If there's one culinary topic that's bound to divide opinion, it's how to make perfect rice. While I thought I was tied to my faithful plug-in rice cooker for life, Joseph Joseph's microwave version (for £26) just switched my allegiances completely.
I've been vociferous in my love for my handy, compact rice cooker from Lakeland, which turns out grains with the ideal level of bite with minimal effort. My big complaint with it, however, is that it takes 40 minutes to complete its task, which can get in the way of a quick dinner.
Joseph Joseph's genius cooker, by comparison, which fits neatly inside your microwave (and cupboards) with a range of clever design features, took just 10 minutes to cook fluffy rice. If you don't want to invest in another appliance for your kitchen, this is a wonderful low-effort buy.
You have all the tools you need to measure, wash, cook and serve rice in this incredibly clever pot.
I admit I was skeptical about this gadget at first. I've seen enough memes about the 'art' of microwave cookbooks to know that this isn't an appliance famed for its culinary delights.
But I was willing to give it a go if it meant I could gain some more worktop and cupboard space back. As a full-time tester of kitchen appliances, my cooking area can go from calm to chaotic very fast.
I've tried a few of Joseph Joseph's kitchen gadgets but this bested all of my expectations. It's compact (obviously enough to fit into a microwave) and has features that allow you to measure and wash your rice as well as cook it without any extra washing up.
You have an inner and outer pot here, with the former doubling as a colander for you to wash your rice in (an essential to avoid the grains clumping together). A measuring cup is included with this cooker too, which I'd recommend using so that you can easily follow the cooking instructions in the included booklet.
My favourite part of it all might just be the rice paddle. This is used to lock the pot together when you pop it into the microwave and fluffs up your cooked rice a treat too.
This gadget is so easy to use. It's foolproof! For a serving for two people I used half a cup of rice, which I measured out then washed in the sink. The colander has a thin pop out handle so you don't have to fiddle getting it out of the main pot to take it to the sink.
For this amount of rice, eight to ten minutes of microwave cooking is required. I duly followed those timings, as well as the recommendation to let the rice stand for five additional minutes while I prepared the rest of my meal.
I left the pot locked with the spoon while it stood and after the allotted time, opened it up to find fluffy rice ready to go. It was such a speedy and foolproof process – quicker than my rice cooker and less effort than my traditional hob method (which involves waiting for it to boil from cold and then popping on a lid).
I'm a total convert to this method. Not only was it quick and easy but it means I don't have another appliance to plug in or maintain. The parts can go through the dishwasher too.
It turns out I'm pretty late to the party on this incredibly handy gadget, with it having racked up 151 reviews to accumulate a 4.5 star rating on the brand's website. Other impressed reviewers have remarked on how consistent it is for 'perfect rice every time'.
This isn't the only microwave-cooking buy that Joseph Joseph have designed. I've also discovered they have a highly-rated 4-piece stackable set too, which claims to be able to help you cook an entire meal in a microwave.
This compact pot (which is currently on sale at Amazon) can help you steam veggies and protein with ease. Its lid also doubles as a griddle.
So perhaps I was wrong in my assumptions about microwave cooking after all. If it's this easy, I'll take as much of it as I can get!
