Rice Cooker

Hello there. I am a friendly Rice Cooker. My job is the best job in the world. I make yummy, fluffy rice for families to eat for dinner. I love my shiny round tummy and my little button that lights up. Before I came to help in the kitchen, making rice could be tricky. Someone had to stand by the hot stove and watch the pot very carefully. If they didn't, the rice might get all sticky and stuck to the bottom. Or even worse, it could burn. It was hard work to make rice that was just right. But I was invented to make everything easier and much more yummy.

I was created by a very kind man named Yoshitada Minami. He saw how busy families were and wanted to help them have more time to play and be together. He worked for a very long time to find a way to cook rice perfectly without anyone having to watch it. He had a super smart idea about a special switch. This little switch could feel when all the water was gone and the rice was perfectly cooked. Then, with a little click, it would turn me off all by itself. It was like magic. In 1956, after lots of trying, I was finally ready. I was so excited to go into my first kitchen and start helping.

After I arrived, everything changed. Making rice was not hard work anymore. All someone had to do was put in rice and water and push my button. Plink. I would do all the work. It meant families had more time for stories and hugs and games. Today, I am in kitchens all over the world, helping make delicious meals. It makes me feel warm and happy inside to know I bring smiles to people's faces every single day.