Rice Cooker

A rice cooker is a device used primarily for cooking rice. They come in three different varieties: Electrical, Microwave and Gas.

The preparation of rice has traditionally been a cooking process which requires attention to ensure the rice is cooked properly. Rice cookers simplify the process by automatically controlling the heat and timing, while at the same time freeing up a heating element on the range.

Although the rice cooker does not necessarily speed up the cooking process, the cook's involvement in cooking rice with a rice cooker is reduced to simply using the correct amount of water. Once the rice cooker is set to cook, the rice will be cooked with no further attention.

Typically, a rice cooker contains an insulated outer container containing a heating element, into which is fitted an inner removable bowl, which is sometimes non-stick and often has graduations marked in cups of rice.

The bowl in the rice cooker is usually removable, and beneath it lies a heater and a thermostat. These form the main components of the rice cooker. A spring pushes the thermostat against the bottom of the bowl for good thermal contact to ensure accurate temperature measurement.

During cooking the rice/water mixture is heated at full power. The temperature cannot go above 100°C (212°F) — as any heat put into the rice/water mixture at that point will only cause the water to boil. At the end of cooking, some of the water will have been absorbed by the rice and the rest is boiled off.

Once the heating continues past that point, the temperature exceeds the boiling point. The thermostat then trips, switching the rice cooker to low power "warming" mode, keeping the rice no cooler than approximately 65°C (150°F). Simple rice cookers, like the one below, may simply turn off at that point.

Each rice cooker typically comes with the cup that can be used for measuring rice for that particular cooker. The graduations on the bowl for adding water rely on using that particular measuring cup. The rice cooker cups can vary in size, but are typically 180 ml which is the size of a traditional Japanese cup. The US cup equival

ent to 180 ml is three-quarters of a cup. In general, 5 cups of rice cooker capacity is good for family of 2-3 members.However, a rice cooker can cook rice using US measurement cups. If a person follows the directions for rice and water from the package (measuring water in a cu p, not the graduations on the inner pan), the cooker will produce rice just as well as if the packaged measuring devices are used.

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