Some cookers also come with a rice steamer which can also be used to steam other foods like pasta and vegetables. To learn how to use a microwave rice cooker, here are the steps you need to follow. The obvious first step is to rinse the rice. Place it in the rice cooker and fill the bowl up with enough water to cover the rice by at least an inch. You can use your hand or spoon to swirl the water around. Drain the water by pouring through a fine-mesh sieve. Rinsing the rice will remove traces of arsenic and keep it from sticking together. Move the rinsed rice back to the rice cooker. Add water. If you are making flavored rice, you can add bouillon cubes in the water or herbs, pepper, salt, and any other preferred spices. The ratio of water you add will depend on the type of rice you are cooking.
Long grain brown rice: use 3 cups/ 705ml of water Quinoa: use 1 ½ cups/ 353ml of water Wild rice mix: use 3 cups/ 705ml of water Couscous: use 1 cup/ 235ml of water Polenta: use 2 cups/ 470ml of water
Most steamers come with both inner and outer lids. When cooking you need to use both lids. Put the inner lid into a recess and place the outer lid over the inner lid. Don’t forget to latch the handles if your rice cooker has locks. Additionally, if your lids have holes, offset them to get the best results. The next step is to set your clean microwave. You should set it to 70% power if yours is 1,000 watts or higher. Doing this keeps water from evaporating too fast thus preventing your rice from becoming crunchy. Place your rice in the microwave and set the timer to 13 minutes and hit ‘Start’. The cooking time varies depending on the type of rice you are cooking.
Quinoa: 13 minutes Long-grain brown rice and wild rice mixes: 30 minutes Polenta and couscous: 4 minutes
When the timer stops, your rice will be ready. Take it out of the microwave. Let the rice sit for about 5 minutes. Check this too: Best Stainless Steel Rice Cooker After five minutes open the outer and inner lids and be mindful of the hot steam. Stir/fluff the rice using a fork before serving. Doing so lets out excess moisture. Whether you want to microwave rice for one or many people, these are the steps you need to follow. These microwave rice cooker instructions will also help cook basmati rice in the microwave. Always start small. Don’t start by cooking too much rice.
