Making a Full English Breakfast in a Rice Cooker
Why would anyone cook a full English breakfast in a rice cooker? Because frying pans are apparently overrated. And because I thought my “highly scientific” layering system might actually pull it off. Spoiler: it didn’t.
I tried two versions. The first was a chaotic “shove it all in” method. The second was more sensible, cooking each part in stages and finishing with the steamer tray so it all stayed warm. To my surprise, that version actually worked.
The Chaos Layering System
The chaos method was simple. I poured a bit of water into the base, added beans, halved tomatoes and mushrooms, then shoved sausages and bacon wrapped in foil on top. A ramekin of egg balanced above it all. I even stuffed in bread and hash browns wherever they’d fit.
The results were pretty much what you’d expect. The sausages and bacon tasted intense and smoky but had no char. The egg overcooked. The mushrooms and tomatoes turned soft and wet. The bread came out like a floppy flannel. The hash browns didn’t crisp at all. It looked more like a confused casserole than a full English.
The Redemption Attempt
The second version was more methodical. I started with the toast. Both sides were buttered and placed directly on the heating plate with the lid off. That gave me a slice of fried bread that was crisp and golden.
Next came the sausages. I cooked them first to release fat, then added the bacon and fried both until browned. Once done, I set them aside. The tomatoes were halved, brushed with the fat, seasoned with pepper, and cooked face side down until charred.
I should have cooked the hash browns here but forgot. Later I did them separately as a bonus. With no oil, lid off, straight on the heating plate, they came out golden and crisp.
The Steamer Basket Finish
With everything else cooked, I added beans and mushrooms to the base. The sausages, bacon, tomatoes and hash browns went into the steamer tray. I cracked an egg into a ramekin, brushed it with oil, and seasoned it with pepper. That ramekin sat in the tray too.
I added a splash of water, closed the lid, and let the rice cooker run. The beans and mushrooms heated through at the bottom. The egg slowly steamed. The cooked items on the tray stayed warm without burning. For the last minute, I slipped in the toast just to warm it, but any longer and it turned soggy.
Final Thoughts
This version was a world apart from the chaos attempt. The sausages were juicy with colour, the bacon smoky, the tomatoes charred, and the mushrooms and beans hot. The hash browns came out crisp once I remembered them. The egg steamed perfectly in its ramekin.
So yes, you can cook a full English breakfast in a rice cooker. Just don’t throw it all in at once. The layering system was a laugh, but the staged approach with a steamer tray actually worked.
You can watch the video embedded in this webpage, or click here to watch it directly on YouTube.
And if you liked this rice cooker madness, check out when I tried cooking a full day’s meals in a rice cooker