my wife buy it for I for Christmas , because I be on a variant of the Paleo diet and wheat\/oats\/barley etc. now forbid , so rice have become a staple starch in we house . I have always make rice out of a box in the past , so do not know what to expect . this machine be idiot-proof , and so far -lrb- 4 month -rrb- have cook perfect rice every time . I have probably use it on average twice a week for at least the last 3 month , and have never have a problem . the control be stupid easy : plug in , put rice and appropriate amount of water in the non-stick pot insert , place pot in the cooker , and press the button . the light on the front will switch from `` keep warm '' to `` Cook . '' when it switch back to `` keep warm '' you rice be do . there be three small flaw that I be sure be design compromise make in the interest of keep the price low . the first , and most important , be that as long as the machine be plug in , the heating element remain on . so if you plate you dinner and go eat without unplug , the leftovers continue to heat and will wind up hard , dry , and eventually burn . pay a little more would be fine for the safety of a machine with a automatic time shutoff , I think . the second flaw be the overall build quality of the cooking pot insert . it be very lightweight -lrb- aluminum , I suppose -rrb- , and the non-stick inner surface be plainly cheap . take particular care not to scratch it while wash . finally , it would be nice if there be some sort of aural indication that the rice be do . a beep or other repeat alert sound would be very helpful . work around its minor limitation , this have so far be a excellent addition to my kitchen - no more rice from a box for I !