Our Micro-Cooker® is a game-changer when it comes to making quick, healthy, and easy weeknight meals and side dishes. Specially designed for microwave cooking, these workhorses come in different sizes—1-qt. (1-L), 2-qt. (2-L), and 3-qt (3-L) and are BPA-free. Used together, this set can steam veggies, melt chocolate or butter, poach chicken, cook rice, heat soup, make mashed potatoes, and much more. You can even make a healthy veggie and rice dinner in less than 20 minutes. Celia, from Alabama, says she uses at least one Micro-Cooker® every day: “There’s no boiling over, absolutely one of the best buys I’ve ever made.”
How to Steam Veggies in the Microwave
Steamed veggies are super easy to make with the Micro-Cooker®. Just add a few tablespoons of water for every cup of fresh veggies and cook until they reach the desired doneness. Feel free to use more water than necessary and strain the water when the vegetables are done cooking. If the veggies are frozen, follow the package directions. Buttery Dill Carrots only take six minutes in the Micro-Cooker®. Just add butter, dill, and salt once cooked.
You can quickly cook fresh cauliflower to make the crust for Cauliflower Pizza, a healthy alternative to traditional pizza, that’s low on carbs and packed with nutrients.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Microwave
The 3-qt. (3-L) Micro-Cooker® Plus is perfect for starchy foods because it has a boil-over guard that blocks liquid from boiling over, and then lets the liquid funnel back into the bowl to prevent a mess. It makes excellent Easy Mashed Potatoes that only take 10–12 minutes in the microwave. You could also use the 2-qt. (2-L) Micro-Cooker® for 2 medium-sized russet potatoes.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add salt and milk, and use a hand-held potato masher to get the consistency you want. Then mix in your favorites like butter, garlic, Greek yogurt cheddar cheese, or crumbled bacon.
How to Cook Rice in the Microwave
To cook white rice in the 3-qt. (3-L) Micro-Cooker® Plus or 2-qt. (2-L) Micro-Cooker®, combine 1 cup (250 mL) long-grain rice, 2 cups (500 mL) water, and a ½ teaspoon (2 mL) salt. Microwave on HIGH, covered, for 12–15 minutes, or until cooked. Let the rice stand, covered for 10 minutes, and then fluff it with a fork before serving If your rice already comes with microwave instructions, follow the package directions. Microwaves are all different so start with a shorter cooking time and adjust as needed for your microwave and favorite brand of rice.
To make a quick, healthy, and delicious rice bowl dinner, add some chopped fresh herbs like parsley, basil, cilantro, or your favorite seasonings to your rice. Then make some fresh, steamed vegetables in the 1-qt. (1-L) or 2-qt. (2-L) Micro-Cooker®.
How to Cook Grains in the Microwave
For grains like quinoa, add 1 cup (250 mL) uncooked, rinsed quinoa, and 2 cups (500 mL) water or broth to the in the 3-qt. (3-L) Micro-Cooker®. Microwave on HIGH, covered, for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed and fluff with a fork before serving.
How to Cook Pasta in the Microwave
Put the desired amount of pasta in the 3-qt. (3-L) Micro-Cooker® Plus, and add enough water to cover the pasta plus a little more. Microwave for 5 minutes, stir to keep it from sticking together, then cook for 5 more minutes. Once done, add butter, cheese, and/or your favorite sauce.
More Recipes that Use a MicroCooker®:
For the 1-qt. (1-L) Micro-Cooker
For the 2-qt. (2-L) Micro-Cooker
For the 3-qt. (3-L) Micro-Cooker Plus
- Quinoa Fried Rice With Shrimp
- No-Bake Date Bars
- Chopped Salad
- Sloppy Joe Skillet With Polenta
- Beef & Mushroom Sliders
This post has been updated since it was originally posted in July 2019.
I have the all black, top and bottom micro cooker. It was made in USA. are these
Containers still made in the US? I would like this esp since the 3 nest. does it come with a pamphlet on their use? Thank you.
Hi Pamela,
Yes the Micro-Cooker Set is still made in the USA!!
Kind Regards,
Kimberly
Mine says Hong Kong on bottom.
I would love a cooking pamphlet. How can I get one?
I bought the micro cooker plus and the other smaller cookers. Can you make the chocolate lava cake in them like in the old rice cooker? I lost part of the lid – the white plastic piece. My son loves the lava cake and it didn’t take anytime at all to mix & cook
Hi I want to make rice in the 3qt. Multi cooker can I add spices to the rice when I cook it ?
I know they sell the lids separately if you misplaced yours. 😄
I think that is the best time to add them.
Would love to see a demo of this set.
Can I cook a cake in the micro cooker. If so..how?
what about that cake…spice cake.?
Hi Brenda,
Are you looking for a recipe for the Apple Spice Cake? If so, I’ve posted it below.
Kind Regards,
Kimberly
APPLE SPICE CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE
THIS APPLESAUCE CAKE HAS ALL THE FLAVORS OF FALL – PLUS A SIMPLE HOMEMADE CARAMEL SAUCE!
INGREDIENTS
Cake
Oil for brushing pan
1 red apple such as Gala, Braeburn, or Fuji
1 pkg (15.25 oz or 515 g) spice cake mix
1 ½ cups (375 mL) unsweetened applesauce
Salted Caramel Sauce
½ cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
Coarse sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Brush the bottom and sides of the Rockcrok® Everyday Pan with oil using the Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush.
Core the apple using The Corer™. Cut the apple in half crosswise, then slice the apple halves using the Simple Slicer on the #3 setting. Cut slices in half.
Starting at the edges of the pan, carefully arrange the apple slices, slightly overlapping, in the bottom of the pan.
In a large bowl, whisk the cake mix and applesauce until blended. Spoon the batter over the apples and spread evenly.
Microwave, covered, on HIGH for 10 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the microwave, uncover, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Place the syrup in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until small bubbles form, stirring occasionally. Add the butter; stir until butter is melted. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat; let cool 15-20 minutes or until thickened (similar to the consistency of honey).
Carefully invert the cake onto a serving platter. Just before serving, drizzle with the caramel and sprinkle with salt.
Yield:
12 servings of 1 slice
Nutrients per serving:
Calories 210, Total Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g,
Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 300 mg, Carbohydrate 43 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 2 g
Cook’s Tips:
To prepare in a conventional oven, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Follow steps 1-4 as directed. Bake on center rack for 32-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and loosen the edges of the cake. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter. Prepare the sauce as directed while cake is baking; continue as directed.
Wow that looks great! Thanks!
Hi. The recipe states butter the RockCrock pan. Can you still use the MicroCooker for this recipe? Thank you.
What’s the price of this set of micro cookers?
The recipe for the mashed potatoes does not say if you should cut them in squares or cook them whole.
I think you must’ve missed it, it’s the number one line in the ingredients.
“1½ lbs. (750 g) potatoes, coarsely chopped”
Regards, ?
What is the difference between the Microwave Pasta Cooker and the Micro-Cooker? Would you recommend one over the other?
I like the pasta cooker rather than the micro cooker to make my pasta. But I have the older style micro and it gets water all over my microwave.
Can an electric mixer be safely used to mash potatoes in these.
NO!!! I used a metal fork to stir something and it left all kinds of streaks!!
Is it normal for the inside surface of the micro cooker to have a bubbled plastic line after just a few uses?
Can you brown ground beef in these?
Yes, you absolutely can. It is ready in about 6 minutes! Just be sure to stir at about the half way mark.
I’m wondering this as well. I’ve used it once and the lining appears to be peeling. I’m not very happy about that.
Same thing happened to mine!
Can you please share rice cooking directions specifically for the 2 quart micro cooker? My set only came with directions for the 3-quart
I’m wondering this as well. Is it okay to make instant rice in the 2 qt or only in the 3 qt?
I would like cooking instruction book for this please
My 2 qt came with the directions for the 2 qt, but there’s no mention of cooking rice. Frustrating, because that’s what I planned to use it for the most.
How much water to poach chicken and for how long? Thank you
Why is there no mention of BPA free for the Micro Cookers in the catalog?
Does anyone else’s boil over when cooking rice or pasta?
Yes! I’ve tried rice twice using their 3-qt guidelines. At 10 min, all water was boiled out rice was not fully cooked. Really disappointed there isn’t any resolution here.
I cook at 50% power with no boil over.
With the micro cooker, yes!
That’s why I prefer my pasta cooker for that
I did not receive instructions on how to use this, please advise!
Followed instructions for making pasta, it boiled over and made a mess in my microwave.
Hey Camille! This happened to me too. I found a blog post from a lady who had one and she microwaved 1 lb (16 oz) of pasta for five minutes at a time. And stirred it in between. I found this worked for me. Depending on the pasta, I either have to do it two or three times. I have found that with cavatappi it will boil over, so I fold some paper towels and place it under the micro cooker. Hope this helps!
I need a chart on how to cook various foods in the 1 qt. micro cooker. I was disappointed that it wasn’t included in the paperwork, I might have to go back to using the ziploc steam bags.
Why are there no recipes included with the Micro cookers? I tried a couple of recipes I’ve found on Pinterest but they just did not work. I tried following Microwave instructions on the packages, that did not work either. I had hoped to use these daily, now I’m just disappointed, not what I expected from Pampered Chef.
There are a lot of recipes online for these cookers. I have a microwave in my tiny teardrop camper and refer to the online recipes on my phone while camping
Pam I have been searching for recipes for the 3qt cooker . Where did you find them online?
I use mine all the time but this morning decided to poach an egg in it. DO NOT DO THAT! First, it boiled over…a lot. When I got the egg out, it looked ok. The yolk looked over cooked but I thought that maybe it was just the outside. When I cut into the egg, it EXPLODED! Not only did it explode, brown goo flew everywhere. What in the world!?!?! I have made a lot of eggs in my life but have never seen anything like that!
I have tried your tips and they helped me in cooking. Thanks a lot for sharing these tips.
Disappointed this set did not come with any kind of receipt booklet
Where can I get a printed recipe book for the cookers? Bought several as gifts, and certainly would be nice to include recipes. Disappointed that Pampered Chef doesn’t include some with the product.
Just wanting to get instructions on baking a box cake mix in the microwave with my rice cooker. I bought one years ago because I could cook a cake with icing in 10 minutes. Now I’ve replaced it and can’t recall what to do.
Should you use both lid parts when you steam veggies or just the top part with vents?