I have been cooking rice in the microwave for years! Just use a casserole dish with a lid. (I use a round corning ware). 5 minutes on high, 12 minutes half power. Perfect rice every time.
You can do a lot with a microwave so it's an essential appliance for any modern home, but you really have to know how it works to get the best results. Microwaves basically vibrate water molecules which produces heat. This ends up cooking your food from the inside out or even dehydrating it as the water content escapes out of the food as vapour. Dehydration along with surface heat from vessels that heat up(but not nearly enough)is what causes the crisping. It's possible to get a Maillard reaction (browning) in the microwave, but it will be very inconsistent since the margin for error is very high. You can go from cooked to burned in a matter of seconds and this is why any kind of browning you get is inconsistent. Bottom line is: only use the microwave for applications in which you heat up foods with consistent hydration levels such as melting, steaming, boiling. Also the reason why all these microwave-use gadgets are plastic/silicone is because they are specifically made to heat up and not explode in the microwave. Glass and ceramic can get so hot that they crack/explode, but not plastic which usually doesn't react to microwaves(if you microwave in a plastic vessel and it's hot it's because of the heated food in it making it hot, not the microwaves themselves). BUT microwaving with plastic often is problematic because they leach chemicals especially when exposed to high heat. Silicone is fine, but due to the flexibility it doesn't make a great vessel.
Great thoughtful comment! Knew about the way microwave works and effect glass and metals but didn't realize what you mentioned about plastics/silicone not being heated by the microwave itself. Cool, thanks!
I live in Korea, and I have a microwave rice cooker, there are a few more components than this one. But I remember the directions saying to leave the cooker in the microwave for 5 min, or at the very least to not remove the lid for 5 min after cooking. But my cooker has a bit more of a seal to the lid, there are like 2 lids for mine
I was searching for a comment saying this haha I guess it's a microwave with an oven function which I have as well but still it's not as big as this one
Others pointed out the problem with juices, but that's not a big deal - just put a dish underneath. The REAL PROBLEM is that it won't get anywhere near hot enough, as the other gadget showed. Unevenly "searing" bread is a long ways away from properly searing and cooking a steak.
My granny was the first in our town to have a microwave when they came out. She always makes Rice and potatoes in it. And you actually can taste that its starchier. Quite delicious
I got this Japanese microwave steamer container from daiso that does a great job. Has a basket inside and you can add a bit of water. Works great for veggies.
I have been cooking rice in a $1 plastic bowl in the microwave for years. I don't need a special "RICE COOKER". The grill thing just doesn't even look good!!! The pressure cooker just failed miserably!!! Keep up the GREAT VIDEOS!!!
That $44 rice cooker looks like you could easily use or make something much cheaper. For $44 you could buy a decent rice cooker which makes perfect rice and doesn't take that much longer.
For those wondering about the microwave Esther is using, it appears to be an LG LCRT2010ST (2.0 cu-ft) which has a weight of 39.7 pounds and dimensions of 23.9 × 19.2 × 13.6 inches.
Microwaves are kinda underrated as they are dismissed as inferior for everything and only necessary for quick shortcuts. But in theory usin a micro to boil/steam vegetables would be better than doing a regular pot of boiling water cause less flavor and nutrients would be lost in the water. Some chef on Chef Steps argued for it a lot. Biggest issue though is getting an even cooking of larger pieces.
You can grill a steak in the microwave but you need to spend up on a quality item like "the Rangemate pro" which will fully grill your steaks or chicken no problem look it up on reviews here on youtube but it is expensive
I have seen that thing around and yeah from all the user reviews it basically doesn't seal well enough pressurize at the bars needed to mimic a real pressure cooker.
If you set the pressure cooker for 8 additional minutes on high, what was the power setting for the first 30 minutes? I think the Insta-Pot is just as fast or quicker.
I wanted to watch this to see how these products compared to similar products I sell as a home party plan consultant. It definitely confirmed that you get what you pay for in microwave tools. I'm not mentioning the company name on purpose because my comment is more to the fact that the quality of the tool makes a difference. In addition, as with all cooking, technique can also make or break results. With regard to the pressure cooker, it appears that one had a bad seal because there definitely should have been steam released when you hit the valve. Most of the time, however, you should use a natural release where the valve will pop open on its own. This provided extra cooking time that helps. With the grill product, when you do meats with a higher fat content it's best to stop 1/2 way through the cycle, flip the meat and empty any juices, otherwise you end up with steamed and unevenly browned meat as shown.
I use a lekue grill, and fabulous steak experience!! My apartment doesn’t’t allow stoves. Lekue microwave stuff is terrific!!! It’s pronounce Lee-quay. A bowl works for rice!!
So I used to have a rice cooker that went into the microwave and a steamer for fish in the microwave cause the college dorm was gross and I am a pescatarian. And I also had a thing for eggs in the mircowave as well I also had a sandwich press a slow cooker like on the side so I can make other things too
Thanks for doing this so I wouldn't have to learn the hard way. First 2 products, yes. Second 2 products, no. Some meat just shouldn't be cooked in the microwave.
I'm indian so fluffy well separated rice (not the sticky stuff east asians eat) is part of my everyday diet and i always make it in the microwave, don't even need a special steamer just a regular micro safe pot is enough-20mins tops half-one inch of water on top of the rice on medium
a positive review from esther on a microwave product certainly piqued my interest and after reading the reviews on amazon i bought the maconee sandwich grill and boy does it live up to the hype. my first go was a rib sandwich which cooked great, though it did compress the hoagie roll more than i would've liked. the next day i dialed in a hot pocket for a 3:30 cook time and two corndogs about 3:30 also. mind you the grill was designed to work in 900w ovens. the times i gave were with a 1kw oven. this is a great little device that's not quite as good as oven cooking but way better than using a microwave alone. this would be great for dorms or other places your cooking abilities are limited. also great for summer when you don't want to fire up the oven for 20-30 mins for a decent sandwich. the booklet that comes with it has instructions for veg, fish, chicken, steak, what have you. of coarse as microwaves vary, it's going take a bit of playing around to find what works for you, but that's the fun, ain't it? i mean what's the fun of a new toy if you don't get to play with it? anyhow five stars and i'm seriously thinking about buying a second one to keep at work. oh, and at 28 bucks for the large model, a pretty good value for a device that can accomplish the impossible task of making microwaved food crispy.
I’m always looking for a foolproof way to poach eggs in the microwave so that the whites are cooked but the yolks are still liquid. I’ve tried so many products.
OK I used to make the most amazing steamed fish in a microwave steamer from Walmart I found. Lol. It would always bubble over water making rice but legit it would bout match my insta pot. Fish can be steamed and not feel gross in a microwave like other meat
As long as it does that thing really well, like an old school rice cooker (no fancy features or programs). I'm Korean and a rice cooker is the first thing I bought when I moved into my own place. If you're willing to eat a lot of fried rice, you can live without a microwave (for reheating rice). The exceptions are that I do pilaf (AB's method) and jambalaya in the oven and paella on the stove.
Unitaskers are awesome when they do something that you are going to do a lot of times. It's the difference between a pineapple cutter and a rice cooker
@@tiacho2893 feel like electric kettle also falls into that category that AB would be cool with. I would never go back after getting used to using one, and I also generally hate all of the unitasker products.
When I was in college, we weren't allowed to have microwaves in the dorm because the wiring in the old a$$ building couldn't handle the load. But I had one anyways. I made up an excuse in case I got busted. I would just tell 'em that I use the microwave for the clock 😗 🕰
Get a small electric hotplate and you'll be set. I've lived in mini studio with no kitchen/sink that was essentially just a hotel room for a couple of months before. Hot plate makes it doable, electric kettle comes in handy also. Just don't let on you have one lol
You could use the rice cooker for pasta too. Fresh salads, sandwiches, canned tuna, ect. Are good to prep in a hotel. Dips with chips and vegi’s, most stores carry premade hummis, I know one brand that doesn’t need to be refrigerated before use. Cheese, meats and olives make a nice lunch.
