Kitchen
The Magnet That Knows Your Rice Is Done
A heating plate, a sensor and one clever magnet decide when your rice is done.
Read the full teardown
Kitchen
What’s Inside a Rice Cooker
A basic rice cooker has no timer. While there is water in the pot, the temperature can’t rise much above boiling point. Once the rice has absorbed the water, the pot heats up quickly, and a temperature switch under the pot cuts the cooking heater and leaves the rice on keep warm.
Transcript
Press the switch, and the rice cooks itself. How does it know? Let's cut it open. While there's water, the pot can't get past 100 degrees. Under it, a magnet clings to a special metal disc. When the water's gone, it heats up. Just above 100, the disc stops being magnetic. The magnet drops, and the switch pops back up.
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