Aroma ARC-866 12-Cup Cool-Touch Rice Cooker/Food Steamer

If you've ever marveled over the perfectly prepared rice at a favorite Asian restaurant, wondering why the rice you cook at home always seems to be too sticky or overcooked, you'll be happy with this Aroma rice cooker. Housed in a plastic body decorated with whimsical jasmine flowers, the rice cooker stays cool to the touch while cooking, making it perfect for countertop use. It accommodates 4 to 12 cups of any variety of rice (white, brown, or wild), or can be used to steam fish, meat, poultry, or vegetables. It can even be used to make stews and soups.

Operation is markedly simple: Measure the desired amount of rinsed rice and the appropriate amount of water with the provided measuring cup into the removable anodized nonstick cooking pot. Drop the pot into the cooker, ensure that the pot makes contact with the dual heating element, close the lid (it will click shut), and plug the AC cord into the wall outlet. Then simply press the one-touch switch. The attached sealed lid creates the ideal pressure for cooking the rice--keeping it warm and moist for up to 12 hours--and the detachable water collector collects condensation, preventing boil-overs during cooking. If you have any leftovers, the cooking pot can be used to store them until you're ready to reheat by simply adding a little extra water and warming.

The cooker includes the aforementioned measuring cup, as well as a spoon, plastic steam tray, instruction/recipe booklet, and a Martin Yan (from the national public television series) recipe booklet. It comes with a one-year limited warranty. --Ariel Meadow Stallings