Joyce Chen 4 in 1 Microwave Rice Steamer

A lightweight, low-maintanence, and astonishingly versatile item for putting fresh veggies, rice, or pasta on the table at every meal.

I'd gotten a regular electric rice cooker as a wedding present, but never used it because it was large, heavy, unwieldy, hard to set up, and I always had to figure out where to plug it in. If I wanted rice for a meal, I'd make Uncle Ben's according to the package instructions and silently mourn the fact that I didn't have a good way to make real Asian sticky rice. So, when I saw a small, cheap microwave rice cooker at my local market, I had to give it a try.

Three years later I own two of these things and have given several as gifts. This rice cooker is one of my most-used kitchen items (only my paring knife really rivals it for frequency of use). Not only does it make really wonderful sticky rice, it steams vegetables easily, cooks pasta, and even makes popcorn! Most steamers are a pain to clean, with lots of small holes or...Read more

My college roommate bought the Joyce Chen Microwave Rice Steamer for me as a birthday present, and it's easily one of my most-used tools in the kitchen. It can be used for a variety of dishes, from rice to couscous, popcorn, and steamed veggies. I've tried several varieties of rice (short, medium, and long grain) and couscous, air-popped popcorn (no oil added), and various veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus), and everything comes out perfectly. Simply add water, slip in the steamer tray (if cooking veggies) and the two lids (one to lock in steam), and in a few minutes, you'll have a healthy, fast option for lunches and dinners. I hand wash mine, but you could probably put it in the dishwasher on the top rack. Simple to use and easy to clean, every kitchen should have one of these!

Inexpensive lightweight all purpose helper. I just microwaved popcorn and it reminded me again I owed a review because I so enjoy this item. Last week, made brown rice. If you are hesitating at all -- don't -- go for it.

Since my original review, I bought a second one in case the other is in dishwasher. I love this set. It makes rice, white, wild or brown, polenta, oatmeal, popcorn, all without problems, spills, or loss of good food. Toss it up in the top rack of the dishwasher to clean.

It is a perfect kitchen accessory.