I don't have one but wouldn't mind having one.

I lived in Japan for five years, and so a rice cooker was a must! The cookers are so advanced, have so many settings, I was convinced you could send rockets to the moon if you programmed it right! (ha ha) I used mine all the time, even to make chili, soups, basically used like a mini crockpot, too. But of course the main function was to cook rice- and it did that perfectly! Love them!

My mom always used a rice cooker (she still does) to make rice. (She claims she couldn't make rice otherwise!)

I have never had one and don't really see the point in it. I mean, I put a measured amount of rice in a pot of boiling water, cover it, and in 18 minutes, it's done.

I don't understand the need for a machine to do something so simple...

I don't really see the need. All I use is a pan and water!

I have an all-purpose multi-level steamer, which includes a rice cooking dish, so I use that (in fact, cooking rice was the reason I got the steamer, but you can cook lots of nice things it, so it's extremely useful and versatile).

Heck yes! Rice cooker rice tastes so much better than the stove top kind. The key is to add rice vinegar.

I grew up eating rice as my main starch staple so this was a necessity when my husband and I established our own home together.

i don't have one but there have been many many times that i've thought about getting one. i think that i just don't eat enough rice to validate spending the money - but i've certainly started to see their benefits.

I make really good rice without one as it is. Having a rice cooker for me would be clutter with another gadget in the kitchen that I don't need.

I don't have one because I don't eat rice that often and when I do a box into a pot is just fine.

I'm pretty much the same as everyone who didn't see the point of one. I didn't grow up having one, so the boil in bag, or stovetop method works just fine for me. I don't eat rice too often, so I think it would be a big waste of space for me.

Yet another Asian here who can't make rice without a machine.
I love mine - it's small, it was cheap, and it's idiot-proof. All the necessary components for perfect rice. I certainly don't use it for all of the fancy crap the NYTimes showed off. Mine's basic, but it's exactly / all I need.

i'm an asian gal who grown up with rice cooker,, i just can't live without it!
even when i was study aboard, i bought myself a tiny one ~~~~
coz other than rice, it can stew too!!

I read this article and tried the recipe for the biryiani (is that how you spell it?) over the weekend. The recipe offered non-rice cooker instructions at the bottom. I used my cast iron dutch oven and it worked out great! I actually used basmati rice as the recipe specified instead of Uncle Ben's converted rice like I do with everything else.

I have never been tempted to buy a rice cooker. My counter top is already overflowing with kitchen gadgets. My mom taught me a long time ago how to cook rice and I have never had a problem.

My son actually asked me for one! I'd like to help him keep his interest in cooking. It's next on the list to buy )

I'm from Hawaii, and growing up the rice cooker was my family's most used kitchen appliance. My own rice cooker was one of my most important purchases when I went off to college, and my husband and I are still using the same one.

I am half Japanese so it would be almost sacrilegious not to have one! I use it several times a week!

i love my rice cooker. i've tried making rice on the stove and i always burn it or don't put enough liquid. with the rice cooker it comes out perfect everytime. someone mentioned using rice vinegar...what does that do?

I just don't see the need. All I need is a regular pot, and I'm not surrendering any valuable counterspace that's already in short supply.

I don't own one, my family never did, in fact I don't know anyone who does! It's just another gadget that takes up space and that a pot can do just fine.

I received a rice cooker as a wedding gift, but I've never even opened it... mostly because I don't have the space in my little condo. Maybe someday when I have the room... but for now, I can make rice perfectly fine on the stovetop.

I have no need for one...I eat rice every now and then, but it's usually microwaveable! Gotta love Uncle Ben's 90 second brown rice!

One of the two Asian essentials:

1. Rice cooker
2. Chopsticks

I use it more for steaming fish and stuff than I do for rice.

my japanese roommate in college had one. awesomeness. when she moved otu i got myself a multi level one that steams veggies and used it quite a bit. now that i live at home tho, it's in a box and i forgot how to use it. mom makes rice on the stove top, especially mexican rice and arroz con leche... yum....

I don't have one, and I don't really see the need for it either (not to mention I'm a student and sharing a kitchen with 6 other people, so there is limited room for extra stuff in the kitchen, but I don't think I would see the need anyways).. Same goes for stuff like a pizza oven and a popcorn maker, because why have one or several extra (fairly huge) appliances, when you can cook the same things in stuff that is already fairly commonplace (saucepan, oven, microwave)?

I don't have an issue just throwing my rice and water into a saucepan, and half hour later having cooked rice. But I would love one, just because they can be used other ways as well.

Sure...Uncle Ben's instant packet!

funny enough - my husband brought me home one last nite!!
http://tinyurl.com/5wg6hm
we used our neighbors to do some steaming this summer + that's why i really wanted it. we're having steamed fish, bok choi + pork buns all fall long

i love my rice cooker. i also use it to cook beans and lentils. It's great for more than just rice. I have to check out the rice cooker/steamer, that sounds perfect!

My mom has one, and the startch that collects on top grosses me out.

I love mine, but it makes a HUGE mess every time I use it. I think I need a different one, because no matter how much rice & water I put in it (unless I'm using brown rice; for some reason this only happens with white rice) the gooey, starchy water drips all over the place & puddles on the counter.

i don't need one. I have a pot, a stove, and anything else necessary and I def already have full counters. infact, right now I have a toaster, next to a crock pot which as a food processor and scale IN it, next to a blender next to the stove, next to some knives, utensil stand, spice rack, and in front of those a george foreman grill. and that isn't even talking about the other counter.

Yeah but I hate it. Rice is gross.

My family has been using a rice cooker for years because we make rice everyday for dinner. When I moved out to live with my boyfriend, we had to grab a rice cooker. I never made anything else but rice in it.

i'm always gonna have a rice cooker!

I wish I did but I don't need a 10 serving cooker. I'm looking for a small 1 to 4 serving rice cooker that is not outrageously priced.

I didn't have a rice cooker growing up but my Asian boyfrind insisted we get one and I'm glad we did. We eat a lot of rice and I never realized how convienent it is.

I would love to have one, I buy instant rice just because making the regualr rice always comes out too gummy for me, or I can't watch it for 45 minutes so it runs out of water and scorches the bottom of the pan I would use it to make perfect sushi rice....God I love sushi rice. I would eat sushi rice with everything for the rest of my life!

I don't have a rice cooker and probably don't need one since I just cook my rice in a pot and it always comes out perfect.

Growing up as a half Korean kid, I always wondered why everyone else DIDN'T have a rice cooker, and I hate to admit it but I turned my nose up at "Instant Rice" that's cooked in bags... Sorry to be a rice snob.

My roommate uses the rice cooker more often than I do but she'll usually just whip up some rice and put soy sauce in it. I usually want to make meals WITH rice so I don't use it as often as I would like.

I never even dreamed of cooking anything in the cooker besides rice so I would love to get some feedback about what you cook in it!

Wildegurl, my favorites are fish steamed with a little salt, green onions, and ginger root, and steamed egg. You can do veggies and stuff as well.

I have one, but since I stopped eating carbs with dinner I don't use it any more.

Yes and I love it!

I'd really like to have one. We eat rice pretty regularly so it would be very useful.

I eat a lot of brown rice so my rice cooker is a life saver. Throw in some rice and water, press a button and you're done - perfectly cooked brown rice every time. I got mine at Target for about $20 and it's been going strong for a long time. I definitely recommend getting one.

Wonderful invention!!! Hooray for rice!

Can you put broth in a rice cooker instead of wter or does it have to be water? I use whole grain brown rice and jazz it up with chicken or veggie broth..and sometimes coconut milk when i am giong thai

nope don't have one and don't think I need one

haha...err, i browsed the comments posted above. so, i didn't even know you could make rice without a rice cooker until i was a teenager. every asian household as at least two rice cookers....!

Someone mentioned being a rice snob above...i'm pretty darn sure any rice cooker user is....boxed, instant rice just has absolutely no comparison to fluffy, fresh rice made from a rice cooker, not a pan.

No wonder you all resort to boxed instant rices....because cooking rice in a pan is difficult! Rice cookers are no muss, no fuss and you can buy a cheap one for $15 or less at an asian store, or try online! i think my mom bought a tiny 2 cup rice cooker for my dorm from walmart!