Well, I wish I would have known that before I bought this one. Yours is twice the price but if it works......... I'm with you on the second kitchen. Been thinking about that a bit myself. I could easily do it in the breezeway and put a woodburning stove there, too. I do use the breezeway for my pet boarding business though so it would be really cramped. On the other hand, I don't board 365 days a year and I don't can/bake/do involved cooking things 365 days a year either. OR I could go to the basement. Someone had an avacado green gas stove down there and a huge two bowl cast iron sink. Love the sink! Gave serious thought to bringing it up stairs but it's really big. It wouldn't be all that hard to remodel the little kitchen down there. The water table here is high so when we get the torrential spring and fall rain, I get water up through the cracks in the floor. It all runs to the sump pump but still, it makes the floor wet. Ha! Don't even have the "real" kitchen started yet and I'm planning the second kitchen. Plus I had planned the bathroom next.

I don't even refrigerate cooked rice. That makes rice bullets. What kind of rice are you doing this with? I only make what we will eat at any given meal, whether it is basmati, jasmine, sticky, or sushi rice. But then I am retired and don't need to have "meals in a minute". I guess even cooked/frozen rice is better than no rice at all. ;-) We have traveled extensively thru SE Asia where there is no refrigeration. They cook up "enough" for that day...each day. -Babka

So if you were only eating white rice and didn't need a timer or a keep warm function, a cheap push button rice cooker would work just fine. If you were only eating a little bit of rice now and then, I'd say make it in a pot, or the oven, or pressure cooker. However, if you actually want to make *brown* rice on a regular basis and/or want a timer and/or a really good keep warm function, then you might want to swing for a nice fuzzy logic model. My sister and I have both had the cheap push button models and they were really just set up for white rice - brown rice required multiple cooking cycles and constant tinkering with the water level. And it still usually burned on the bottom. I've had a Zojirushi with fuzzy logic for a few years now and love it - it makes perfect brown rice, sushi rice, basmati, etc.; it keeps it warm for hours without burning the bottom or drying it out; the timer's easy to use and allows me to set it in the morning and have hot rice when I get home (even if I'm a couple hours late). I also really like to put steel cut oats in it at night so I can have hot oatmeal ready when I get up the next morning. So for us it's worth it - we eat a lot of rice (especially brown) and actually use both the timer and keep warm function a lot. They do work - amazingly well - and make much better rice than I could ever make on my lousy stove ;-) They're definitely an investment, but it you're really going to be using the timer and making brown rice on a regular basis, it might be worth it. My sister has this 3 cup model and it's perfect for a couple or small family - unless you're huge rice eaters, it makes enough for 2 to 4 people and is really small, so it doesn't take up much room on the counter. Amazon sells it for $125 - not cheap, but really nice quality. As you can (hopefully) see in the picture, it has the timer, keep warm, and brown rice functions, which are essential to me. There are lots of really good ones out there, this is just one I have personal experience with. Good luck!

I basically cook all the rice in the same manner: On electric stove, 1 part rice (washed or un-) to 2 parts water, pinch or 2 of salt, bring to a low boil over high heat, then cover tightly & turn heat to low/warm for 25 - 50 minutes. Shorter time for white rice, longer for brown. Remove from heat & let stand covered for 5-10 minutes then uncover & fluff w/ a fork. I often mix in some butter. Best brown or white rice is short grain for sure - lovely soft & chewy texture. Here's yummy brown rice recipe of mine that's not too sweet : Orange Coconut Rice yield: 4 cups 2 cups raw brown rice 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (12-15 oz?) 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (grated OK too) 1-2 tsp. finely grated orange rind - approx. 1/3-2/3 of 1 medium orange water salt In a medium (2 quart) saucepan w/ a tight-fitting lid, place rice, coconut & 1/2 - 1 tsp. salt. Grate rind from orange directly into pan - about 1/3-2/3 of rind. Squeeze juice from orange & add to coconut milk w/ enough water to make 4 cups, then add to pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring a few times, then cover tightly, reduce heat to very low & cook 50 minutes. Remove from heat & let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff w/ a fork. Do not remove lid until done!