Update: This giveaway is closed.
*Disclaimer: Hamilton Beach sent me a rice/hot cereal cooker free of charge for me to review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
Farewell, store-bought pasta, overcooked and dumped in cheese sauce in a hurry! Go away, sad-looking pilaf, grey and textureless like an unfinished cooking experiment! Time to say good bye, soggy sandwiches long-forgotten in the fridge, brimming with wilted lettuce! Who needs such uninspiring carb overloads? Not me, that’s for sure 🙂
I’ve never been a fan of carbs, yet the cold season is fast approaching and I know I’m going to need carbs to keep me warm and energetic during the fall & winter months. If you’re like me and need an extra “something” to get you motivated and interested in experimenting with carbs, a rice cooker might just be what you need! I admit I was very excited when Hamilton Beach contacted me and offered to send me a rice cooker to test and report on. Along with rice, this versatile Hamilton Beach appliance can cook hot cereal and whole grains, and even steam veggies and fish. From quinoa to farro, shrimp to grits and steamed asparagus to salmon – the possibilities seem endless!
Right off the bat, I liked the stylish design and stainless steel appearance of the rice cooker. The control panel featured a variety of intuitive options: three for rice and grains, one for hot cereals (including oats and grits), one for steaming, and lastly one for heating/simmering, to be used with foods such as prepackaged rice mixes, soups, stews and beans. I also liked the fact that some of the rice cooker components were dishwasher-safe – which to me is a great time-saver.
I decided to use this rice cooker to make two dishes, one savory and the other one sweet. The first recipe was a millet salad. Fiber- and protein-packed, millet is quickly becoming a favorite grain in our household, and I was anxious to see how it would turn out in the Hamilton Beach rice cooker. I followed the recommended grain-to-water ratio for millet and cooked it on the “Whole Grain” setting, as per the rice cooker instructions. Still, for unknown reasons, the millet stuck to the bottom of the pan and some of it turned out dry and crunchy as a result.
After breaking down the millet chunks with the enclosed rice paddle, I was able to add the other ingredients: chopped colorful bell peppers and cucumber, a bunch of fresh cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper to taste and lemon juice (optional) – and voila! Easy and flavorful carb delight!
The carb-loaded millet becomes supple and light as a feather in the company of the texture-laden veggies, while the rustic cilantro strikes a high fresh note and makes the dish complete. Lastly, the red pepper flakes come from nowhere and bring delicious overtones of sophisticated spiciness, surprising your taste buds, which were hoping for a respite. Sooo good!
| Prep Time | 15 min. |
| Cook Time | 1 hr. |
| Servings |
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- 2 cups pre-soaked hulled millet
- 4 cups water
- 1 medium chopped red bell pepper
- 1 medium chopped yellow bell pepper
- 1 medium chopped cucumber
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
Ingredients
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|
- Put the millet, water and a dash of salt in the rice cooker pot.
- Cook the millet on the "Whole Grain" setting.
- Once the cooking has finished, take the millet out of the pot and put it in a bowl. Let it cool.
- One by one, add the chopped bell peppers, cucumber and cilantro. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes and ground cumin. Mix well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional).
- Mix again and serve!
As of late, I have become a big fan of farro, a grain I had the pleasure of tasting at recent Chicagoland culinary events. For my sweet dish I decided to use farro to recreate one of my favorite childhood desserts. In its original formulation, this dish has a religious connotation and symbolizes earth, rebirth and wholesome nourishment. I changed the recipe to include a variety of dried fruits, and went ahead and added one extra cup of water because I wanted to make sure the grain would not stick to the bottom of the pan.
The cooking of the farro was a great success!
I used no granulated sugar because I wanted to rely on the natural sweetness of the dried fruits, but you can (of course!) use some to make the dish sweeter, as per your preferences. I added one diced Granny Smith apple and ground walnuts for an assertive bite, and finished off with copious amounts of cinnamon.
This dish is exciting, vibrant and wholesome and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a carb-loaded yet healthful vegan dessert. I really liked that the cooking process did not alter the natural crunchiness of the farro. The last thing I wanted was for the farro to turn out bland and mushy!
| Prep Time | 15 min. |
| Cook Time | 1.5 hr. |
| Servings |
|
- 2 cups pre-soaked farro
- 7 cups water
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup dried pineapple, cut into tiny pieces
- 1/2 cup dried apricot, cut into tiny pieces
- 1 medium diced Granny Smith apple
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted walnuts
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional)
Ingredients
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- Put the farro, water and dried fruits in the rice cooker pot.
- Cook the above on the "Whole Grain" setting.
- Once the cooking has finished, take the farro mix from the pot and put it in a bowl. Let it cool.
- One by one, add the diced apple, cinnamon and chopped walnuts. Mix until well combined.
- Add sugar (optional) and mix again with a spatula.
- Serve the dessert decorated with extra slices of apple.
Overall, I was pleased with the performance and versatility of the Hamilton Beach rice cooker. I will keep experimenting with it and I will probably add extra water every time, just to be on the safe side. With a sturdy appearance and an array of useful grain, veggie and protein cooking options, this rice cooker is likely to satisfy carb aficionados and seekers of quality appliances alike.
Hamilton Beach is offering Chicago Loves Panini readers the chance to win one rice cooker/hot cereal maker similar to the one I tested, to cook delicious recipes this fall!
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and answer the following question: If you were to win, what would you cook in this rice cooker?
Giveaway open to US residents only. One entry per person. Deadline for entries is 6PM central time on September 23rd, 2016. One winner will be chosen on or around September 24th, 2016 by using a random number generator and will have 72 hours to respond to the winner notification email. I reserve the right to pick an alternative winner if the original winner does not contact me 72 hours after receipt of winner notification email.
Good luck!
I just found a Japanese breakfast recipe for Tamago Kake Gohan the other day. It is rice with an egg mixed in (and other stuff if you want). That is the first thing I would make in the rice cooker.
I would make rice cooker jambalaya.
I’d start with white rice and then start experimenting from there! I’d like to try the millet salad.
I would cook jasmine rice because I love the way it smells and tastes.
one of the first things I might make would be Black and Brown Rice Pudding with Pecans and Figs–sounds fancy but simple and delicious 🙂
I would cook Louisiana style rice dishes like dirty rice, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and shrimp creole.
I would try some kind of arroz con leche.
Jasmine rice!
I would simply make rice in this rice cooker because I am not a good rice cook.
I would make a wild rice soup.
I would make my mom’s spanish rice. I could eat it every day.
I would make spanish rice. It’s really good.
I would love to make jasmine rice with extra butter, yum! Thank you so much for the great offer 🙂
If I won this rice cooker, I would want to make white rice, or fried rice, YUM! Or perhaps even some jambalaya style rice!
We are eating so much quinoa these days I would first cook a big batch for our weekly meals.
We really like rice in this household but I would love to try a new recipe of some sort if I were t0 win this great prize.
Just lots and lots of brown rice!
If I won, I would cook me some cajun rice in this cooker!
I’d make brown rice with veggies and tofu 🙂
I would make my moms spanish rice
Steamed vegetables and white rice
I would make my Moms rice pudding and all kinds of things…..
I’d love to try quinoa!
I would make rice cooker jambalaya
I would mostly us this for rice and for steel-cut oats.
I would make my famous Mexican Rice that tastes better than any restaurant and would cook
easily in a rice cooker. Then I would try new rice blends to compliment my entrees. Wow! I could
even steam veggies.
I would love to make yellow rice!
If I was the lucky winner of this rice cooker, I would make garlic chicken rice!
If I won I would cook up a batch of chicken flavored rice for my husband. That is his favorite.
rice, rice and more rice of all colors, shapes and flavors….yummiee!!
I would cook up a whole mess of brown rice.
I would cook jasmine rice
I would make sticky rice
If I won I would love to make chicken biryani or Chicken Perde Pilav.
I would make all kinds of rice!
Without a doubt, I’d put a dent in my endless supply of Kamut.
I would cook Basmati rice to perfection to go along with my curry chicken.
I would like to make Mexican Cilantro & Lime Rice in a Rice Cooker.
brown rice to make chicken fried rice
I would make Chicken and Yellow Rice!
it would be hard to chose between a mexican rice and a fried rice.most likely i would do mexican first, and then the following day do fried rice.
We really love to Spanish and Mexican rices, but I’ve never been very successful at making them well, so I think this would make a huge difference.
I would probably do some sort of quinoa dish.
I would make wild rice with chicken.
White rice, brown rice, oats, and any new recipes I think sound delicious!
I would cook up some rice to use for my grandma’s rice pudding!
I would love to cook rice in this!
I really want to try to copy the Pineapple Fried rice with shrimp from our favorite local Thai place.
I would make wild mushroom risotto
I would cook salmon and rice.
I would make Chicken Biryani
We would use it for rice primarily, but we also cook lentils in a rice cooker.
Growing up rice was a staple in my family. It’s still today with my children as well. I’d make rice pilaf first which is my daughter’s favorite.
I would first cook long grain wild rice in this. YUM!
I plan on making spanish rice first. This post is making me hungry.
I would definitely make some steel cut oats for breakfast. I like mine with diced apple, candied pecans, raisins, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and a splash of pure maple syrup!
I would make spanish rice
If I won I’d make white rice for one of my favorite fall/winter dishes, arroz con leche. Thanks for the giveaway!
O WPULD LOVE TO COOK YELLOW MEXICAN RICE OR AUTHENTIC RED BEANS AND RICE
i’d cook rice, it goes with just about everything
I would mostly just cook rice. My husband eats rice with every single meal and our rice cooker broke so this would be great!
i would make Spanish rice
I think first off I would make a fluffy perfect classic Jasmine Rice.
I would do a red beans and rice recipe! It’s one of our favorites!
I would make a spicy indian biryani with basmati rice
I am unleash my wild side, and make some cajun rice!
I would make sticky rice.
i would first try some basmati rice for curry
I would make white rice a few times a week. We eat it with everything!
I would cook Chicken Fried Rice!
I would make Spanish rice.
Butter rice / Chicken rice