What are the "must have" features for a rice cooker?
There are several optional features that make rice cookers more useful for you and your household. For example, the “Keep Warm” feature is extremely beneficial for those that do not plan on eating it right away and want to make sure that the rice maintains its warmth for awhile. Most of these features are optional, and few families that do not cook rice on a consistent basis “need” them. They are simply useful, and make cooking rice a much easier process.
But there are some features that, while generally optional, are still a good idea to have with your rice cookers. On the most expensive rice cooker models, such as the Induction Heating models, these features may be irrelevant because the rice cookers are advanced enough to cook the rice all on their own. But if you are looking at inexpensive rice cookers, you still want to make sure that your appliance has the following features.
1. Measuring Lines
Rice cookers that make you eyeball the amount of rice and water to add are adding a pointless and unnecessary extra step. You may not always have a cup on hand to measure the rice, but you will always have a notch in the rice bowl that tells you how high to fill it with rice and water. It is especially useful if you're going to have many people, including non-cooks, using the rice cooker with regularity.
2. Clear Lid
Though this feature is likely unnecessary on some of the pricier models, when you have a simple, inexpensive rice cooker it is always a good idea to have a lid that you can see through in order to make sure everything is looking right with your rice.
3. Automatic/Timed Shut Off
Several of the inexpensive rice cookers shut off in unusual ways, some of which can waste electricity. Inexpensive “keep warm” rice cookers often need to be unplugged to turn it off, while some of the most basic rice cookers can fail to shut off depending on the type of rice you are making. It is a good idea for your own safety and electric bill to make sure that the rice cooker knows how and when to shut off on its own.
4. Non-Stick Pans
The least expensive rice cookers will almost never come with their own non-stick pan, but it is a good idea to spend a few extra dollars to get one if possible. The rice will stick and burn to bottom of inexpensive rice cookers and it can be tremendously difficult to get it off.
5. Reducible/Removable Cords
Unless your family is using its rice cooker every day, it will need to be put away often. It is helpful if you find a rice cooker that has an easy to remove or easy to wrap cord so that you will not take up a lot of room in your cabinets. Many models these days come with an automatic cord reel.
By their very nature, all five of these features are still technically optional. None of these are a “must have” if you can only afford a less expensive machine that has none of them. But it is still a good idea to get a rice cooker that does have these features in order to make sure that it is as safe and convenient as possible for the money. Otherwise, there's no reason not to just stick with a pot.
Useful Links:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/howtoselectaricecooker.htm
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