The sheer number of rice cookers out there on the market – and the several types of rice they’ve mastered cooking – is thoughts-boggling. So to navigate this array of rice cookers, our testers have gone fingers-on with one of the best round to assist you discover the proper rice cooker to your kitchen.
– Best Multifunction Rice Cooker
Cuckoo 6-Cup HP Twin Strain Rice Cooker (CRP-ST0609F) $325 AT AMAZON
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$325 AT AMAZON
– Greatest Budget Rice Cooker
Hamilton Seashore 2-14 Cup Capability Rice/Hot Cereal Cooker (37548) $72 AT WALMART
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$seventy two AT WALMART
– Best Splurge Rice Cooker
Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer (NP-HCC10) $357 AT AMAZON
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$357 AT AMAZON
– Finest Primary Rice Cooker
Tiger 5.5-Cup Rice Cooker and Hotter (JNP-1000) $a hundred and fifty AT AMAZON
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$150 AT AMAZON
– Finest Rice Cooker for Couples
Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer (NS-LGC05) $169 AT AMAZON
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$169 AT AMAZON
– Best-Designed Rice Cooker
Muji Rice Cooker – three Cup $149 AT MUJI.US
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$149 AT MUJI.US
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Functionality
Naturally, the primary job of any rice cooker is to cook rice. You’ve perhaps solely ever cooked it over the stove in some boiling water, and probably the most primary rice cookers work in an identical manner: by heating up a set amount of water with rice over a period of time to yield higher (or not less than extra consistent) results than what you’d get on the stove. But, because it seems, there are several different ways to cook rice.
Extra superior (and costly rice cookers) will make the most of different cooking kinds, namely induction and stress cooking. In an induction rice cooker, magnetic coils heat the rice directly and constantly, offering up way more exact outcomes than what you get from a standard rice cooker using a traditional heat source. Stress cooking methods are usually seen in multicookers, however specialized rice cookers that utilize excessive-strain heating are able to produce sticky rice that you just won’t get from different rice cookers.
Most high-finish rice cookers, whether or not using induction or strain cooking methods, will even make use of micro-computer (Micom) know-how (the mostly seen is known as Fuzzy Logic). What this tech does is constantly monitor the state of the rice as it cooks, robotically adjusting the temperature and time as needed to achieve perfect results every time.
Selection
If all you plan to cook is basic white rice, then all you want is a basic rice cooker that will dole out fluffy rice every time as long as you observe the instructions. But like every form of product, the deeper you dig into rice cookers, the more difficult things develop into.
For example, what if you want to cook different sorts of rice, like sushi rice, GABA brown rice or sticky rice? Then you’d want to choose a rice cooker that additionally boasts multicooker performance. Nicely, then you’d need to make certain to pick out a rice cooker with particular settings for these styles of rice. Or what if you’d like your rice cooker to do more than cook rice, like steam vegetables or make oatmeal?
Another key part of rice cookers is how much rice they actually make. Generally, the most typical sizes are 3-cup, 5-cup and 10-cup, however some larger rice cookers have yields of 30 cups. One more thing to note about rice cooker capacities: there’s no actual industry commonplace with regards to measuring these capacities. If it’s good to feed a big household, go for a bigger one. If you’re in a smaller family, then you’ll in all probability want to go for a smaller rice cooker.
Some manufacturers provde the capacity in cooked rice, and some use uncooked. Uncooked rice is a higher amount of rice, often doubling in measurement once cooked – e.g., Three cups of uncooked rice will often yield about 6 cups of cooked rice – so always remember to double-test which measurement you’re actually being given.
Upkeep
Finally, a notable aspect to think about when buying a rice cooker is how straightforward it’s to take care of. So if you’re looking to save lots of time cleansing, always look for these options. The simplest-to-maintain rice cookers may have nonstick pots that prevent the rice from sticking and that are additionally removable for easy cleaning, with some even being dishwasher safe. Specifically, how much of a pain is it to clean?
For this information, we regarded at the market to find out which rice cookers at the moment on the market would work greatest for various kinds of customers – corresponding to couples, informal rice-eaters, and rice snobs – based on their features, reputations and reviews. Our testers evaluated their rice cookers based mostly on their build quality, their features (and the way nicely they performed stated capabilities) and the way simple they had been to dwell with. We then known as in all of the machines with which we wanted to get fingers-on and had them tested out over several weeks within the houses of Gear Patrol’s biggest rice fanatics. Below, you may find the rice cookers our testers deemed the very best, together with their very own ideas on every.
The very best Rice Cookers
Cuckoo 6-Cup HP Twin Stress Rice Cooker
Cuckoo 6-Cup HP Twin Pressure Rice Cooker (CRP-ST0609F)
– Means to cook an amazing number of rice
– Super easy to scrub
– Substantial construction
– The lid opens too quickly
– Auto-generated cook occasions don’t have a countdown characteristic
– Cooking Type: Stress
– Micom: Yes
– Capability: 12 cups cooked
– Rice Kinds: White rice, super turbo, mixed rice, GABA rice, excessive-stress steam (sticky rice), non-pressure rice, saved rice, veggie rice
The Cuckoo HP Twin Strain Rice Cooker has a solid build and a notable footprint, and it feels substantial. It provides an unimaginable quantity of variation in how it can cook rice from conventional non-stress white rice – I discovered it to be a few of one of the best house-cooked conventional white rice I’ve made – to excessive-pressure white rice which creates a stickier ultimate product to excessive-heat excessive-pressure white rice (stickier still, however like scorched rice or nurungji).
There’s additionally the flexibility to do a brilliant fast cook, labeled Tremendous Turbo White Rice, and to cook mixed rice, veggie rice, germinated brown rice and rice that’ll be cooked and frozen, amongst different things. Cook time ranges from 14 minutes (Super Turbo mode) to 24 minutes (excessive pressure) to 38 minutes (non-pressure), and while you’ll be able to choose to manually set cook instances, the Cuckoo robotically sets the time primarily based on the amount of rice and water you add to the pot.
The wealth of options are clearly laid out, and to get desired outcomes, I just needed to become familiar with what the Cuckoo was able to. – John Zientek, Senior Editor It does have voice assistance, though, to information customers by means of the process (this operate could be turned down or off if desired, although). For these looking to get probably the most out of a rice cooker, the Cuckoo has a steam cooking perform that allows users to additionally cook meat, fish, vegetables and cakes, to call a few. The Cuckoo is very straightforward to clean and has a detachable inner lid and pressure seals, a detachable comfortable steam cap and a removable straightforward-clean condensation collector.
Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker
Hamilton Seaside 2-14 Cup Capability Rice/Sizzling Cereal Cooker (37548)
– Large cooking capability
– Nice versatility outdoors of cooking rice
– Easy to make use of and clean
– Large measurement makes storage challenging
– Not one of the best-looking equipment out there
– Cooking Style: Normal
– Micom: No
– Capability: 14 cups cooked
– Rice Kinds: White rice, fast rice, entire grain
This rice cooker’s size makes it stand out from the rest. With that being stated, it is a bit more versatile than your common rice cooker as it doubles as a steamer, opening up choices for tons of 1-pot meals. I particularly enjoyed this fried rice recipe, instantly from Hamilton Beach. The unit can make up to 14 cups of rice, a fantastic fit for those cooking for a family. The only downside to its measurement is the quantity of cabinet house it takes up when it is not getting used.
I most continuously use the delayed start perform to prep dinner within the morning so the rice is able to go in the night. And the cherry on prime here is that it mechanically switches to the “warm” setting when cooking is full, which I think would be nice for people with hectic and unpredictable schedules. I found the directions straightforward to follow, and I have but to have any high quality points with the hardware. The rice itself has had a a lot better consistency than what I was used to creating on the stovetop. My favorite half in regards to the cooker is the clean-up, because the pot, steaming tray and spoon are all dishwasher safe making the method quick and easy. – Mary Sigler, Editorial Manufacturing Assistant
Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker
Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer (NP-HCC10)
– Makes better tasting rice
– Warming function keeps rice fresh for a very long time
– Has a constructed-in rice paddle holder
– There is a little bit of a studying curve to get essentially the most from all its capabilities
– Sturdy plasticky odor throughout the first few makes use of
– Cooking Style: Induction
– Micom: Sure
– Capacity: Eleven cups cooked
– Rice Styles: White rice (with three completely different consistencies), jasmine rice, quick rice, combined rice, sushi rice, porridge, brown rice, GABA brown rice, candy rice
There are settings for varied sorts of rice, but I’ve primarily enjoyed cooking two varieties with this rice cooker: Thai long grain and Japanese quick grain. The timer works great for excellent, fresh morning rice. I’ve additionally noticed that the rice stays fresh for longer (doesn’t get too dry or too wet), even when not using the keep-warm (or prolonged keep-warm) mode. They both got here out a lot better than the relatively fundamental (but nonetheless good) rice cooker I used to be using beforehand – fluffier, chewier and, yes, the rice just tastes higher. It’s obtained a sleek look and the size is perfect for a pair to a few people (bigger would be overkill and never pretty much as good for cooking smaller amounts of rice).
It is easy to scrub, and water from steam does not pool excessively around the outside of the pot as it does on other rice cookers. On the primary couple of makes use of, there was a powerful plasticky odor that the producer says is regular, and which has since gone away. General, it is easy to cook really superior rice, but getting probably the most from all of the capabilities it presents definitely takes lots of analysis, experimenting and time. It will take some more time to get expertise with all the different capabilities it gives. – Zen Love, Affiliate Editor
Tiger 5.5-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer
Tiger 5.5-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer (JNP-1000)
– Easy to use right out of the field with instructions on the lid
– A breeze to clean
– At over 10″ tall, finding a spot to store it may be tough
– Solely cooks white rice
– Cooking Type: Normal
– Micom: No
– Capacity: Eleven cups cooked
– Rice Styles: White rice
The Tiger rice cooker was extremely easy to make use of and more strong-feeling than rice cookers I’ve used previously. I opened the box, plugged it in and adopted the simple directions on the lid (well, largely followed – letting the rice soak for 30 minutes beforehand seemed extreme to me). The brown jasmine rice got here out unburned and with more texture than my pre-Tiger rice efforts (e.g., utilizing an affordable rice maker I bought on Amazon or just microwaving a frozen bag of rice from Trader Joe’s).
Tiger’s rice cooker was also easy to scrub with the connected lid – it is basically just one bowl that took about 30 seconds to scrub and dry. It’s too massive to slot in any of my cupboards, leaving me with no alternative but to show it on the counter. The one drawback I’ve had has been discovering a spot to store the machine. – Tyler Duffy, Affiliate Editor
Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker
Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer (NS-LGC05)
– A lot of options for healthy types like GABA rice
– Plays a melody at the start
– Very user-pleasant
– Said capability is greater than true measurement
– Not a true multi-operate machine as ‘steel-minimize oats’ is the one non-rice setting
– Cooking Type: Commonplace
– Micom: Yes
– Capacity: 6 cups cooked
– Rice Styles: White/combined rice, sushi rice, brown rice, GABA brown rice, lengthy-grain white rice, quick rice
I’ve owned this primary yet exceptional Zojirushi model for over three years and haven’t had one single issue with it. This makes it extra suitable for singles, couples or small families. That quirk apart, it makes six different styles of rice impeccably (together with GABA brown rice when using brief-grain brown rice, which is much healthier), together with steel-minimize oats. While it is labeled as making three cups, that’s not full 8oz cups – somewhat odd but they’re extra like 3/4 cups.
Very often my spouse and I exploit the Zojirushi twice a day: once for oatmeal in the morning after which for a rice bowl with veggies for dinner. When cooking on the GABA setting, you can also place dry legumes like chickpeas, lentils or black beans within the rice and they can even cook perfectly – this can also be performed with other types of rice, however you will need to let it keep warm for longer as it’s recommended to cook dry beans at the least 2-three hours within the cooker.
The rice cooker itself takes up minimal counter house and i leave it on the counter 24/7. It does have a handle for those who do want to elevate it and retailer it when not in use, though. – Ryan Brower, Senior Commerce Editor Also very simple to scrub, it is a rice cooker that is very good at making many types of rice (and steel-minimize oats) but in portions which will not absolutely feed bigger households. Moreover, it provides somewhat music and beeping when beginning a cooking cycle or when the cycle has ended (the cooker does keep the cooked food heat for hours after it finishes however will not continue cooking it).
Muji Rice Cooker – 3 Cup
– Aesthetically beautiful
– Cord retracts into the machine
– Good for apartments/small areas
– Can’t cook large parts
– Long cook occasions
– Cooking Type: Standard
– Micom: No
– Capacity: 3 cups cooked
– Rice Styles: White rice, brown rice, quick rice, blended, rinse-free, sprouted, curry, porridge
The Muji 3 Cup rice cooker is attractive on your countertop and works well for a 1-2 person family. It’s sleek and compact so it does not take up a lot house when you have a small kitchen, and it looks good sufficient to go away out all the time – one thing that can’t be said about many rice cookers.
It has a handful of functions together with white, brown, fast and porridge. The standard white setting cooks extra slowly than the cook/heat rice cooker I grew up utilizing since it allows for soak time, but this results in fluffy and evenly-cooked rice. The quick operate also produces excessive-quality outcomes when you’re operating brief on time.
