MAPIKitchen & Cooking
Practical kitchen and cooking guides covering food preparation, cooking techniques, storage, kitchen organization, appliances, and everyday culinary tasks.
69 guides
Can You Soak Rice Before Cooking?
Rice can be soaked before cooking, but whether a separate pre-soak is needed depends on the rice and cooker. Many Micom rice cookers already automate soaking.
Should You Rinse Rice Before Cooking?
Whether rice should be rinsed depends on the rice, package directions, and cooking method. Zojirushi recommends rinsing regular rice for its cookers, while USA Rice says U.S.-grown enriched rice does not require rinsing.
Why Does Rice Turn Yellow in a Rice Cooker?
Rice that turns yellow in a rice cooker is commonly linked by Zojirushi to incomplete washing or extended Keep Warm use.
Why Does My Rice Cooker Boil Over?
Rice cookers can boil over when there is too much water or food, the wrong program is selected, rice is not prepared as directed, or steam pathways are not correctly assembled.
Why Does Rice Burn on the Bottom in a Rice Cooker?
Rice can scorch or crust on the bottom when preparation, water level, pan condition, or heat contact is off. Start with the model’s measuring and cleaning instructions.
Can You Put Coffee Grounds in a Garbage Disposal?
Coffee grounds are accepted by some garbage-disposal manufacturers, including current InSinkErator guidance, but septic-system guidance from EPA advises keeping coffee grounds out of drains.
Can You Put Grease Down a Garbage Disposal?
Grease, fats and oils should not be poured into a garbage disposal or drain; both manufacturer and EPA guidance say to keep them out of the wastewater system.
Should You Use Cold Water With a Garbage Disposal?
Use cold or cool water while a garbage disposal is grinding food waste; manufacturer guidance calls for water before, during and briefly after operation.
Why Does Refrigerator Ice Taste or Smell Bad?
Bad-tasting or smelly refrigerator ice can come from new plumbing, an old filter, source water, stale ice or odors transferred from food inside the appliance.
Can You Put Refrigerator Shelves in the Dishwasher?
Some refrigerator shelves and bins are dishwasher safe, but others are not. Material, lighting and model-specific instructions determine the safe cleaning method.
Should You Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils?
Condenser-coil maintenance depends on refrigerator design. Some models benefit from user cleaning in dusty conditions, while others need no routine cleaning or require service.
Can You Use Bleach to Clean a Refrigerator?
Bleach is not a universal refrigerator cleaner. Routine appliance cleaning may call for bleach-free products, while food-safety guidance may use diluted bleach after contamination.