How Long to Cook Rice in Crock Pot? Quick Guide
If you're using a crock pot to cook rice for the first time and don't know how to control the time, you'll know after reading this!
How Long to Cook Rice in Crock Pot?
When using a crock pot to cook rice, the time ranges from 1 to 2 hours.
Under normal circumstances, if it's regular white rice, it's almost ready after about 1 hour of cooking on high heat in the crock pot. If cooking on low heat, it takes about 1.5 hours. Crock pots usually have a relatively low power and heat up slowly, so they require a bit more time.
However, if you're cooking brown rice or glutinous rice with a hard texture, it will take longer. It takes about 1.5 - 2 hours on high heat and 2 - 2.5 hours on low heat.
So I recommend that if you want to cook rice in a crock pot, you can soak the rice until it's soft in advance. This way, the cooking time will be faster, and you can decide the softness according to your personal taste preference.
Can You Use a Crock Pot as a Rice Cooker?
A crock pot can be used to cook rice, but it doesn't mean it can replace a rice cooker.
Firstly, crock pots and rice cookers are different in design. A rice cooker is designed to quickly and conveniently cook fragrant and soft rice, with a dedicated rice-cooking program and precise heat control. On the other hand, a crock pot heats up slowly, takes a longer time to cook rice, and you need to manually control the amount of water and the softness during the cooking process.
Secondly, in addition to cooking rice, a rice cooker has many other functions, such as making congee and stewing soup, and it also has a relatively good sealing performance. Although a crock pot can also achieve these effects, it takes a much longer time.
Therefore, a crock pot can be used to replace some functions of a rice cooker, such as cooking rice, but it cannot completely replace a rice cooker. They each have their own areas of expertise.
How Long Should Rice Be in the Cooker?
Rice cookers of different brands and powers require different amounts of time to cook rice, approximately 15 - 30 minutes.
Currently, most rice cookers on the market take about 15 - 20 minutes to cook rice. However, if the amount of rice is large, the cooking time will be extended to 30 minutes.
If you're cooking brown rice or glutinous rice, since these types of rice have a harder texture, it takes even longer, about 25 - 30 minutes or even more.
I recommend that when using a rice cooker to cook rice, you can adjust the time according to the power of your rice cooker, as well as the type and quantity of the rice.
Why Is My Rice Not Getting Soft in the Crock Pot?
There could be the following reasons why the rice isn't soft in the crock pot:
Insufficient cooking time: Cooking rice in a crock pot is relatively slow. If the cooking time is not enough, the rice will be undercooked or have a raw center, and naturally, it won't be soft.
Insufficient water: The heating method of a crock pot is relatively gentle. So, there should be enough water when cooking rice. If the amount of water is insufficient, the rice cannot absorb enough water and expand fully, resulting in a hard texture.
Type of rice: Different types of rice have different water absorbency and textures. For example, brown rice is more difficult to cook soft than white rice. It needs to be soaked for more than 1 hour, and you should appropriately increase the amount of water. Otherwise, it may not turn out soft.
How Much Water for 2 Cups of Rice?
It depends on the type of rice:
Regular white rice: It's appropriate to add 3 cups of water for 2 cups of rice (a ratio of 1:1.5). This will result in rice with a moderate softness.
Short-grain rice (such as Japanese rice): Short-grain rice has slightly weaker water absorbency. You can add 2.5 cups of water for 2 cups of rice (a ratio of 1:1.25) to ensure the rice is sticky and soft.
Brown rice: It's harder and requires more water. You can add 4 cups of water for 2 cups of brown rice (a ratio of 1:2). It's best to soak it for 1 hour in advance to speed up water absorption, resulting in softer rice.
How to Cook Rice in a Slow Cooker with Chicken?
Ingredients
Chicken: Cut chicken drumsticks into small pieces.
Vegetables: Onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, green peppers, etc., diced.
Seasonings: Light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, salt, sugar, black pepper.
Rice: Fragrant rice, soak it for 15 minutes in advance to make the rice softer.
Steps
Marinate the chicken drumsticks: Marinate the chicken drumstick pieces with cooking wine, light soy sauce, and black pepper for 15 - 30 minutes.
Prepare the crock pot: Put diced onions, carrots and other vegetables at the bottom of the crock pot and spread a layer of rice on top.
Add the chicken and seasonings: Spread the marinated chicken drumsticks on top of the rice and add an appropriate amount of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and sugar for seasoning.
Add water: Add an appropriate amount of water to cover the ingredients.
Slow cook: Set the crock pot to the "low heat" mode and slow cook for 4 - 6 hours.
Completion: After cooking, gently stir with a spoon to fully mix the rice and chicken!
