How to use a rice cooker to cook other foods

You don't need a stove to whip up pasta, soup, vegetables, meat, or even dessert—all you need is a rice cooker! Watch this video to learn how to use a rice cooker to cook foods other than rice.

You Will Need
* A rice cooker
* A willingness to experiment
* Ingredients for your meal
* Time
* Seasonings

Step 1: Get to know your cooker
Get to know your cooker: Basic models have two settings—“cook” and “keep warm”—while high-end ones have more settings and different accessories such as a separate steaming tray. Basic models work fine for most recipes.

Step 2: Cook pasta
Cook pasta: Put hot tap water into the cooker – three quarts for every pound of pasta. When it begins to boil, add the pasta. Leaving uncovered, let it return to a boil and cook until desired tenderness.

Step 3: Make soups
Make a variety of soups. For seafood bisque, sauté garlic and shallots until translucent, add fish, wine, and stock; simmer for about 20 minutes, and add cream.

Step 4: Cook vegetables
Steam vegetables right in your cooker. Then remove the veggies along with the water and saute some garlic and onions in a little olive oil in the cooker. Add the vegetables back and cook for another minute.

Step 5: Braise meat
Braise meat: Sear it in the cooker with either butter or olive oil; remove it while you cook a sauce of onions, brandy, wine, or whatever you like; then return the meat to the cooker and simmer for a few hours.

Step 6: Make a jambalaya
Add shrimp, sausage, peppers, spices, tomato puree, and stock to rice to make jambalaya. Or cook rice in stock, stirring frequently for a creamy risotto.

Step 7: Don’t forget dessert
Heat heavy cream and chopped dark chocolate to make fondue. Serve with cut up fruit and chunks of pound cake.