You Can (And Should Be) Cooking Pancakes In Your Rice Cooker

You'd think that an appliance called "rice cooker" would only have one function, right? To cook rice. Well I'm here to tell you that the rice cooker dreams bigger than that, and one of its dreams is to create the ultimate pancake feast.

Turns out, you can cook a giant, fluffy, towering pancake masterpiece in as much time as it would take you to get your skillet to the perfect medium-low heat. Sure, you might've seen ultra-fluffy flapjacks before, but this cooking hack doesn't require any extra ingredients (whipped egg whites) or special preparation at all. This pancake won't just feed a crowd, it'll impress and amaze them too. Bonus: ample downtime, minimal clean-up.

All you have to do is grease the inside of your rice cooker with cooking spray, pour in your prepared pancake batter, and set the appliance to a single cooking cycle. Depending on how big your cooker is, go by half the amount of cooked rice it can hold to determine how much batter you should use. The cycle should last about 35-45 minutes or shorter if your rice cooker is on the smaller side.

Once the cycle has finished, open the lid and check to see if the surface of the cake is fluffy and bouncy to the touch. Don't worry about a little bit of moisture — trapped steam might cause condensation on the lid. Carefully flip your pancake out onto a plate, then admire the steamy treat in all its golden-brown glory.

Naturally, top with your favorite flapjack toppings (I used this gorgeous glitter syrup) and serve in cake-style slices.

I mean, hey, there's a reason they're called pancakes.