The Key To Flavoring Rice In Your Rice Cooker

Making rice on the stove is a fine method, but let's be honest: Life is so much easier with a rice cooker. When you eliminate the need to keep stirring the grains — and the risk of burning the bottom layer — the whole effort becomes so much more enjoyable, simply because it's totally hands-off. All you need to do is pour rice and water into the rice cooker, press a button, and fluff the rice when it's done: It's that simple. This kitchen appliance makes flavoring the food a total breeze, too. The key is to add your seasoning to your rice cooker at the start of the cooking process, giving the grains ample time to soak in all the flavors.

Whether you use broth, butter, dried herbs, or olive oil, you'll notice a major difference when you incorporate them before the food has been cooked as opposed to after. Even Gordon Ramsay agrees and abides by this rule when seasoning rice; if you wait until it's fully cooked, your flavors won't blend completely into the grains, which will make for an unimpressive result. Whatever you decide to season it with — even if it's just a bit of salt and pepper — simply add it before you begin the rice cycle, and cook the rice as usual.

The type of rice you select will also affect the outcome. It's better to choose a long-grain variety, like jasmine or basmati. They're less likely to get soggy after seasonings are added to them. You could also use brown rice, but be aware that it cooks slower than white rice because of its bran layer, which means it takes longer to absorb water.

It's also important to think about which seasonings would compliment the food. A simple way to flavor white rice is to add a bay leaf to the rice cooker. Though it's subtle, it will give the food a deeper flavor. Whole cardamom pods can help add some depth to your rice, too.

If cardamom and bay leaves are too subtle for your liking, feel free to get a little adventurous with the seasoning. Before you begin the rice cycle, try throwing in some garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and parsley, making sure it all gets well-incorporated in the water-rice mixture. We also like using chopped up, fresh herbs, like rosemary, dill, and basil. If you want to really give your rice a flavor boost, use a chicken or vegetable broth instead of water. This is the easiest way to add extra flavor to your rice even when you're short on fresh herbs.