You might not think a rice cooker belongs in the same class of essential cooking tools as, say, a chef’s knife or cutting board , but think again: If you eat rice on a regular basis, owning one of these appliances will change your life for the better. Here at Bon Appétit , we typically shy away from recommending single-use cooking gadgets, but a rice cooker is an exception to that rule. After years of testing, I can confirm that there’s simply no easier, more effective way to make a perfect pot of rice—and that no rice cooker will do so better than our top pick, the Zojirushi NP-HCC10 .…