I would like to get a contraption that cooks bacon - fast and without grease splatters. Any ideas? Thanks!
My bacon wiz is the microwave itself. Just a good layer of paper towels, then the bacon, topped with more paper towels. Easy, just trash the towels. Years ago, we had a special cooking plate, but it had to be topped with towels anyway and then washed. And it got very hot.
For bacon, I use either my bacon microwave plate - http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Microwave-Compact-Bacon/dp/B00004W4UL/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1445861901&sr=8-3&keywords=bacon+microwave+plate with paper towels for groups of four or less or my large baking pan (2" sides) in the oven for a crowd.
I have a small rice pot that I got a few years ago on a deal of a day site and it’s perfect for making up to three cups of rice: http://www.amazon.com/Wolfgang-Puck-Signature-Perfect-Portable/dp/B00XD7EU4Y/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1445862221&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=wolf+gang+puck+rice+cooker I think I paid half that amount. I use it for any grain, not just rice. Although it says three cups of rice, those must be three compacted cups, because I thought it made four cups until I checked the Amazon ad just now.
Zojirushi is the rice cooker we use. First saw in Asia. Had it ten years plus. Veggies too. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004S576/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?qid=1445863330&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=zojirushi+rice+cooker&dpPl=1&dpID=41X5CMNKPVL&ref=plSrch
Thanks!! Bummer about paper towels. 
I refuse to use them. Anyway, WHO just put bacon into the same category as smoking, so no more bacon here. 
http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/26/news/red-meat-processed-cancer-world-health-organization/
BB, bite your tongue! Bacon in moderation is always a good thing.
I just bought my second Zojirushi rice cooker. The original one is too big for just me - H doesn’t eat much rice and with the girls out of the house, it was too much even planning for leftovers.
This is the one I bought. I like the delay timer and fuzzy logic.
http://m.costco.com/Zojirushi-5.5-Cup-Rice-Cooker-and-Steamer.product.100177372.html
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Vidalia Chop Wizard available at Walgreen’s, BB&B, WalMart, etc. DH and I have been cooking together for over 30 years and have all the usual cooking appliances and gadgets. I don’t go in much for the as-seen-on-TV stuff but was at a friend’s house a few years ago and watched her produce perfect tomato dice in seconds with this gadget. I had one less than an hour later and have never been without it. I use it ALL the time, onions are only part of its magic. It makes pico de gallo in minutes: 6 roma tomatoes, 1 jalapeno (or more) and half a small red onion diced with the Wizard, add some chopped cilantro, a dash of salt, and sprinkle with fresh lime juice. This is a staple in our house.
I use it to chop every vegetable imaginable, even carrots. Best ROI on any gadget we’ve ever purchased.
Here’s the infomercial complete with “But Wait! There’s More!”:
Speaking of as-seen-on-TV, this is my mostest favorite gizmo ever:
http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/pictures/50-greatest-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-all-time-20140203/super-bass-o-matic-76-0130049
:))
I got a little Aroma rice cooker from WalMart. Cheap and works great. One button–cook and flips to warm when
done. They make big ones that do all sorts of stuff but I wanted one that just did the job. I use it with all sorts of packaged rice mixes (black beans and rice, jambalaya). Just follow package directions. Beats the heck out of watching a pot on the stove. Set and forget.
Yes, rice cooker have long been a staple in HI. I even took one to college, as well as a nonstick electric wok.
Thanks for the rice cooker suggestions!
We bought S a rice cooker for S from Frye’s for $10 whenbwe helped him settle into his dorm. He passed it on to D and bought himself one with more deluxe features and settings, as well as better insulation. As far as we know D is still usingnthat rice cooker 9+ years and counting.
So funny…we hardly ever eat rice. I take it that it’s a big thing for some of you. Instead of/similar to potatoes?
Yep–rarely eat potatoes but have rice most days in this house. If you’re eating it daily, nice to have an electric rice cooker.
You got me to pull out my old rice cooker and try it with brown rice. We just don’t eat that much but it sure spares the boil-over mess in the mwave or on the stove.
The other thing I love so much are my springform pans.
We generally alternate between potatoes, rice and pasta. I thought that’s what most people did! :-? I am thinking of giving my son my little rice cooker and getting another one for my husband and I. Not that we need a much bigger one, but mine is the perfect size for a small apartment dweller. I know that Costco often has the Aroma ones.
Love love love my rice cooker.
Rice cookers are the best. Before I had one, I would often forget or not hear the kitchen timer go off and burn the rice. Rice Cookers! Set and forget…and you’re fine!!!
I fix all kinds of rice, steel cut oats, porridge in mine. I also have a great recipe book of rice cooker recipes that I used a lot when the girls were home with us.
Now that I have the smaller version (like the one ignatius posted, but 1/2 the price at Costco), I’ll get back to using it weekly.