<P> Ideal cooking for rice employs a method of a fast heating source along with a uniform delivery of that heat . A gas powered pressure cooking system is able to use a flame heat source to heat the cooking vessel quickly and the pressure cooker is able to heat the internal cooking environment to higher than the boiling point of water in a uniform manner . </P> <P> In 1937 the Imperial Japanese Army sanctioned a Type 97 automobile - kitchen equipped with a primitive rice cooker . The rice cooker was a rectangular wooden box with two electrodes attached to opposite ends . To cook the rice, the box was filled with washed rice and water, and then a current was applied . This caused the water to boil . When the rice was cooked, the reduction of the water quantity caused an increase in resistance which reduced the power to a stay - warm state . This method, however, was not suitable for different water qualities or degrees of rice washing and as such varied the amount of heat produced and the end results . It also presented a high risk of electrocution, thus it was not suitable for home cooking . </P> <P> In 1945, the Japanese Mitsubishi Electric Corporation was the first company to produce an electric commercial rice cooker . The Mitsubishi product was an aluminium pot with a heating coil inside . It had no automatic turn - off facility, and it required constant monitoring during cooking . </P> <P> In the early development phase, electric home rice cookers used the simple concept of heating the rice to cook and turning off the heater when the temperature rose to a certain point . This method, however, is influenced too greatly by variation of room temperature and often produced under - cooked rice . Many makers continued to experience failures in their ongoing trial - and - error approaches . At this stage, there was even a trial model which embedded the heating element in a traditional wooden rice container . </P>

When was the first electric rice cooker invented