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of rice. Just use about 1/2 cup less water per cup of grain, and decrease the cooking time by about 5 to 10 minutes. In fact, you can often decrease the cooking time even more. Try turning the heat off earlier. As the pressure comes down naturally, grains (and other foods) will continue to cook with the residual heat. As you experiment with this, you’ll develop a feel for the timing with different foods.
using a rice crock in a pressure cooker
    If you’re willing to use a pressure cooker, I encourage you to go one step further and use a rice crock, also known as an Ohsawa pot. (The best source for these is Gold Mine Natural Food Company (see Resources). In this method, the food is cooked in a stoneware casserole, or rice crock, that’s placed inside a pressure cooker. I recommend a medium-size rice crock, which fits nicely in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Because no steam is lost in this cooking method, you can use less liquid—about 1/2 cup less per cup of grain. However, the cooking time is the same as with the boil-and-simmer method.
    Using a rice crock has numerous advantages. It gives grains an earthy, sweet flavor that’s superior to what you get when boiling and simmering or using a pressure cooker in the standard way. Foods cooked in a rice crock won’t burn, and they won’t have the metallic flavor that other cookware can impart. Plus, cleanup is quick and easy. Simply empty the water from the pressure cooker, air dry it, and put it away. You can wash the crock by hand or in the dishwasher.
    After the grains are cooked, you can keep the crock inside the pressure cooker, surrounded by the hot water, and the grains will stay warm for hours without becoming overcooked. This makes the crock (which is quite attractive) a great way to keep food hot until you serve; it’s also a good way to transport a hot dish to a dinner party. In addition, you can use the crock to reheat cooked grains and other dishes. Simply put the crock in the pressure cooker, pour in enough water for it to come halfway up the sides of the crock, and cook at pressure for 5 minutes. And here’s a really fun tip: You can make fancy layered dishes in a rice crock, as the surrounding water gently rocks the crock without significantly disturbing the food within. Normal pressure-cooking agitates foods, like a washing machine, mixing them up as it cooks.
    Here are detailed instructions for cooking grains in a rice crock in a pressure cooker. Once you get the basic method down, experiment with other dishes.
Put the grains, cooking liquid, salt, and whatever other ingredients you like in the rice crock and cover with its lid.
Place the crock in the pressure cooker. (Some models have a rope to make it easier to transfer the crock into and out of the pressure cooker.)
Pour in enough water for it to come halfway up the sides of the crock. You can use warm water to save cooking time and energy, but don’t use boiling water, which could shock the stoneware and crack it.
Attach the lid to the pressure cooker, place it over high heat, and bring it up to full pressure.
After about 1 minute, lower the heat to maintain low pressure, then cook however long the grain requires.
Turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to come down naturally. If you’re in a hurry, put the pressure cooker in the sink (transfer it carefully, without tilting or sloshing) and run cold water over it to bring the pressure down quickly.
Open the pressure cooker and use a potholder to open the lid of the rice crock. Check that the grain is tender. Sometimes, particularly with millet, the grain may need extra water. If so, add a bit more water, then close the lid. You can probably just let the rice crock sit, as the residual heat should be sufficient to help the grain absorb the extra water. Alternatively, cook at low pressure for another 5 minutes.

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bountiful breakfasts
    Of all the meals in the standard American diet, breakfast is perhaps the most dominated by grains: cereals,