Rice cooker vs stovetop, my 45 minute detour turned into a debate

Tuesday night I planned a 20 minute stir fry. The rice was the hold up. I always do stovetop because my old rice cooker gave up last year, but this time it took 45 minutes to get fluffy, burned the bottom twice, and I was starving by 7:30. My sister swears by a $25 rice cooker she got at Target in Tulsa, says it frees her to chop veggies while it beeps. I say the extra pot to wash and the counter space is not worth it. She says the stovetop method requires constant babysitting and my timing is just bad. So which camp are you in for a busy weeknight, do you trust the machine or your own burner? Has anyone else spent way too long solving a side dish that should have been hands off?