Rice Cooker

This is your most essential piece of kitchen equipment if you are planning to cook Japanese or other Asian dishes with any frequency. The electric rice cooker enables you to cook rice quickly and easily. Many of these “smart” machines adjust to the type of rice you’re cooking (white, brown, recent harvest, older), the cooking method (steam, boil, make into gruel), and the time that you want to have the rice ready. You can set the cooker to start while you’re still at work, and the rice will be done when you get home. Some rice cookers also have settings that will keep rice warm for use later in the day or even the next morning. Many are not too expensive, and even the most basic cooker usually turns out better rice, faster and more reliably, than the stove-top method.