Electric cookers include a vast range of appliances such as rice cookers, whole grain cookers, stock pots, all purpose pots, steamers, pressure cookers and even slow cookers. One could even argue that an electric skillet is also a cooker or cooking appliance.
However, the term electric cooker most commonly refers to electric rice or grain cookers, steamers or soup/stock pots. And while a slowcooker performs its function by slowly cooking over several hours and a pressure cooker on the other hand cuts cooking time to a fraction, electric cookers may cut cooking time slightly, but mostly are designed to cook foods at a constant temperature for a given period of time for best flavor and texture.
Performance may be the reason some use an electric cooker, since results are often better than with stovetop cooking, which is sometimes rushed when the process is long. There's also a tendency to vary the heat to avoid hot spots on the stove if stirring is not consistent, and that can lead to less than ideal results. With a cooker, one is also more inclined to cook difficult foods that are otherwise avoided for lack of time and expertise.
But the reason most use an electric cooker is time - cooking appliances do save you time, even if the cycle is not shorter than cooking on the stove. Whole grains and especially long-grain brown rice, take a very long time to cook on the stove. That's where an electric cooker enables you to walk away and do other things. You do have to monitor cooking and unlike a slowcooker that may not require stirring, you may have to occasionally stir contents, but a cooker does release you from being held at the stove constantly during the entire cooking time. An electric cooker with a keep-warm setting, adds another level of convenience.
Lower energy is another good reason for using an electric cooker rather than a pot on a stovetop element to cook soup, stews or other foods. Another benefit is that foods can be cooked away from the range area in a cooker and that can improve the workflow in a busy kitchen. When you are cooking a large meal, an electric rice cooker or vegetable steamer can simulate having an extra cooking element (or two) and that can help you get the entire meal completed for serving time. Using an electric cooker can also generate less heat in the kitchen keeping it more comfortable in hot climates. An electric cooker can quickly become the time-saver you need to make cooking more efficient and enjoyable.
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