Cooking Brown Rice in a Slow Cooker

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The Slow Cooker might be one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. No longer were we stuck in a kitchen, spending hours and hours tethered to that room to make sure things were cooking at a consistent pace. Now, we can, to borrow a phrase, “set it and forget it.” 

As the slow cooker has been perfected, it has been put to more and more uses. One of these uses is brown rice. It might not be what you think of when you think of a slow cooker, but when done right, brown rice can come out fluffy and flavorful. If you want to know how to get perfect brown rice out of your slow cooker every time, read on.

Cooking Rice

Cooking rice doesn’t have to be difficult, but many people make it out to be. They add the wrong amount of water, let the rice cook for too long or cook it at the wrong temperature for too long. As easy as it can be to mess up, when rice is cooked well the result is always a crowd pleaser.

One of the great things about using a slow cooker is that you can avoid many of the problems that come with traditional cooking methods. The slow cooker’s design means cooking time and temperature will not be a problem, so you can be sure your brown rice will turn out great, every time.

3 Steps for Perfect Slow Cooker Brown Rice 

If you’re looking for how to cook brown rice in the slow cooker, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are the steps you need to follow in order to get the best brown rice.

Use a Large, Wide Cooker

You might not realize it, but the size and shape of your slow cooker affects how your slow cooker cooks. The larger the cooker, the more surface area the rice has. This greater surface area means better absorption of the water, as well as a more regulated evaporation. In short, smaller cookers run the risk of the rice not getting the proper amount of water. As with any cooking job, getting the right slow cooker is essential.

Boil the water first to jumpstart the cooking process

When you put your rice in cold water and let it sit for a long period of time, the rice releases its starches too soon. The result can be a gummy, gooey mess. It also adds quite a bit of time to the cooking process. To avoid these issues, boil the water first in a separate pan (boiling it in the slow cooker takes too long because it’s, well, slow). 

While the water is heating up, you need to do two things:

• Rinse the rice in cold water. This helps to wash away the starches that are stored on the rice’s surface.
• Turn the slow cooker on high so it starts to warm up.

Once the water is boiling, transfer it to the slow cooker, and add the rice. Add some salt as wekk for flavor. Give it a stir for a nice, even distribution around the entire surface of the slow cooker.

Cover the rice with parchment paper as it cooks

This is where people make the biggest mistake. While the lid is great for some things, when you’re cooking rice the lid lets too much water evaporate at one time. To avoid this problem, cover the rice with parchment paper as it cooks. This will slow down evaporation and give every grain of rice the opportunity to absorb the water it needs.

Storing and Serving Slow Cooker Brown Rice

After two to two and a half hours, your rice will be ready. If you want to eat it right away, add a pat of butter and give it time to melt. This will give the rice a creamy texture. If you don’t plan on eating it immediately, put the rice in containers to place in the refrigerator. You can store it in the fridge for up to five days before it goes bad. 

Cooking brown rice in a crockpot is a total timesaver

We recommend making extra rice so you’ll always have some on hand whenever you need it. Simply bring it out of the fridge, put it in a microwave-safe container, and heat it for 60 seconds.

Voila! Perfect brown rice in only a minute!

FAQ’S

• Can rice be cooked in slow cooker? 

Yes! It takes a little know-how and inspiration, but when done right you can expect perfect rice, every time

• How much water do you use to cook brown rice in a rice cooker? 
• When cooking rice in a slow cooker, go on a 4-5 ratio, with 4 cups of rice to 5 cups of water.
• Can I cook brown rice without soaking? 
• In a word: no. Brown rice doesn’t typically need to be soaked.

Conclusion

As you can see, perfect brown rice in the slow cooker is possible. Just make sure to follow these simple steps: choose the right cooker, boil the water first, and then use parchment paper instead of the traditional lid as a way to slow down water evaporation. Following these simple steps will only make you fall in love with  your slow cooker even more as you search for other ways to use it!