Cuisinart CRC-400 4-Cup Rice Cooker

Healthy cooking and sleek modern design meld in this rice cooker from Cuisinart. A smaller version of the eight-cup cooker, this one also features a handsome brushed stainless-steel exterior, a square shape with rounded corners, chrome-plated handles, and a glass lid with a stainless rim, chrome knob, and steam vent hole. Inside you'll find a high-quality stainless-steel steaming basket and a nonstick cooking bowl that produces 4 to 7 cups of rice. The cooker also steams vegetables and thin cuts of meat, creating a complete, fat-free meal with little effort. Besides various types of rice, the cooker cooks couscous, polenta, oatmeal, boiled eggs, shrimp, and much more. An included booklet presents gourmet recipes for such mouth-watering meals as Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Asparagus, and Teriyaki Steamed Chicken with Cranberry Wild Rice. Cuisinart gives this upscale rice cooker extra panache with a cord that pulls out and then retracts for storage. One lever is all that's required to flip the machine on. Two different colored LED lights illuminate, one during the cooking phase, and the other when the machine automatically switches to warm when cooking is done. Included with the machine are a textured plastic paddle for stirring and serving, and a plastic measuring cup calibrated specifically for rice. All the unit's removable parts are dishwasher-safe. The cooker measures 7-3/4 by 7-3/4 by 9 inches, and is covered by a three-year warranty. --Ann Bieri