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Whether you're finding relief from the heat by eating a dinner that consists of chilled soup, a cool salad, or ice pops (don't judge! they can be very nutritious), it's possible that at some point before temps dip into the mid-80s, you may want a home-cooked meal that really is cooked. And yet: the thought of turning on the stove, oven or even grill makes you sweat (well, sweat more).

You're in luck if you have a rice cooker--and not because a nice big bowl of aromatic basmati is the answer to all your steamed-up prayers. These handy little appliances (which also happen to be cheap--you can get a decent one for less than $20) aren't just for rice. You can use them to make pasta, eggs, stir-fries and much more. Like slow cookers, they don't generate a lot of heat, but they're powerful enough to sear slices of chicken sausage, soften risotto into creamy spoonfuls and yes, give you perfectly-cooked grains of rice. Making dinner in the rice cooker is fast and easy, usually involving tossing all the ingredients into the pot, covering it with the lid and turning it on. Your one-dish meal will be ready in about 20 minutes. One last reason to dig out your rice cooker: clean-up is minimal--which means you'll be back in front of the fan, with an ice pop for dessert, in a flash.


Here are three quick, simple meals you can make in your rice cooker:

Jambalaya with shrimp and sausage

A sweet and savory chicken curry with dates, coconut milk and honey

Steamed red snapper, Asian-style

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