Maybe the cheap ones have improved since I last used one. I owned about three cheap ones over a span of about eight years before getting the Zojirushi. Two fail

Maybe the cheap ones have improved since I last used one. I owned about three cheap ones over a span of about eight years before getting the Zojirushi. Two failed, and one I gave away when I got the Zojirushi. In my experience, the quality was just very different. I used to steam and cook rice on the same pot, but didn't really like the flavors dripping down (broccoli juice is kinda bitter and weird in rice or pasta) so I stopped doing it. But I guess it's a good feature if you like that sort of thing, and it's true the Zojirushi doesn't work for that. It just makes rice and grains (oats, porridge, etc.) really well, consistently.