I like how this is dishwasher safe, doesn’t stain, and is easily stored in one enclosed unit that fits in my stock pot when not in use. I use it to steam veggies and to make perfect rice that needs no attention.Got one for my son’s only-the-basics first apartment He uses the insert as a colander, the pot without the steamer as a his microwave bowl for easy rice mix, quick grits, easy oats and reheating cause it’s tall and doesn’t boil over. He also keeps leftovers in it in the fridge. (he doesn’t have big tupperware, the lid holds down the foil and it’s more compact and secure than his previous solution, a pot with a lid in the fridge!) The measuring cup and flat spoon are a bonus since they take up no extra space too.Two notes: my old weak microwave takes more time and a splash more water than the instructions. Took me 3 tries to get rice perfect. And it’s no joke getting it out of microwave, observe the wait time after cooking and use mitts!Ignore the mess of my microwave I’m in a lot of pain… I am showing the size of this cooker…only reason for 4 stars is the only drawback is the instructions are horrible you have to learn on your own I included my recent meal I steamed with it in my microwave… i am completely disabled right now… i can’t use my kitchen… so this really helps me… but it definitely is worth it I highly recommend 10/10 I have steamed both frozen and fresh cod and fresh veggies it all came out perfectly edit on 9/17/22 I used it to cook pasta broke the pasta In half.. heated the water in my microwave for 6 minutes then cooked it for 15 minutes it came out perfectly …. Very easy to clean as well.. no odd smell definitely get it if you do a lot of steam cooking ! No I am not paid for thisThe product is stylish the instructions are easy to follow. Strainer bucket works well for rinsing rice and as inside cooking bucket. Measuring cup for measuringrice and water to cooking pot, one serving or more. Place vented lid on nested Strainer/Cooking pot and secure with rice paddle. Microwave Cooking and standing time do not need monitoring, follow cooking times for serving size, and rice is tender and cooked just fluff and serve. Low weight works well in an RV!I have a small microwave,bottom for rice worked great, insidemof top was full of pepper when open, might added a bit to.much water. Can't add other parts and use,too tall.Works as promised, making quick rice in the microwave in about ten minutes. Simple to prepare and clean up, afterwards. Great for a simple lunch or dinner.The rice turns out perfect! In less time and with easier clean up, we will have rice more often. Great value!This is my first(and only)microwave rice cooker and I like it! Gave my electric one away several years ago to save cabinet space and I’ve been burning our rice since then in every pan I own (even my AllClad!). This takes very little cabinet space, cleans easily and makes perfect rice. I highly recommend it.Easy to use and prepare healthy foodWorking and living with peoples from South East Asia rice soon became the norm for me, even though I seldom ate it, except with curry. Soon, I noticed how useful it was to bulk out a meal, and that's a good money saver.In our house all the Asians had their own rice machines, I had never seen these contraptions before, but it was like an iPhone for them, they all used them and all had one. Those machines came in all shapes and prices, and completely incompatible with my views of kitchen utilities: which must be clean at all times, and therefore easy to clean.Joseph & Joseph's Microwave Rice and Grain Cooker solution was very much more affordable by comparison, and with a pleasing Bauhaus inspired modular design, but with a contemporary natural colour palate. Being left inside a microwave it would also have a home when not in use, thus not taking up space I didn't have to spare. I now had the advantage over my Asian housemates as my "cooker": looked better, cost (my parents) less and was always clean, of which none of them could compete with.The quality of the cooked rice depends: for a Westerner it was the best rice that I had consistently ever made, to the point that I couldn't tell the difference between rice from their machine or my own. They were too polite to say if it was less tasty, but they certainly liked it, so in my book that was good enough. Using this system I finally realised that rice should be washed beforehand, even my Australian housemates knew that, but for some reason I didn't, but then again I wasn't a big rice eater.Since investing in this system I now save more money, I know what quality of rice to go for ("New Crop" is best: it's all about harvest cycles with rice) and have learned how to pre-prepare rice. It couldn't be a simpler cooking process with this system as one only need measure the appropriate amount of water and allow the microwave to do the rest, whilst preparing the remainder of the meal.It took a little bit of time to absently trust a microwave to be on for eleven minutes (White Long Grain rice) as I'd never cooked anything close to that long ever before, and this was also of a polymer material. However, the scare stories were unfounded in my situation and never have I come close to melting the cooker, I did my research and cooked in stages to begin with, checking along the way.I got a good tip from somebody: when you don't have access to Jasmine Rice, just make your own using Jasmine Tea leaves (after all, that's what it actually is!) - with approximately half a teabag per cup of rice !!After two years of semi-regular use I think I know this product well enough to suggest improvements:1. Removing the lid after cooking2. Separating steamed foodstuffs from sitting water3. Rice gets caught in the colander's holesLid Removal:As the water boils to cook the rice it bubbles through the vents cut away from the lid, forming a slippery puddle that makes the tiny protruding knob difficult to grip on to.Unlike other suggestions of a knurled design around the edges of the knob. Which would not only interrupt the smooth design, but not be faithful to its sliding philosophy of operation: everything slides together, including the lock. I would instead employ a sliding pivot to simply poke the lid out of alignment with the rice paddle.Although I shy away from moving parts, and have never seriously relied on the built in handle on the colander, I can see there not being any compromise on that feature. So rather than removing the handle on the colander compartment, remove the existing wall that mirrors the handle instead, giving the lid a central pivot point of 180°, so when one half of the lid is pushed with the rice paddle from above it will tip like the Titanic and easily be removed.This would also mean the exterior body design would have to become flush as the lid no longer sits around its ledge to stabilise. In fact the lid is already designed to fit neatly on top of the colander itself when separated from the main outer body unit, but I have never done this and always kept all compartments compiled when in use, left inside the microwave to retain heat.Self Sufficient Draining:To give enough time for water to drain away from recently steamed vegetables, and avoid them left sitting in a pool of excess water, balancing the colander into the top of the cooker's outer body would keep the entire draining process self contained, avoiding sullying another surface.It would require the inner body to have groves cut to allow the colander to slide securely into position diagonally, around a 30-45° angle. This would also require the drainage holes to continue an inch or so further up from its base to avoid the water collecting in the colander itself.Nature Abhors A Vacuum:Aside from the colander, each element it simple to maintain. Without that this device would not only be unhygienic, but undesirable to rely on for more than a few uses. The colander must have an exit route for water, but that doesn't mean through narrow holes. In my experience, the rice all to easily collects and solidifies dry in those hard to reach holes. Better would it be to have slits running the length of the base to swipe clear and clean in a single motion with any normal household sponge.Conclusions:After two years, I have found that following instructions would guarantee the same results each time I cooked rice. These results were better than the best rice that I had ever cooked in a pan on the hob, and with such ease.While broken pieces of rice would collect in the holes of the colander, and during operation the lid can become tricky to remove, on the whole the design is simple to completely deconstruct for cleaning.The design is the most sophisticated of its price point, with mute colours pleasing to the eye and of a reliable solid constriction, except for the flimsy colander handle.The price has only increased £1 for each of those two years I have owned this product.I would recommend purchasing this utility over similarly priced competitors. However, they could improve the mechanics of the device to optimise it's shortcomings.Pro:• Fair price• Consistently reliable results• Easy to clean (mostly)• Uncomplicated product design• Pleasing to the eyeCon:• Lid is slippery to remove after cooking• Colander handle is flimsy and pointless• Colander could be easier to clean• Could be more self sufficient and versatileAfter a few false starts (I should have read the handy booklet that comes with it) I managed to see why this is a handy pot to have in the kitchen. First things - as you would expect from Joseph Joseph, it's made of sturdy plastic and looks like the kitchen cousin of a Dyson. It doesn't reduce the time for making rice (in the case of wholemeal rice, the cooking time is significantly longer). But it does take away the need to keep checking on rice to make sure the pot is spilling over and splashing on the cooking surface. And it does what it says - it produces perfect rice, fluffy and ready to eat (so long as you read the handy booklet that comes with it). One word of warning, I heated some baked beans in it (it's not meant for that purpose). I can't get the stains from the plastic now. However, the flavour of the rice I've cooked since hasn't been affected. It's just that the bottom of the pot now has an orange circle. This is a good buy for people who just want to add the correct weight of ingredients, switch on the microwave and then go off and do other things until it pings and the food is ready. It's not a time-saver unless you factor in the other things you can be doing while it's doing its job.It took 12 meals to get the quantities and cooking times exactly right. You'll probably need to experiment with the instruction charts. But now the JJ rice cooker does basmati, long grain and brown rice perfectly. My kitchen doesn't steam up, and it's oddly satisfying to open the container to find perfectly cooked rice AND no water remaining.The fitted colander is handy for first rinsing uncooked basmati or long grain rice - it's why I chose this make of rice cooker. Pending washing-up, I suggest keeping the colander base under water as sometimes a few rice grains stick in the holes and they're easier to poke out if kept wet. Dishwashers (upper basket) but the dishwasher won't poke the rice out for you.The rice paddle also acts as a lock and a carry handle. It feels nicely gadgety :-)The lid's knob is hard to hold when hot, especially if I'm wearing an oven mitt. Less of a problem if, as per the instructions, you leave it to stand for a few minutes, as the rice won't get cold but the knob does. Beware the escaping hot steam as you open the lid or you'll get a free facial.I've lately found that the Nice Rice Device does 6 generous adult portions of rice in one go. If you want more, use the Nice Rice Device twice or thrice :-)Sometimes I use it as a general microwave cooker. I've done veggies (without rice) so far and the colander's handy for straining them.Best kitchen equipment I ever bought. It is simplest and probably best solution how to cook rice. It is not electric so there is little chance this will broke up. I prefer this solution that some cheap electric rice cooker that is taking lot's of space. This is very nice designed and also easy to stored. I used it twice with different types of rice and it works perfectly. Finally I didn't overcooked rice or it didn't burn.I'm using this nearly every day - it's perfect. I bought it to cook pasta (penne, gnocchi, taglioni, fusilli)... which it is going pefectly. In built strainer is such clever design. Good design + good function!