My rice cooker gave out mid-cook last Thursday and I had to finish a pot of beans on the stove

The timing couldn't have been worse since I had already prepped 2 pounds of dry black beans and was relying on that automatic timer to get dinner ready before my night shift, so I dumped everything into a stockpot and stood there stirring for 45 minutes while the burner kept clicking off. Has anyone else had a cheap appliance fail at the worst possible moment during meal prep?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_ramirez671d ago

Man, that timing is brutal. But I gotta say, it sounds like you didn't actually have a "rice cooker" fail since you were cooking beans in it, not rice. Most rice cookers aren't built for beans, especially dry ones that need to boil for hours. The steam vent probably got clogged with bean starch and that's what killed the automatic timer. Next time maybe try soaking those beans overnight first if you're dead set on using a rice cooker for them. I learned that one the hard way after a similar mess with lentils.

joelsanchez1d ago

What is it about rice cookers and beans that always creates the biggest mess? I had a similar thing happen with a slow cooker once, it just stopped working right when the chili was finally bubbling. Stood there with a ladle in one hand and a flashlight in the other, wondering if the universe was out to get me and my meal prep plans. That automatic timer is a real tease when it bails on you. At least you got it done, even if it meant playing stove operator for an hour.