EdvoTech Tips: Melting Agarose with a Rice Cooker

Every day, in research labs around the world, scientists use electrophoresis to analyze their DNA of interest. This technique uses electricity and a porous gel matrix to separate nucleic acid into discrete zones, or bands, based on physical properties like charge, shape, and size.
The first step to running agarose gel electrophoresis is creating the gel. This step is the equivalent of making a scientific Jell-O mold. Agarose is a powder, which is added to electrophoresis buffer and heated to boiling so that it dissolves.
So, how do we heat the powdered agarose solution to boiling? We can use a microwave or a stirring hot plate, but they can be costly and can cause the agarose solution to boil over and create a mess. Stretch your lab budget with an easy, inexpensive alternative - a rice cooker! Small, personal rice cookers can be purchased from most retailers for around fifteen dollars.
In this video, we tell you the steps required to use a personal rice cooker in your laboratory. Try it and let us know how it works in the comments!