Lidl's new £5 cooking accessory cooks perfect rice and pasta in your microwave in minutes

The key to a great curry is nailing your rice, but if fluffy, individual grains are something that is a little hit or miss for you when cooking on the hob, this article is for you, as Lidl has released a microwave rice cooker and microwave pasta cooker so you can nail your dishes every time.

The best microwaves has long been a staple in the kitchen, promising to make cooking both quicker and easier. While it's a superstar at reheating with a few clever gadgets, you can cook basically anything in one. Lidl’s two new £4.99 products are proof of this, promising perfect rice and even pasta in just five minutes.

Landing in stores on Sunday (31 August), the Silvercrest Microwave Rice Cooker and Silvercrest Microwave Pasta Cookers are perfect for everyone from students heading to university to busy families who want a delicious meal fast.

While rice is a cupboard staple in many homes, it can be a little tricky getting perfectly cooked, fluffy rice every time. Of course, you can always invest in a rice cooker, which is one of Nigella's favourite appliances, such as Lakeland’s Digital Rice Cooker (£44.99), of which our reviewer said you can achieve perfectly cooked rice every time.

However, £45 is a bit of an investment, so if you already have a microwave, Lidl’s £4.99 option is worth a shot in my book and takes just minutes to cook. Just add rice and water to the pot and microwave - it’s as easy as that! The cooker is suitable for other grains like couscous and quinoa, as well as being BPA-free.

Similarly, the Silvercrest Microwave Pasta Cooker will cook pasta in minutes. It even includes a measurement aid on the base so you can ensure you're getting the correct serving size - I know I can never get my pasta measurements correct by eye. The cooker is temperature resistant from -20 to 100 degrees, so you can rest assured it will survive your microwave.

Both cookers have a draining aid to help with serving and come with cooking instructions and recipes if you’re ever short of ideas. This makes it a great choice for any students heading off to university this year and learning how to fend for themselves. If your teenager is going to live off tuna pasta for the next three years, at least now it will be perfectly cooked.

Alternatively, the Sistema Microwave Rice Cooker (£7.99 on Amazon) is very well reviewed and just a couple of quid more than Lidl’s - great if you have Amazon Prime and no local Lidl. Reviews say this cooker takes just nine minutes to create perfect, fluffy rice in a microwave; however, do mention that brown rice takes a little longer to perfect.

And while not a microwave rice cooker, I use Salter’s 3 Tier Electric Food Steamer (£27.44 at Amazon) to cook my rice and get excellent results in about 15 minutes every time.

Alternatively, why not check out these microwave cooking alternatives, which are well-reviewed if you don’t have a Lidl local to you.

Would this hadny cooking accessory make your life easier? Or, have you nailed cooking rice on the hob?