Someone recommended a rice cooker when my wife confessed that she had trouble cooking good rice. Even though rice seems simple, it is sometimes tricky getting it perfect, especially as you are trying to prepare an entire meal. The rice cooker has become a staple for our meals, as it prepares delicious rice quickly with no need to check or time it. All you have to do is add the water and rice (amounts are clearly stated in the included booklet). The rice cooker will automatically turn off when the rice is cooked. A warm feature would be nice, but it does stay pretty warm for a short time after cooking. The rice cooker also works great for vegetables. It's nice to have an easier way to multi-task. For instance, when preparing a holiday meal, my wife will prepare the turkey and other sides while she cooks sweet potatos in the rice cooker. Sometimes the water does bubble over the lid but it has still been fairly easy to clean after a short soak. My one concern about our Salton Rice Cooker is that the insert is appears to be alluminum. We have avoided that in the past, but I'm not sure what non-plastic alternative we may find. Still, this Salton Rice Cooker does a great job and gets a lot of use in our home.

CraigKong

Irmo, SC

Rice cookers are an excellent way of cooking perfect fluffy rice every time, no guesswork required, no soggy rice or clumps of rice. I have an 8 cup Salton rice cooker which also has a steamer option which I will admit I never use. Make sure you choose a rice cooker with a "Keep Warm' option as this allows you to cook your rice and then it will keep hot until you are ready, great for dinner parties or when you are entertaining. I always cook my rice first as once I have pressed the button to turn it on I can forget about it, knowing it will be perfect and ready when I need it. We eat rice often instead of potatoes and it is better for you. Rice is so versatile, you can do so much with it and it is inexpensive and goes a long way. Simply add some butter and finely chopped parsley to your cooked rice and mix it in well for a savory side dish. You can also let it cool (you will have to turn it off completely at the power outlet) and pour in some Italian salad dressing, add some sweet corn niblets and any other tinned vegetables such as mushrooms, peppers etc and mix well, you now have a large bowl of salad rice, great for cook outs. You can also add a spice to the water before you start to cook it, tumeric gives it both a great flavor and colors it yellow. I have many recipes but I'm afraid some of them are top secret! Be adventurous and you may be delighted with the results. Every home needs a rice cooker and Salton rice cookers are very reasonable and reliable.

cupcake30

Louisville, KY