Annie’s Fashion Rice and Grain Cooker

less random destruction. better sleep for everyone. daily playtime that satisfies something real in him. scratching redirected away from furniture. a routine he now participates in willingly. that's the full summary of what this toy has brought to our household. nothing complicated. just a well-made, well-designed thing that works exactly as it should. five stars.

Before I found this I was worried any smartwatch would become a distraction in class. The school mode feature locks everything out during school hours — no games, no camera, calls blocked — and it just shows the time. Teachers have had zero complaints about it. My son Ciarán wears it all day, uses it after school to call me when his GAA training finishes, and the school is none the wiser about everything else it can do. That school mode was the deciding factor for me and it works exactly as described.

our son Lukáš is ten and plays football three evenings a week. for two years he'd been calling us at the end of training by borrowing another parent's phone — which was mildly awkward every single time. now he just calls from the watch the moment the session ends. it sounds minor but it's removed this small recurring friction from our week that we'd just accepted. the location tracking is brilliant too but honestly the calling thing alone was worth buying it for.

This cooker has been very reliable since I started using it. I mainly cook rice for meals, but I’ve also tried oats and barley, and everything has turned out well. The texture is always consistent, which I really appreciate. I like that I can just set it and forget it while doing other tasks. It has made my kitchen routine much smoother and less stressful overall. It’s a simple appliance, but it works exactly as needed for daily cooking.

I’ve been using this rice and grain cooker for a few months now and it has completely simplified my cooking routine. I used to struggle with stovetop rice that would either burn or turn too sticky, but this cooker fixed that issue. I just add rice, water, and start it, and it handles everything automatically. The rice always comes out fluffy and evenly cooked. I’ve also tried lentils and quinoa, and they turned out just as good. It saves me a lot of time on busy days because I don’t need to monitor anything. The keep-warm function is also very helpful when I’m not ready to eat right away.

I want to mention how convenient the USB charging is because it's not always a given with children's electronics. I was half expecting some proprietary charging solution that I'd inevitably lose. It charges via a standard cable — same type as several other devices in the house — so there's no hunting for a specific charger and no separate charging brick to keep track of. I charge it overnight alongside my other devices and it's always full in the morning. My daughter has never experienced a flat battery mid-use because the overnight charging routine is so easy to maintain. The battery holds its charge well through a day of use too. Simple and practical charging — exactly right for a device children use daily.

The cooker works well and produces evenly cooked rice most of the time. I haven’t had any performance issues so far. However, the design and features are quite basic compared to other models I’ve seen. It doesn’t include advanced settings, but it is very easy to use. I mainly use it for rice and simple grains, and it does the job reliably. It’s a good everyday appliance but not very advanced.

We got a puppy six months ago and my 7-year-old son has become the unofficial dog photographer of the family. He has documented the puppy's growth from tiny to enormous across hundreds of photos. Some of them are genuinely excellent — caught the dog mid-leap, sleeping in a funny position, looking directly at the camera with an expression of profound dignity. My son has learned to anticipate the dog's movements to catch the right moment. He's actually developing real photographic instincts because dogs don't cooperate. His grandmother has asked for prints of some of his dog photos for her house. He was absolutely thrilled by that. The camera has made him a better observer because dogs require patience and timing.

I use this rice cooker almost every day and it has been very reliable. It cooks rice evenly without burning or sticking, which was a problem I had before. I like that I can just set it and leave it while doing other tasks. The results are consistent every time, which makes it very dependable. It has made my kitchen routine much easier overall.

My 10-year-old son used this camera for a school project on local history — he interviewed our elderly neighbour about his memories of the neighbourhood, filmed the outside of a historic building in our area, and edited it all together. The 1080p video quality was clear enough that it looked genuinely professional on the classroom projector. His teacher gave him full marks and used it as an example for the rest of the class. The built-in microphone picked up the interview audio clearly even in an outdoor environment. I'm a fairly demanding person when it comes to technical standards and the video quality from this camera exceeded what I expected from a children's product. Excellent value for what it delivers.

I have a rule in this house: if it needs batteries or charging, I'm eventually going to be disappointed by it. This toy runs entirely on the energy of one human hand and one motivated cat. Nothing to charge, nothing to replace, no motor to wear out, no app to pair, no firmware updates. Just a wooden board, holes, and moles operated by my hand. My cat Rufus goes absolutely demented for it and I will never need to buy batteries for his entertainment again. Elegant simplicity.

I'll be honest — I thought this would feel like a chore. Push moles up, cat bats them, repeat. But there's something oddly enjoyable about the strategy of it — figuring out which hole to use next to catch the cat off guard, varying the speed and pattern to maintain the element of surprise. My cat Mochi is trying to read me and I'm trying to outsmart her. It's weirdly engaging from my end of the toy too. We do about fifteen minutes most evenings and I look forward to it. Didn't expect to feel that way about a cat toy.

The feather wand had a good eighteen-month run and then our cat Luna clearly concluded she'd mastered it and lost interest entirely. She'd look at it being waggled in her direction with what I can only describe as contempt. This toy is different — the unpredictability of which hole the mole appears from means she can't settle into a predictable pattern and file it away as solved. Six weeks in and she's still approaching it with the same focused seriousness as the first session. For cats who've outgrown their previous toys, the unpredictable element here is key.

we got a new sofa in september and our cat Coco identified it as her personal scratching wall within approximately forty minutes of it arriving. classic timing. we'd ordered this toy about a week before the sofa arrived — fortunate accident — and the corrugated board has been used so consistently since that the sofa has barely been touched. the scratching board sits right next to the sofa which i think is the key — easy access alternative in the immediate vicinity. three months on and the sofa fabric is pristine.

At our annual check-up our vet said our indoor cat was showing signs of stress-related over-grooming and recommended environmental enrichment — specifically toys that simulate hunting. We tried a few things before landing on this and it's by far the most effective. Biscuit plays with genuine intensity twice a day and the grooming behaviour has reduced noticeably over about six weeks. I'd encourage anyone whose vet has recommended similar enrichment to try this specifically. The hunting simulation it provides seems to be the right type of stimulation.

live in a flat. thin walls. previous entertainment options for my cat involved rattly plastic balls, a motorised toy that made a grinding sound, and a crinkle tunnel. all of these were problems after 10pm. this toy is completely silent — no motor, no rattle, nothing. i operate the moles with my hand, the cat bats them quietly, the corrugated board makes a gentle scratching sound that would never travel through a wall. late-night play sessions without bothering anyone. for flat dwellers this is genuinely significant.

ordered on a wednesday, arrived friday. took it out of the box, placed it in the living room, and my cat Nala had located it within about ten minutes of it being set down. she sniffed the moles, decided they were suspicious, retreated, came back, and by the following morning was using the scratching board. the mole game started the second evening when i crouched down and pushed one up through the hole while she was watching. that was all the introduction needed. from then on she's been playing every day without any encouragement.

Our cat Bram takes himself very seriously. Every mole strike is performed with great dignity and purpose. Occasionally he misjudges and brings his paw down on an empty hole while the mole has already retreated. The expression that follows — a very brief, very dignified reassessment of the situation — is something I look forward to seeing. He immediately composes himself and refocuses. The whole performance is endlessly entertaining. He plays for about fifteen minutes and I watch with complete attention the whole time. Best entertainment value in this house.

we started doing the mole game at 6pm every evening as part of a wind-down routine before dinner. after about three weeks our cat Pickle started appearing at our feet at approximately 5:55pm and looking at us with pointed expectation. she had learned the time. or at least learned that this time of day produces moles if she makes her wishes clear. she now effectively tells us when it's time to play and we comply. the toy has reversed the power dynamic in our household and i am fine with this.

There are four of us in a flat in Dublin. We have one cat — a tortoiseshell called Beans who belongs primarily to my flatmate but is emotionally claimed by all of us. The whack-a-mole has become our collective evening entertainment. Someone operates the moles, someone watches the cat, everyone comments on the strategy and the outcome. It sounds chaotic but it's genuinely one of the more pleasant things we do together in the flat. Beans is deeply engaged, we are mildly competitive about who operates the moles most effectively, and the scratching board has saved our furniture.

Our cat Whisper is fourteen and has arthritis in one back leg. Exercise is important for her joint health but high-impact play isn't appropriate anymore. The mole game requires very little movement from her — she just shifts position slightly and bats at moles with her front paws. No jumping, no running, no strain. She plays for about five minutes at a time and seems genuinely happy doing it. Her physiotherapist (yes, our cat has a physiotherapist) said light front-paw activity is actually beneficial for compensating for the hind leg issue.

To set appropriate expectations for anyone whose cat ignores this at first: ours did for a full week. Just walked past it, occasionally sat near it looking in the other direction. I kept using it near him, pushing moles up slowly, not making a big deal of it. Day eight something clicked. He came over, sat in front of it, watched a mole appear, and struck. That was it — he's been fully committed since. Some cats take a bit of time to come round to new things. Persistence paid off and now it's his favourite object in the flat.

ordered about ten days before christmas for my sister who has two cats in dublin. arrived in good time and in perfect condition. she sent a video of both cats simultaneously using it on christmas morning — one on the moles, one on the scratching board — which is the definition of a successful gift. build quality is clearly good judging from the video and how she described it. for anyone looking for a practical christmas gift for a cat owner this is a strong choice — unusual enough to be interesting, genuinely useful, and the cats decide immediately if it works.

This is a very specific complaint but our cat had developed a habit of scratching one particular leg of my upright piano. The wood texture apparently suited him perfectly. Tried several scratching redirects without success. The corrugated board on this toy has the additional advantage of being placed between the cat and the piano, physically interrupting the route to the piano leg. He now scratches the board, the piano leg is undisturbed, and my sanity is maintained. The mole game is also a hit but honestly the piano has been saved and that's the headline.

Our cat Bella had a minor operation and was on restricted activity for three weeks — no jumping, no running, reduced movement. After the three weeks our vet said she could start gentle activity again and recommended short play sessions to rebuild muscle and confidence. This toy was perfect for that: she could engage at whatever level she wanted without being tempted to do anything too acrobatic. Just crouching and batting at moles. It brought her back to full activity gradually over about four weeks. Both the vet and we were very happy with how the recovery progressed.

Ginger has lived on our bed for about three years. Comes down for food, occasionally wanders through, goes back to bed. Getting him engaged in the sitting room had become a minor ambition of mine. The whack-a-mole has achieved what nothing else could — he now comes downstairs at roughly 7pm and waits for his session. He stays for it, uses the scratching board afterward, and occasionally falls asleep on the sofa rather than going straight back to bed. The bedroom still gets ninety percent of his time but this ten percent is hard-won and celebrated.

she walks around it once clockwise, sniffs two of the holes, and then takes her position. she does this every single time before playing. i have watched this ritual begin and have no explanation for it. whether she is checking for recently vacated moles or performing some kind of cat-ceremony i cannot say. what i can say is that after the ritual she plays with great focus and enthusiasm and then typically sleeps on it. the routine and the commitment she brings to this toy is remarkable.