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As if we need another small appliance to take up room in our kitchen. When I first heard of electric automatic rice cookers, I thought they were the dumbest idea ever. What's wrong with using a pot? I gave it a few years until people realized they were a waste of space and they disappeared from store shelves. I was very wrong, and I'm glad I was.

Delicate Grains

Until I tasted rice made in a specialized cooker (also known as a rice steamer), I didn't know what I was missing. I was somewhat skeptical the first time I tried some at my sister's house. Somehow the rice granules stayed fairly separate instead of sticking together. And they were fluffy and tender. All around the rice was very good!

Perfect Measurements

Besides good taste, there are other positive factors to consider. The art of proportions seems to be perfect for rice cookers. The amounts given in the instruction manual have been pretty much spot on for me. A little adjustment is necessary once in a while, but nothing major. And once you've gotten the rice to water ratio down pat, you're pretty much guaranteed perfect rice every time.

No Watching the Pot

Probably the best thing about a rice cooker as opposed to a pot is how hands off it is. Once you add the ingredients, you push a button or plug it in and you don't have to worry about it any more. With a pot you have to wait until the water comes to a boil, then you have to adjust the temperature to make sure it doesn't boil over, then you have to be around to shut the burner off when the rice is done. A cooker automatically takes care of those steps so you don't have to.

Once the rice is cooked, most units have a ‘stay warm' feature which keeps the rice at a warm temperature until serving: another feature that is very handy indeed.

Slower

It does usually take a bit longer to cook rice in an electric cooker. Because the rice is steamed and starts out slowly (where in a pot, the rice boils for most of the time), more time is necessary for the grains to become hydrated. Unless you are in a hurry, the extra 10-20 minutes is time worth spending.

I always thought rice made in a pot tasted just fine; I still do. But the convenience a cooker offers along with the quality of the cooked rice makes it one of those items you need to make room for in your cupboards. Banish the dehydrator to the basement, relegate the bread machine to the closet - make room because you will be using the rice cooker on a regular basis.