Rice Cookery

Entry by adam | February 07, 2006 | Link |

I just got off the phone with the girlfriend, who was talking about making her "special food, like Roger Ebert." Something to do with the fact that the film critic's diet consists only of food he prepares in his rice cooker:

You can live your entire life never cooking with anything but a rice cooker. In fact, I've been threatening to write the rice-cooker cookbook. There's a warning on my machine that says, "Do not cook anything in this but rice." But there's no reason for that warning. You can make stews, soups and pasta in it.

I'd never heard of Ebert's diet, but apparently the girl's little sister had. Little Sis's response to Big Sis? "You're going to trust Roger Ebert, who's a.) fat, and b.) not a chef but a film critic?"

The conversation reminded me of a well-worn newspaper clipping I've been keeping (above) as a reminder to experiment with my own rice cooker. I told the girl I'd scan it and send it to her, but instead I'm posting it here. It's from a November 2002 "Possessed" column in the New York Times. If you can't read the scan (click on it for a larger version), it's about chef David Bouley's own rice cookery:

The Japanese chefs also showed him how to make tiny one-dish meals inside the cooker. To illustrate, he seasoned rice with a bit of soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin and tomato water and put it in a ceramic crock small enough to fit inside the pot. After about 20 minutes, he stirred in morsels of half-cooked lobster, diced raw asparagus, minced chervil and tarragon and a splash of sake. Then he steamed the dish for another five minutes. ''High-end crock cooking,'' Mr. Bouley said dryly.

So there you go.

Possessed: Rice Has Met Its Match [New York Times; TimesSelect]
A Film Critic's Windy City Home [New York Times]

Entry by adam

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Posted by: roboppy at February 8, 2006 05:20 PM

Posted by: Mona at February 10, 2006 04:40 PM

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