Introduction: Cheeseburger Made in a Rice Cooker
In a few simple steps, make a cheeseburger in a rice cooker.
Step 1: What You'll Need
INGREDIENTS
1 hamburger bun
1/3 lb. ground beef
1 pinch of fried onion
1 pinch of fried garlic
muenster cheese (or cheese of your choice)
1 leaf of lettuce
1 slice of tomato
UTENSILS
plastic bag for marinating patty
rice cooker scoop
knife for slicing tomato
cutting board or cutting surface
paper towels or napkins for messes
Step 2: 5 Steps, Under 10 Minutes
STEP 1: MARINATE THE PATTY
Scoop 1/3 lb. ground beef into plastic bag
Add 1 pinch (fried) garlic
Add 1 pinch (fried) onion
Squish bag
STEP 2: HEAT
Turn on rice cooker
Wait to heat up
STEP 3: PLACE
Place patty into rice cooker
Wait for 5 minutes
STEP 4: OTHER SIDE
Turn over
Wait for 3 minutes
STEP 5: FINISHING TOUCHES
Remove from rice cooker
Add toppings
Serve and enjoy
47 Comments
10 years ago on Introduction
This is cool..
13 years ago on Step 2
Just had to ask...does this seal the flavor in,as opposed to just frying it???
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
No, it does not "seal" anything in because that never happens. What is it that you think happens during *any* cooking process? Are you hoping to create an impervious layer like plastic? Maybe we could increase the intensity of the gravity-well at the center of the burger such that juices leak IN instead of OUT? ;-> If you seared your hand would your bodily fluids be more or less visible? No, the whole notion of "sealing the juices in" is nonsense. Searing (done properly) causes browning reactions which yield yummy compunds. Frying something dipped in batter could conceivably slow the loss of (some of) its contents. But if you want to "seal" your food you'll need to use foil or plastic wrap.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
sear a steak, then finish under a broiler. then just throw a steak under a broiler. which is juicier? the one that was seared first.
does searing "seal in" anything? no. does it slow/reduce moisture loss? most definitely.
Reply 12 years ago on Step 2
Searing doesn't reduce moisture loss, in fact it increases moisture loss. When high heat is applied on meat, the protein strands in meat coils and tightens up. What happens then is water is squeezed out, like wringing wet clothing. When searing, so much heat is applied that the outside develops a dry exterior while cooking the insides. As a cook finishes with lower heat, the same amount of moisture escapes, so losses at searing are greater. However, The loss of moisture is barely higher than meats cooked without searing to warrant no textural difference. Why do we sear? Simply because that brown, dry, crusty outer layer is flavor.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
it doesnt really matter what really happens on the inside, what *does* matter is the taste
i've learned long ago that by searing chicken (and other meats) asap you get a much juicier piece of meat
whatever actually happens, who cares; the meat tastes better for doing it
Reply 12 years ago on Step 2
Also, lots of the gastropub type burgers are cooked entirely under something like a salamander.
12 years ago on Step 2
I tried it but it was a little too chewy
12 years ago on Step 2
nice!
14 years ago on Introduction
This is hilarious! I can't believe you can actually cook a decent tasting hamburger in a rice cooker! GENIUS! I've cooked a loaf of bread in a rice cooker before, so I know they are good for more than just rice. Thanks for sharing!
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
you should share your loaf-of-bread-in-a-rice-cooker recipe with us! I've had my rice cooker for 31 years and have never cooked anything other than rice with it! LOL.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Fun fact: Betty Crocker tried to market a line of bake-in-your-rice-cooker cakes in Japan back in the 60s.
They were puzzled by the dismal sales. The reason? In Shintō, rice is almost holy and represents purity. Cooking anything else in a rice cooker would be "impure".
Betty Crocker was completely unaware of this (evidently), so it did a survey as to why its product, which had seemed like such genius, was a flop.
One respondent, when asked why she wouldn't buy it, simply said: "Not in my rice cooker." (you'll have to imagine my East Asian Studies professor (i.e. a cute old Japanese man) doing the accent for yourself)
13 years ago on Step 2
Real good way to kill your rice cooker just to fry a hamburger. She's in a college dorm and depending on dorm policy allowing or not cooking in your room. I find it better to just take my frying pan to the common kitchen and fry up a bunch of patties, freeze them then nuke them in the micro when I want one.
13 years ago on Introduction
I just make two burgers using this method, they turned out great! I didn't have fried onions or garlic, I just used garlic powder. They were REALLY juicy!
13 years ago on Introduction
When I was in the Army a long time ago while stationed in Europe we weren't allowed to have hot plates, but having an electric steam iron for well pressed uniforms was almost mandatory.
I would drain the water out of the iron, turn it upside down and put a pair of dress shoes, one shoe on each side to hold the iron in place, turn it on high and you could boil water in a pot or fry food with a frying pan. I never had a problem with it over turning but I was always attentive to the possibility.
One time we were searched for contraband but our "hot plate" was never found.
Warning! I'm not suggesting anyone should do this. If the iron overturns it could cause a fire or burn someone. Warning!
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
In Navy barracks we had the same problem. A friend made me a small bookshelf with high wood bookholders on each end. The size was perfect to hold the iron upright. I always had books to put in it, so nobody (important) tumbled on to this for over two years!
I heated water for tea/coffee/soup in a metal mug, and a few canned foods in the can.
My friend made quite a few of these bookshelves after a while . . .
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Perhaps one could devise some type of clamping apparatus to hold the iron in place more firmly.
13 years ago on Introduction
Wow...looks delicious. The burger looks pretty tasty too. ; )
13 years ago on Introduction
are rice cookers and crock pots interchangable? Just asking because your ricecooker looks exactly like my crockpot.... I wouldn't have thought of it but now that you mention it the pot does get pretty hot. Thats a great multiuse and fantastic for limited space or no kitchen type residence, like a dorm room or a motel room
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
No, most slow cookers won't get hot fast enough (and perhaps not even hot enough) on their "high" settings. A rice cooker generally is an on/off deal (though some fancy microprocessor controlled ones can do more than just rice) and is designed to boil water.
There are some rice cooker cookbooks out there that show you how to do more than just rice. The only downside I can think of here is the cleanup; rice is pretty "neat", but burger fat may make a mess inside your cooker that is harder to get rid of.