Notes for the NP HBC10 Zojirushi Rice cooker
Highly recommended book: The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook
Oats ... use Porridge setting
The machine also cooks "porridge". I put steel-cut oats in it and it cooks them beautifully. No stirring, no standing. Just put the rock hard grains in with the water, close the lid, push the button, and after a while, open the machine, stir, and you have perfect oatmeal.
Steel-cut oats for breakfast: add 1/2 cup oats to bowl; wash a few times until the water is mostly clear; add water to slightly above 1 brown rice mark; press timer button; select porridge setting. Great oats are ready in the morning. Adjust the water addition to your personal preference. I add spices, fruit and ground flax later so I need it wet enough. Some residue gets on the top plate and into the steam vent. I set the top plate in water while eating to make it easier to clean.
This one makes steel cut perfectly, no mess, beautiful oatmeal. Mix ratio: 1 part oatmeal to 3 parts water. Use the porridge setting. I can't imagine going back to quaker rolled oats.
Quinoa
I've been making a lot of quinoa lately, and it comes out perfect. I use the "Quick Cooking" cycle for quinoa, which takes approximately 25 minutes.
Quinoa + oats: add 1/2 cup of each into bowl; wash a few times to get mostly clear water; add water to 1 white rice mark; cook as regular white. We enjoy this grain mixture at meals. It saves well in the refrigerator. Saute some onions, etc and add the grain at the end to heat it.
Hulled Barley: cook as brown rice. I like it with slightly extra water. I cook 1 cup barley at slightly above the 1 brown rice water mark.
Jook from Brown Rice
I run one porridge cycle, let it cool for 15 minutes (you can't start a new cycle while the bowl is hot), and than run the porridge cycle again. My favorite jook is made with Forbidden Rice (made by Lotus foods) with chicken broth, and chopped up apple chicken sausage added in the last 20 minutes or so. Yum!
Risotto
use the porridge setting to make risotto which comes out fantastic - with SO much less work than making it on the stove top.
Other
lentils, beans and quinoa, which come out perfect every time.