Perhaps for the experienced only?

I've read the reviews on this page and agree with everyone to a certain extent.

A little history. I've always used the rice cooker with the sealed lid where the condensation would collect on the side. It being sealed, it allowed me to keep the rice warm to extended periods. After a small accident in the kitchen, I was in search of a new one and chose this great looking unit.

Known problem:
1)"Over flow". As some already stated, if the rice is rinsed a few times through water, this is a non issue. I never made it over flow once (With sealed units, there are no issues of overflow, rinsed or not.)

2)"Burnt bottom". This was an issue at my first attempt of making rice. Never have I needed to spray the non stick inner bowl with non-stick spray (or oil) before cooking rice with previous steamers. The heating element on the Cuisinart is obviously too powerful. Design flaw? maybe, but with the simple note in the manual explaining to apply non-stick spray, it resolves the issue. Of the 3 times I used it, twice i forgot to spray and had to empty the bowl.

3) "Lid hard to clean". To me, this is the weakest complain. If you make the rice properly, it should never over flow, therefore not dirtying the lid. Really, how hard is it to clean water vapour

4) Not great for extended "keep warm" mode. Since the lid is not sealed, it will dry out pretty fast. This is actually my biggest annoyance.

Anyway. As much as I love the look of this unit, i found it too temperamental. I'm retuning it and looking at another stainless steel unit with a sealed lid. Saw one from Oster. (it's half the price too) Wish me luck.