Staub's Petite French Oven is My New Favorite Stovetop Rice Cooker

I can cook many things reasonably well, but when it comes to rice, it’s usually hit or miss. Until I met the 1.5 quart Staub Petit French Oven, which I bought for Christian for Christmas. Because of Covid, Christian has been hanging around since the holidays—well, up until last night when he and Max headed to Brooklyn before venturing out West—so I’d been borrowing the ceramic Staub pot each time I cooked up a pot of rice. It makes the most perfectly moist and fluffy grains, which is purportedly due to the grooves on the underside of the lid (shown above), as well as the curve of the lid. I used it to make farro, which turned out perfectly, and I think oatmeal would probably cook up pretty famously, as well. Now that Christian (and his pot) have up and left, I think it’s time I treat myself to one of these sweet Staub pots.

Note: My friend Michael highly recommends the Donabe for “an outstanding rice cooker,” which he bought in Tokyo.