Well, I have a rice cooker. I thought I really needed one. But I had a bad habit of having it bubble over and make a huge mess. And it took a long time to cook the rice.

I went back to just using a sauce pan and I haven't had any more problems.

It could be just me, but just thought I would give my opinion.

I would not trade my nonstick! I love love love my Aroma cooker, it's cooking a pot of chili right now.
Interestingly enough I have not yet cooked rice in this one.
I highly recommend only getting the Aroma cooker that also has the Saute settings. With it you put the meat or whatever needs browning or cooked prior to cooking the recipe in and set it on Saute, stirring occasionally, when browned enough add remaining ingredients stir shut down the lid, it automatically knows how long it needs to cook then it turns it to stay warm setting and dings to let you know.

There are recipe books for rice cooker meals and I have many I have created. It cooks extremely fast, almost like a pressure cooker.

I would buy the same one again if something happened to mine.

I will find a link to mine, my sister ordered it for me from amazon for Christmas.

I see that Amazon has a Zojirushi NHS-10 6-Cup Rice Cooker/Steamer & Warmer for $56.56 with free shipping. It is non-stick, though, as are most of the newer models. A Japanese friend recommended the Zojirushi brand to me years ago and I have several small appliances by them with very good experience. I don't have this particular model, though.

Okay I have the Aroma 1010sb model.
There's other models of them that also have the Saute and simmer function but they have more functions and cost a little more. Probably worth it.
Here's a link to mine.

I would definitely not buy one of the basic rice cookers that basically just cook rice this is a much more versatile cooker more along the lines of a pressure cooker or slow cooker but it instead cooks very fast.
Most of the meals I cook take about 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

I cooked this chili in about 30mins and this is the best chili I have made I only do it this way now.

I made a pot of chicken jambalaya for the family in Oklahoma, it was fantastic, done in less than 30mins.
It really is awesome.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aroma

On that Aroma site click on recipes for a sample of some.
I am happy to share the original ones I have created.
I also ordered a rice cooker recipe cookbook that is written by this Cajun guy from Louisiana. That's where I got the jambalaya recipe I used. It's at amazon too.
The cookbook is Rice Cooker meals by Neal Bertrand he might have more than one.
This model also has the Saute and simmer function.

Here is a link that might be useful: Another Aroma

I think I had that one on my Wish List for a long time, Raven, after you recommended it, and then they (Amazon, anyway) discontinued it. Now they're selling

this one

which looks the same, or close to it. Would you agree?

Thanks!

Fun2B.....I saw the Z-brand (lol) at that price, and watched the Z-brand video. That model is the lowest of the low in their lineup, and the video praises the quality of the output in the more expensive models. It sort of put me off. But thanks for mentioning it!

Raven, we posted at the same time, same rice cooker. I'm leaning toward getting it. It says it cooks 4 to 20 cups of rice. That sounds to me as though you can't cook any less than 2 dry cups of rice at a time.

Is it the same size as yours? Have you cooked less than 2 cups of dry rice?

murraysmom, I had the same problem. Not any more.... I just put a chop stick across the top, under the lid, propping the lid up a bit.. and no more boil overs. It was annoying... but the rice never sticks when I use the rice cooker. :)

Murraysmom, I didn't see your post before. I read a lot of reviews on a lot of different rice cookers, and saw some complaints about rice taking a long time to cook. Other models cook very quickly, apparently. it's a roll of the rice dice. LOL

LOL Thanks, Moni. Susan, I got mine at CookWares. I don't know if this store is a chain or not. I can't remember because it's been too long ago, but I think I relied on the salesperson's recommendation which was probably a mistake. :)

You probably could cook less however the pot is large so it would be such a thin layer of rice it may not be great.
I have several rice cookers, 3 different sizes of the basic rice cookers, I use them all. I use my small 4 cup one the most for just cooking rice for us to have with our meal, I can easily cook only 1 or 2 cups in it and the rice is perfect. I have 2 sizes up 6+12 cups, which I use when I have to feed more people.
Then I have my Aroma cooker which seriously is so much more than a rice cooker, I think the name throws many people off because all they think is Rice. I think multi meal machine! Quick dinner machine! Awesome steamer.
So if all anyone wants is to cook a little rice get a cheap basic rice cooker from Walmart. But if you want something that cooks rice and much more this is the machine.

That other model we both posted is one step up from mine it has one more option, otherwise they are the same.
I have never had any problems with the nonstick surface but I am very very careful about what spoons I use and I wash it out immediately by hand. Nothing sticks so clean up is a breeze.

This lid locks down you have to push a release button on top to be able to open it. And if you do try to open it during cooking time stand back because it will be steam coming out. Once it is done and goes to keep warm it slowly releases the steam so opening it up won't be really steamy.
It's definitely best to leave it alone till it's done. That can mess with it's ability to determine when it is cooked.
The exterior doesn't get hot at all, you can pick it up by the handle on top and carry it around nothing is hot except the inner pot and that liner pot lifts out for servings and cleaning.
Boiling over is usually a sign of too much water.
One thing many people don't know is that the little measuring cups that comes with a rice cooker is specific to that particular pot, and the markings inside the pot for water level are also specific to that cup and pot. And none of them are a true cup. So if you use a regular cup to measure your rice and water you are using much more than you should be for your pot.

That cookbook gives conversions and explains this

I have a bunch of the little measuring cups and I labeled each one with the pot information in sharpie so I know which one to use.

I also have the Aroma and have had mine for many years.My chinese gf gave me mine many years ago,and at the time i thought i'd probably never use it.Once i put it to use,i've never looked back.

A few years ago i went to N.Y.state for a family reunion and one day i was going to make fried rice for us,and alas,she my sister doesn't own a rice cooker,and i couldn't remember how to do it on the stove top,so my niece cooked the rice for me.

I plan to get one for my gs and his family after the holidays.
Kathi

I guess I'm in the minority about wanting to avoid aluminum and non-stick chemicals, but I've felt strongly about both for some time. (If anyone wonders why, this website explains it well.)

So far, the Lotus stainless steel rice cooker/steamer (pictured at the above link) is my top choice. It costs more, but for me it would be worth it. I was tempted by the high-tech Panasonic "fuzzy logic" models, but again, they're all about aluminum and Teflon.

Thank you for all the information! I know much more about rice cookers than I did yesterday, and that helps a lot.

When we lived in Japan in the 1960s, I purchased a rice cooker. The inner pan was not non-stick. The cooker was a simple on-off one. I used that for many, many years - it finally stopped working after about 40 years. Decided I did not need to replace it. Last year, decided I needed to replace that rice cooker; I was so surprised at all of the updates to new cookers. I am so happy with the cooker, so I purchased two more for each of my grown twin granddaughters and they and their SOs love them. I urge you not to hesitate in buying a rice cooker, you will be very pleased.

This post was edited by walnutcreek on Mon, Dec 16, 13 at 19:14

I've been pleased with my Oyama - it has a stainless steel bowl. I think it's the 10 cup size. It stopped working once, but we unscrewed the bottom, tightened up a lose wire, screwed it back together and it's been perfect ever since. This is its fourth year, no signs of slowing down.

I also have a small Black & Decker that I use when I want just enough rice for two servings. It has the coated bowl, and even though we're careful, bits & pieces of the coating have come off.

I've had a Zojirushi for probably 20 years. DH wanted it after living in Japan and using a rice cooker daily. We do a lot of Asian cooking so we use it frequently. I bought an Aroma for our weekend lake place because it was much cheaper and it was probably fine but it was just too big - 10 cups vs. the 5 cup Z. The 10 cup just didn't work well for smaller amounts of rice. I ended up getting a good deal on another Zojirushi at Costco so I got that and sold the Aroma at a garage sale.

I've never had a problem with boil over. Can't imagine that - you just put the rice and water in and hit start and it's completely foolproof, requiring no further attention. You can focus completely on the rest of the meal. I think mine takes about 20 minutes. Besides not having to pay any attention to it while it cooks I love that you can start it any time and once it's done it keeps the rice perfect while you're preparing the rest of the meal. No muss, no fuss.

Nickel! The Oyama might be IT!! I never heard of the brand until you mentioned it, but Amazon sells them--for less than the Lotus, and they have good reviews. You'd think my search for rice cooker stainless steel would have yielded the Oyama, but no.....

Reviewers on most of the rice cookers I looked at complained about no Off switch; the unit had to be unplugged to turn it off. Sounds like my HP printer, which is never off. Anyway, one person mentioned buying a small power strip with an on/off switch, and plugging it into that. I think I'll add one with my gift.

Thanks, all!!

Update: I ordered the Oyama today. Many excellent reviews--and Nickel, two of them mentioned that same loose wire. I hope the manufacturer fixed it. But even if not, it sounded like what I want.

Here's the amusing part: My go-to site, Amazon, is offering it through an outside vendor for about $64 + $8 shipping. I decided to see who else had it, and ran across the Bon Ton website, which I've never used. They apparently had it originally priced at $100, but had it on sale for $59. With a Free Shipping promo code and a 10% off promo code, the total came to $57 including tax. So naturally I wanted to order it.

Problem was, I kept losing my Internet access because a circuit breaker was tripping and I didn't know why. Every time I reset the breaker, I'd have just a minute or two before it tripped again. In the time it took to place my order, I ran down to the basement three times to reset the breaker. It was like a Keystone comedy, but I finally got the order placed. Whew!

I later discovered that the problem was caused by an electric heater in my guest room. I didn't even realize it was on the same circuit.

Bon Ton is a good company. I bought a Fiesta bowl from there a couple weeks ago... half price and I got the free shipping too.

Sounds like you got a very good deal... hope the birthday boy or girl enjoys the cooker!