How To Steam Vegetable In A Rice Cooker Without Basket

An experiment can bring out something surprising if you know how to do it. Rice cookers may be everyday household stuff, but still, there is a lot to learn about it.

Steaming vegetables in a rice cooker may sound awkward. But it is possible then why not you make a try? This guide will show you some simple steps regarding how to steam vegetables in a rice cooker without a basket.

Some relevant issues will also be pointed out before jumping into the main discussion. So be with us till the end. Let’s get started.

The mechanism of a rice cooker

Once you get cleared on how a rice cooker works, you can understand how to use it dynamically. So we feel it is necessary to describe the mechanism of a rice cooker first.

Alphabetically rice cooker is a kitchen appliance designed to steam or boil rice. There are some significant parts combinedly perform the action to complete the procedure.

Body: the body is the outer protective layer that protests the emission of temperature produced in the inner pan. The program menu, including switching and power supply, usually remains on the body to operate the whole process.

Inner pot: It is a container that holds rice and water. It is connected to a temperature-sensitive ferrite. Ferrite is a temperature-dependent magnet. That means with the increasing temperature, its magnetism decreases.   

Permanent magnet: on the edge of the switch bar, there is a permanent magnet connected with a spring. A shift supports the switch bar. All these stuff are connected through connection nuts and touching points. Once you on the switch, the permanent magnet gets lifted up, and it touches the ferrite with the help of compressing spring. Thus both touching points touch each other.

Heating point: The heating point is a metallic plate which is highly electroconductive.  The electricity starts through the heating point to ignite the inner pot. With ignition, the water in the pot begins boiling and finally gets steamed, and a few get absorbed by the rice.

When the temperature reaches its highest or targeted level, the magnetism of the ferrite becomes weaker than the permanent one. The permanent magnet on the switching bar becomes stronger, and the spring stops to push it up. Instead, it pushes the switch bar down to finish the procedure. Thus you have your rice cooker switched off once the rice is cooked.

Benefits of steaming vegetables in a rice cooker

Boiling or steaming vegetables in the typical pots and pans is alright to do. But when it comes to some extra benefit, you should try something better.

The very first advantage is it is easier than the conventional procedure and less time-consuming. Typical pots and pans sometimes contain toxic elements and releases when gets overheated may kill the nutritious value of the vegetable. Therefore, to ensure the safest and easiest vegetable dishes, you can try the rice cooker.

Besides that, you can customize the duration with the rice cooker, whereas with the conventional boiling, all you have guessing. In other words, you set can the steaming duration to get the vegetable boiled at your desired stage. Sometimes you need to concentrate on other jobs while keeping the vegetable boiling on the stove. So unexpected sometimes happens if you forget that you have something on the stove. But when your vegetable in the rice cooker, it will find its way to be boiled.

How to steam vegetable in a rice cooker without basket

We hope after knowing the rice cooker mechanism and the benefits, you are now well set to know how to steam vegetables in a rice cooker without a basket. If you fix your mind on doing it for making your next vegetable dishes, then here are the full procedure described step by step. Following any of these below-mentioned steps, you can make the best use of your rice cooker. Let’s move on:

1. Kill the bird with one stone:

Technically you can boil both rice and vegetable in a rice cooker at a time following some strategy. The first thing you are going to do is pour the rice and water in the inner pot at your desired level. Then rinse your vegetable and take them in a heat resistant bowl.

2. Set the bowl:

Make sure that your vegetable bowl is not bigger than the inner pot. Now place the bowl right into the middle of the water-soaked rice and push downwards gradually.

3. You are not done, even the rice is ready:

If your vegetable includes spinach and crops like green beans, carrots zucchini, broccoli, peppers than it might take some time to boil them ultimately. That means, your rice may be cooked first while your vegetable still needs some time to be ready. If the situation appears like that, don’t put out the rice. Keep them there and stop the cooker for a second. Bring out the bowl, take some rice out from the middle using a spoon. Then place the vegetable bowl in the place you have just created.

4. You are done with it:

Finally, cover the pot and start it again. Leave it for at least 10-15 minutes. The heat from the heating plate and from the steamed rice will both influence your vegetable to be boiled earlier than the conventional duration. Once you are done, take out the bowl first and then the rest of the rice.

Cooking vegetables and rice together but separately in a rice cooker is interesting. Cooking is an art, which means the more you explore, the more you can discover the new skills and techniques. Never stops the exploration and experiment if cooking is your passion.