What is a Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker… Really?
When I first heard the word, it sounded like some kind of marketing gimmick gone wrong. So what is a fuzzy logic rice cooker? The answer surprised me as it turns out. In the rice cooker appliance market, there are two major types of cookers. First, there are the standard rice cookers you and I are used to seeing: these are what are known as ‘on/off’ cookers. Some have a built in warm mode that switches on once the rice is cooked, but generally the operation is all the same. Next, we have the fuzzy logic or (neuro fuzzy logic) rice cookers. These can be described most easily as modernized step brothers to the basic on/off rice cooker.
Fuzzy Logic Rice Cookers – Explained
The answer lies in the way a fuzzy logic rice cooker is designed to operate. Put plainly, a fuzzy logic rice cooker contains a very basic ‘dumbed down’ kind of computer inside that controls the way the rice is cooked. In effect, a fuzzy logic rice cooker is a basic rice cooker that has been updated with some modern day computer technology, in the hopes that the new ’smarts’ will improve the flexibility, and cooking performance of your average rice cooker appliance. If you want to know a little bit more about how it works skip to the How It Works – The Technical Details part of this article.
What Makes a Fuzzy Logic Cooker Better?
Fuzzy logic rice cookers are an improvement over the standard ‘on/off’ rice cooker as they offer tighter control over the cooking process. Standard ‘on/off’ rice cookers never make adjustments to the amount of heat added to the rice pot. They can turn the heating element on, wait for the rice to cook, and then turn it off when finished. On the other hand, fuzzy logic rice cookers constantly monitor and adjust the amount of heat during the cooking process.
As an added bonus, most fuzzy logic rice cooker have programmable settings that allow you to make ‘perfect rice’ at the push of a button… every time. These buttons come in the form of menu options for cooking brown rice, sushi rice, porridge, etc. I’m sure you can imagine some cases where these menus could come in handy.
What to Look For
Since fuzzy logic rice cookers tend to be pricer than most rice cookers, you may wish to do some research before you make your purchase. The leaders in the fuzzy logic rice cooker market are the Japanese. The Japanese companies Sanyo, Panasonic, and Zojirushi have been perfecting the technology for years. I recommend you look for rice cookers from these three brand names. Next, narrow your search to rice cookers with the capacity (uncooked cups of rice) that you’d like. Aim for something slightly bigger than you would normally need. Lastly, look for rice cookers that have the features you would like to have. Does it have the programmable menus to cook brown rice, sushi, etc? Do you prefer that it have a built in timer? Asking yourself these questions will quickly narrow your list to one or two products.
How Fuzzy Logic Rice Cookers Work – (The technical details)
Fuzzy logic rice cookers contain a type of micro controller technology capable of making logical statements such as: “IF (process is too cool) AND (process is getting colder) THEN (add heat to the process)” [credit: Seattle Robotics]. The ability to make a rule based approach (rather than a mathematical one) allows a rice cooker to use imprecise and vague information from its environment and make accurate adjustments to the cooking process.
Sources
HowStuffWorks
http://home.howstuffworks.com/rice-cooker2.htm
Seattle Robotics, Fuzzy Logic, An Introduction, Part 1 http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/Mar98/fuz/fl_part1.html#INTRODUCTION
