My guess would be a thermal fuse, since you description of the internals
as being very simple.

Be wrote:
: Hello,

: We have a Salton Rice Steamer/Cooker Model: RA-3 that has been used less
: than a year and suddenly stopped working. It works very simply - you place
: raw rice and water in an aluminum bowl, then press down on a switch above
: were an AC cord inserts into the unit. This end of the cord is blocky and
: has two pin holes that mate with two protruding pins inside the unit... much
: like an electric griddle's cord.

: Anyway, normally, when this switch is pressed down, it clicks and locks into
: position and a light comes on. After 30 minutes the switch releases and the
: rice is done. There is no timer that I can see in the unit - it must have to
: do with the expansion of some metal trigger from heat over that time frame.

: This light will no longer come on and the cooking process likewise does not
: start. I unscrewed the bottom cap and looked in at the very simple workings
: - nothing seemed to be broken or disconnected. The latch does stay in the
: "on" position when the weight of the full pot is pressing on the hot plate,
: so the spring mechanism involved is not broken. The cooker was not dropped
: and there is no visible damage.

: Anyone have an idea what might be wrong?

: Thanks,
: Bill