I stumbled across this jangly little Anko (Kmart Australia) “novelty sized” rice cooker for $15 and, look, I couldn’t not buy it. It’s palm-sized, it looks like a toy, and it lives next to other teeny kitchen gadgets that absolutely scream “play house”… except this one is actually a real rice cooker. So I put it to work the only way that matters: make a single serve of rice so I can smash it with Japanese curry, because curry without rice is like a hamburger without cheese — you can do it, but what’s the point of life if you don’t? I also nerd out a bit on why basic rice cookers are so clever: the Curie-point magnetic switch that flips to “warm” once the water’s gone and the temperature can climb. The first cook was exactly the mild disappointment I expected — partly my fault because I didn’t rinse properly — and the result was too moist and a bit mushy. So instead of doing a dumb first-impression, I ran another six serves through it over a week and a half and actually dialed it in. The trick: use a smidge less water than the line suggests, rinse properly, and let it sit on warm for 15–20 minutes. It’s still not my old fancy fuzzy-logic Japanese rice-cooker perfection, but for $15 on a tight budget, it’ll do. It’s fiddly, light, and a bit annoying to scoop from… but it’s also kind of adorable on the counter.