Make Quinoa In A Rice Cooker For The Fluffiest Results

In a perfect world, cooking quinoa would be a breeze, and you wouldn't always risk a catastrophe with the kind of mistakes everyone makes with quinoa. You wouldn't mess up the ratio or accidentally let it cook for too long and end up with a mushy pot. It would just be a straightforward process from start to finish. Sadly, that is not the case, at least not if you're going by regular methods. Luckily, making quinoa — fluffy, tender, and flavorful quinoa — can be surprisingly simple if you have a rice cooker. With this device, the quinoa of your dreams is just one press of a button away.

Much like with actual rice, once the ingredients are prepared, the rice cooker will take care of everything. This utensil is designed specifically for cooking whole grains by automatically heating up and knowing exactly when they have absorbed all the water to stop cooking. It also allows just enough steam to escape while maintaining the internal heat. There's no pacing by the boiling pot, obsessively lifting the lids, and worrying about overcooking. Given just the right amount of attention and precision, the quinoa will achieve that perfect balance between soft and chewy, reaching the fluffy potential it's always meant to have.

You should always rinse your quinoa before cooking it, and it's the same case here. This not only helps to clean off dirt and impurities, but it also gets rid of saponin, a protective layer that makes the quinoa unpleasantly bitter. Although not compulsory, it's also a good idea to grease the inside of the rice cooker to prevent the quinoa from sticking.

Once preparation is done, add the quinoa into the rice cooker with water and a few teaspoons of salt. Some recommend 1 ¾ cups of water for every cup of quinoa, while others use 2 cups of water. If you're not sure where to start, go with the tried-and-true ratio from how you normally make quinoa. Then, just let everything cook for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of quinoa, although black quinoa generally requires a few minutes longer than white and red. When the timer goes off, let the quinoa steam for a bit before opening the lid and fluffing it up.

Should you want to, there are also ways to add more flavors to quinoa. The simplest trick is to cook it in a broth instead of regular water. Various seasonings, anything from garlic and onion powder to cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and many more, are all welcome, especially when you're aiming for a savory meal. You can even add legumes and vegetables and have yourself a flavorful one-pot dish in the blink of an eye.