• Hole in lid so that steam can escape
• Glass lid so you can see what's going on
• Definitely an asset non stick pan
• Removable cord for better storage
• Steamer tray although you can use on of those fold up ones.
• Programmable so that rice will be ready when you are and not sit all day in warm cycle.

What kind of rice to cook in your cooker

Rice comes in many varieties. Short grain, long grain, white, brown, etc.
Short grain white rice has more starch and will stick together.
Some rice cookers work better with the long grain white rice.
Every brand of cooker is different, so some experimentation is required.
A little more or less water or liquid may be required.

Generally white rice is 1 cup raw rice to 1 cup liquid whereas brown rice requires approximately 2 cups liquid to the 1 cup of raw rice.

Why is my rice so sticky?

That depends on the rice you are using.  Medium grain tends to be slightly more sticky than long grain rice. Short grain rice, which is also called "pearl rice" cooks up soft and sticky. Used mainly for making sushi and rice pudding.

How ever some rice regardless of variety that is imported  has milling residue or starch on it, so when adding water to rice in your rice cooker you notice the color of the water turns a milky white then there is a lot of this starch present. You might want to rinse the rice 3 or 4 times first before continuing.

Better rice texture

Soaking your rice for up to a hour before turning on a rice cooker, will improve the texture of the finished rice. The rice kernels have time to absorb more moisture and cooking time is reduced by 6-8 minutes. We usually tend to presoak any where from 15 to 30 minutes with good results. This step is included automatically in the the fuzzy logic rice cookers.

Cleaning your rice cooker.

It is recommended that all parts of the rice cooker should be washed by hand. If rice has cooked on then soak pot in cold water and it should then clean up easily. The outer housing of the rice cooker should also be wiped down with a sponge or damp cloth ( do not submerge in water).
Some rice pots are coated with a non stick coating. It does make clean up easier, but you must be careful not to scratch surface so use only plain sponge or non abrasive nylon scrubber.

Wiping the pot with oil or spraying a light coating of cooking oil before adding rice and water also seems to help prevent the rice from sticking to bottom.  

Cautions:

• Always unplug your rice cooker or steamer before cleaning.
• Do not place the electrice cooker or steamer too close to cabinets, especially under the upper cabinets.  These units to produce copious amounts of steam that may cause warping or damage to the cabinet finish.
• Always lift the lids away from your face and arms to avoid the steam which can cause serious burns.
• Make sure the power cord is not hanging over counter edge where it could get snagged or pulled on by a small child.
• The "cook-hold" type cookers are always on when plugged in, so make sure the unit is unplug from power source when not in use.
• The "cook-hold" type rice cookers can keep rice warm  as long as unit is plugged in.  This is ok when keeping plain rice warm for hours, because plain rice is not a good medium for bactrerial growth. However if you have ingredients that include especially chicken or seafood ,these contents should be removed immediately after cooking to serving dishes.  This way no harmful bacteria can multiply.
• When cleaning the rice cooker, after soaking in warm or cold water, pour contents through a strainer and dispose of in garbage.  If you pour left over rice staight down the sink , you may create a clog that could be especially hard to remove with drain cleaners.