# Are there any uses for a rice cooker other than cooking rice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758 "2010-05-25T21:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/1 "2010-05-25T21:46:13Z")
Are there any uses for a rice cooker other than cooking rice? Our Senior Center Thrift Shop has a new one for three dollars. It is too big to cook rice for myself but I am a sucker for spectacular deals on something I don’t need when they are at this thrift shop. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/2 "2010-05-25T23:03:37Z")
This one should go where the chefs hang out, methinks. 🙂 **Mod: Moved from Game Room to Café Society.** Gukumatz Game Room Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/3 "2010-05-25T23:11:10Z")
If it comes with a little perforated plate that sits in the bottom, you use that for steaming (pour in some water, stick the plate in, put veggies or whatever on the plate, turn on). Very handy. I also make steel-cut oatmeal in it; I like the results better than the slow cooker. ---
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/4 "2010-05-25T23:12:26Z")
I often use mine for steaming vegetables as well as making rice. Make sure it has the steaming tray included. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/5 "2010-05-25T23:56:17Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > If it comes with a little perforated plate that sits in the bottom, you use that for steaming (pour in some water, stick the plate in, put veggies or whatever on the plate, turn on). Very handy. I also make steel-cut oatmeal in it; I like the results better than the slow cooker. i like tha idea alot… what’s the oats to water ratio? ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/6 "2010-05-26T00:17:00Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > i like tha idea alot… what’s the oats to water ratio? Whatever it says on the can. 1-4 I think? Butter the rice cooker tub, add everything in cold, flip switch. I use milk for 1 cup of the liquid. Seems to take about 40 minutes. You can check it once and give it a stir, if you like. Oh yeah, and don’t use the steamer tray! On re-read it somewhat looks like I was saying the steamer tray was used in oatmeal cooking. It isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Uncle\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Goat)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/7 "2010-05-26T01:57:12Z")
You can wear it as a hat. You can give it as a gift. You can use it as a stencil to draw a curve or a really big rice cooker circle. You can put the kitten it and take cute photos. You can paint is many different colors. You can use it as a planter. You can keep marbles in it. You can put into the far, hard to reach place in the back of your cupboard, so that nothing useful ever ends up there. Oh my, yes, there are many many things one can do with a rice cooker! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/8 "2010-05-26T02:08:21Z")
autoclave for you aspiring back-alley abortionists. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/9 "2010-05-26T12:17:27Z")
I use mine to steam vegetables and things like hum bao, too. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/10 "2010-05-26T12:39:08Z")
Try Googling for “rice cooker meals” or “rice cooker recipes”. There’s a number of them floating out there. For instance, here’s a book on the subject: [http://www.amazon.com/Rice-Cooker-Meals-Cooking-People/dp/0970586841](http://www.amazon.com/Rice-Cooker-Meals-Cooking-People/dp/0970586841) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/11 "2010-05-26T14:34:12Z")
I cook beans, lentils and rice in mine. I also make oatmeal in it. Warning the oatmeal is very mushy when you do this, but I like it that way. If you like oatmeal that isn’t mush this isn’t the best idea I [started a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=543491&highlight=rice+cooker) about this and got some excellent idea ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/12 "2010-05-26T14:57:11Z")
If you don’t have a stove or hotplate, you can make soup in it. My sister used hers for that in college. You could also make pasta or anything else related to boiling water. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/13 "2010-05-26T17:23:48Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I cook beans, lentils and rice in mine. I’ve been boiling lentils like peas. How do you prepare them in a rice cooker? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/14 "2010-05-26T17:53:39Z")
The cafeteria owner at work says they’re safe to cook with, but you have to close the lid. We had a rash of stomach flu at our school when students were using their rice cookers to eat shabu shabu. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/15 "2010-05-26T22:07:33Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > The cafeteria owner at work says they’re safe to cook with, but you have to close the lid. We had a rash of stomach flu at our school when students were using their rice cookers to eat shabu shabu. That is completely hilarious. Dorm-room shabu-shabu. What a terrible, amusing idea. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/16 "2010-05-26T22:14:23Z")
You should ask the [expert](http://www.amazon.com/Pot-How-Use-Mystery-Romance/dp/0740791427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274912009&sr=8-1). ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-uses-for-a-rice-cooker-other-than-cooking-rice/540758/17 "2010-05-27T21:21:16Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > autoclave for you aspiring back-alley abortionists. Even snakry, syntactically and grammatically illiterate responses can be useful sometimes. I do need an autoclave for my in vitro plant propagation experiments.