I did a lot of research before finding my rice cooker. I wasn't sold on the idea that it was so great and so I wanted a small one that wasn't too much money.
I got an Oster one and it's lasted two years without any complaints and regular usage. I got it from Amazon. This is the one right here.
You're getting lots of tips on cooking your rice on the stovetop, but I just want to butt in with some rice cooker love. I have this rice cooker from Amazon, and I've been using it at least once a week for over three years. I'm incredibly lazy, and I love the "set it and forget it" nature of rice cookers. I also use it to steam veggies and cook oatmeal. I can cook rice perfectly fine on the stovetop too (and sometimes I still opt to cook rice on the stovetop), but I like that I can set my rice cooker on while I'm hovering over other things on the stovetop and not worry that my rice will overcook. There's only one button, it's absolutely fool-proof.
Easiest way, buy some rice and just read the directions. I'm not being facetious, it's literally that easy.
It's going to typically be 1.5 or 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Place it all in a pot with some salt, bring to a boil, set heat to low and cover and dont touch for 20m.
You can also get a super cheap rice cooker to make your rice, this is the one I used for years. It works well enough, and can get you started for cheap. Mine still works 12 years later. Way easier than stovetop. Way better than minute rice.
I saw this title and I felt the same way just one year ago. I fucking love rice and use it weekly multiple times.
My life changed when I finally purchased this...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001KBY9M8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_S4HIzbCNS04ZW
You can buy a more expensive one if you want but this works fantastic for me.
Just Rice & Stock no problem click and cook the rest of my meal. Then add a pad of butter after its done ✔.
I even mix it up sometimes, Ill add shallots or carrots and corn. Sometimes ill dab some fish sauce into my stock. Or add Taco seasoning when I want some mexi rice.
Doesnt matter the grain. I keep Jasmine, Basmati, Brown, etc on hand and everything is to perfection. Just rince your rice do a 3/4 to 1 or a 1 to 1/2 for Basmati and its perfection.
Spend $20 on a rice cooker if you enjoy it like I do. I promise youll come back in 3 months and want to thank me.
I'm not asian. But get a rice cooker, then just wash the rice and put in the amount of water it advises. It's like magic. You can get a rice cooker for like 15 bucks too. They're not expensive and you'll never have to worry about making rice again. I have no clue why they aren't more popular in America, if I didn't watch anime I never would've known about them and never would've gotten one.
That's generally what they use in asian households. I'm not so sure about asian restaurants.
I've got this one and never had any problems with either how it cooks or with cleaning it. The capacity is smaller but it makes more than enough rice for one person, and its small size means it's ideal for smaller kitchens.
Yeah, went to Amazon. Still looking at some of them. I'm mainly wondering if there is a brand that is just really well-known for making good rice.
Oster seems good, based on some of the reviews I've been reading. Not sure if used is a good idea...
if that's the case ... this is pretty cheap.
My wife and I use this rice cooker ~3 times a week for 5 years. Fancy rice cookers are a waste of money.
Burritos:
Get a bunch of burrito sized tortillas, 2 cans of 8oz pinto beans per 12-14 burritos, a block of cheddar cheese, get a cheap rotisserie chicken or buy some chicken breasts (if you have time and want to save money, get bone in,skin on chicken thighs and debone them), and one 8 oz can of salsa verde for every 12-14 you want to make.
Cook the chicken (debone first if you got the thighs)- I like to season the thighs with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Just put it skin side down on the pan and it makes it's own oil, put oregano only on the non-skin side. If using breasts I cut it up before cooking and season it in a bowl or bag because it's faster and I've got stuff to do, right?
Mix all the other ingredients. 2 cans of pinto beans, about 2 cups of the cheese, one 8 oz can of salsa verde, and mix in the chicken that you've cooked and cut up into tiny bites if not already done. Put a couple scoops on the tortilla and fold it like you do for burritos. Here's a couple videos. 1 2 I use the first way, but hey, it's your burrito. (Not according to that guy on the burrito video though, omg, it's a burrito not a chess game).
Freeze them if you'd like to. I wrap them in a paper towel first so they don't stick together and put them in a freezer bag. Then when I want to eat them I take them out and throw them in the microwave on defrost for a couple minutes until they're soft all the way through. Heat it up another minute or so, then I put them in a pan (I use cast iron because that's what you do when you're awesome) to get the outside crispy. Then you eat. Don't burn your tongue.
Chicken fried rice
Make the chicken thighs I said above.
Make 3 cups of rice. I use white rice but it's up to you I guess. Put it in the fridge for a day. I find it tastes better that way. If you don't have that kind of time because you're a person and not a hermit like me, you can cook it today too. I use this rice cooker because it's easier than cooking it in a pot. By far the best purchase of my culinary life It may be cheaper at Target, but this gets shipped to your house and Target is a trap. Don't go in there.
Buy some frozen mixed veggies. I get a huge bag from costco, but then I'm feeding 6 people every day so you may want a smaller bag.
Get your essential spices: For fried rice I like to use pepper, crushed red pepper (just a little, I don't want it to overpower the other flavors, just want a tiny bit of heat), garlic powder (tiny bit), ground ginger, and ground turmeric. You can also use crushed or minced garlic if you don't want to use the garlic powder. Also have soy sauce and if you're REALLY fancy get some sesame seed oil and sesame seeds. The seeds add like NOTHING to the taste, but if you're bringing a date home and want to impress them, this is where it's at. Also chives can be chopped up in there at the end for garnish. Look at you, gourmet chef!
If you're REALLY FANCY then put that fancy sesame seed oil in a pan, toss in the minced or crushed garlic, and heat it up for a short bit to let your house smell nice. Then throw in the rice. Pour on a bit of soy sauce. Then throw in a handful of the frozen veggies. Don't use a measuring cup unless you're getting an engineering degree. Now sprinkle in any or all of the spices I mentioned above, but I'd recommend not skipping the ginger. That's pretty important to the flavor. If you want it to look nice, don't skip the turmeric, sesame seeds, or chives.
Now throw in the chicken from earlier. I cook up a whole bunch since I buy from costco and put it in the fridge, so I take it out and microwave it for a short bit before throwing it in the pan. You don't have to though. Now mix it up a bit to let the flavors even out. When it's ready, push everything to a side of the pan, take an egg and crack it on the empty side, scramble it, and then mix it all up again. Dump it in a monster sized bowl because you're in college and then garnish because, well, it's also a date. Then enjoy :)
I got more but kids have had enough screen time so I'm going now. But I'd recommend you watch these guys. They are great and taught me to not worry so much about measuring every little thing. It makes dishes harder and makes cooking take more time, so I'm glad I'm moving away from that.