Popular kitchen brand Our Place is expanding its lineup with a new rice cooker. The compact kitchen appliance was created with chef and best-selling author J. Kenji López-Alt, and we had a chance to test it firsthand.
The Wonder Oven Pro and the Always Pan 2.0 made millions of fans, including me, so I was excited to test the new appliance to see if it lived up to the company's innovative reputation and social media hype.
Like all of Our Place's products, the rice cooker has a sleek, simple, vaguely retro design with just the right amount of controls. A large button on the front of the appliance pops the device open, while the smaller buttons on the top control the mode and temperature.
The rice cooker keeps a sleek look by showcasing the digital display only when it's plugged in.
Corin Cesaric-Epple/CNETThere are four modes: white rice, brown rice, oatmeal and a custom option for additional grains, and it has a six-cup capacity of cooked rice.
It also uses "fuzzy logic technology," a common feature in high-end rice cookers. Essentially, it means the appliance uses built-in sensors that read the internal temperature and adjust it as needed for perfect cooking.
When the rice cooker is on, the digital display matches that of the Wonder Oven Pro, another element that creates the cohesive look the brand is known for. Using the rice cooker is easy and feels familiar if you've used any of Our Place's other appliances.
You can adjust time and temperature.
Corin Cesaric-Epple/CNETThe rice cooker comes with a silicone measuring cup and a small wooden spatula, essentially a mini version of the one included with the Always Pan. Plus, it won't scratch the nonstick coating.
Although the rice maker feels small, it fits six cups of cooked rice.
The Our Place rice cooker is available now for $139 -- admittedly a bit pricey for a rice cooker -- in five different colors, including blue salt, steam, spice, char and the limited-edition pistachio.
