The rice cooker’s instruction manual consists of five parts—the safety warnings, the identification of the different parts of the appliance, the instructions for cooking rice, the other functions of the rice cooker, and the instructions for cleaning the appliance.
The safety warnings were split into four headings. Three of these headings have the same message—carelessness may cause electricity-caused injuries to you or the appliance. The fourth heading explains that the cooker has been supplied with a short cord to keep it from snagging and crimping, but a longer cord would be provided upon request (Panasonic, n.d.). As the warnings were repetitive, the headings division seems unnecessary. In addition, the safety reminders had no organization—containing lapses in grammar and a jumble of imperative and narrative sentences. The seventh rule, which states that extreme care must be practiced when moving a hot liquid-filled appliance (Panasonic, n.d.), has nothing to do at all with cooking rice and seems to have been lost by the coffeemaker manual.
The instructions on how to actually cook rice were better explained and easy to understand. The main steps were clear and straight to the point. The short notes on the side were very informative as well yet unobtrusive enough not to confuse them with the main steps. However, it may be argued that one’s familiarity with using the appliance may have actually helped in the process of comprehending the directions. The illustrations identifying the different parts of the rice cooker were helpful, as were the ones found in beside each main step. The words used were precise in explaining the steps, but the illustrations were also essential for this how-to-use manual.
The instructions for the other functions—“keep warm,” “preset timer,” “cook timer,” and “reheat rice” functions—were at par with the quality of the instructions for the main steps, if only a bit less repetitive. The side notes for these instructions were also trivial but useful. They feature tips for using the rice cooker that can be applied in a “real life scenario” instead of just being purely technical. The directions for cleaning the rice cooker were also very specific; they differentiated the ways to safely and carefully clean each part of the cooker.
Reference
Panasonic. (n.d.). Electronic Rice Cooker/ Warmer: Operating Instructions. Retrieved November 21, 2008 from http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/SRCF05P.PDF
