Reunited with my rice cooker! (+recipe request)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

So after holding my rice cooker hostage for 9 months, my Stupid Ex-Boyrfriend ™ returned it to me through a third party!!!

Its important to note that I am aparently incapable of cooking rice in a pot. I [heart] my rice cooker. It’s a pretty basic model made by National. It has 2 settings: “cook” and “warm” and it also came with a steamer plate that converts “rice cooker” to “dumpling steamer.” Last night I had deee-licious stiry-fry over the best ever rice. (Am I the only white girl in Michigan who buys Cook-Do brand stirfry sauce at the asian grocery?)

So, people, tell me of all the glorious things I can make with my rice cooker. SEB failed to return the manual so I need some inspiration.

2

If you have access to an Asian grocery, perhaps you can make:

Japanese rice balls

Cook up a big batch of Japanese rice in your rice cooker. Any other type won’t work. Assemble a few ingredients:

Squares of nori seaweed about 4" x 4"
Dried Bonito shavings moistened with a few drops of soy sauce
Japanese salty pickles
Furakake (rice sprinkling stuff)

Dip your hands in salted water and pick up clumps of rice slightly smaller than the size of your fist. Mold the rice into neat plump patties or triangles. Press into the center of each ball a little wad of the bonito shavings or a small chunk of pickle. Enclose some of the balls with a square of seaweed, folded casually taco-style around the rice, and sprinkle the other balls with the furakake. Great take-along picnic food with some cold sake or Sapporo.

3

so, pugluvr, you seem like the sort of fellow/gal that knows these things:

Whis IS the best brand of rice? I bought um… CalRose? (IIRC) short grain rice in the “asian section” of my regular store. But at the Asian grocery store they have at least 10 brands. Are any beter/worse?

4

Riceland!
Grown rite cheer…ahem.
Locally.

5

Hello Again, I too buy Cal Rose, because they sell it right at my supermarket. I’ve been to good Asian markets and am intimidated by the myriad types of rice available, too. But if it’s sushi or rice balls or any type of Japanese cooking that you’re doing, I’m sure Cal Rose will work just fine. Tip: Don’t keep it around forever. If it’s over a year old, toss it and treat yourself to a new bag. It loses moisture and starts tasting funky if it’s too old.