Frugal Friday: Rice Cooker
October 26, 2007
Typically, Frugal Friday is going to be about what I DIDN’T spend, or what I got for dirt cheap at a yard sale. But this week I’m going to talk about something I actually splurged on that will save me money, in the long run.
I bought this rice cooker: Rival Rice Cooker in Red
You see, I love to cook rice. It’s cheap (especially when you buy those 10 pound bags at Whole Foods). It’s nutritious. It’s versatile. You can put it in almost anything and eat it hot or cold. It goes with ethnic foods of all kinds. Like for instance, tomorrow I’m cooking Basmati rice with my Gosht Pasanda for my parent’s anniversary dinner. Go me!
You can eat rice for breakfast (one of my favorites is hot rice cooked with milk instead of water. Add a little butter and maple syrup, and it’s heavenly. Don’t even get me started on what you can do with coconut milk.) This morning I had hot rice with a scrambled egg cooked with peas, and a dash of soy sauce. (Later as I was eating it I wished I had added onions.) It.was.so.good.
You can eat it for lunch. It goes so nicely hot with beans, or cold with beans and corn and tomatoes, or with stir fried something or other. You can put it in soup to stretch it out. You can eat it for dinner – add a little meat, veggies, cheese whatever.
Eat is as a “side” with anything just as-is, or put other stuff in it, add an egg and bake a casserole. Enjoy it as a beverage (horchata - I died and gone to heaven!) or snack (rice balls).
Goodness, you can even eat it for dessert! Rice pudding, rice custard, etc.
What isn’t frugal is burned rice. And I don’t care too much for the soaking/scrubbing routine that happens when I scorch rice in a saucepan because I got distracted with the baby. Yuck.
While ideally I could have probably found a rice cooker at a yard sale or something, yard sale season is over, and I didn’t want to take the risk of buying an appliance that might not work at a thrift store. So, I splurged. A little.
It works great and cooks just enough – 6 cups of cooked rice. That’s enough for everyone in my brood plus a little left over. And the Warm feature is nice. It keeps the rice warm all day. I hate trying to reheat rice, as it ends up getting crispy on top or if you add water, it gets too wet. This is perfect. 
More Posts By Carrie:
- Anniversary Dinner
- Too Hot To Cook! Summer Cooking Tips
- Thankful Thursday – It Doesn’t Take Much To Make Me Happy
Comments
7 Responses to “Frugal Friday: Rice Cooker”
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I have been debating buying a rice cooker for quite a while now. The downside is I just don’t make rice nearly enough to warrant having one! And I know that saying I’ll make more if I have one probably isn’t true. LOL
But I do still want one!
I’m kind of an appliance minimalist but this was one thing I really wanted. Maybe you can find one at a yard sale. Think of me Tsoniki
Tsoniki you’ll love your rice cooker. I grew up on a diet that included a side dish of rice with kidney beans almost every Sunday (dinner wasn’t dinner without it according to my Dad). My husband was not raised with rice in his diet, but over the years I’ve converted him. Mind you I’m not a great cook and if you don’t time it right or don’t put enough water in it burns easily. So I find my own rice cooker to be a god send. Add the rice desired, enough water (about an inch above your rice line) switch on and you’re done!
I like to add a dab of Becel margarine (or butter) and corn or green beans, red peppers and onions and then you have a really tasty dish.
The rice cooker is a good deal!
[...] I find myself serving rice about once a day. I have a little red Rival rice cooker and while I’m not a big fan of appliances (the only other things that plug in in my kitchen [...]
[...] We list a bunch of cooking tools in the “Eating to Survive Motherhood” eBook. Personally, my favorite tools are my Vita-Mix blender and my rice cooker. [...]
[...] I cooked our morning oatmeal in my red Rival rice cooker. [...]
28 May 2009
Dearest Frugal Mom,
I am a single father of two healthy and intelligent children. At the supper table, my kids and I discuss the merits and global impacts of the meal we have cooked for ourselves. I grew up on school lunchees and junk food, and thank goodness that part of the eighties are over.
Today, packaged food (e.g. a bag of rice) will have “Nutrition Facts” printed right on the package. So, naturally, my kids will ask me questions ranging anywhere from why are Vitamins and Minerals so important to what constitutes a serrving size or how many calories are in a good diet.
My daughter, Madison, is almost nine; Noah, my boy, just turned six. I remember growing up asking my grandfather a thousand questions. He always took the time, no matter how long the explanation, to explain what I needed to know.
Today, I am blessed with two inquisitive Honor Roll children, healthy and happy. And thanks in much part to your Frugal website, my children do not have to have the same upbringing I did. Instead of having to choose between good eats or shopping for some useless expensive toy, I cook with their help, make a picnic of it, bring a ball to the park, and always end with a frozen treat in the cooler in my car’s trunk.
With the money I save, I can treat the kids to AMF “Rock ‘n’ Bowl,” a SoCal bowling facility with Rock and Roll music and gutter ramps so the children almost always hit a pin or two. Moreover, bit by bit, I save towards their college educations. By being frugal, you can give your kids some of the things you could not get as a child: extra attention, home-cooked meals, and the security of knowing that there will be an educational safety net there for when they graduate high school.
Finally, learning to be frugal, the learning process of understanding and incorporating value into family tradition teaches both parent and young alike the importance of conservation without compromising quality. Throwing away food is throwing away money. And with prices as high as they are today, I don’t think any family can afford to throw away money.
So, keep it real simple. Chocolate shakes, out. Fresh homemade smoothies, in! God bless you, Ms Frugal, for creating and maintaing this website. I am a college-educated man. Clearly my degrees and certifications show I am leared and a hard wworker.
But the best education I have came from a busy Mommy. You mean a lot to me, and inspire more than you know.
Thank you, Frugal Mom.
Your fans forever,
Shawn, Madison, and Noah