As a first-generation college student who lived on my campus during the age of COVID-19, I found myself looking for different outlets to express my creativity in quarantine. During this time, I found a love for cooking and tried my hand at a variety of different dishes with my roommate being my guinea pig. There was just one downside to this: my dorm didn’t have a stovetop. This was a big hurdle that I tried to get over, asking my RA about any appliances that I could possibly bring to campus that would allow me to cook in my dorm without possibly setting off the fire alarm. One option that we both came up with was a rice cooker.
Now I have never used a rice cooker growing up as my family pretty much stuck to the basics, using a pot to make pretty much any rice dish you could possibly think of. But when I brought this up to my roommate, who’s used a rice cooker her whole life, she not only brought in her own rice cooker from home but also taught me how to use it. And thus, a mirage of different culinary ideas fueled my head, one of which was “what else can I put into this thing?”
So, to save many other college students some time, I’ve come up with some of the best everyday meals that require a rice cooker as its only appliance.
Hot Pot
I feel like everyone has seen that one viral TikTok by @amycooksfood where she talks about what dishes she used to make in her college dorm using her rice cooker. This is where I first heard of the idea of making a hot pot in a rice cooker. For people who don’t know what hot pot is, it’s a type of broth that is brought up to high heat and is used to cook thin pieces of meat such as beef, pork, chicken, and even seafood! In addition, you can put in various amounts and types of vegetables, tofu, and even noodles to create your own personal experience. I find myself eating this a lot during the fall/winter season, as well as with other friends I have on campus. Overall, this recipe is probably the most fun to make, and depending on how big your rice cooker is, can feed 2+ people.
Pasta
For those who enjoy softer flavors, pasta is also an option to make in a rice cooker. I’ve personally made chicken alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs, and even lasagna. The key thing is to cook the noodles first by bringing some water up to boil. Then after draining the fully cooked noodles from the rice cooker, you can add a little bit of oil and seasonings to cook your protein of choice. If you are adding a sauce or are making a sauce from scratch, you can also do so by using the heating setting provided in the rice cooker.
Hot Chocolate
Now this one is one of my personal favorites, especially around the holidays. It’s very similar to how you make regular hot chocolate but when making it from scratch it can get a little tricky. If you choose to use the regular packets of hot chocolate mix, then all you have to do is heat up your choice of milk or water and add as many packers as you want. But when making it from scratch using the powdered bittersweet chocolate cubes, you would essentially follow a similar recipe. First, you heat up some milk and add however many cubes of the bittersweet chocolate powder (the more you add the richer the flavor). Then you add any sweeteners (i.e. sugar, honey, syrup, etc.). For an added flare I like to add a bit of peppermint extract to give off a festive vibe!
Porridge, Soups, and Stews
For those times when you get sick, nothing’s a better pick-me-up than a nice bowl of soup. I added stews and porridges because these are 2 dishes that are prevalent in my own culture, and can also be made by following the same recipes that were passed down to me, just by replacing the pot with a rice cooker. But to give an example, a common sick-time meal is chicken noodle soup. You can make some by either heating up a can of premade soup or by using chicken broth and adding all of your ingredients to make a delicious soup.