Originally Posted by
YVR Cockroach
You probably don't remember (or possibly were alive to) but the National (Panasonic/Mashushita) rice cookers from the '70s were like you described. Just a simple aluminium lid with a glass insert sometimes.
Never had a problem as the control mechanism was simple: Heat to ~100C and turn itself off as the temp sensor went over (indicating water was all boiled off).
Sorry, should have said
Clearly you don't have a MODERN Japanese or Korean rice cooker.
Nowadays, people don't need a block of ice for their refrigerators to work either
The old style rice cookers are still being made in many parts of the world (I certainly still see them for sale in the UK) and
: D! seems to be referring to something similar.
The Asians queuing up to spend big money on rice cookers in Japan are clearly fed up with their old style rice cookers (just as I once was)