Rice cookers have been hugely popular in many parts of Asia for quite a while, however it hasn’t been until more recently that they’ve gained such a large fan base here in the west.  Many people have grown to love their rice cookers and those that have ever tried one never want to go back to cooking their rice in a pot on the stove.  And if you’ve never cooked rice in your life then just go get a rice cooker and you’ll never have to learn how to cook rice.

Due to many varying factors, including a new emergence of healthy eating and an ever-increasing price of food, rice is rapidly gaining popularity as a household staple.  The use of a rice cooker greatly simplifies the act of making rice for any meal, it’s easy to use and all but mistake-proof.

In addition to their simplicity, rice cookers make near-perfect rice, every single time, all you have to do is put in the correct amount of water.  For those individuals and families that make rice a regular part of their meals, buying a rice cooker will save you an incredible amount of time and hassle.

But before you go out and buy your new rice cooker there are a few things that you need to keep in mind:

1) The rice cooker’s price tag

You can get the bare-bones rice cooker for $15-$30 or if rice is a big part of your diet you might want to consider a higher-priced cooker, some of these can easily reach to $150-$200 or even more.  Simple, inexpensive rice cookers usually have a non-stick inner pot, a glass lid and a start button.  As long as you measure your water properly it will cook your rice to near perfection.  However if you enjoy a variety of styles of rice then the basic cooker may not give you the quality that you’d like.

Spending a bit more on your rice cooker will get you a lot of extra options.  Many more expensive rice cookers come with extras such as a timer, the ability to cook various types of rice, all to perfection, or a warmer to keep your rice hot long after it’s finished cooking, without drying it out.

2) How big of a rice cooker do you need?

Some people never cook more than a couple cups of rice at a time, however others need to be able to make enough for a large family and will need 10 cups or more.  There are rice cookers to fit any size family or occasion.

For a single person I normally recommend a rice cooker that holds 3-5 cups, 5 cups is great in case of company or if you want to make a lot extra for  fried rice or other dishes that call for day-old rice.  Small families shouldn’t go smaller than 5 cups and the 10 cup sizes are great for larger families.

3) More options

Rice cookers some with many different options, here is a list of things to pay attention to:
Make sure the bowl is non-stick
For flip-top lids, having a removable inner lid makes clean-up much easier
If you cook different types of rice make sure the rice cooker supports them for better results
Measuring lines on the inside of the bowl allow for more precise measuring of water.

Rice cookers make a wonderful addition to any kitchen that rice is cooked in.  Definitely pick one up if you don’t already own one, it’ll be one of the best kitchen item purchases you’ll ever make.