The Best Rice Cooker (2024), Reviewed by Our Experts
The Best Rice Cooker (), Reviewed by Our Experts
Considering they exist to do basically one thing, the variety of rice cookers out there is a tad overwhelming. These gadgets range from a simple inexpensive pot with nothing but an on-off switch to a complex computerized multi-cooker that costs several hundred dollars and sings. If you grew up with a rice cooker, you may already profess loyalty to a particular brand or model. But if you are entirely new to this world, finding the best rice cooker for your needs is no simple task. Which is why we want to help.
The best rice cookers
Let&#;s start with a basic question: Do you need an electric rice cooker? Even if rice just shows up in your cooking sometimes, deputy food editor Hana Asbrink says yes. &#;It just makes life easier if you&#;re cooking rice at least once a week.&#; Many people are perfectly happy cooking rice on the stove, and certain rice dishes, like a tahdig or biryani, can&#;t really come together in a rice cooker at all. But if rice is a regular or semiregular staple, a rice cooker cuts out the additional soaking, watching, and adjusting required for stovetop methods and gives you the freedom to focus on whatever else you might need to do.
To keep you from having to wade into the vast paddy of options, we&#;ve gathered top picks based on product testing and from experts from our test kitchen and the restaurant industry.
The best rice cooker overall: Zojirushi 5.5-Cup Induction Rice Cooker
What we likedWhat we didn&#;tConsistent results, wide range of capabilitiesExpensive, the bulky cord is not retractableZojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker
Pros: Consistent results, wide range of capabilities
Cons: Expensive, the bulky cord is not retractable
Best for: If you want a high-quality rice cooker that's easy to use for some simple meal prep.
For the past 10 years, Asbrink has used the NP-HBC10 Zojirushi Induction rice cooker at home. Her rice cooker is the previous model of Zojirushi&#;s current induction rice cooker, the NP-HCC10&#;the current winner of our best rice cooker test (Zojirushi model names are a bit of an alphabet soup, so we&#;ll make sure to link you to everything we recommend). Asbrink says &#;consistency is key '' in a rice cooker, and her model has been a &#;trouper&#; for cooking the Korean and Japanese rice varietals and multigrain blends she likes to prepare at home.
Our product test backs Asbrink up, as the NP-HCC10 has been the top rice cooker for the past few years, coming out on top in blind tastings multiple times. Testers observed that each batch of rice cooked in this rice cooker is a Goldilocks in terms of texture&#;not too soft, not too hard, well-hydrated but not to the point of being mushy&#;and the keep warm cycle keeps the rice fresh for hours without yellowing or drying out. Perfectly cooked rice might be a subjective term, but all of us around the office think this machine gets pretty close to achieving it.
Asbrink did note that the two problems she found with the HBC10 were a lack of a retractable cord (more of an annoyance if you store it on the countertop) and the absence of any numerical countdown for remaining cook time. The current version of this Zojirushi does offer a countdown but still doesn&#;t have a retractable cord. (Actually, none of the high-end Zojirushi models feature retractable cords, although a few of their mid-tier price models do.)
What&#;s so special about the Zojirushi NP-HCC10?
The NP-HCC10 is a Micom (micro computerized) rice cooker with induction heating capabilities. Micom rice cookers rely on sensors to adjust temperature and cook time based on what kind of rice you&#;re trying to cook (firm, soft, washed, unwashed). This model has one in the lid and one in the main body near the pan. Micom rice cookers use &#;fuzzy logic,&#; which means they make relative adjustments based on the sensor readings&#;more hot or less hot, rather than just flipping a heating element on and off at at a preprogrammed intervals. Micom fans will say that this allows the rice cooker to make &#;perfect rice&#; every time. If you swap the word perfect with consistent, this is true within a certain range of circumstances. A Micom rice cooker can handle problems like incorrect water-to-rice ratios in ways that a basic rice cooker simply can&#;t. You should still follow the suggested ratios and use the measuring cup that comes the machine. These machines might be &#;smart,&#; but they aren&#;t miracle workers.
The Best Rice Cookers of
1. Measure the rice with the provided measuring scoop (the scoops of all the models in our lineup held approximately ¾ cup). (If you&#;re rinsing your rice, place it in a fine-mesh strainer and hold it under running water until the water running through the rice is almost clear, about 1 minute, agitating the rice with your hand every so often.)
2. Transfer the rice to the cooking bowl.
3. Fill the cooking bowl to the corresponding water line. (For example, add enough water to reach the &#;2&#; line for two scoops of rice.)
4. Switch on the machine. (On machines with multiple settings, select the correct cooking method or style of rice or grain.)
5. When your rice is done cooking, use the provided paddle to gently fluff the rice from the bottom upward, allowing excess moisture to escape without damaging the grains. Fluffing the rice also helps prevent clumping.
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