The difference between my $20 rice cooker and a $50 one was NOT what I expected

I used a cheap $20 rice cooker from Target for about 3 years and thought rice was just okay. Last month my buddy let me borrow his $50 model from a different brand and the rice came out fluffy, not mushy at all. The cheaper one always had some burnt layer at the bottom and the steam vent would drip water everywhere. The $50 one has a better lid seal and a nonstick pot that actually holds up after 10 washes. I figure it's the way the heat spreads out inside that makes the difference. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in quality right around that $40 to $60 price range for rice cookers?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucasjackson8d ago

My $20 rice cooker from college basically doubled as a smoke alarm tester every time I made white rice. Jumped to a $55 model after my buddy's place looked like a Gordon Ramsay kitchen and now I actually eat the crispy bits because they're tasty instead of scraping them off like charcoal. Guess you really do get what you pay for, or in my case, what you don't burn.

kim.zara8d ago

Huh, really @lucasjackson? I mean yeah a crappy rice cooker sucks but I've got a $20 one from Target and it's been fine for years. The crispy bits thing is just a matter of timing not the machine. Maybe I'm just lucky but I've never had a smoke problem unless I forgot to put the lid on. Calling it a smoke alarm tester feels dramatic, like sure bad cookers exist but not every cheap one is a fire hazard.