How it works: Lékué Microwave Rice and Grain Cooker

Did you know that rice is grown on all the continents except for Antarctica? That gives us over 40,000 varieties of rice alone. Yet, if you ask people how they like to cook their rice, you’re likely to get some horror stories of blackened grains stuck to the bottom of pots. Want something guaranteed to produce the fluffy, white stuff every time? Here’s the down low on the Lékué Microwave Rice and Grain Cooker.

This handy rice and grain cooker reduces cooking time and saves the trouble of dirtying a pot, not to mention risking that dreaded burnt disc.

How it works:

1. Read the instructions and measure out the right amount of rice for the number of people you want to cook for. We used a cup of uncooked white rice. The booklet included has instructions for a wide variety of rice types like bulgur wheat, quinoa, oats and even millet.

2. Measure out the corresponding amount of cold water and pour it over the grains. We used two cups of cold water and added a little salt to the cooking liquid. Place the silicone lid on with the large lip facing upwards to catch any starchy liquid that bubbles up through the holes. Then pop it into the microwave for half the time specified.

3. When that time is up, take the cooker out and give the contents a stir, while checking the liquid levels. You don’t want grains of rice to cook dry, though equally, they shouldn’t be swimming in water at this stage. Stronger microwaves may be close to finished at this stage, so if your rice looks almost cooked, you can reduce the remaining cooking time, or take it out a little sooner to check. We found that rather than six plus six minutes, our rice was done in six plus four minutes.

4. After the second round in the microwave, remove. Being careful to avoid steam, remove the lid and flip it over, fitting the silicone lid down over the sides of the cooker. If all the water has cooked away, you can leave to steam for five minutes, to ensure a fluffy result. Otherwise, the lid can be used as a strainer, if the grains are larger than the holes (wild rice is better for this), then left to steam.

This handy cooker reduces cooking time significantly, cooking most rice and grains in under 16 minutes. Perfect for serving four people, it’s the ultimate in convenience for time-poor cooks, taking all the guesswork out of perfectly cooked rice. And, once you have the timing of your microwave understood, you can even try pasta (or try the Lékué Pasta cooker for spaghetti).

Buy the Lékué Microwave Rice and Grain Cooker.

If you have a thing for nifty gadgets check out some more products in our How it works series.

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