I was thinking about purchasing one and wondered which people thought were the best. I’m particularly interested in the fuzzy logic ones with neat timer functions. It’s not that I don’t know how to whip up a decent batch of rice but I’m easily distracted while cooking and sometimes end up with a pot of charcoal. And let’s face it, I’m like some technoraven - bright, shiny gadgets attract my attention. It would be nice though to wake up in the morning (um, afternoon really) to a nice hot pot of congee. Do these cookers handle other grains I wonder? I eat a lot of grains like quinoa and millet for example. And if I could find a machine that would cook up a mess of stone-ground grits whenever I wanted I think I might have to marry it. 
The Zojirushi models look quite sleek and functional but they sure are pricey. I’ve also seen some Panasonic and National brand models that cost a bit as well. I’m sure I can talk myself into another appliance ere long though (I’ve had enough practice). So which one would fulfill my hearts’s desire?
I can’t give much info, since I’m in the market for one myself, but I can tell you that the really, really cheap $10 models I’ve gotten at K-Mart haven’t been worth the money I wasted.
If I can find the models I’ve tried, I’ll post 'em, but with both cheapie models, I’ve ended up with rice that’s burned on the bottom, soggy in the middle layer and crunchy on the top layer.
A certain minimum quality level is obviously required.
(I’ve heard good things about Zogorushi too.)
Fenris
We have an LG brand that we brought back from Korea. Its name is Lucky (yes we name our appliances. Don’t ask). If you can swing it, I would definitely reccommend the kind that are like presure cookers rather than merely steamers.
With but one exception, every Korean and Filipino family I’ve known had a Zojirushi.
Other rice cookers will do the job, Zojirushi is a pleasure.
I’ve lived in Asia about 20 years, including Japan, Taiwan, HK and China. For 19 of those years I just used whatever rice cooker. I remember Hitachi, Sharp, Sanyo and a slew of others. A year ago I got a Zojirushi, and it is simply a great rice cooker. I can’t even really tell you why, but nonetheless it’s better than all the other’s I’ve owned.
Yep, you can cook other stuff , use it as a simmering pot, etc. It may take some experimentation but you can cook grains, lentils, etc.
I’ve had a National rice cooker for a few months (it was a Christmas present). It makes great rice, just the right stickyness, and I really like the 24 hour timer. I haven’t tried out the steamer or slow cooker yet, although it did a really nice job on some shrimp and sausage jambalaya. Note: I don’t recommend purchasing a cooker from appliances.com; they lost the order and took a very long time to actually ship the product. I saw a similar cooker available at Williams-Sonama for a comprable price.
Thanks for the good advice everyone!