Since pilaf starts with browning aromatics in a bit of oil, then sauteing the rice before adding liquid, it won't make a true pilaf. But you can get similar results by adding some cooked chopped onion/garlic (cook a bunch and keep it in a container in the fridge (how many recipes do you have that start with dicing and browning an onion? Make a lot at once and use about 1/4 cup (cooked) per onion needed by recipe)), and cooking the rice in stock or broth. You can add other pilaf ingredients (herbs and chopped nuts for example) by folding in as you put rice into a serving bowl.
I resisted buying a rice cooker for a long time, but my dh got annoyed by another pot of overcooked stove-top rice and insisted. It is now one of my most used gadgets. Even though it technically takes longer to cook rice, especially brown rice, it doesn't feel that way. Here's why: You measure your rice, add your liquid, hit start button. Now you pay no attention to the rice until dinner time. No waiting for water to boil to lower the heat, no worries of boiling over and a messy stove, no over cooking to mush or burning a pot.
You can even start it in the morning and it will be waiting and warm for you when you get home. Or, just start it as soon as you realize you want rice for dinner, before doing any other prep. It's usually done before I am done with everything else. And, make extra. My rice cooker cooks up to 3 cups (raw) rice, so I make a full batch. It takes about the same amount of time. But that is at least 4 meals worth, so some goes in the fridge and some goes in the freezer (in meal size portions). Easy to reheat for a quick side dish in the microwave.
The other thing I make now all the time is oatmeal. Real oatmeal, not the instant packets, but the recommended-to-soak-overnight kind. (I buy Steel Cut Oats or 7 Grain Cereal Blend from the bulk bins at whole foods for ~$1.20/lb). I make a full cup (max for my cooker for porridge), fill to just above the indicated water line (it always seems to need more), add 1 tsp salt, other seasonings like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, and 2-3 oz chopped dried fruit (apricots, prunes, cherries, whatever you like). Set cooker to porridge setting (the asian brands all seem to have this, but they usually cost a bit more). If you use a rice setting it won't cook right. Fabulous HEALTHY breakfast. I get 5-6 servings out of a batch. So, once again, it is something that takes a long time to cook (I usually set it up on a timer at night), but I get several days of easy to reheat in the microwave breakfasts. Top with freshly toasted chopped nuts, mmm.
Another hint for the rice, is to use slightly less water than indicated, especially if the rice is going to sit a while keeping warm before you eat it.