This is how you properly clean your rice cooker
Rice cookers are your best friends in the kitchen. You can add rice to any meal without any issues! But unfortunately, rice cookers get pretty dirty too. And if you notice your rice cooker not functioning as it should, it might be time to give your rice cooker a proper cleaning.
Preparation
So, how often should you actually clean this kitchen appliance? It is the most sanitary to clean it every time you use it. Because if you take some time to clean your rice cooker after every use, you will save yourself a lot of time and manual labor in the long run. But if you didn’t clean your rice cooker after every use, there are ways to make it look good as new. First, you need to prepare. Check the instructions of your rice cooker to figure out what cleaning supplies to use – or not use. Make sure the cooker is unplugged and cooled off.
1. Take it apart
To make sure you completely clean your rice cooker, it is best to clean every part individually. Remove the internal pot and put it in the sink. Fill that sink with some hot water and add some dish soap. Let that sit for about twenty minutes, until all the grains of rice come off of the sides.
2. Clean it
Use a nonabrasive sponge to clean the inside of the pot. And use that same sponge and soap to clean the paddle and the steam basket. If there are some stubborn grains stuck to the sides of the pot, use a plastic spatula to get them off. Just don’t use metal spatula’s or utensils. When all the grains of rice have come off, you can dry the pot with a dry cloth.
3. The lid
First, check if the lid of your rice cooker can be removed. If it can, you can detach it and clean it with the same sponge and soapy water as before. After you’re finished, you can use a microfiber cloth to wipe the lid down and dry it.
4. Assemble
Put the whole thing together again (after making sure it is completely dry and clean) and wipe down the exterior of the rice cooker. You can easily do this with some water and white vinegar. Just make sure that you don’t get any water in the electrical parts of the rice cooker. You don’t want to clean it only to find out that it doesn’t work anymore!
If you want to avoid the work of having to clean your rice cooker, you should look into the best ways to cook rice. If you cook rice the right way, it will be way easier to clean your cooker after each use.
Read more: This is how you clean a greasy oven door
Source: The Spruce | Image: Unsplash, Pille R. Priske