Zojirushi Rice Cooker
This is the best thing with a plug. Pop water and rice in the bowl, set the timer, and you'll have a perfect bowl of rice waiting for you when you get home. Don't worry if you get hung up in traffic, the Zojirushi will keep your rice perfectly moist, and warm.
-- Chris S.
Commonly used in Japan, this type of fuzzy-logic rice cooker can be set ahead of time. I've purchased several for friends and family and have settled on the Zojirushi brand. I've used a Zojiriushi for several years, and it has held up well and completely changed my cooking habits.
In the evenings I load up the pot with oatmeal and/or grain mixture for hot breakfast the following morning. And the mornings, I load up the pot for dinner - rice, whole grains, barley, lentils, beans, and/or spices. When I walk into the house after work, the air is fragrant with cooking. The cooker can keep its contents warm and fairly fresh for a few hours after the timer goes off.
My favorite model is the Zojirushi NS-ZAC10 (5 cup capacity) though I'd get the larger model if I had a bigger family.
-- Douglas O'Heir
Zojirushi NS-ZAC10 5-cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker
$150
Available from
Comfort House
or
Amazon
[Zorjirushi also offers a 3-cup mini-model for single portions.]
Favorite (15)
Andrew
For your purposes you could get a $40 slow cooker and it would even taste better!
CT Reader
I have this rice cooker and it is not as good as the DaTung rice cooker because it leaves some nasty build-up if you don't clean it every few times, which tends to drip into the rice. It is not as low-maintenance as the original rice cookers. Also it can't steam things as the DaTung rice cookers can. Unfortunately they don't sell that brand here in the US.