Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Me: A foodie Dad in the USA who knows how to hand-cook long-grain, sushi, basmati, jasmine, and brown rice so they're just right. I rise early every morning to hand-make lunches for my four children and my wife because I'm socially awkward and emotionally closed off, and this is one way that I show my family that I love them. I'm a middle-class working guy, without tons of money, so I don't buy $100+ kitchen appliances on a whim. I mean, I bought my wife a Kitchen-Aid mixer eight years ago because she wanted it, but I winced at the price. I've owned this product for five months, and used it 4+ times a week during that period. You: Somebody that identifies with me and cooks rice or other steamed grains on a daily basis. My Review: If you're pressed for time and you cook a lot of rice or other boiled/steamed grains, BUY THIS RICE COOKER. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. It's a triumph of convenience engineering, and obviously a multi-year investment. I've owned a couple $20 rice cookers, which I used when I didn't have enough time to spare to pay attention to heat-on, heat-off cycles when I was making a meal. Now, I just select the type of grain from a super-intuitive menu, select the time I want it ready, and push a button. The rice is always perfect when the beeper goes off, and is still perfect the next day. Geek details: The AC power cord is flexible and retractable. The clock doesn't need to be reset if the cooker is unplugged for 2 days at a time... handy because the cooker doubles as an insulated container (like a crock pot) from which to serve hot rice several hours later. The dual mode rice warmer + the superb design of the cooking chamber means that every time you cook rice, you re-sterilize the sealed cooking chamber and keep it sterile so that rice can easily be held (hot and safe!) for a second day. The swing-up handle makes this a cinch to carry, and it's well-balanced. The non-stick bowl is super-heavy-duty aluminum and I expect it to last for years, especially since I baby it... I love this appliance like a Wall Street CEO loves his sports car. Cleanup is easy (never more than 2 minutes, usually less than 1 with hot tap water and a splash of dish soap). The detachable pot lid is easier to remove and clean than I expected.. I include detaching, washing, and replacing it in 1-2 minute cleanup time. Disclaimer: This is for the 5.5 cup cooker, although I assume that the 3 cup cooker is similar. I've never bought a more expensive model to compare... my prior experience is with pot-cooking rice or using a $20-$30 model when I didn't have time to baby the rice. Extras: Works great for wild rice and quinoa. Medium and short-grain rice are perfectly cooked so long as you rinse them properly before putting them in the cooker... if I fill and set the timer at bedtime, I can season and cool the rice, cut nori, crab, and avocado, and make California rolls within 12 minutes from stepping into the kitchen. Update: March of 2018: No change in my high recommendation. I have used this rice-cooker weekly for more than five years and it is still an A+ purchase. No problems, no malfunctions... even with heavy use. Also I fixed my original misspelling of avocado. Sorry about that.