Discussion
Today I learned that a rice cooker works because of a specially designed magnet that loses its magnetism at just over 100C (Curie point).
When you switch it on, a piece of metal sticks to the magnet, completing the circuit and heating on high. Heat stays on high until all of the water is absorbed or boiled off, at which point the temp rapidly climbs and the magnet drops the switch.
@douginamug @TrueNorthSpice Huh I always wondered how it works and I was not prepared for this. 🤯
@douginamug A heads up that this describes Toshiba's technology from the 1950s and is only found on the cheapest machines these days. Most rice cookers use microprocessor control as pioneered by Zojirushi, marketed as 'fuzzy logic'. If you are shopping, the smaller the rice cooker the more the technology matters (less water, so control has to be more precise).
@douginamug what!? That is amazingly cool and whoever invented it should have a prize.
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@douginamug
Oh, that's cool - I always assumed that rice cookers used a thermocouple adjusted for 100C, which would function almost the same way.