It’s spring and I’m eating healthier in advance of doing a detox (there’ll be more on that you can bet). So I’m giving my new microwave rice cooker a good work out. And I. Am. In. Love. The Pampered Chef folks are the kind who want to gather in your living room Tupperware-style, but I just bought one from a co-worker armed with a catalogue. For those in the US it’s here and for the Canucks, it’s here.

I’d heard alot of good things about the rice cooker and although no one really got into the details I figured more options for cooking rice is a good thing right? And I know there’s lots of if-you-want-to-eat-healthy-you-should-avoid-the-microwave people out there, but that’s a level of hard-core healthiness I may not reach in this life time. If you’re there, I’m impressed. I’d starve without my ‘nuker’.

Back to the rice cooker - it’s a kinda simple but well-designed gizmo that cooks the rice just right. There’s never any boil-overs or hard sticky hockey pucks at the bottom of the pot. It’s also super easy to clean and you can just throw it in the fridge with leftovers if you’re in a rush. I was afraid I wouldn’t know what instructions to follow, but most rice packages seem to include microwave instructions now.

So, last night I was in a pre-yoga class rush. I threw in basmati rice and water, added some seasoning, grated a carrot, threw in other veggies and put the cooker in the microwave for 17 minutes. While it cooked I cut up some pre-cooked meat and cilantro. When the rice finished cooking I stirred in the other stuff and let it steam for 5 while I set the table. Voila - yummy dinner in 20 minutes *with* leftovers. Who wouldn’t be in love?