The Machine

So before starting the blog with the first recipes I will have to share with you my gadget. Yes... I am a gadget person and I do own things like automatic espresso machine and a robotic vacuum cleaner.

To be frank we did not put much research into the first machine that we are running on. And I think the result is a machine that lack some of the luxury features. Iḿ thinking of things such as variable temperature and timers which could have been nice to have.

Our machine is a Tefal Automatic Rice Cooker (Comfort, model R07):
It is very basic and its main feature is its non stick boiling casserole and the fact that everything but the machine itself can go into the dishwasher limiting the time we have to spend cleaning up.

The machine comes with the impressive gear of a casserole, a plastic stirrer, a cup for measuring rice and a steaming basket for fish and vegetables. It has a total of 2 different settings "cook" and "keep warm" with the option of pulling out the plug so that there is no heat that makes it 3 settings. All in all no its not a high tech wonder. And it definitely lacks features. But its what I have, what I use and it does not seize to amaze me how easy cooking in it is.

The Beginning

Not so long ago my better half fell ill. The doctors advices while waiting for the final diagnosis was to avoid fat in the diet.

Now that to me was kind of challenge. Now it was no problem to use a lot of vegetables or even using lean and low fat meat cuts. But I am normally home after 6 pm and therefore I am a big fan of the fast home cooked dinner.

Normal dinner at the time pretty much came in 2 variations and both included frying something on a pan. With a no fat restriction on the diet this option was pretty much eliminated. I know that oven cooking is an option, but this simply takes too long.

With great sadness I came to a silent conclusion that a rice steamer able to steam rice, vegetables and fish was a probable solution. But my idea of the food that come out of such a machine was that it is boring and bland. Furthermore I have always had problems coping with the taste of rice.

But nevertheless a sacrifice was made and we chose that we had to follow the doctors directions and "unfortunately" we had to eat. So off we went to the local hardware store and bought us a 550 SEK (80$) rice steamer. We off course made sure to buy a model that was fully machine washable and had a non stick coating. As I said; Food preparation and cleanup should not take up too much of ones valuable time off from work.

The first dinner was steamed frozen vegetables and rice. It was boring! It lacked the punch and the fullness that only meat could add to a dish.

In desperate need to find other options I spend the night online reading various reviews and advices. I found that some people actually had luck preparing dishes and meals in the rice cooker some with minimal human interaction. Inspiration struck me hard and the next day we tried. We made our first regular dish in the steamer. It was still with low fat, but boy the "Rice Cooker" food just made a comeback.

Now we use the machine regularly, and I have deemed it time for me to share my experiences online with you!