the aroma arc-150sb 20-cup Digital Rice Cooker\/Food Steamer work best for serve 2 to 4 people at a time . if you try to cook one cup of rice or oatmeal , it can do it but you must monitor it . if you do not eat rice , oatmeal , or steamed food , this will likely be a space consuming dust collector to you . I try cook rice and oatmeal , steam garden vegetable -lrb- carrot , broccoli , squash -rrb- , and baked a batch of brownie . the brownie be make directly in the `` rice basket '' and need to be monitor . I think it would have work better with a double-batch . no hard section of the brownie . as I usually need for only one or two people , I have mix feeling about get lesser result for small quantity . it be necessary to go with this size to have steamer basket capability -lrb- my primary need for the unit -rrb- . when you cook for 2 to 4 , it work very well . fuzzy logic make the unit versatile . it be not a re-warmer . -lrb- the unit take time to warm up and require moisture . you will waste time and electric and probably not like the result . -rrb- it be not a slow cooker . accept it . the unit have be easy to clean , and I have not have the horrible pasty mess that other rice cooker make . then again , I have alternate what I cook . maybe steam between cooking starchy food help . this cooker\/steamer do what it claim to do and do it well .