Miracle Exclusives Stainless Steel Rice Cooker Model ME81 (Formerly ME8)

We had another brand rice cooker, but when we bought it, I was pretty uninformed about the possible dangers of non-stick coatings. After developing some health issues (not saying the non-stick coating caused them), I decided to be a lot more careful about what I ate and how it was prepared. So the previous non-stick rice cooker had to go and we chose this stainless steel one to replace it.There's not much to say. It seems slightly smaller than the old one, but works as one would hope or expect. I've been using it about 2-3 times per week for 6 months or so to cook short grain organic brown and there's been zero problems with it. Rice comes out just fine. I always err on the side of extra water and that guarantees soft rice. The old cooker also had a vegetable steamer tray, but it never occurred to me to use it when cooking just rice, so the result was always a lot of gooey spatter around the cooker coming from the air hole in the lid. The instructions for this cooker suggested using the tray and that elevates the lid air hole above the spatter so the counter now stays clean and dry.I've also discovered that unplugging it after the rice is done and we have taken all we want to eat at that meal keeps the bottom from baking into a hard brown crust. As soon as the rice cools a bit, I put the rest into refrigerated storage for the next several days' use. If you want to just keep it warm for an extended period of use, then don't unplug and it will stay nice and warm, but you will end up with some crunchy brown at the bottom.It costs a little more than the rest of the field with their non-stick pots, but I feel better about the long-term health aspects of stainless steel. Cleaning the pot is no harder than cleaning the old non-stick one. Of course the choice of stainless or non-stick cookware is a personal one and I am not prepared to debate the safety of non-stick coatings. This review is for those who might want a stainless steel cooker for whatever the reason.

I could not be more pleased with this Rice Cooker. I got it for the Stainless Steel (which is absolutely beautiful, by the way). Although expensive, it was absolutely worth it. Being in college, I cook out of my Rice Cooker all the time, and so I didn't really like the idea of the aluminum and non-stick in my old Rice Cooker.Before buying it, I was a bit concerned about two things: 1) Rice sticking and burning to the pan; 2) This cooker is bigger than my old one, so I worried that I wouldn't be able to cook small single servings in this one. Neither has been a problem. The auto-shut-off is very accurate. As long as you put in the right amount of water (a bit tricky sometimes with brown rice), it shuts off right on time with no significant sticking or burning (although if you leave it on warm for a while, the rice on the bottom will obviously dry out and stick). Washing is not particularly difficult either. It's just another stainless steel pan. Just soak it in water for a few minutes to loosen up the scum and whatever rice is stuck to the bottom (normally very little), and everything comes off quite easily. Sometimes a little vigorous scrubbing is necessary, but since it's steel, there's no need to worry about scratching any coatings :D.As far as quantity, I can cook anywhere from a half cup or less of dry rice, all the way up to 2 1/2+ cups dry (brown rice that is, white rice you could cook more). The only trick is to use a higher proportion of water than usual with small quantities, since with the large surface area of the pan, the water boils off quite quickly.Lastly, one of my favorite aspects of this cooker is its versatility. Besides rice, it is perfect for pasta, dried beans (works especially well for this), and whatever vegetables I throw in the steaming tray. With pasta and beans, I use the steaming tray as a baffle to prevent boil-overs (very nice). No microwave this semester, so I've been using it to quickly reheat my food and even warm up tortillas. I could probably fry an egg in the bottom if I wanted to!In conclusion: highly recommended with no reservations.