Believe it or not, the rice cooker can be used for much more than just preparing a pot of rice. Its uses span whole culinary quarters and it's flexibility will see you hanging up the marigolds early, as you'll only have one pot to wash. A rice cooker cooks food by steaming, and as such is fully operational to cook deserts, boil eggs, prepare dim sum, steam fish, meat and vegetables and steam up the perfect plate of rice. Steaming is an extremely healthy way to cook food, so as well as saving time and energy on the clearing up, you'll have more energy for your spare time! Here are a few favourite recipes from some enthusiastic rice cooker owners from around the world.

Chinese

For a one-pot Chinese wonder, it is easy for a whole family to feast with very little effort. Begin by flavouring the rice with some soy sauce, a sprinkle of dried shitake mushrooms and a liberal amount of grated ginger. After the rice has cooked for a while (so the top is no longer in water) place some finely cut strips of meat on the top. Either chicken or beef works well and layer some mange tout on top of this. You will find that the meat cooks to a tender perfection as do the vegetables, and you have a tasty dish ready to serve in an instant.

Indian

A rice cooker allows the enthusiastic cook to steam up a perfect pot of saffron rice eat the flick of a switch. There are other flavoured rice favourites that can accompany a delicious dish. Try adding flavour with some turmeric and madras paste added to the rice, and a few whole green cardamom pods. Once the rice has had a chance to steam and use up some of the water, place a seasoned slice of fish on top, such as trout or salmon and let it steam. Adding curry leaves to the inside of the fish will give a subtle flavour to accompany the spicy rice.

Jamaican

For a taste of Jamaican sunshine in a nice hot rice pot, use your rice cooker with a big helping of imagination. Try substituting the water needed for steaming with coconut milk and add garlic, all spice and plenty of salt and pepper to flavour the rice. For a proper Creole type dish, finely chop chicken, onions, tomatoes and pepper and add to the dish to steam with the rice. Just before the end, pop in a good helping of red kidney beans. All that's left is to tuck in and enjoy!

Spanish

This dish can be a variation of a Creole type dish, and it can be adapted to make tasty paella with the addition of seafood such as squid, shrimp and octopus. The basic flavours of garlic, onion and pepper are added to the rice, but in this instance, use passata as the liquid for steaming. This is a good dish to be eaten on its own or you can add chopped spicy sausage; for an authentic Spanish feel why not try Spanish chorizo. Serve the dish up with a basket of freshly baked bread and a glass of the finest Spanish Red wine. What better way to fiesta after a siesta!