A rice cooker is simply designed an electric pan that is used to boil rice. As the name suggests, this type of cooking appliance is much more than the single minded appliance.
It is a great device if all you want is perfect rice. The best part of it is that it can be used to prepare other meals such as eggs, meat, and even boiled vegetables.
The best rice cooker with stainless steel inner pot is an awesome cooking appliance compared to other types such as the usual aluminum pot. Stainless steel cannot react with the food being cooked.
Therefore, it offers the cleanest and safest cooking surface available in the market.
5 Best Rice Cookers – Comparison
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Best Rice Cooker Reviews [2019]
The market is full of different types of rice cookers. Most of the products in the look good but they are not suitable for cooking. Hence, they said, don’t judge a book by its cover. Picking a Rice cooker is easy but choosing a quality model is quite complicated.
Huge options will make you confused. That’s why our purpose today is to narrow down your choices with 7 of the most practical and efficient options. Let’s check out the reviews at first:
Zojirushi NS-TSC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer
Zojirushi is one of the best known rice cooker manufacturers. This Zojirushi rice cooker uses the induction heating method discussed under “Types of Rice Cookers.” Induction heating provides more accurate control of the cooking process and ensures perfect rice.
The induction units are in the bottom, side, and lid of this rice cooker for more even heat distribution.
This 5.5 cup cooker makes 10 cups of rice and is the right size for a family of four to six. It has menu settings for white rice (regular, soft or hard), sushi rice, jasmine white rice, mixed rice, sweet rice, porridge, brown rice, GABA brown rice, and quick cooking.
It will also cook oatmeal. For the best brown rice cooker keeps the inner pan temperature at about 104°F for two hours to activate the rice which increases the nutrient value 1.5 times.
The Jasmine rice setting soaks the rice. Cooking Jasmine rice can take up to 90 minutes for a fluffy rice. If you are in a hurry, use the quick cook setting to have the Jasmine rice done in 40 minutes. However, it will be less fluffy.
This Zojirushi rice cooker features an easy-to-read, LCD control panel, a clock, a timer, a measuring cup, a spatula, a retractable cord, a steam vent, an interchangeable melody and beep signal, automatically keep warm, extended keep warm, and a delay timer with two settings to start rice cooking at a later pre-set time.
After rice is done the cooking, the cooker lowers the temperature and changes to “keep warm.” If you are holding rice longer than eight hours, use the “extended keep warm” setting to prevent the rice from drying and yellowing.
The black inner pan has a non-stick finish. The exterior and the removable inner lid are easy-to-clean stainless steel. The instruction manual is written in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
It measures 8.5″ wide x 10.1″ deep x 14″ high, weighs 9.3 pounds, meets FCC standards, and is cETLus listed.
Aroma Simply Stainless 3-Cup Rice Cooker
The Aroma Rice Cooker uses one to three cups of uncooked rice to make two to six cups of rice. You can use it to make different kinds of rice, soups, jambalaya, chilli, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and oatmeal.
The Aroma is one of the most trusted brands in the US with their quality products since the beginning. The Aroma Simply Stainless 3-Cup Rice Cooker is the epitome of their quality.
The Rice Steamer has the capacity of yielding to six cups of cooked rice. That means you can serve at least six people or more. The total dimension of the cooker is about 8.1″ x 8.2″ x 10.3″ with 4 pounds of total weight. That means the size is standard and it is lightweight as well.
The construction quality of the cooker is fascinating with quality materials. The inner pot is dishwasher safe. That means it is super simple to clean. The inner part is made with surgical-grade stainless steel materials. It is designed to last.
The operation of the rice cooker is simple with one-touch technique. Just push the one simple button to do everything automatically. It switches to keep warm option with the press of the button as well.
With the rice cooker, you will get a few other accessories like a serving spatula and a measuring cup. You can set rice in the right proportion and also serve excellently with the cool spatula. You can also use a steaming tray, but it needs to purchase separately.
Some of the features include:
- Can cook all varies of rice up to 6 cups
- The simple one-touch operation involved
- Features removable inner pot
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Can cook soups including jambalaya chill and many more
In the front side of the rice cooker, you will locate a single switch that has to be pushed down to start the cooking process. You will notice a red cook light after pushing down the button that confirms the processing.
Once cooking is completed, a yellow light will glow. It indicates that the machine is pop back into warm position for maintaining proper temperature.
You should unplug the cooker when the process is completed to serve and stop the warm function.
NOTE: When washing, use warm water by allowing it to soak for a short time before applying soap to clean. Also, it is recommended to use only two cups of uncooked rice.
Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer
Zojirushi Corporations is a multinational manufacturer stationed in Japanese. It has specialized in marketing and supply of air pot beverage dispensers, vacuum flasks, tea kettles consumer electronics like electric kettles, electric water filter, rice cookers, refrigerators, and bread machines.
The Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 advanced Neuro Fuzzy logic technology Rice Cooker and Warmer, Premium White appliance uses high technology induction heating (IH) to induce heat to the inner cooking pan, which in turn cooks the food.
Due to the special heating method used, the rice cooker can be adjusted to precise temperatures to cook rice exceptionally.
Some of the features include:
- An induction rice cooker and warmer system
- A multi-menu cooking unit
- An automatic keep warm and an extended keep warm function that maintains rice at the perfect serving temperature
- A delay timer with two settings
- A variety of healthy cooking options including the brown rice, germinated brown rice, and the GABA brown rice
Other characteristic features include:
- A superiorly designed induction heating (IH) technology
- An easy to clean stainless steel clear-coated exterior
- Clear menu settings where white rice can be adjusted to soft, regular or hard
- Listed and tested to comply with all the required FCC standards
NOTE: This may act as a perfect guy when you are purchasing a rice cooker of your choice. Make sure all features and specifications are well outlined before making a final decision.
Oyama CFS-F12W 7 Cup Rice Cooker
The Oyama Rice Cooker is a large capacity rice cooker. With a capacity of seven cups of uncooked rice, it makes about 14 cups of cooked rice that would serve 14 people as a main dish and provide 28 servings as a side dish.
It has a stainless steel inner pot and steamer tray. Unlike aluminum inner pots, it is dishwasher-safe and will not be damaged by harsh dishwasher chemicals. Ceramic inner pots can break if dropped, but this is an issue you won’t have with a stainless steel inner pot.
Many people also are concerned about the health risks of using rice cookers with Teflon-coated inner pots. There are no health concerns with stainless steel inner pots. If any rice is stuck on the inner pot, let it soak and it will clean easily.
With heating elements in the base, side, and lid creating three-dimensional heating, the Oyama rice cooker provides uniform cooking throughout the inner pot. The triple layer base on the inner pot provides uniform heating from the bottom without scorching.
This Oyama rice cooker has a keep warm function that will keep the rice at the perfect temperature without ruining it until you are ready to serve it for up to 24 hours. This allows you to fix rice for breakfast or lunch and have some ready for supper.
The steamer tray steams vegetables, poultry, meats, and other foods that can be steamed while cooking rice. You can use this rice cooker to make sticky rice, brown rice, quinoa, white rice, wild rice, Jasmine rice, Biryani rice, rice congee, risotto with Italian Arborio rice, basmati, and barley.
Just be prepared to add more water as the rice cooks. You can also use it to make oatmeal, but you will have to watch so that it doesn’t boil over the top of the cooker. It includes a measuring cup, a spatula, and a steam vent. It measures 10″ x 10″ x 10″, weighs six pounds, and has a removable cord.
Zojirushi NHS-10 6-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker/Steamer & Warmer
The NHS-10 6-Cup steamer or Rice cooker is one of the simplest rice cookers of all the Zojirushi NHS series. It offers a perfect and reliable solution to cook rice within the shortest time possible.
There is very minimal to no wastage and fuss of energy or time as well. The steamer appliance is designed to facilitate the user by steaming fish, chicken, and vegetables with rice.
The rice cooker steamer is conveys an extra function of ordinary keep warm to maintain and keep rice warm and fresh until the serve time. Additional stay cool handles are also available on the appliance to help the user move easily without the use of gloves at high temperatures.
This will surprise you as most of such crucial facilities are offered by the NHS-10 steamer at quite an affordable price tag. It is important to always check the product description first before purchasing it. This Zojirushi six-cup rice cooker makes 12 cups of rice and is a good size for a family of four to six.
It has a removable, non-stick inner pot, a glass lid with a stay-cool knob, a stainless steel steaming tray for steaming vegetables, a measuring cup, a spatula, a detachable cord, stay-cool handles, and an easy-to-use single switch control.
When the rice is done the cooking, it automatically changes to keep warm mode. It measures 9.4″ x 9.3″ x 9.4″, weighs 4.7 pounds, and is UL listed. The instruction manual is written in English.
Some of the features include:
- A 6-cup steamer/cooker and warmer steam function to keep the food warm at a perfect temperature
- A stainless steel steaming and a removable tray that makes it easy to clean
- A nonstick inner cooking pan
- A transparent glass lid and an automatic warm function that becomes active once the food is cooked
- Stay cool handles for safe handling of the user
- A spatula, measuring cup, and removable cord for easy and safe storing
- When using the short grain white rice, capacity may measure approximately 6 oz/ 180mL cup
The NHS-10 cooker has two parts; the inner and outer vessels. The inner pot is connected with a sensor whereas the outer vessel has a built-in heating element feature.
A non-stick material is used as a finish for the inner vessel making it safe for cooking as its elements are not able to mix with food particles.
Oyama CFS-F10B 5 Cup Rice Cooker
Oyama stainless steel rice cookers have been designed with unique and appealing elegance to the users.
They are quality and durable rice cookers that satisfy even the most demanding types of cook. The appliances have been described as the best stainless steel rice cooker on the market today.
Oyama is termed as a relatively new name in the market when compared to some of the big companies that produce rice cookers. They are actively involved in the manufacture of many kitchen appliances apart from rice cookers including kettles.
Their major focus at the moment is the manufacture of a wide range of cookers to target the home users. Additionally, they come in different sizes including the 5 cup rice cooker.
A look at this unit shows that it is average in size and can perfectly fit on the average counter top of most modern households.
The size of the appliance is approximately 9.2 x 9.2 x 9.2 in hence takes very little space in the kitchen. The bulk that makes up the exterior unit is made out of stainless steel.
This presents a modern and appealing look to most home owners who are drifting towards appliances that are economical, at the same time present an aesthetic blend with the rest of the house. Some of the common features that make it a perfect choice for boiling rice.
Some of the features include:
- An all stainless steel cooking surface that is rust free and durable
- A stainless steel steamer tray
- A 3D heating system on the base, side, and the lid
- A keep warm function
- A cooking bowl that is designed with a triple layered base to enhance uniform heating and control burning of food
Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker
Has an ability to handle 7-Cup uncooked meal hence results to 14-Cups of cooked meal. Variable temperature control buttons to help you regulate and allow versatile use.
This Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Rice Cooker is a large capacity rice cooker that makes 20 cups of rice. However, you can use it for as little a two cups of uncooked rice.
It also steams seafood, vegetables, and many other types of foods. An installed easy-to-use digital panel simplifies the cooking process by a function that selects the right program for the meal. A nonstick interior pot on the cooker makes the cleanup process fast and efficient for the user.
You can have it set overnight to have cereal ready for breakfast or set it in the morning to have supper ready when you get home. When the food is done, the cooker switches to the warm cycle. Active light indicators that alert you when the food is ready.
The Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker can cook all the varieties of rice. It can also cook grains, hot cereals, and packaged rice dishes. You will get six preprogrammed settings in this cooker. It is considered one of the best rice cooker for brown rice.
Besides, the Hamilton Beach Cooker will allow you to cook beans, flavored pasta mixes, soups, and one-pot meals as well. It is the most versatile rice cooker in the market that can do a hell lot of cooking task like a true champion.
Overall, the dimension of the rice cooker is 11.42″ high x 11.3″ wide x 10.59″ deep, and it weighs only six pounds. The size and weight are standard as well for ease of use.
The Hamilton Beach 37548 Rice & Hot Cereal cooker without any confusion, one of the most practical and effective models out there. The price is reasonable for such quality. Pick it before the stock expires.
Some of the features include:
- An efficient steaming function for seafood and vegetables
- A digital panel on its front to simplify operation
- Ability to cook from 2 to 14 cups of a meal
- Has an auto shift that keeps warm after cooking is complete
- Has a delayed start as an added functionality
- Rinsing of foods prior to cooking enabled by a two-in-one basket
- Designed with a 200-400 watt operation
- The cord is longer than 1 foot makes it easy to use at various wall outlets
- Both rice and steam basket available
Things to Consider Before Buying Rice Cooker
Only a few people in the world don’t add rice in their diets at least for a few times a week. Some people of different culture even eat rice several times a day. But cooking rice needs the highest level of concentration otherwise disaster is a must.
The process is simple yet pretty complicated. That’s why people nowadays understand the importance of a rice cooker. It helps them to cook rice without giving much concentration. If you are one of those people who loves to eat rice several times a week, you should consider a rice cooker seriously. But you must have one that is the best in the market.
For that, you must find some key factors when you are selecting your choice. I will guide you through it, in this section of the article:
Capacity
Capacity means how much rise the cooker can cook at once. It depends on your requirement and needs of the user. If you are frequent rice eater and your entire family eats rice on a regular basis you must have a large one with decent cooking capacity. 5.5 cups and 10 cups are the most popular size in the market at present. You can pick any of the sizes according to your necessity.
However, rice cookers capacity ranging from three to ten cups. If you don’t need a large one, avoid as each of the appliances has been designed to work with a certain amount of water and rice. You should not overfill your cooker as well.
The best hack is to pick a rice cooker size that you will need on a regular basis. If you cook the little amount of rice on a large cooker, heat might not distribute properly. This can provide disaster. It can even reduce the lifespan of your cooker.
If you need to cook a large amount of rice occasionally, it is better to have two rice cookers.
The US vs. Japanese Cup size
Measurement of Japanese cup size and the USA cup size is different from each other. A 240ml American cup is compared to a 200 ml Japanese Cup. That’s why it is important to save the plastic measure that comes with the rice cooker. The standard size of Japanese made rice cookers are approximately 700 millimeters while the US cup is 740 millimeters. Before picking the rice cooker, know whether it is Japanese or the US made to determine the size clearly.
Bowl Material
The quality of the rice cooker depends on the material the manufacturer used to create the bowl. Rice cooker can be made with different types of materials such as aluminum, stainless steel and so on.
Aluminum material heats quickly in an uneven manner. So, aluminum made rice cooker may not provide best-cooked rice. Besides, the particles of aluminum can also mix with food that can ruin the taste and create a health hazard in the long run. That’s why it is not recommended.
On the other hand, stainless steel material provides even heat distribution while cooking. That’s why stainless steel made rice cooker provides perfection. It is safe as it doesn’t mix food particles. Those are durable and easily corroded. Pick stainless steel made nonstick coating bowl as they are perfect for cooking and cleaning.
Control system
Rice cookers are available in a wide variety of controlling system including basic one touch to a digital control system. The digital control system offers functionality. But those are complicated to operate. So, pick one touch or digital controls according to your need.
Features to Look for the Best Rice Cookers
After considering size and materials issues, you should look for some other essential features as well to make your cooking journey ease and pleasurable. Let’s see what else to consider:
The Reheat Cycle System
For a rice cooker, the reheat cycle system is a must. Otherwise, the rice cooker is worth ignoring. Reheat cycle system will maintain a proper temperature in about 10 minutes after cooking. It will keep rice warm until the mail is served. So, the feature is extremely important, period.
Quick Cook Function
To quickly cook rice, the quick cook function is essential. If you need to cook rice quickly, you should pick a cooker that has this feature included. Otherwise, it will not serve you like the way you need it to be.
Lid type
There are two types of lid available in a rice cooker. One is unsealed, and another one is sealed. Both of the types have their pros and cons. You should pick according to your preference. Let’s see their pros and cons at a glance.
Unsealed
Positive Sides
- Inexpensive
- Easy to use and clean
- Can check cooking progress through the glass lid
Negative Sides
- Can Rattle and splash water onto the bench top
Sealed
Positive Sides
- Will never experience spatter and any rattle with a sealed lid
Negative Sides
- A bit fiddly to clean compared to unsealed options
Temperature-Monitoring and Digital Timing
Having both temperature monitoring and digital timing feature will add some extra benefit. The temperature monitoring feature will help you to adjust the temperature quickly. The digital timer will help you to determine the cooking time.
Fuzzy logic
Some high-quality rice cooker features fuzzy logic combined into the programming. It helps to use less strict timing for different cooking needs.
Multigrain
Multigrain is another cool feature that is not available in all the rice cookers. If you have multigrain in the cooker it means, the cooker can cook grains other than rice, or it can cook a mixture of rice. It actually depends on the manufacturer what the providers with the level of multigrain.
Safety Features
Safety is what matters the most in life. As rice cooker works with the touch of electricity and people, prefer electric one over anything, so it is essential to consider the safety feature of the model you are going to purchase. The model must have:
Auto Cord Reel: The Auto Cord reel keeps the cord away so that pets and children never pulling the unit off from its particular place. It will prevent an accident.
Fuse Protector: A fuse protector plays a crucial role in safety. Often we leave the cooker unattended while cooking rice. If fuse protector is included, it will trip and prevent a fire. Face it we all leave rice cooker unattended often, so it will be foolish to pick a rice cooker without fuse protector.
Types of Rice Cookers
Basic rice cookers work like a burner on the stove transferring heat from the heating unit to the pan causing the water to boil. The boiling water will remain at 212° Fahrenheit.
Once the water is absorbed, the temperature of the rice will increase. At that point, the rice cooker will shut off or switch to the warming cycle. Some rice cookers have additional heating elements on the sides and even the lid to cook the rice more evenly.
More advanced rice cookers use computer chips to make more precise changes in cooking time and temperature based on selected options such as a type of rice or texture selections. This cooking method can take twice as long, but it produces fluffier rice.
The most advanced rice cookers use induction heating. Electric current passing through metal coils creates a magnetic field in which the pan is inserted. This field creates an electrical current inside the pan generating heat. Induction heating distributes the heat more evenly through the food allowing more even cooking.
The temperature-sensing system and changes in temperature are more accurate. Cooking time and temperature is not based on the assumption that you have exactly three cups of rice cooking, it is based on an evenly distributed temperature of the rice.
Caution!!!
- Clean rice with water before you cook it. Rinse until the water looks clear. It will prevent scorching and sticking
- Never rinse rice inside the inner pot as it can create a scratch on the non-stick surface
- Remember oil, salt, and other spices can damage the surface so be careful before using those.
- Keep it clean with regular maintenance otherwise it will not serve you for a long time.
- Never overfill your cooker.
Conclusion
Let’s face the truth, we’ve all at one point in life experienced rice disasters, whether on our own or other peoples. Rice that is served up in claggy clumps or under cooked with no sign of fluffy and separate grains spreading nicely on the plate is the last thing you want to experience.
Because of the versatility, they offer within their price range, each of these rice cookers could be considered the best stainless steel rice cooker. The Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer stand out because the induction heating system makes it easier to successfully cook a variety of rice and grains.
It also provides a wide range of useful features. The Hamilton Beach 10-cup Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker offers an equally impressive list of features. It just lacks the induction heating system.
The Oyama CFS-F12W 7 Cup Rice Cooker does not have all the different cooking modes, but it does have the three-dimensional heating system that allows it to cook a variety of rice and grains. What makes it stand out is that, unlike the other two, it has a stainless steel inner pot rather than a non-stick coated pot, and that is important to many people.
So, the Oyama Rice Cooker is the best rice cooker with stainless steel inner pot. A choice between these three would depend on your price range, and whether you want a non-stick or stainless steel inner pot.
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