What is the best rice cooker?

[Brenna]

what would be best rice cooker? should I go with teh vitaclay slowcooker? or should I slow cook it in a clay pot? or what would be the best way? any ideas?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I bought a Zojirushi electric rice cooker...I love it.

 

[Brenna]

okay, thanx a bunch

 

[merstar]

I have a Black & Decker electric rice cooker.

 

[Selkie]

Black & Decker here too. An excellent brand!

 

[GB]

Another vote for Zojirushi.They are expensive, but work perfectly every time.

 

[CWS4322]

What is the advantage over a rice cooker vs. cooking rice the traditional way? I think I have enough appliances...

 

[GB]

It is a set it and forget it sort of thing CWS. I set up my rice cooker before I leave for work and I tell it to be done at 6:30pm then at 6:30pm on the dot my rice is ready and waiting for me. If I am not ready to eat at 6:30 then the rice cooker goes into keep warm mode (for up to 12 hours) to keep the rice ready, but not overcook it.

It takes all the guesswork out of making rice. You put in your rice and your liquid and turn it on. The cooker determines (by moisture level) when the rice is cooked perfectly and then it stops cooking.

 

[licia]

What is the advantage over a rice cooker vs. cooking rice the traditional way? I think I have enough appliances...

Whenever I cooking rice I'm also cooking other things so I've never seen the need for a rice cooker. I think I have enough too.

 

[suzyQ3]

We have a Panasonic/National fuzzy logic, similar to the Zojirushi. It is just about the most used kitchen appliance we own.

 

[Brenna]

okay, thanx. I have a rice cooker, but its small. its seems like we go through quite a bit of rice so I was looking for something bigger.

 

[spork]

I have both National & Zojirushi, both with so-called fuzzy logic, both 5 cup capacity. My everyday workhorse is the National; the "mark of the elephant" usually comes out when more rice is needed, like a dinner party. Many families around the world eat rice as the staple grain, every day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just buy the best appliance for your particular needs, Brenna.

I recommend the Zojirushi. You'll find it also to be more versatile than just for cooking rice.

 

[CWS4322]

My problem with any appliance that you leave programmed to cook when you are not home is that the autosensor/computer can go crazy. One friend of mine came home to find the bread machine "smoking" and the dough a ball of charcoal. He was lucky, his house didn't catch on fire. Another friend's stove (when set on delay/auto cook) mal-functioned. She was not so lucky. She came home to her house burnt to the ground.

As convenient as it is to come home to a meal ready (crock pot, etc.), I am more inclined to only use such appliances when I'm home doing something else. Just my two cents on these convenience appliances that have "remote time set" computers. The computers can go haywire. And the consequences are usually not good.

When I used to drink coffee, there were many times I went back to the house when on my way to meet clients to make sure I had unplugged the coffee machine. Another friend of mine had a house fire linked to the coffee maker.

 

[spork]

I entirely agree with CWS.

I never program an appliance to operate on its own without my presence/supervision. Many people plug in and set up their coffee-maker at night, so that they can wake up to an alarm clock and the scent of hot brew. I don't. Basically, don't trust mass manufacturing (sad to say, especially China origin). And, the on/off nature of electronics, no wiggle room. A timer is just a relay switch, and I'm too aware that a coffee-maker's heating element is turned on, and that its only back-up is another thermostat relay switch. What I like most about the rice cooker is: flawless cooking every time at the press of a button, and (while I prefer immediately freezing leftover versus plugged-in energy consumption) ready-to-eat hot rice for 12+ hours as needed.

 

[Brenna]

okay, I just cook my rice cooker and then it goes to the "warm"setting. and I've never had a problem so far. Like I've said before, the problem is mostly that its too small.

 

[Joshatdot]

Zojirushi, Tiger, Sanyo, Panasonic, Oyama, Tatung .. pretty much any Japanese brand cooker would be a great choice.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I wouldn't have bought a rice cooker if rice wasn't a daily staple in our house.

 

[Brenna]

yes, i use my rice cooker everyday, usually 2x a day. so yeah - to say I need a bigger rice cooker is an understatement. thanx for mentioning the japanese brand. am loooking forward to it. thanx

 

[Robert Barnett]

I have owned high end Panasonic/national, Sanyo and Zojirushi. All worked great, but the zojirushi has been my favorite. However unless you make rice at least once a week I would not spend a couple of hundred for one. The cheaper less fancy models will do just fine. I would spend $70 to $100 on a midrange one or up to $500 for a high end if I made a lot of rice or got one that also did other things I use like doubling as a slow cooker, steamer, or hot cereal maker or if I made rice several times a week. I have never had a bad Zojirushi product I love my Zo bread machine maker too.

Robert

 

[Josie1945]

Welcome

I have owned high end Panasonic/national, Sanyo and Zojirushi. All worked great, but the zojirushi has been my favorite. However unless you make rice at least once a week I would not spend a couple of hundred for one. The cheaper less fancy models will do just fine. I would spend $70 to $100 on a midrange one or up to $500 for a high end if I made a lot of rice or got one that also did other things I use like doubling as a slow cooker, steamer, or hot cereal maker or if I made rice several times a week. I have never had a bad Zojirushi product I love my Zo bread machine maker too.

Robert

Welcome to DC.

Josie