Growing up, our family’s rice cooker was a staple, like the refrigerator or the kitchen sink. It never occurred to me to not have one. As an adult, I noticed friends cooked rice in a pot on the stovetop. There’s nothing wrong with that, but let’s see which approach gets you the easiest and consistently best rice. The Contenders Okay, so cooking rice isn’t exactly difficult. As far as kitchen skills go, it’s one of the easiest foods to make, right up there with toast and cereal. However, there are two basic ways to make rice happen, with strong opinions on both sides: Rice Cookers: Rice cooker users say they do the job perfectly every time and they’re a must. Cookers range quite a bit in price and utility. Some go for as little as $15, and others with tons of features and options for over$200. Expensive rice cookers, like the Zojirushi, use “fuzzy logic” technology, which senses the type of rice you’re cooking and adjusts itself to make better sushi, porridge, brown rice, and ...