If there’s one culinary topic that’s bound to divide opinion, it’s how to make the perfect rice. Just when I thought I was tied to my faithful plug-in rice cooker for life, Microwave version of Joseph Joseph (for £26) Just switched my allegiance completely.
I am voicing my love for my hands, Compact Rice Cooker from Lakelandwhich ejects grains with the ideal level of bite with minimum effort. However, my big complaint with it is that it takes 40 minutes to complete its task, which can get in the way of a quick dinner.
Joseph Joseph’s Genius Cooker, by comparison, which fits neatly inside your microwave (and cupboard) with an array of smart design features, took just 10 minutes to cook fluffy rice. If you don’t want to invest in another appliance for your kitchen, this is a fantastic low-effort purchase.
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Joseph Joseph
M-Cuisine White Microwave Rice Cooker
You have all the tools you need to measure, wash, cook and serve rice in this very clever utensil.
I admit I was skeptical about this gadget at first. I’ve seen enough memes about the ‘art’ of microwave cookbooks to know that this isn’t a tool famous for its culinary delights.
But if it meant I could get some more worktop and cupboard space back I was willing to give it a go. As a full-time tester of kitchen appliances, my cooking area can go from calm to chaotic very quickly.
I have tried a few Joseph Joseph’s Kitchen Gadgets But this met all my expectations. It’s compact (obviously enough to fit in the microwave) and has features that allow you to measure and wash your rice as well as cook it without any additional washing.
Pot, complete with paddle.
(Image credit: Future)
You have an inner and outer pot here, which doubles as a colander so you can wash your rice (necessary to keep the grains from clumping together). Also included with this cooker is a measuring cup, which I would recommend using so you can easily follow the cooking instructions in the included booklet.
My favorite part of it all might just be the rice paddle. It’s used to lock the pot together when you pop it in the microwave and fluff up your cooked rice a treat too.
This gadget is very easy to use. It’s foolproof! I used half a cup of rice to serve two people, which I measured and washed in the sink. The colander has a slim pop out handle so you don’t have to fumble to get it out of the main pot to take it to the sink.
The resulting fluffy rice.
(Image credit: Future)
For this amount of rice, eight to ten minutes of cooking in the microwave is required. I followed that time correctly, as well as the recommendation to let the rice stand for an additional five minutes while I prepared the rest of my meal.
I left the pot locked with a spoon while it stood and after the allotted time, opened it to see that the fluffy rice was ready. It was such a quick and foolproof process – faster than my rice cooker and less work than my traditional hob method (which involves waiting for it to boil from cold and then popping on the lid).
I used rice to prepare these chickpea burritos.
(Image credit: Future)
I am a complete convert to this method. Not only was it quick and easy but it meant I didn’t have another device to plug in or maintain. Parts can also go through the dishwasher.
It turns out I’m pretty late to the party on this incredibly simple gadget, which has garnered 151 reviews to earn a 4.5 star rating on the brand’s website. Other impressed reviewers have commented on how consistent it is for ‘perfect rice every time’.
This isn’t the only microwave-cooker Joseph designed. I also discovered that they also have a highly-rated 4-piece stackable set, which claims to be able to help you cook an entire meal in the microwave.
Joseph Joseph
M-Cuisine Microwave 4-Piece Stackable Cooking Set
This compact pot (which is currently on sale on Amazon) can help you steam vegetables and proteins with ease. Its lid also doubles as a vessel.
So maybe I was wrong in my assumptions about microwave cooking. If it’s that easy, I’ll take as much of it as I can get!
