Lauren Graham bought this all-purpose rice cooker on a whim – now it's her go-to, super-efficient kitchen essential under $210

A rice cooker is, for some, a true kitchen essential. For the unconverted, Lauren Graham proposes a traditional Japanese cooker that might just convince you to get on board.

Her pick? A compact, clay pot named the Kamado-san Rice Cooker (available at Jinen) that she uses to cook rice and keep soup hot. Based on her description, we wouldn't be surprised if this were one of the best rice cookers on the market.

'My mother grew up mainly in Tokyo, and probably partially because of that, I love Japan,' she told the Strategist.

'I discovered there’s a store in L.A. called Toiro, and the owner imports all these Japanese pantry items and beautiful clay, and it was sort of on a whim that I bought this. (But it was also because of owner Naoko Takei Moore’s cookbook – she makes so many things.) It’s like an all-purpose pot; the clay gets very hot, so it keeps food hot. But these pots are probably the ones I use the most, to heat things up and to make soup and Japanese rice with the perfect texture: not gloopy, not dry. You can also use it like a big soup pot and put it in the center of the table, and everybody helps themselves. So it’s a rice cooker, but it’s also a party.'

At $208, it is certainly an investment, but as Lauren describes, it is a multi-purpose kitchen appliance (not to mention very chic in its black-painted, ceramic facade, with a spoon rest to boot). I never thought rice cookers could look so aesthetic, but after seeing Lauren's choice, I confess: This deserves a place on my countertops – and with such a small kitchen, I certainly don't say that very often.

It's also prompted me more to think about other types of rice cookers on the market. To help, I caught up with my colleagues who have tested the other rice cookers worth knowing about. I've rounded up some of their favorites below, so you're covered with good measure. Happy shopping!

Shop our rice cooker picks