicken/fish will not cook through and be safe.
> that aside, would i use the steamer basket or the main compartment?
> beginner's instructions and/or easy recipes would be so appreciated!
> thanks everyone!
>

I have a black and decker rice cooker. Upon occassion I have cooked 1 pot
meals in mine. I cooked 1 cup raw rice (basmati), 4 bite sized
skinless,boneless chicken thighs, 1 diced carrot, 1/2 a diced small
onion, and some chopped celery all at once. I combine 2 cups water some
salt, pepper, cumin, chicken stock granules (optional) (*all spices to
taste) then everthing else to the rice chamber and let her rip.

When the rice cooker tells you its done I stir in a cup of frozen peas,
then serve.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl

In article
outcooking.com>,
"sugacookie" > wrote:

> okay, so at least it can be done? now i just need to know how/what

I checked a book out of our local library called the Ultimate Rice
Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensberger. She had you put the rice in the
bottom cooker part and the meat and veggies in the steamer basket. We
did fish a couple of times and found that we preferred to sneak the
steamer basket in part way through the rice cooking time as we like our
fish and veggies less well done than the author. It did work well
though and was a wonderful thing on hot summer days. Nice dinner
without a hot kitchen. Maybe your local library has a copy too.

marcella

sugacookie wrote:
>
> hi! i am new to healthy cooking, so i am going to have a lot of
questions
> on here in the near future my 1st question is... i've read that i
can
> use a rice cooker for chicken and fish - does anyone have any
experience
> with that? ...i am concerned that the chicken/fish will not cook
through
> and be safe.

Once you know how a rice cooker works, it is possible to cook
all sorts of stuff in it. I've used mine to steam veggies
but not to cook meat.

> that aside, would i use the steamer basket or the main compartment?

Yours has an extra steamer basket? Nice feature.

> beginner's instructions and/or easy recipes would be so appreciated!
> thanks everyone!

Rice cookers use a thermostat to turn off. They depend on having
water at the bottom of the bucket to keep the temperature below
boiling. Once all of the liquid has boiled away, the temperature
at the bottom can quickly rise above boiling, and that triggers
the thermostat to turn off the heat (or to switch to keep-warm
mode).

Basically, if you put a chicken in the basket and turn on the
rice cooker, the only liquid is what drips off the meat. It will
turn off far to early I bet. So you'll want to pour water in the
bottom and it will steam your chicken until all of the water has
boiled away. It should take a few experiments if there is no
recipe in the book.

For veggies, I've never needed to add more than a half cup to a
whole cup of water. A chciken will take more.

"sugacookie" wrote ...
> hi! i am new to healthy cooking, so i am going to have a lot of questions
> on here in the near future my 1st question is... i've read that i can
> use a rice cooker for chicken and fish - does anyone have any experience
> with that? ...i am concerned that the chicken/fish will not cook through
> and be safe.
> that aside, would i use the steamer basket or the main compartment?
> beginner's instructions and/or easy recipes would be so appreciated!
> thanks everyone!
>

You can also use your dishwasher also (really---steam in foil), but I don't
know how to do either method.

About 30 years ago (yes, I am old!), I had a neighbor originally from
Taiwan. She used her rice cooker for all sorts of cooking, including a form
of Chinese firepot. When she did her version of stuffed cabbage rolls, she
put some water on the bottom and put the cabbage rolls on a regular plate
and into the cooker.

Pam

thanks so much for the help, everyone! i will try putting the chicken in
the steamer basket (per marcella's suggestion), along with rice -- and
plenty of water, per doug's selection, and let you know how it turns out
when i give it a try

On Tue, 01 Feb 2005 04:03:09 -0500, in rec.food.cooking, sugacookie wrote:

>thanks so much for the help, everyone! i will try putting the chicken in
>the steamer basket (per marcella's suggestion), along with rice -- and
>plenty of water, per doug's selection, and let you know how it turns out
>when i give it a try

How did it come out? I did chicken breasts in mine recently, with rice,
amount of water according to the instructions for the rice, and it was
great.

Doug
--
Doug Weller -- exorcise the demon to reply
Doug & Helen's Dogs http://www.dougandhelen.com
A Director and Moderator of The Hall of Ma'at http://www.hallofmaat.com
Doug's Archaeology Site: http://www.ramtops.co.uk

sugacookie wrote:
> thanks so much for the help, everyone! i will try putting the chicken
in
> the steamer basket (per marcella's suggestion), along with rice --
and
> plenty of water, per doug's selection, and let you know how it turns
out
> when i give it a try

If you have an Asian grocery within reach, you could also try Chinese
sausages (lop cheong, or similar spelling). A very traditional family
dish is to slice the sausages diagonally about 2" long and cook them
along with the rice. After the rice has been brought to the boil and
has boiled enough to evaporate most of the surface liquid and produce
steam holes, you just place the sausage on top of the rice, cover and
let it finish. When the rice is done, so are the sausages. I don't
see why it wouldn't work the same in a rice cooker. No need for the
steamer basket either.

-aem

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 17:20:12 GMT, in rec.food.cooking, Dog3
> wrote:

>Doug Weller > wrote in
:
>
>> On Tue, 01 Feb 2005 04:03:09 -0500, in rec.food.cooking, sugacookie
>> wrote:
>>
>>>thanks so much for the help, everyone! i will try putting the chicken
>>>in the steamer basket (per marcella's suggestion), along with rice --
>>>and plenty of water, per doug's selection, and let you know how it
>>>turns out when i give it a try
>>
>> How did it come out? I did chicken breasts in mine recently, with
>> rice, amount of water according to the instructions for the rice, and
>> it was great.
>>
>> Doug
>
>Doug, did you season the chicken with anything? Was the skin off or on?
>Thanks. If you've posted it already, I'll look it up. I missed the original
>post.

Skin was on. I didn't season the chicken at all.

Doug
--
Doug Weller -- exorcise the demon to reply
Doug & Helen's Dogs http://www.dougandhelen.com
A Director and Moderator of The Hall of Ma'at http://www.hallofmaat.com
Doug's Archaeology Site: http://www.ramtops.co.uk

hi everyone sorry for the delay in my update! ...i finally tried fish
filets in my rice cooker (haddock or hake, can't remember), but it was a
rather funny experience because they were frozen (i was in a pinch!), so i
tried to microwave them first to thaw them out enough to squish them in
there (LOL). the fish came out moderately okay - a little dry - probably
because of the microwaving....... or because my rice cooker is one of
those totally automatic ones that you can't open mid-cooking, so the fish
was in there the whole time - maybe too long, and that cause it to dry
out... or for both reasons any suggestions?

p.s. as you can tell, i am new to using a rice cooker, so i make
miscalculations and silly mistakes right now but - is it a
misconception in my thinking that using a rice cooker is supposed to be
one of the healthiest ways to cook, because it steams the food and keeps
more nutrients in? the thing is, every time i do vegetables in the steamer
basket, they do not come out to be nice, crunchy, colorful steamed veggies
- just soggy, faded, weak looking. i have no idea if they are still
healthful... would anyone know? and is this normal? and if not, can
someone instruct me please? sorry for all the questions... thanks for
reading!

sugacookie wrote:
[snip] ....my rice cooker is one of those totally automatic ones that
> you can't open mid-cooking,... [more snips]
> ... - is it a misconception in my thinking that using a rice cooker
> is supposed to be one of the healthiest ways to cook, because it
> steams the food and keeps more nutrients in? the thing is, every time
> i do vegetables in the steamer basket, they do not come out to be
> nice, crunchy, colorful steamed veggies - just soggy, faded, weak
> looking. [more snippage]

Soggy, faded, weak = overcooked to very overcooked. If your rice
cooker won't let you stop it when you want to, why not just get a
steamer basket and use it in a pot on the stovetop? It's very simple,
only requires a rinse to clean up, and you can easily control how long
you cook the vegetables.

If for some reason you must use the rice cooker, then you can
experiment with using less water. The heating element in most of these
cookers goes off when the water has boiled away, so if you start with
less water the cooking time will be shorter. This won't work if you're
also cooking rice, of course, and it's more trouble than it's worth, in
my opinion. Just use a pot.

-aem

i just use the rice cooker, because i'm a cliche young person, fairly
helpless in the kitchen, which i share with roommates too and can't spend
too much time in there or generate too much dishes etc. - maybe someday
i'll branch out and get better ...thanks for the help. any suggestions
about why the fish was dried out? (after i microwaved it, it was still
cool/moist so i don't know if that had to do with it...)

In article
outcooking.com>,
"sugacookie" > wrote:

> hi everyone sorry for the delay in my update! ...i finally tried fish
> filets in my rice cooker (haddock or hake, can't remember), but it was a
> rather funny experience because they were frozen (i was in a pinch!), so i
> tried to microwave them first to thaw them out enough to squish them in
> there (LOL). the fish came out moderately okay - a little dry - probably
> because of the microwaving....... or because my rice cooker is one of
> those totally automatic ones that you can't open mid-cooking, so the fish
> was in there the whole time - maybe too long, and that cause it to dry
> out... or for both reasons any suggestions?
>
> p.s. as you can tell, i am new to using a rice cooker, so i make
> miscalculations and silly mistakes right now but - is it a
> misconception in my thinking that using a rice cooker is supposed to be
> one of the healthiest ways to cook, because it steams the food and keeps
> more nutrients in? the thing is, every time i do vegetables in the steamer
> basket, they do not come out to be nice, crunchy, colorful steamed veggies
> - just soggy, faded, weak looking. i have no idea if they are still
> healthful... would anyone know? and is this normal? and if not, can
> someone instruct me please? sorry for all the questions... thanks for
> reading!

Sounds to me like both the fish and the veggies got overcooked.

Does the rice cooker lock when on and not let you open it? Or, is it
simply that the directions state to not open it? Because my rice cooker
instructions tell me not to open it, but I start the rice and leave the
steamer basket out on the counter. Halfway through cooking, I put the
filled basket in to the rice cooker. I do it quickly. This way the
rice can cook the length of time it needs and the fish and veggies cook
the length of time they need.

marcella

i just use the rice cooker, because i'm a cliche young person, fairly
helpless in the kitchen, which i share with roommates too and can't spend
too much time in there or generate too much dishes etc. - maybe someday
i'll branch out and get better ...thanks for the help. any suggestions
about why the fish was dried out? (after i microwaved it, it was still
cool/moist so i don't know if that had to do with it...)

thanks for checkin' in the rice cooker doesn't physically lock, but the
steam vent is so close to the handle that even after it's turned off i
have to leave it for a while or i'll get steam burned - yikes! (thinking
to myself "SOMEDAY, i will have the money to buy a better one!" *smile*)

In outcooking.com>
sugacookie wrote:
> thanks for checkin' in the rice cooker doesn't physically lock, but
> the steam vent is so close to the handle that even after it's turned
> off i have to leave it for a while or i'll get steam burned - yikes! (
> thinking to myself "SOMEDAY, i will have the money to buy a better one!
> " *smile*)

This thread although interesting brings me to ask why? Well, first off
why a rice cooker to begin with? I mean a pot with a lid takes 20
minutes and absolutely no effort for perfect rice. And a slow cooker
for the chicken if you're away from home or a small roaster for the oven
if you're home. Either way is simple so why complicate it further?

Dazed & confused...


--
Cheers

Dennis

Remove 'Elle-Kabong' to reply

maybe not everybody has your cooking prowess, dennis... still dazed and
confused?
for the rest of the people who just want to help, i have one last
question. my rice cooker is supposed to be non-stick, but of course some
sticks on the bottom - so, i tried to get it off with a "scrubbie" thing
(i don't think it's steel wool, and would never knowingly use steel-wool
on a coated surface)... well, now i see very faint brush marks from the
scrubbie, and i was wondering if it's safe to use now or should i chuck it
and buy a new rice cooker? xoxo everyone!

In outcooking.com>
sugacookie wrote:
> maybe not everybody has your cooking prowess, dennis... still dazed
> and confused?

Well, since you put it that way, yes. It's not exactly difficult to put
one part rice with 2 parts water in a covered pot on a burner on the
stove. Turn it on and when it starts boiling turn down to simmer. Wait
20 minutes and it's done.

Not exactly what I would call prowness...more like boiling water. And
yes, my post was intended to help...like I said, when it's so simple,
why make it complicated?

--
Cheers

Dennis

Remove 'Elle-Kabong' to reply

i burn the rice, okay? instead of questioning why i do something a certain
way, why can't you just offer the kind of help i asked for? if you can't
do that for someone, you just shouldn't comment. thank you anyway.

In outcooking.com>
sugacookie wrote:
> i burn the rice, okay?

No, that's not ok and if it were you wouldn't be here.

> instead of questioning why i do something a
> certain way, why can't you just offer the kind of help i asked for? if
> you can't do that for someone, you just shouldn't comment. thank you
> anyway.

When you post a question to an open forum you should expect to get
various replies. Some which are exactly which you were looking for and
some outside your paradigm. Surprise yourself, lighten up and quit with
the head up your routine attitude.


--
Cheers

Dennis

Remove 'Elle-Kabong' to reply

sugacookie wrote:
> i burn the rice, okay? instead of questioning why i do something a
certain
> way, why can't you just offer the kind of help i asked for? if you
can't
> do that for someone, you just shouldn't comment. thank you anyway.

Sure, people could confine themselves to answering only the exact
question you ask, even if it's the wrong question. The problem with
that is that you'll not learn very much. If you really want to learn
anything about cooking, or how to cook rice, or how to steam chicken or
vegetables, you'd be better off losing the attitude, sugar.

If you burn rice when cooking it in a pot, the heat is too high after
you turn it down to simmer. If you're already at the lowest setting,
get one of those gizmos that goes between the burner and the pot to
lower the effective heat.

It's almost impossible for a non-stick rice cooker to produce rice
stuck to the bottom, assuming you use at least as much water as rice.
Don't leave the rice in the cooker to get cold. Remove it to a storage
container and soak the cooker pot in cold water. You won't need to
scrub.

If the scratches are barely visible it's probably all right. If you
can see through the nonstick coating to metal underneath, consider
replacing it.
-aem

i don't have a bad attitude, i felt like i was being picked on. if i want
to use a rice cooker, can't someone just accept that and help me with my
chosen form of cooking? (and no, i don't think that's so specific that
i'll never learn "anything." i become a better cook little by little, same
as most other people...).

people making suggestions of different avenues i can try, is different than
questioning why i "must" use a rice cooker - as if there's something wrong
with doing so. it shouldn't matter why i use one, that's not relevant -
just learning to better use one is. i didn't mean to be rude, i just want
to focus on advancing my use of my chosen means.

In outcooking.com>
sugacookie wrote:
> i don't have a bad attitude, i felt like i was being picked on.

You weren't being picked on and yes you've got a bad attitude. Go back
and read your first reply. I simply asked why use a rice cooker.

> if i
> want to use a rice cooker, can't someone just accept that and help me
> with my chosen form of cooking?

And if you're going to post to the world your method, why can't you just
accept someone might ask why?

> (and no, i don't think that's so
> specific that i'll never learn "anything." i become a better cook
> little by little, same as most other people...).

Well, if you're going to blow a gasket every time someone asks you
something, you might find it difficult to get the advice you require...


--
Cheers

Dennis

Remove 'Elle-Kabong' to reply