FYI:

I have been looking to increase vegetables and complex carbohydrates in my diet. Brown rice was a pain to cook on the stovetop, and I wanted to try things like amaranth and quinoa.

A $10 microwave steamer / grain cooker has turned it around. Timing is easy as it is built into use of the microwave and the results for brown rice and quinoa have been perfect.

Steaming vegetables has also become neater and cleaner.

I am not using and discarding plastic freezer bags, either.

Anybody else found a really handy kitchen device?