Do you love rice, but have trouble making it perfect? With all of its versatility, a rice cooker may be a great addition to your kitchen. A rice cooker, often times known as a rice steamer, is an electrical appliance that reduces the time and attention needed to cook rice well, by making this process more automatic. A rice cooker controls the timing and heat so that you will have superb rice. The only thing you will have to do is to pour the correct amount of water to the cooker.

Types of Rice Cookers

The variation among electric rice cookers is mostly based on capacity and special features. Generally, rice cookers consist of an outer container that is insulated. The heating element is in this container. A removable bowl is contained in the insulated container and that is you put the rice. The bowl will have markings indicating the cups of rice, and may be made of a non-stick material. Beyond these basics, rice cookers can have many features, such as timers, “keep warm” features, programmable cooking modes, and a feature that lets you to add fragrance to the rice.

Designs

Rice cookers are generally round or elongated, but will differ in size, materials, colors and features. Some rice cookers will have clear lids for viewing the rice. Some pricey cookers with extra features will appear “space age” in design.

Price

Rice cookers can be relatively low cost, starting at about $20. However, there are Rice cookers in the $200 range that have computerized cooking. Many excellent rice cookers can be bought from between $40 and $100.

Ratings

Since rice cookers differ in features and design, it is wise to look into ratings and reviews of these appliances. Wize.com has a scoring system, that shows you an overall score for each item based on numerous user and expert reviews. You can also read the individual reviews that are the basis for the score.

Technical Specifications

Technical specifications can vary to a great degree among rice cookers of different sizes and prices. A $30 rice cooker can have an 8 cup capacity and a power of 600 watts. It might include a glass lid. It can cook very good rice. On the other hand, a $78 rice cooker may have some programmable cooking modes, an automatic timer and warmer, have a stainless steel body, a safe-to-touch locking lid, a condensation collector, and a 10-cup capacity. If you want something truly high tech, there is a model for $180 that utilizes computerization, and has menu settings for white, sushi, porridge, sweet, semi-brown, brown and quick cooking rice.

Where to shop

You can buy rice cookers in major department or appliance stores, and particularly in stores focused Asian goods. However, it is best begin searching on the internet where you can easily compare sizes, prices and features.