Cuisinart 4 Cup Rice Cooker & Coffee Grinder Combo Set - Perfect for Small Kitchens, Dorms & Office Use

I bought this Cuisinart rice cooker in 2006; it still works as of 2019.Growing up I was afraid of cooking and doing it on my own as an adult. It was your typical adulthood fear. I partially wished my mom cultivated me to cook more as a child, but it doesn't matter now because I learned on my own. And it helps that I have my mom's chef genes.— COOKING RICE —Cooking rice with this is super easy. Here are my general steps:1. Scoop the rice you intend to eat into a bowl; I find 1/2 to 3/4 cup per person is a good portion.2. Clean the rice by pouring cold water into the bowl to near-full while mixing the rice around with your hands for a minute. This helps to clean off debris and remove any surface starch that can make rice gummy.3. Let rice sit for 5-10 minutes. Empty out the water, and repeat the rinsing and waiting until the water is clear. Three rinses is usually enough to get the rice moist and clean.4. Drain the water out of bowl, and pour just the rice into the cooker.5. Pour in water. I usually add slightly more than 3/4 cup of water per cup of rice. So 1.5 cups of water for 2 cups of rice, etc. I don't usually add more than 1 cup of water to 1 cup of rice.6. Important: Add the stainless steel steaming basket to the top of the container so that it looks like it's 5 inches taller, then, put on the cover. This piece helps with steaming and prevents bubbling overflow.7. Press the Cook button and wait until it flips back up. You're done!— FLAVORING —If you want to flavor your rice, I would add whatever spices you would like after Step 4, and mix it in with the water of Step 5. I usually add coconut milk, or Cajun seasoning. Experiment and discover.— CRITIQUES —I've read people's critiques and from the sound of it it seems like they're doing things wrong versus this item not working properly. A lot of reviews usually say two things: it overflows, which can be prevented by adding the stainless steel steaming basket to the top, and adding the right amount of water.The second critique is that rice doesn't come out cooked. That can be fixed by soaking it, and making sure you using the appropriate amount of water. Also, don't try to cheat by adding dry rice and water to this and pressing cook; you definitely need to soak the rice and soften it up first because it will end up not cooked if you attempt taking a shortcut.— SUMMARY —This is a great 4-cup rice cooker that is easy to use. Recommended.