Why Buy a Rice Cooker?

Which is the Best Rice Cooker? 

An electric rice cooker makes the task of cooking rice almost effortless. Doing it by hand takes time and it can get tricky. There’s so many ways to mess up when making rice, and it doesn’t take much to ruin a fresh batch.

Making it by hand requires having the perfect pot and lid that seals well and keeps the steam inside. You have to get the water and rice (or other liquid) to the perfect temperature before you put the lid on. Timing and quantities are everything. But what if you had a machine that automatically adjusted things to give you fabulous rice at any time?

Timing is key and it depends on the type of rice and exactly how you like it. And the best rice cookers can make your life a lot easier, particularly if you routinely have rice as part of your family’s weekly meals.

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What to Look For in a Rice Cooker

Ideally, you want to find a quality, durable device that’s going to last you several years without any issue. These rice cookers are electric, countertop appliances. While the better quality ones to stand up for some time, nothing lasts forever. Eventually they break down and wear out. But if you can get multiple years or regular use out of it, I’m sure you’ll agree that it was well worth it.

A rice cooker should cook efficiently and make the job as hassle-free as possible. While the lower end rice cookers have been around for sometime, it’s the latest versions that offer the greatest benefit. These are the digital versions that tend to cook more efficiently while they adapt automatically.

Best Rice Cooker Brands

It’s also important that you have a rice cooker that is safe to operate. That’s why you don’t want to buy a used model, or something from a discount store. Go for a good quality name brand product like the Cuckoo Rice Cooker or Zojirushi Rice Cooker. You want something that’s going to work reliably and serve you for a long time to come.

You also want something that’s super simple to use. If you have to pull out a manual every time you go to use it, what good is that utensil or appliance? The beauty of a quality rice cooker is that it saves you a lot of time and hassle. It’s push-button easy. And it lets you do other things while the rice cooks.

Additionally, you want a rice cooker that cooks rice and other foods in a way that optimizes their nutritional value. Cooking rice this way (steaming) is a healthier option that tends to keep more of the nutrients inside.

How the Best Rice Cookers Work

For busy people (and who isn’t?) a rice cooker is a lifesaver. That’s because it’s relatively hands-free way to eat nutritiously at home, when spare time is rare and too precious to spend in the kitchen. Not only does it save you time, there’s never any question about how your meals are going to turn out. They’re perfect every time. It’s all about ease of use and consistency.

Unless you’ve mastered making rice dishes from scratch and you have the perfect pot to cook it in, you’re way further ahead to buy one of these beauties. But which rice cooker should you buy? That is the question and this article will help you get it sorted out.

A quality machine like the Zojirushi rice cooker gives you rice that’s the perfect shape, tenderness, and taste on a consistent basis. This is something that only someone with serious chef capabilities can pull off by hand. But even with such a high degree of skill, you would still have to pay attention every time you made rice.

Most rice cookers have a removable pot making it easy to fill empty and clean. Be sure to look for a rice cooker that delivers a finished product that doesn’t stick. You need to be able to get your rice out easily.

This inner pot should fit securely inside the external casing, which also houses the controls. The way these appliances are designed is brilliant in that it retains heat that you would normally lose when cooking rice on the stove top.

Rice cookers are portable electric appliances. Just place them on your countertop or any flat surface and plug it in. Add your rice and water and flip it on. That’s about all there is to cooking rice. Leave the rest up to the machine.

You don’t have to wait for perfect conditions. There’s nothing to stir… and nothing to check on. And you don’t have to worry about a thing. When your rice is ready, the machine will let you know.

You need to choose the right size of cooker for you and your family. Some make just enough for a single meal, while others can serve a large group of 15 or more at the same time.

Be sure to follow the simple directions provided. This means using the measuring scoop supplied and taking the time to measure both the rice and the cooking liquid accurately. Be careful not to add more uncooked rice than your cooker was designed to handle. Extra space is required for the rice to absorb moisture and expand as it’s cooking.

If you follow these basic guidelines, you’ll be off to the races.

You will obviously need to make some adjustments, depending on the type of rice you’re using, the actual model of rice cooker and the heating technology it uses, as well as the power of the built-in motor.

Well there may be some good, low-cost rice cookers, you’re usually better off buying a quality Japanese rice cooker brand like Zojirushi.

Once ingredients have been placed into the pot it’s important to secure the lid into position. You want to have a tight seal so the steam cannot escape. This intensifies the heat and pressure inside helping to cook the rice faster. And it’s the vapors that keep food moist and tender.

The best rice cooker brands offer another tremendous advantage – a “keep warm” feature. Once the rice cools to a certain temperature, the keep warm function automatically activates. So you could have fresh, warm rice all day long.

Cooking times may vary. But as a general guideline, figure on it taking 30 minutes to an hour for your rice to fully cook.

The Micom Rice Cooker

There are two kinds of rice cookers, basic or conventional and the more advanced versions, also known as “micoms”, which is short for micro computerized. Conventional countertop units cook and reheat rice and most have an auto shutoff feature that activates when the rice is ready.

But the micom rice cookers are today’s state-of-the-art kitchen appliances. Their built-in thermal sensors automatically adjust cooking times and temperatures to suit. Once activated, it’s basically a hands-free operation… and the end product is absolutely delicious. You get the perfect shape, tenderness and taste every time – without needing to worry about a thing.

The downside is that these computerized cookers cost more money than the basic ones. But if you and your family regularly eat rice, they’re worth every penny. Micom rice cookers use induction heating and computer chips and sensors that allow for automatic fine-tuning of the process. So when it’s finished – your rice is perfect.

The “keep warm” feature alone makes these digital rice cookers incredibly useful. Long after the rice has been cooked, it remains warm and delicious as though it was just made.

Best Zojirushi Rice Cookers

Zojirushi Micom NS TSC10 Rice Cooker

Stainless steel rice cooker – Zojirushi

If you and your family consume a reasonable amount of rice and you’d also like a rice cooker that performs multiple functions, this model might just be perfect.

It’s a versatile piece of cookware that features the most modern of technology. It uses “fuzzy logic” technology and has an LCD display with digital controls. This means you can customize it and program the machine to do whatever you want. This model offers more standard settings than most rice cookers on the market. These preset buttons include white rice, brown rice, porridge, quick cooking and more. With its stainless steel exterior, it’s easy to clean. On the inside it features a time-delay setting that allows you to postpone serving times while maintaining the perfect taste. This one has the automatic keep warm feature discussed earlier – a huge asset to those of us who love rice.

As multifunctional as it is, Zojirushi Micom NS TSC10 occupies relatively little space on your countertop. It measures just 14” x 10” x 8.5″ – so it’s quite compact. Surprisingly, this unit can prepare 5 1/2 cups of uncooked rice at a time. So you could serve 10 to 12 people at once – without a problem. If there is a downside to this model, it would be the Teflon coating inside the pot. Most people prefer ceramic or stainless steel, although Teflon provides an excellent coating that is certainly stick-free, so you’ll never have to worry about your rice getting stuck on the bottom of the pot.

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Best Zojirushi Rice Cookers

3 Cup Rice Cooker

Zojirushi NS-LAC05XA Micom 3-Cup(Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer.

This model is capable of handling 3 cups of rice at once. It’s economically priced, yet stylish in design and built on a stable frame – just like all Zojirushi rice cookers are. Weighing in at just 7 pounds, it’s extremely lightweight and easy to move about. Yet the strong stainless steel body is able to withstand the rigors of daily use without any issues. The rice pot inside is removable for easy loading, unloading, washing, and rinsing. As with all the Zojirushi models, there are multiple menu settings available. Zojirushi uses fuzzy logic technology, to automatically adapt its operations to cook according to the ingredients found inside. Everything is displayed clearly and controlled digitally. In addition to the standard preset options, you can also program this rice cooker to suit your specific needs. It’s fully capable of preparing a wide variety of dishes and sides including brown rice and porridge.

It saves space and is a cost-efficient solution too. For home meal making and smaller quantities – it’s tough to beat. With a powerful 610 Watt motor that operates on 110 volts, you can plug it into any standard outlet.
Included in the box that arrives at your door are some cool accessories. You get a measuring cup, steam tray, serving spatula, recipe book, and user manual too.

It also comes with a one-year warranty. Make no mistake, this is time-saving appliance and that’s important today given the busy lives most of us lead. With so many automated settings, it extends the versatility of your rice maker while at the same time simplifying meal preparation. The 3 cup rice cooker is a popular model.

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Best Zojirushi Rice Cookers

Zojirushi NS-TSC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker

Many people love the features of the previously-listed model, yet were concerned about the limited capacity. Thankfully, you don’t have to look far for a solution – it’ right here with the Zojirushi NS-TSC10.

If you have more people to feed, you probably need a rice cooker that has a larger cooking capacity. But you don’t need to compromise in quality and functionality in order to attain it. Zojirushi  has got you covered.
Like the other model, this one has multiple settings including quick cooking, porridge white, mixed rice, etc. It also features digital controls, an LCD display and a programmable panel. The timer delay is another added convenience.

This large pot can hold 5 1/2 cups of uncooked rice. Overall size comes in at 14” x 8” x 10″. It weighs about 8 1/2 pounds, so it’s easily manageable for most people. The motor on this unit is 860 Watts and the body is constructed of durable stainless steel. Similarly, it comes with a one-year warranty.

You also get the measuring cup, spatula, steam tray, user manual, and recipe book.

It’s amazing what this machine can do. Yet, all you need to concern yourself with is putting enough rice, liquid, spices, and any other ingredients inside. Then leave it up to the machine. Chances are you’ll be thrilled with the result.

There are eight different standard functions, two delay settings, and you get the automatic keep warm feature too. It’s an easy to use rice cooker that provides reliability.

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Best Zojirushi Rice Cookers –

BEST BROWN RICE COOKER

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel

 

Many people prefer eating brown rice to white rice as they feel it is a much healthier alternative.  Most any rice cooker can be used to cook brown rice, but sometimes the brown rice comes out a bit hard or a little chewy.  This is because brown rice has a higher fiber content and each grain has the bran and hull intact.

It’s also a Brown Rice Cooker

The Zojirushi NP-HSC10 rice cooker is the best rice cooker for brown rice.  The rice tastes simply amazing and each grain is cooked to perfection to a plump moist tender grain, cooking the grain evenly even at the bottom of the pot.

This rice cooker has two brown rice settings. One is for normal brown rice and one is for GABA brown rice.  The Gaba setting is  said to release more nutritional value in the brown rice.  Both settings seem to make the rice taste equally delicious.

It takes time to cook brown rice.  The rice cooker takes a little more than an hour to cook normal brown rice which is about the same length of time as any rice cooker. The little extra time is well worth it!

The GABA brown rice setting takes about 3 hours, including two hours to soak the rice. There is actually a practical way to get around this issue. Just use the delay timer for cooking brown rice.  Set the timer to start cooking three hours before your meal time.

This is one of the higher quality rice cookers from Zojirushi which comes with what they call “fuzzy Logic,” but without induction heating.   The fuzzy logic programming of this rice cooker allows it to take its own decision after assessing cooking conditions, and adjusts temperature and time of heating inside the rice cooker.

If you want the best rice cooker for brown rice, this is it!

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Best Zojirushi Rice Cookers

 

Zojirushi NHS-10 6-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker/Steamer

If you’re one of those people who like things as simple and uncomplicated as possible, this might be the perfect rice cooker for you.  Its six-cup capacity is suitable for larger families. The NHS-10 can handle up to 15 servings at once.
If you mostly cook white rice, this model would be a good choice for you. There are no specific settings for brown rice, so that might take some and experimentation. You may find that there’s a bit of a learning curve if you want to use if for anything other than white rice.

With a stainless steel pot, it’s easy to clean and maintain. Its elegant design makes a nice addition to any kitchen. The see-through lid is a cool feature that lets you periodically check up on dinner without disrupting the cooking process.
Each side features a stay cool handle, so you can pick it up and move the appliance without worrying about getting burned. This product comes with a stainless steel steamer tray – which is handy if you want to add vegetables, or even meat to your rice dish.

It’s simple yet versatile. You can prepare a wide variety of rice and other grain-based meals easily and even add some steamed vegetables or meat without much more effort.

You won’t be have to worry about dealing with the electronics on other models. Some people get freaked out by the latest digital technology and would prefer a simpler less complicated version of the appliance. If that’s you,  this is a product you should consider.

Your food will be kept warm. After it is cooked the switch is activated to heating mode. At this point you might want to add a little bit of liquid to keep the rice from going dry. This is a great feature when you’re preparing a number of dishes alongside the rice and you want to serve everything together. Simply cook the rice ahead and let it go to heating mode.

You’ll get rice that’s perfectly cooked from a sharp-looking rice cooker that’s compact and easy to clean. The built-in timer tells you when your rice is ready. And your food won’t get dry or mushy when left in the device overnight. This makes it easy to have rice all day long.

On the downside, it takes about an hour to prepare white rice. Normally, white rice can be cooked on the stovetop in about 20 minutes – although you’ve got to watch it like a hawk. So this device takes a little bit longer. But keep in mind that once you load in the ingredients, it’s a hands-off task.
There are lots of dishes that you can prepare with this rice cooker including brown rice, black rice, wild rice, and basmati rice. You can even cook mixed rice and beans, or spicy rice with nuts and cranberries for an easy and delicious taste.

What’s nice about this model is that it simplifies meal preparation. You can easily see the markings inside where you are to fill it with the ingredients. You can simply do this when you get home from work and an hour later you’re sitting down to a fresh home-cooked meal.

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Hirbo Asian Style 13 in 1 Multifunctional Rice Cooker

Here’s another outstanding product that significantly widens the variety of foods that can be prepared effortlessly. The Hirbo Multifunctional Rice Cooker allows you to prepare not just rice but vegetables, pastas, soups, yogurt, rice crusts – even fish and meat. It’s a completely programmable appliance that understands what you’re cooking and adjusts to make things come out just right.

The angled digital display makes it more convenient than most other rice cookers in that you can easily read the display without having to bend down and squint your eyes.

The Hirbo uses dynamic heating, which evenly distributes the heat from all sides so that the food is cooked uniformly and comes out perfect every time.

With 13 preset programs, all you have to do is pop your food in and choose the setting and away you go. The inside pot is also dishwasher friendly,  so just take it out and place it in the dishwasher and you’re good to go next time you need it. The reheat feature is another excellent option available on the Hirbo. It’s great for warming up last night’s dinner for lunch today.

If you want to use the latest technology to broaden your culinary scope and diversify your meals, the Hirbo Asian Style 13 in 1 Multifunctional Rice Cooker makes an excellent choice. It’s easy to operate and offers multiple useful functions. You can even delay the start of your food preparation, allowing it to cook overnight so that it’s hot and fresh in the morning.
The Hirbo is a well designed and engineered product. You can see the quality straight away. On the downside, the manual is poor (no surprise there) and the light indicator is not as obvious as it could be.

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Tiger Chef SEJ50000 30 Cup Rice Cooker

Although more expensive than most, the Tiger is an excellent product for anyone who cooks a lot a rice on a weekly basis.

Not only does it cook rice to perfection, it also includes a baking pan and a slow cooker. You can also cook two different meals at the same time – without one affecting the other. You can prepare food together and never have to worry about the flavors mixing.

While the outside features a sleek stainless steel design, the inside is actually made up of eight layers – five layers of ceramic and three layers of non-stick coating. You can rest assured that no rice is going to stick to the bottom of this pot.

It’s completely programmable with its microchip and you can adjust the operation to a fine degree allowing for a wide variety in the meals you can prepare.

Both the inner and outer lids are detachable making cleaning a breeze. The Tiger uses a superior induction heating method that involves magnetic fields to evenly distribute the heat and to cook your food to perfection.

The way to look at buying a machine like this is to see it as a long-term investment rather than a temporary fix. The Tiger is made from high-quality, rugged materials and and it’s made in Japan. This is rare and also an indication of the kind of quality involved.

The induction heating conserves time and energy while cooking foods in a uniform fashion. The cooking tray that’s included is kind of like a steaming tray but its better in that it locks the flavors inside and cooks the food more evenly.

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Related:

Tiger 30 Cup Rice Cooker

Conclusion:

The Electric Rice Cooker is the perfect addition to your kitchen if you and your family eat a lot a rice. It helps you cook perfect rice every time with minimal effort!  Which is the best rice cooker?

Shop here and choose your favorite today!