Rice Cookers
Rice cookers 
can play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy diet. The name seems one-dimensional, but they can be used for a variety of foods that include other grains, beans, and legumes. Rather than constantly tending to a pot of rice while your desperately trying to watch your favorite television show, you can employ your new rice cooker and view in peace.
Rice cookers can also be used as steamers or warmers for vegetables and other foods.
What to Look For
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- Capacity
- A 3- to 5-cup (24- to 48-fluid ounce) model is adequate for two or three people, or a small family.
- Opt for more capacity (6-10 cups or 48-80 fluid ounces) if you have a big family or tend to cook large quantities at once.
- Keep in mind that price will rise or fall according to size.
- Size will also make a difference in storage. Do you have room to store a the size rice cooker you want?
- When reading product specs, make sure you know whether they mean "10 cups dry" or "10 cups cooked" -- there is a big difference!
- Extra functions
- Some people want a warmer or warming function to keep the rice warm after cooking, and a steamer is necessary if you want your rice cooker to be multi-functional.
- Ease of cleaning
- Most are non-stick, which makes for easy clean up.
- Some may need some soaking.
- Programmability
- Timers and autostop functions are good if you need to leave the cooker unattended or if you just happen to forget that you are cooking something.
- The most advanced rice cookers come with features like delayed start, extended keep warm, and different settings for different types and textures of rice (long grain vs. sushi rice, hard vs. soft).
- Accessories
- Steaming baskets might be useful if you plan to use the steamer for other foods.
- Some cookers come with a rice spatula and a slot to store it in.
Major Manufacturers
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