Be careful, though, as the vent releases quite a lot of steam during cooking so never take the lid off without the aid of an oven glove or tea towel. With basically two settings – cooking and 'keep warm' – it’s certainly not fancy but it does the job. It allows you to cook rice or steam veg without having to watch over it to ensure it doesn’t boil dry. When compiling our list of recommendations, our team of experienced, trusted parenting journalists spend hours researching every product category, using a variety of sources to analyse and evaluate which products perform best. Many of the recommendations for rice cookers came from Mumsnetters themselves who’ve spent hours of their time putting the products through their paces at mealtimes. Coconut Milk – Coconut milk is not only a flavour-rich ingredient but it is healthy too. Even though coconut milk has a high-fat content it also has several health benefits! This includes boosting the immune system and promoting cardiovascular health.

The instructions are pretty basic it doesn’t, for instance, say how many portions the minimum amount of three cups equals. We found going by 60-90g of uncooked rice per person that three cups (450g) was more than enough for four to five. It cooks all kinds of rice, including wild rice. Although that should be cooked as a mix with basmati, as on its own it requires too much water. One feature that every rice cooker has – as everyone will use it – is the “keep warm” feature. Once your rice has finished cooking, the rice cooker will keep it warm for you so you can top up your plate or have a hot dinner on standby for anyone coming home late. Some models we tried produce rice that has a crunchy, crispy bottom. No, we didn’t burn it, it’s a much-loved dish in many parts of the world. Called Tahdig in Persain cooking, socarrat in Spain and nurungji in Korea. This was, for us, a new taste and texture sensation, and one we’ll be trying again. Will my rice cooker speed up the cooking process?It’s pricey but it’s a great investment if you eat rice several times a week. Mumsnetters love its simplicity - just add rice and water, let it do its thing and it’ll keep the rice warm until you’re ready to serve. Simply measure the quantity of rice or grains into the colander, rinse and drain, and place the colander into the cooking pot with the correct quantity of water and then secure the lid on top using the rice paddle. We love this fail-safe rice cooker from Japanese brand Zojirushi because it’s easy to use and makes soft, fluffy rice every time, without the crispy bottom many cheaper rice cookers can leave you with. It can make enough rice for up to 5 people at once, and has settings for white, sushi, long grain, brown and congee rice.

The least amount of dry weight rice you can cook in this machine is 2 cups, which is about 4-6 portions, making it a great choice for family dinners. If there are just two of you, then you can freeze the remaining rice once it’s cooled. Cleaning care dishwasher safe to prevent staining avoid using with strong colourant foods such as turmeric not suitable for use in a convection microwave oven using convection settings a conventional oven on a hob or under the grill The M-Cuisine Collection by Joseph Joseph consists of a variety of highly functional cookware that enables you to prepare food in the microwave. Rice, eggs, pasta and other foods can be cooked and prepared with the functional containers in just a few steps. Material information

That said, we used the traditional one cup of rice to one cup of water method and that produced good results for both basmati and long grain rice. Brown rice needs more water – about a cup and a half to every cup of rice. We did have to try it a couple of times to get it right. There’s a 'keep warm' function but the manufacturers recommend not keeping that on for more than four hours. Cooking times are dependent on how powerful your microwave is. We used the guidelines based on an 800w microwave and it produced both basmati and long grain rice to a good standard. It cooks porridge oats, too. We loved the fact that you could cook portion sizes from one up to six. However, we felt they were a little on the small side for our big appetites, so would recommend cooking an extra portion just to be safe. Jamaican Rice and Peas can be a healthy dish. The key to making this recipe healthy is in choosing healthy ingredients. Although white rice is traditionally used in the Jamaican Rice and Peas recipe, there are healthier alternatives to white rice. By substituting white rice for brown rice, you will significantly cut your caloric intake and get a healthier dish. Another vote for the Joseph Joseph one, great rice every time and it's good for porridge too" - ContadoraExplorer Our verdict

Yes! The amount of cooking time and water will vary, but rice cookers can generally deal with any kind of rice, including basmati, pilau, Jasmine and sushi rice. Are rice cookers worth it?Easy to Use Design– The rice cooker provides all the tools to simply and easily cook perfectly fluffy rice within the microwave. Most cheap rice cookers can only cook long-grain rice and even then only to a basic standard of quality. Basmati, the curry house staple we’re all familiar with, is a long-grain rice. Pricier rice cookers can handle other types – notably short-grain rice, the type used in risotto as well as Thai and Japanese dishes, and more unusual rice-based dishes using presets chosen from a control panel on the front of the rice cooker. What’s the best feature on a dedicated rice cooker? A cult favourite among Mumsnetters, the Instant Pot 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker cooks all sorts of dishes up to 70% faster than traditional methods, with rice taking just four minutes. Their motto is “set it and forget it”, and you can cook up to five dishes at once within the magical gizmo.