By Alina @ TLY
Yes, both work, as long as the nest never sits loose in the pot. Put the soaked nest in a heatproof bowl, stand the bowl in water inside your rice cooker or slow cooker, put the lid on and keep the heat gentle. That is double-boiling by another route, and it gives you soft, translucent strands instead of shreds. At Ten Lei Yen in Westminster we're asked about this constantly, usually by people who already own one of these appliances and don't want to buy another pot just for nest.
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Why not just drop the nest in the pot?
Because direct heat is what the nest doesn't like. A rice cooker's inner pot heats from below and comes to a hard boil, and a slow cooker's walls get hot against the food. Cooked nest is made of very fine strands, and a rolling boil knocks them about until they break up and cloud the liquid. If you add rock sugar, the sugar can also catch on the bottom of the pot. A bowl standing in water takes all of that out of the equation, because the water around it does the heating.
How long should you soak it first?
Soak the dry nest in cool water for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight, until it has swelled and gone soft. It will expand to roughly three to four times its dry size, so start with a bowl that has room. Pick out any feathers while the nest is soft, drain it, and you're ready to cook. Our guide to soaking and cleaning bird's nest goes through the picking-over step in detail. For portions, a standard serving is 3 to 5 g of dry nest, while a whole-nest bowl uses one whole nest, 8 to 14 g, which is 2 to 4 standard servings.
How do you do it in a rice cooker?
Put the soaked nest in a heatproof porcelain or glass bowl with enough fresh water to cover it, and cover the bowl with a small plate or foil so condensation doesn't drip in. Set a steaming rack or trivet in the inner pot so the bowl isn't sitting on the heating base, add water to about halfway up the side of the bowl, and close the lid. Press cook, or use the soup or porridge setting if yours has one.
The thing to understand is that a rice cooker doesn't run on a timer here. On most models the cook cycle ends when the water in the pot has boiled down, and then it flips to warm. So the water level decides how long you get. Use enough water for roughly 40 minutes of gentle heat, and if it clicks over to warm early, top it up with hot water and press cook again. Warm is for holding a finished bowl, not for cooking.
How do you do it in a slow cooker?
The setup is the same: nest and fresh water in a covered heatproof bowl, set on a rack or folded cloth in the slow cooker, hot water poured around it to about halfway up the bowl, lid on. Use low. A slow cooker is slow to come up to temperature, so the roughly 40 minutes of gentle heat the nest needs takes longer on the clock. Models vary a lot, so plan on roughly an hour to an hour and a half on low, and start checking at the one-hour mark. Our guide to making bird's nest without a double boiler has more on the slow cooker and other improvised setups.
How do you know when it's done?
Lift the bowl out carefully with a cloth. The strands should look soft and translucent, still distinct but gently clumped, and the nest should still sit at about three to four times its dry size. It shouldn't look cloudy, mushy or dissolved into the liquid. If the strands are still firm in the middle, give it another ten minutes and look again.
Is a double boiler still better?
Honestly, yes. A proper double boiler or a dedicated bird's nest steamer holds the heat steadier and is easier to judge, so it still gives the best texture. The rice cooker and slow cooker are good workarounds, and plenty of home cooks rely on them, but they're a step less controllable. If you cook nest often, you'll notice the difference. If you only cook it now and then, use what you have and keep the heat gentle. Our guide to why bird's nest is double-boiled explains what the gentle method is really protecting.
When do I add rock sugar?
Stir it into the bowl during the last 10 minutes so it dissolves into the syrup without scorching.
Can I cook a big batch and keep it?
Yes. Cooked nest keeps refrigerated for 3 to 5 days in a covered container. Warm single portions gently when you want them rather than reheating the whole batch.
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