I have been in charge of cleaning up the rice cooker for almost ten years, but only last night did I discover the secret to easily scrubbing out the crud that sticks to the sides of the pot like the snot of Satan: boiling water. I’ve tried various soaps and scouring pads, brushes, acids and alkalais, but none of them were as effective as bringing a quart and a half of water to a boil and giving it five minutes to loosen up the baked-on goop. When it came off with a swipe of a sponge, I squealed like a girl at a Beetles concert.