"Rice Cooker, You're My Only Friend, Rice Cooker"

With summer heat comes an increased awareness of every degree contributed by kitchen appliances. Some folks beat the heat by grilling outside (I knew one family that made everything - even pizza! - on their grill from June to September). Others eat microwave dinners for most of their meals, while still others dedicate themselves to eating only what they can prepare without any heat at all. Smoothies, salads, etc. 

Not bad choices, really, those last few, but I personally enjoy my food warm (okay, hot) year-round. The tiny house community is abuzz about toaster ovens, slow-cookers and portable hot plates, but honestly, I wouldn't know what to do with them if I had them. 

No, there's room in my heart and my kitchen for one cook-a-whole-meal-without-turning-on-the oven-or-the-stove type appliance, and that is my rice cooker. The one I have is slightly fancier than the basic model you might find for $20 at the average big box store. I got it at Costco on the day after Thanksgiving for something under $30, thinking I was getting away with something by buying it then. Turns out it often drops to that price, and that's fine with me, because I just know I'm going to wear the poor little thing out and have to buy another one!

This one is an Aroma cool-touch machine. The lid locks shut, a steamer basket fits into the top of the non-stick basin inside, it came with a rice paddle and a ladle, and the features are as follows: Keep Warm, White Rice, Brown Rice, Quick Rice, Smart Steam, Slow Cook Low, Slow Cook High and Delay Timer. 

I recently attended a camp where I knew all the meals would be wheat-based (pancakes at breakfast, burgers at lunch, pasta at dinner, cookies for dessert, and so on). I knew I would have to make my own food, but would have to stay out of the way while the "standard" meals were being prepared. I also wanted to experience camp, not stay in the kitchen all day. I wanted to "set it and forget it," if you will, but I didn't want each meal to take 4+ hours like it would in a slow-cooker.

Enter the rice cooker. ("Laaaaa!" <-- cue angelic chorus sound effect.)

I hope to share all the meal ideas I came up with for that weekend (it really went swimmingly), but for now I leave you with the late-night snack I'm eating RIGHT NOW: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal!

I happen to use Silver Palate Oatmeal, a somewhat thicker rolled oat than the usual. So if you don't have boxes and boxes of thick rolled oats lining your shelves like I do, you may be obligated to make some adjustments as you see fit. This meal is not the most expensive nor the most difficult to achieve, so I expect you will have few to zero consequences if you go about experimenting.

Cut up an apple. Or two. Why not?

I like the pieces small, but my husband once cut them twice as big and they turned out fine.

Drizzle in some coconut oil. Oatmeal begs for a good fat to round it out, and coconut oil is just the thing. If this is winter (a great time to eat such a comforting dish!), your oil will probably not be drizzlable - so what? Just plop in a chunk. It'll melt and get stirred in by the end.

Heap in the cinnamon. Cinnamon reduces the need for quite so much sweetener, and it helps keep your blood sugar level. Win-win! Use less if yours is Saigon, like mine is and forever will be (curse you and your bulk packaging, Costco!) because apparently Ceylon is the safer stuff. 

Sweeten it. Use a little or a lot, depending on your dietary needs/restrictions. Obviously, you're going to want to use a healthier alternative to processed sugar. I use either maple syrup or jaggery powder, and if I were ever to unearth the jug of honey I have stashed away somewhere, I would probably use that on occasion (although I'd be more likely to add it afterward to keep the nutrients intact).

Salt it. Salt intensifies other favors, including sweetness, so again, you have something that helps you keep the sugar content down. A little goes a long way, and I hope you know I'm not recommending synthetic table salt. We get our Himalayan pink salt and our sea salt (where else?) at Costco. (There's another kind of salt I get at the Indian store that supplies my jaggery powder, and it smells like egg because of its high sulphur content. I don't use that in my oatmeal.)

Add the oats. A cup is usually enough to feed me a couple of times throughout the day, especially if I add soy milk to each serving; or it's enough for a light meal for me and The Dude. We both sort of just shove spoonfuls into the mouth of The Nug whenever appropriate; we're not really a sit-down-at-the-table-together-and-eat-what's-on-your-plate kind of family.

Add water. You could follow the directions on your oatmeal; you could follow the directions on your rice cooker. I sort of just pour in the amount that feels right and look forward to finding out how well it worked. This time I filled the basin to the "2 'cups' of rice" line. (I say 'cups' like that because, as you may be aware, the standard "cup" for rice cookers is actually 3/4 cup, or 150g.) 

Start the cooker. If you have a porridge setting, by all means, see how that works for me. I make out quite nicely with just the "White Rice" button. 

If you need more to eat, steam something on top while the oats are cooking below. (Keep in mind that the food steaming on top will probably flavor the food below it to some extent.) Tonight, I threw in chunks of sweet potato. I'll have to save them for another time, however, because this oatmeal is gooooooood!