I have an average size family of 5. We like to cook rice for our side dish for many meals. I used to just boil water and cook rice on the stove top. That of course required watching for the water to boil and then setting a timer for when the rice would be done. Sometimes of course it would stick to the pot and sometimes the water level was off, etc. This rice cooker is simple and quick to use. There are 3 options - you can cook 1 cup, 2 cups or 3 cups. The cooker comes with it's own measuring cup. If you use 1 cup, then you fill the cooker with water up to the 1st line, 2 cups, use the 2nd line, etc. The just place the convenient see through lid on and press the button down to "cook". When the rice is done the cooker clicks and the button moves to "keep warm". Cooking on the stovetop does not have an option to "keep wam". The lid is self venting, so there are no spill overs or boil overs. The rice is cooked to the perfect consistency each and every time. You can even serve right from the removable non-stick bowl. And since it is non stick it is super easy to clean.

bethysak

Stuarts Draft, VA

This is a great college student budgeted rice cooker. It comes with many cool accessories such as a steamer plate, and a divider. The steamer is good for steaming vegetables or other good sides on top of the rice. It is a good item to use, because it basicially turns the rice cooker as a multitasking tool. The rice cooker in itself does a good job at well, cooking rice, but there are obviously better ones, but just be willing to pay the price for it. This one is a 3-cup rice cooker which is good enough to feed 2 people, but if you want to add the steamer on top of it, it may just overflow a bit. I have used this rice cooker almost everyday since I love to eat rice with everything, and it has yet to fail on me, and has done a briallant job at cooking rice. Overall this is a really good college oriented rice cooker, it is small and fits into most counter tops of your kitchen. I definately recommend this to anyone that is currently living alone or with your significant other.

DarkBlue21

San Francisco, CA

I'm terrible at cooking rice on the stove, so this little cooker has been great for me.  Nothing is 100% "idiot-proof" but this machine comes pretty close.  It has two settings - one for cooking the rice, and one for keeping it warm until you're ready to scoop it out.  To start the cooking process, you just hit the switch and wait for it to pop back up (similar to how you would on a simple a toaster).  It cooks up to three cups of rice, which (contrary to someone else's comment) is more than enough servings for 2-3 people to enjoy.  It does not take up a lot of counter space or storage space in the kitchen, so it's ideal for someone like me who has a small kitchen.  It also has a non-stick cooking surface, so you don't have to worry about scraping burnt rice off the bottom or spending any extra effort scrubbing it clean. It does take a little bit of time to cook the rice depending on how much you're fixing at once, so you can't expect it to cook as fast as the 1 cup bags of rice you can just drop into boiling water on the stove.  However, I've saved a considerable amount of money now that I can buy and easily cook regular (non-instant) rice.  I've gotten my money's worth out of this little appliance. The only two cons I can think of for this appliance are the following.  There is no on or off switch.  Once you plug in the rice cooker, it immediately turns on and there is no way to turn it back off without unplugging it.  If you want or need to have an automatic shut off safety feature, this isn't the appliance for you.  Also, I have had some problems before with the rice at the very bottom of the cooker sticking together like a film.  Removing the rice immediately after it has finished cooking or adding just a tad more water than required seems to be the solution to that problem.  

ellaellacarmona

Raleigh, NC

For some reason my husband has been wanting a rice cooker for a really long time.  I don't see the point as I can make perfect rice on the stovetop in 20 minutes but since the whole family knows of his desire for a rice cooker, my brother got him one as a gift. Since we're just 2 people my brother bought the **Black & Decker 3-cup model RC3203**.  We've used it several times already and it actually works really well.  We had a rice cooker many years ago but the rice stuck to the pot terribly even when using butter or oil during cooking so I didn't expect much from this model.  This new model has a non-stick pot though so sticking has not been an issue and it is very easy to clean. I still cook my rice in a pot but my husband loves his little rice cooker and continues to use it.  He likes the set it and forget it aspect in that he just adds the rice, salt, and water and walks away.  When he hears a small popping sound from the kitchen he knows the cooker has turned itself off and the rice is cooked.  The lid is clear glass which is nice as it's easy to look down inside to see how the cooking is progressing.  The only issue I have with the rice cooker (besides the fact that I don't think we need it) is its size.  When I read that it's a 3-cup cooker I took that to mean it would produce 3 cups of rice.  But what I think it really means is that it holds 1 cup of dry rice and 2 cups of water.  The cooker comes with a small plastic cup for measuring the rice and the maximum measurement on the side says three quarters.  Sometimes three quarters cup of rice is not enough for the both of us, especially if I want leftovers, so the size is really better for just one person. Bottom line - I still don't think we need this rice cooker but my husband loves it.  I will continue to use a pot and lid as it holds more rice and is quicker and neater.  He made some rice as I was writing this review and when I went to check on it I found that there was starchy residue on the outside of the unit and the lid.  3 stars - I'll stick to a pot and my stovetop for cooking rice.

Buggheart

Annapolis, MD