Lazy hack alert: Mums are cooking delicious one-pot dinners in rice cookers

Whip up things like dumpling noodle soups, creamy pasta and even paella without breaking a sweat!

Move over, time-consuming recipes, fiddly food prep and hungry kids constantly asking you 'When's dinner?'

It's time for rice cookers to steal the spotlight and make weeknight dinners a whole lot easier. 

The small countertop appliance is typically used to take the guesswork out of making perfect fluffy rice but now it's been turned into the ultimate kitchen multitasker.

Popularised on TikTok, people have been making quick and easy one-pot meals that involve just throwing everything into their rice cookers and letting it do all the work. 

From dumpling noodle soups to creamy pasta and risotto, let's get into all the ways foodies are using this humble kitchen gadget. 

P.S. You can take these recipes a step further and batch-cook them for easy meal prep lunches!

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Image: TikTok

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Dumplings on demand

The first recipe that kicked off the rice cooker renaissance was rice cooker dumplings. 

While you usually would go through the tedious process of steaming or pan-frying them (or just giving up and ordering takeaway) - this method means your rice cooker does all the heavy lifting while you just sit back and relax, or have a little lie-down. Sounds like heaven, right?

Just chuck these bite-sized goodies into the mix with your carb of choice and create a delicious, umami, one-pot wonder in no time.

Okay, not no time, but it only takes around 18 minutes.  

Take inspiration from @jennaseats who added flavours like soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh garlic and spring onions to her frozen dumplings and rice. Yes, you read that right — you can use frozen dumplings. WIN!

Or copy @amummatoanother and use noodles, chicken stock, buk choy and Kung Pao sauce. Then jazz up the meal with garnishes like sesame seeds, chilli flakes, more spring onions or things like dumpling sauce or chilli oil. 

Image: TikTok

Pimp up your rice 

If dumplings aren't your thing but you still want to stick with the Asian theme, try @thedinnerapp's chicken rice recipe which involves cooking chicken thigh and rice in chicken broth with ginger, garlic, green onion, fish sauce, sesame oil, white sugar and lime juice. 

Serve with cucumber and carrot and top with dark soy sauce and coriander. 

Going back to its roots, you can also use your rice cooker to make, you guessed it, just... rice.

Try out this prawn and chorizo paella or mushroom risotto. 

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Image: TikTok

Comfort food is a cinch 

If you thought your rice cooker's talents were limited to Asian-inspired dishes, think again.

TikTokers are also using rice cookers to whip up delicious pasta dishes.

And while you might think that sounds sacrilegious (it is) and would make your Italian grandmother cringe (it would) - sometimes we're just after a meal that will get food to mouth as efficiently as possible, k?

@amycooksfood whipped up a creamy pasta in her rice cooker, using parmesan, garlic and cream, while @jennahunter made mac and cheese with crunchy bacon bits.

This hands-off approach to cooking really puts the 'comfort' in comfort food! 

Staying with the wholesome and hearty theme, @amycooksfood also made a chicken noodle soup using carrot, celery, stock, herbs, pasta spirals and rotisserie chicken. 

"You've just changed my life"

In the comments of all these videos, people dubbed the rice cooker hack as "game-changing."

"There's just so many options!" one person said. 

Another wrote, "This is perfect for small spaces/apartment living. My daughter will love this in college!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen a rice cooker be used for anything other than rice. Mind = blown," someone else shared. 

Then this user claimed: "This is sooo clever! You've just changed my life!"

Originally published as Lazy hack alert: Mums are cooking delicious one-pot dinners in rice cookers