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If you are looking for one of the most versatile kitchen appliances that you can find, look no further than the rice cooker. Rice cookers do several other things besides just cook rice and are useful appliances in both kitchens and dorm rooms.

Of course rice cookers make perfect rice, but they can also be used for cooking hot cereals, deserts, stews and soups. They can also steam vegetables to perfection, even while cooking rice.

The best rice cookers are made in Japan. There are other models that may be less expensive from other countries, but you will enjoy using the Japanese rice cookers the most.

Rice cookers come in many sizes from the small three to five cup cookers to the giant fourteen plus cup cookers. Choose a rice cooker that corresponds to the amount of rice you normally cook. They work best when used to cook rice at capacity.

Remember that a Japanese cup is only six ounces. Most Americans are more used to an eight ounce cup. To adjust recipes, remember that rice cooker cups are approximately three fourths of an American cup.

The Japanese home prefers a five cup rice cooker.

If you want easy clean up from your rice cooker, choose the one with a non-stick pan. This non-stick pan is great for rice. Rice just does not stick to it and slides out leaving a clean pan. A quick rinse and you are ready to cook again.

When shopping for rice cookers, you will find that there are four basic choices in the type of cooker you choose.

On/off models cook the rice and then turn off automatically. There may not be an indicator light but these inexpensive models are very versatile and do a great job at cooking rice.

The next step up in rice cookers will keep the rice warm when cooking is finished. They do not have a true off position, so be sure that you unplug the cooker when finished. You will need to buy at this level or above to get a rice cooker with a non-stick pan.

Some of the more expensive rice cookers have fuzzy logix. This means that they have differing settings for soup or brown rice. Some of these machines even allow you to choose the texture of your finished rice.

The most expensive (over two hundred dollars) rice cookers offer induction heating. These rice cookers make perfect rice every time. They can compensate for variations in measurements in rice or water.

If you like steamed vegetables, be sure that you buy a rice cooker that has the plastic steamer basket. You can even steam the vegetables as you cook your rice.

For a college student living in the dorms, a rice cooker is a perfect gift. Be sure that you get the smallest cooker so the student doesn’t have to deal with leftovers. In addition to rice and vegetables, the student can always throw in a package of Top Ramen noodles for a quick lunch.