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Rice is a simple recipe Measure, wash and add water, then simmer or steam and, less than half one hour after, you’re finished. Yet, oftenregardless of whether you’re a beginner in the kitchen or think yourself pretty skilled — the outcome isn’t what you expected. Sometimes, the grains become the consistency of mush, sometimes they’re hard to mid-air, but most often, they’re stuck to in the base of your pot (in my kitchen, the most infamous “let it soak overnight” culprit is it’s never fun to get up to).
There are The 7 Very Best Rice Cookers that are a great way to are the best option. They’re basically a kind of electric cooker like the low cooker and pressure cooker but they can produce perfect, fluffy rice. They can be easy, with only two settings “cook” and “keep warm,” or they could be extremely sophisticated with presets that cater to kinds of rice (brown long grain, brown sushi, brown and so on) in addition to recipes like porridge, congee or even pressure cooking (which is one of the ways that all the cooking appliances that are electric can be combined).
I spoke to a variety of experts who shared their favorite models and they all ranged from inexpensive and basic devices to modern and sophisticated devices. However, the main point is that, if you’re eating rice at least once every week the rice cooker might be worth having on your counter.
What are we looking for?
Capacity: A majority rice cookers are made in different sizes. I’ve listed them all so that you can determine what options you have. Of course, how large capacity you select will depend on the amount of rice you eat each day and if you’re planning to make leftovers. In general the three-cup rice cooker can be used for two or three people however, a five or 6-cup rice cooker is suitable for four or more people and anything more is recommended for those who eat plenty of rice or have guests often for dinner. It is also important to keep in mind that the larger capacity, the more space it takes up.
Settings: As I’ve mentioned earlier there are rice cookers that come with only a few options, while others have a variety of settings. Here, I’ve listed every one of the functions that the rice cooker has to offer.
The 7 Very Best Rice Cookers – Great rice cooker for all purposes
5.5 or 10 cups Mix, white/sushi porridge, sweet cake, brown steam, and fast cooking
In my research, Zojirushi came up more than any other brand. It’s a more expensive model with more options that a variety of experts have talked about (you can read more about this model later on the page) However, this model particularly considering it’s half the cost of the other is a great all-around purchase.
Recipe writer, food journalist and creator Kiera Wright-Ruiz was forced to give up her kitchen after she moved to Hawaii She said it’s the one thing she’s missing the most. “I’m sure people have said this before, but it really is the Lamborghini of rice cookers,” she declares. The most notable reason is the feature Zojirushi refers to as “fuzzy technology,” or an embedded microcomputer that will detect how the rice is cooking and alter the temperature and time so you get “even if you add too little or too much water, it will self-correct,” Wright-Ruiz says. “You get a consistent texture with a margin of error.” Another attractive characteristic is the capability to set the time you would like the rice to cook. If, for instance, you’re braising something that will take 3 hours to cook, you can set it to cook to ensure that your rice is cooked at the same time.
In the end, although maybe not the most crucial to the rice Zojirushi’s machines play music each time you turn them on (an version to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”) as well as when they’re finished cooking. And it’s evidently enjoyable enough that all who endorsed the brand (again here’s more about the other folks below) included the songs.
Best less expensive rice cooker
4 cups | Brown, white keep warm steam delay timer flash rice (a time-saving choice)
If you’re looking for a model that’s low-key that can do the job, Justin Lee, the chef-owner of the city’s Fat Choy and a few other restaurants, is looking on the Aroma rice cooker. “For home use, I think a cheap and simple one is really all you need,” Justin Lee declares. (In the actual fact, Aroma makes an even less expensive and simpler version that has just two buttons, if it sounds appealing for you.) This one, however, is very affordable and comes with some additional settings that Lee has, is the one Lee offers. “It’s much simpler than using an oven — or at least , you do not have to be watching it as closely. It does the job perfectly,” he notes. “And certain there’s something special about how the Zojirushi is made that gives it a distinct advantage. However, at the end of our day, this is just creating sushi rice. We’re just cooking rice at home to ensure we can feed our families.” In that regard the rice, he says it’s perfect.
It’s not just him who believes this: The Aroma has a four-and-a half-star rating on Amazon and has more than 50k reviews. “Even a caveman can make perfect rice” using this device, says one user. Another customer who was searching for a better alternative to Zojirushi (and was “willing to pay big bucks”) was shocked when she heard her sister talk about the under-$50 model: “I thought she was making fun of me. I’m glad she was not. My husband and I are taking in the deliciously cooked brown rice.”
Best simple rice cooker
5 – or 10-cups Quick cook/steam, white brown, porridge/soup. warm
The Panasonic is a different model, one that photographer Neal Santos has also used for the past decade, in his personal life and in his Philadelphia-based Filipino pop-up store, Lalo (which was unfortunately shut down because of this pandemic). “I’m not the most technological kind of person and this model has only the basic options. It’s the way I grew up in an Filipino family,” he says. “It is constantly on and be warm. It comes with a basket that steams vegetables on top of rice. Sometimes, I’ll use it for other meals as well. The Philippines is home to a variety of rice desserts like suman which is the sticky rice that is wrapped with banana leaves. I placed the suman into the bowl and let it cool. This is how we made use of it at the restaurant. The restaurant was in the food hall which meant that everything was tiny and this was a great way of working.”
The reviewers of the Panasonic are in agreement. “The ‘keep warm’ function is so convenient,” says one reviewer, “and I never end having burnt rice that is difficult to wash off the pan. In fact, I typically only need only give my pot a brief wash after I’m done, and it’s ready to go.” Another user says it’s more effective than Zojirushi with regards to this particular setting. “It keeps white or brown rice warm and ready to eat for 24 hours, without the rice drying out and becoming too hard and brittle,” they write. “The 10-cup Zojirushi we have will dry out the rice overnight.”
Smallest rice cooker for rice
3 cups 3 cups brown, rinse-free, fast and easy, sprouted, curry porridge, timer. Keep warm
This rice cooker compact is from the writer and recipe developer Lukas Volger. It isn’t cheap, but it’s at the top end of the market particularly for tiny appliances, “I think the fact that ten years after I got it, it is still working great is a testament to it being a good value,” Lukas Volger declares. “The features are limited, which means it’s simple to use.” In terms of the design? It’s extremely tiny (less than 1 foot in length, height and length) with round corners, a concealed cord compartment, and a minimal colour palette. “It’s adorable as well as a bit futuristic as well as modern and sleek but at the same time. If you’re a fan of Muji this is a true representation to the style of the company. For a long time I was thinking, why would I even need rice cooker in my kitchen? Then I found this gadget, and you can have rice at all times,” says Volger.
Best Persian rice cooker
3 3, 4 7, 10 or 15 cups Customizable timer and keep warm
This Pars Persian rice cooker has been made to do something unique unlike the other rice cookers listed on this list: it can make the tahdig, a ubiquitous crispy layer of rice on the bottom (and at the top, when you flip it) of many recipes from Persian food items made of rice. “I’m an avid home cook, but rice was always tough for me, and that’s part of why for a while I avoided cooking a lot of Persian food,” writes writer Arya Roshanian. She chronicled his first experience with the Pars to cook Vox in the past year. It’s funny that his mother and grandmother also had one in the past, and it was during the outbreak that he thought that it was the right time to buy one for himself. In actuality, he has two of them now — the smaller 4-cup that he first started with, and a larger 7-cup which he prepares tahdigs for an audience. “It’s user-friendly,” he declares, “something that my 85-year-old grandmother who communicates in Farsi and isn’t a pro in technology could figure out. The first time I tried it, I thought I’d have to test it several times to be sure and it worked very well and each time, too.” Roshanian also likes that the insert is light and “nonstick which makes it easy to clean and flip it out.”
Top rice cooker with high-end features
5.5 or 10 White (regular, soft or more difficult) umamimixed sweet, sushi jasmine, porridge congee, brown GABA brown (germinated brown rice) steel-cut oatmeal fast cooking auto keeping warm, extended heat, keep warm, heating
This is the more expensive Zojirushi model that many experts have enthusiastically suggested. It’s, in particular, one of the more expensive models on the list, however it’s certainly a top pick and a worthwhile investment if you’re eating enough rice. It’s got the same top-of-the-line technology as the less expensive model. The primary differentiator is the vast array of options that it has, and specifically one that every person I spoke with honed in on. “This model I bought specifically because it has a congee mode,” says food writer and editor Alyse Whitney. “The model I used to have for a long time only offered Japanese porridge which is a bit more delicate. Therefore, I purchased this as a button but it’s a true recipe for congee.” Recipe creator and cookbook author Betty Liu also makes a large amount of congee with her and describes it as “convenient swift, quick and extremely reliable.” Also, TikTok recipe creator Vivian Aronson makes use of the feature as well particularly for breakfast. “I can set it at night and have congee ready in the morning,” she says.
The best rice cooker that has multi-cook
10 cups | white, glutinous mixed, brown high heat GABA rice (germinated brown rice) porridge, nurung Ji (scorched rice) multi-cook auto-clean, pressure cook to reheat, cool, store warm, set timer
“I bought a Cuckoo because that’s what my mom and aunts use,” says Joanne Lee Molinaro, better known as the Korean Vegan. “When you go to a Korean grocery store, you see a bunch of Cuckoos all over the place.” Molinaro has her ownit’s a little older however, it’s a similar version to that mentioned mostly for brown rice but also with mixed rice. It’s the one which she employs every when she adds soybeans, farro pearled barley and even chestnuts as well as sweet potatoes. Food writers like Justine Lee, who has the latest one, “the multi-cook setting is where it stuns.” Multi-cook transforms this appliance into a pressure cooker, and allows you to alter the heat and time. “Both are as easy as dialing the knob to set,” Lee says. Lee. “It’s the method I use to steam a lot of Korean sweet potatoes before driving trips and to quell my bean cravings in time for summer. I’ve followed recipes made to the traditional Instant Pot like cinnamon buns and yakbap that can be sticky. However, cleaning up using This rice cooker can be easy all over every aspect.”
