Several years ago, on my blog, I mentioned that I thought rice cookers were dumb. When Scotty and I got married, we were given two rice cookers. I used them a couple of times, but when we moved, they didn't make the cut. After that, I just always made rice in a pot. It took a lot of practice to get it right since rice can be touchy (if you've never dealt with touchy rice, you are missing out on life), but eventually I mastered rice making. Then one of my friend's bought a rice cooker (an expensive one, mind you), and she was a little bit annoying about it. Every time I went to her house for the period of three months, she had that stupid rice cooker going, and she would talk incessantly about the fact that she was cooking rice. Never has anyone been so enthusiastic about her own rice cooking!
That's what made me decide that I was anti-rice-cooker. Why spend money and use cupboard space on an appliance that does something a pot can do? (Fast forward to the present: this friend of mine no longer owns pots because she has appliances that do what pots can do. Just FYI).
Anyway, during that time of never-ending rice boasting, I mentioned it on my blog.
And I jinxed myself!
As soon as I published a measly little anti-rice-cooker sentiment, I lost my ability to cook rice. Each batch came out undercooked and dry or wet and sticky. This went on for a few months, and finally, after many failed attempts and hours of rice research, I just stopped cooking rice. But I started to miss rice, so by the dark of night, I went to Walmart and bought a $10 rice cooker (because it had to be a cheap one in opposition to my friend's expensive one. Got pride?)
That rice cooker served me well for about three years, and interestingly, it died the same week my cat did. Cat and rice cooker all at once.
So I made a secret attempt to buy another rice cooker, but then I remembered that my mom gave me an electric pressure cooker a while ago, and it can cook rice.
Now, talk about an appliance that does what a pot can do. The pressure cooker is a mix and match of various appliances and cooking ware. I should be anti-electric-pressure-cooker based on my anti-rice-cookerness. But what can I say? My friend doesn't have an electric pressure cooker to talk incessantly about, so I think we know what the real issue here is: I'm a jerk.
But back to the electric pressure cooker... It took a few tries, but I have learned to make rice in it, and since it's bigger than my $10 rice cooker, it can make a lot more rice (a bonus since our family just keeps getting bigger and eating more).
And!
Last night I tried out the "delay start" feature. On Thursdays, Nicky has taekwondo from 5:30-6:15. Since I am an idiot (in addition to being a jerk), I take him to a studio that is half an hour away, so we are gone from about 5:00-6:45 on Thursdays - right through dinner time. This makes it very tempting to stop somewhere for dinner (first choice: The Pie). In order to not be tempted, it is wise for me to have a dinner option ready. I need something we can eat right when we walk in the door, or we need to eat before we leave. So last night I delayed the rice for an hour, and then had it cook for 20 minutes.
Guys!
Delay start time. I am a fan. I will be delaying rice once more for Sunday's dinner.
I found something a pot can't do!
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