Yes you read the title right, it says rice cooker macaroni and cheese. I love my rice cooker. I use it to make rice all the time. It makes great rice. It also steams vegetables really well. But did you know that you can cook other things in it. Well you can. There are several cookbooks that have been written for rice cooker cooking. You can also find quite a few recipes by searching the internet.
What I have found is that a lot of these recipes are slow cooking or have many steps. If I am going to slow cook I would rather use my crockpot. And I don’t mind recipes with lots of steps, but for me the whole point of using my rice cooker is to make it faster.
I have found however a recipe/technique for the rice cooker that I love. It is for macaroni and cheese. No boiling water, no stirring while cooking. This is a simple one pot meal.
Now this is no gourmet mac and cheese. I am not claiming that this will be the best ever, but it is good. It makes a great, quick lunch and my kids love it. It beats the stuff in the box with the powdered cheese any day.
Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese
1 can (14 ounce) chicken broth
2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)
3/4 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ( I like a cheddar/jack blend)
Place macaroni and broth in rice cooker. Secure lid and set to cook. When rice cooker switches to warm (about 15 minutes) add milk and cheese. Stir. Keep on warm close lid and let sit for about 5 minutes or until cheese is well melted. Serve.
These are the directions that work in my cooker. It took a couple tries to get the liquid right so the liquid may vary a little depending on your rice cooker. But the basic recipe should work.
Have you ever used your rice cooker for anything besides rice? I would love to hear if you have.
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Thanks for posting this. I will have to try this out. I use my rice cooker to cook lentils all the time. It is so much easier!
Nicole
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Oh I am for sure going to try this one, Lynn. I love my steamer for rice and veggies. Thanks for posting this.
Susan
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I am going to try this! do you by any chance have the pampered chef rice cooker?
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No Heather. I have an Oster electric rice cooker that I have had several years. I did not know P. Chef had one.
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oh great recipe! i love my rice cooker — matter of fact i’ve worn out the coating and should probably think about getting another one. it’s the only way i’ll bother with oatmeal — we like steel-cut oats.
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Kim Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
would love to hear how you prepare your steal cut oatmeal in the rice cooker as I love it but the long cooking time is too much for weekday breakfasts.
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This is great. I cook just about everything in either my rival rice cooker/steamer or my “Jet-Stream Oven” Both are great! I love steamed talapia. And there’s no better way to steam shrimp. It just leaves in the flavor which you would normally “boil” out the regular way!
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Rice cookers are also great when cooking for one or two. Substitute soy milk if lactose is a problem. Experiment with the same basic ingredients and methods to make great rice pudding.
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I can not wait to try this. I’ve been so discontent buying mac and cheese lately and wanting to find a version that I like. I look forward to this.
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I finally tried this a month ago — my boys LOVE it. Will never bother with store bought again …. this is so much better.
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Hi! Just found your site via OrgJunkie and I have to say I LOVE this idea to make mac ‘n cheese in my rice cooker. I’ve been looking for a healthier, but still easy way to make mac ‘n cheese for my kids and this looks just right! I, too, LOVE (love, love!) my rice cooker…used it tonight in fact (just to make rice though). Great idea!
Meal Plan Mom (Brenda)´s last blog ..Cookbook Review: Healthy Foods- An Irreverent Guide to Understanding Nutrition and Feeding Your Family Well
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I just made this recipe for a friend who was in the hospital. They loved it and so did my kids. The only problem was the macaroni stuck to the bottom of the pan. (I did spray it.) Any thoughts?
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Lynn Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
@JulieJ, I am glad they liked it. The sticking might be due to the difference in how rice cookers cook. You might try a little extra liquid, you could add just a little water and see if that helps. But I would not add too much because it might make the noodles soggy. I have noticed that mine sticks more when I use gluten free noodles and I have not been able to figure out why on that either.
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Hey, Lynn…have you tried doing this with gluten free macaroni or other noodles that are gf? If so, what brand do you find works best?? Thanks.
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Susan Reply:
May 8th, 2010 at 8:24 am
@Susan,
Never mind, I found it in your blog about the recipe…..duh!! I LOVE those shells, though, and, actually have some…gotta try this either today or tomorrow, my daughter (the gf one) LOVES mac and cheese so, this will be a great thing for her in college.
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Do you know if this will work in a Pampered Chef microwave rice cooker? I might have to try it.
Kim´s last blog ..Link Love
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Lynn Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 8:55 am
@Kim, I am not sure what kind of rice cooker the pampered chef one is. I have one like this. Let me know if you try it and it works in the pampered chef one. http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2008/09/rice-cooker.html
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LisaB Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:47 pm
The Pampered Chef rice cooker is designed for the microwave, and isn’t electric. You could microwave this recipe in the PC cooker, but it wouldn’t be timed automatically.
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