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A lot of the rice cookers have health warnings because of the ceramic coating or aluminum. You'll see the warning tags at the store, but often not on online displays. Stainless steel rice cookers are safe.
I've had two Zojirushis with Fuzzy Logic and both have been excellent. I gave one to my son when I bought a smaller more compact one. Mine makes rice very quickly and keeps it warm and ready to eat for two days. I've cut back on using it because I'm limiting carbs but I make wonderful oatmeal in it. I put the ingredients in the night before and in the morning it's perfect! They both came with a "shelf" in it for steaming vegetables.
We've had both of them in the family for over ten years and never had a problem with either of them. They have different settings for brown, white and a mixture of rices plus other settings for porridge and some other things that I don't use : )
Cooking rice on a stovetop in a saucepan with a lid has become a lost art. Modern consumerism tells us we need a specialized appliance to prepare the simplest things. How long has rice been around ? Literally thousands of years. But no matter how its prepared, be it saucepan, minipot or microwave, the results are so similar as to be virtually indistinguishable from each other. But hey, if it makes you feel good by spending money on the latest, greatest whiz-bang gizmo to cook something that's been done simply and easily for thousands of years, go right ahead.
For frequent use that cooks various types of rice, we use an AROMA six-cup rice cooker with a stainless steel pot (the coating will scratch and wear off on a coated aluminum pot).
We also have a large ZOJIRUSHI, but we only use it when we need a lot of rice for the holidays (New Years) when we make sushi.
Cooking rice on a stovetop in a saucepan with a lid has become a lost art. Modern consumerism tells us we need a specialized appliance to prepare the simplest things. How long has rice been around ? Literally thousands of years. But no matter how its prepared, be it saucepan, minipot or microwave, the results are so similar as to be virtually indistinguishable from each other. But hey, if it makes you feel good by spending money on the latest, greatest whiz-bang gizmo to cook something that's been done simply and easily for thousands of years, go right ahead.
The best part about a rice cooker is that the rice comes out perfectly every time and you don't have to stand at the stove making sure it doesn't boil over, burn or get gummy. Of course if someone wants to take the time to master the art with a saucepan and get it right every time, that's their choice.
I've watched quite a bit of Korean Dramas (love those soaps!) and everyday Koreans always seem to have a rice cooker in their kitchens and as part of their meals. I'll take my cue from people who incorporate rice into most of their meals. It's hardly a new "gizmo"
I just cook my rice on the stove top. If you have an electric stove top it's super simple. 2 parts water to rice, bring to a boil, & once it has boiled, lid it & turn it off. The residual heat on the electric ring will keep cooking it. Of course we don't eat rice often, & I have a small kitchen so no room for another appliance.
I've had a nice Zojirushi for about 10 years, but it takes forever and a day to cook brown rice, which is all I eat - almost 90 minutes - so ever since I got my Instant Pot, I haven't used it and will probably sell it. It took me a couple tries to get the timing right on the IP, but once I did, it's so much faster. Takes a few minutes for the pressure to build, then 15 minutes cook time, 5 minutes natural venting, and then I release all the steam and presto - perfect rice. I use a non-stick insert bowl with a handle to cook the rice in.
Your experience is like mine, cooking brown rice in the rice cooker took forever, but the final product was quite good.
I do prefer to let the rice steam for a bit with a folded kitchen towel between lid and bowl for a few minutes.
I just cook my rice on the stove top. If you have an electric stove top it's super simple. 2 parts water to rice, bring to a boil, & once it has boiled, lid it & turn it off. The residual heat on the electric ring will keep cooking it. Of course we don't eat rice often, & I have a small kitchen so no room for another appliance.
I cooked white rice that way for a number of years. You can also microcook white rice successfully as well,
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