Interestingly enough, we actually live off something very similar for our startup. However, what we do requires less work than pg's setup for the lazy ones among you.

Buy a rice cooker and large quantities of white rice. Then buy 6-packs of various pre-made packages at TastyBite (http://www.tastybite.com). This sounds like an ad for TastyBite, but their product seriously is amazing for startup founders.

Once your rice is done, just open up your TastyBite and put it over the rice. The packages last a year unrefrigerated, taste good (and are reasonably good for you), and only cost two dollars a package. There's a pretty wide variety of things you can buy from TastyBite (all of them go well with rice), so you won't be eating the same thing again and again.

I consider it one of the smartest things we've ever done at our startup.

Steamed white rice takes 15 minutes to cook on the hob. Here is how I cook it, its simple and never fails.

You will need a pan (preferably heavy bottomed) with a lid (as we are going to steam the rice for the last 10 minutes).

Palm full of rice per person

Rinse it, then add water (it should be an inch above the rice).

Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes (7 if brown or whole grain) stirring it often.

Cover with lid (ensuring that steam doesn't escape, I tend to use a frying pan for this, as I seem to have lost all the lids)

Reduce heat and wait 10 minutes. (15 for brown)

Perfect steamed rice in less than 15 minutes. I've also used water from a kettle then I boil the rice for just 3 minutes.

Rice cooker IS optional if you have a microwave. Take a glass bowl - a largish one. Make sure that it has 3n the volume of the rice and water that you put in. Rice will expand 2n. Just to be safe have a 3n bowl. Add water like you regularly add. Put it in the microwave for 25-30 minutes depending on your rice. I live on rice and beans and this is how I make mine. This is a lot less messier than a rice cooker. But I am not sure about the energy considerations. How long on a rice cooker ?

Did I say something wrong/unacceptable?

Note that you can throw all sorts of things in a rice cooker with the rice and they'll turn out great. Spinach, pine nuts, ginger, cherry tomatoes, and some spices are all good.

Get a good one, and it will have a steam chamber for veggies.

You can assemble a whole meal, throw it in, and come back when it's done.

PG, Aren't you a vegetarian ? Remember reading that somewhere.

Now I'd use vegetarian bouillon.

I am veggie all my life. Coming to the US was a huge culture shock not being able to find veggie food. Especially if you start your life on the East coast. But I thought people who grew up eating animals can never give up. Whats your story?

It wasn't a deliberate choice. I just got grossed out by factory farming.

Okay, you are now officially smart in my book. I'm going to apply.

Consider a pressure cooker too, especially for the beans.