# Difference between rice cookers?



## ElmoTheDestroyer (Dec 30, 2005)

I've been looking at getting a rice cooker for a couple weeks and can't figure out what I should get...

They seem to range from $5-$200...   From what I can gather, the biggest differences between "cheap" ones and good ones is the way they keep the rice warm after the initial steaming/cooking.

The cheap ones aparently turn the heating element on and off to maintain "warm" temps without burning, while the more expensive ones just stay warm and maintain a steady temp.  At least this is what the guy at Bed Bath and Beyond told me.

What he didn't tell me, was how to tell which ones are "good" and which ones are "bad" ...  None of them seem to say anything about how they maintain food temps in the product descriptions...

Is it safe to assume pretty much any of them over $40 are "safe"?  (They look significantly better than the cheap $15-20 ones) 

I don't necessairly need it to keep rice warm for whole days, but 4-5 hours at a time without noticable loss in texture/taste would be nice.

Any advice you could give will be appreciated!  

Thanks!
--ElmoTheDestroyer

PS - Whats the difference between a crockpot and a rice cooker? (heres an example: http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2031378&cp=1770190&parentPage=family)  Seems to be the same description as most of the rice cookers I've seen


----------



## htc (Dec 31, 2005)

Elmo, I'm very biased and have absolutely no "scientific" basis for my preferences, but I am a true believer of buying the nicer rice cookers from the Asian store. A med. sized one (maybe 10 cup??, not sure if it's accurate) can cost about 60 bucks-80 bucks. If  you eat a lot of rice, it's definitely worth it. TRUST ME. If you don't eat a lot of rice or don't love perfect steamed rice, maybe not worth it.We had a nice one, but then it was left on the stove top (right on top of the vent) when we were baking one day and the electrical element burned out. Me being too cheap to buy a new one accepted a freebie from my brother. It's an Aroma. It does the job but you can definitely tell the difference. 

Your absolutely right, the higher end ones keep the temp perfect and you don't get burnt rice and it cooks very evenly.


----------



## ironchef (Dec 31, 2005)

Elmo do a search. There's already a long thread on this with a picture and recommendations on a good rice cooker.


----------

