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Rice cooker as the name suggests is an appliance that is for cooking rice. Rice cooker involves a thermocouple which senses temperature in the cooker and turns off the heating element when the cooker temperature is above the boiling point. Best Rice Cooker stays on there until the water inside the cooker is absorbed or has been totally converted to steam. Rice cookers varies in size and it can cook different amount of rice depending on the need.
A typical rice cooker takes about 30 minute to cook rice. The process to cooking rice includes filling the cooker with water and rice. Cooker will heat the water to its boiling point and further vaporising the water to steam. It continues till the water in the cooker get absorbed by the rice or boiled off.
The heating continues to increase the temperature further thus making the thermostat trip or it might simply switch the cooker off. Traditional Rice Cookers which were used before includes pressure cookers which doesn’t have any mechanism for maintaining temperature hence people cooking on such traditional cookers need to have a fair idea when to turn off the knob of the gas in order to prevent the rice from getting burned.
Many pioneers in the market such as Sony, started with electric rice cookers in the late 1940s, it was made by aluminium electrodes which were interlocked and were connected to the bottom of a wooden tub. This rice cooker totally depended on the amount of the water and the type of rice used.
It was the first failure for the Sony’s CEO, as the rice from their rice cookers were either undercooked or overcooked. Let’s now talk about the various rice cookers out there and how you can educate yourself about the pros and cons of the various cookers available out there.
Read Also: Top 10 Best Electric Smoker Reviews 2018
How to pick your perfect Best rice cooker?
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- Products which are easy to use and easy to clean are always preferred. Usually the inner lid is detachable which means it could be easily removed and can be cleaned in water or put in dishwasher. Most of the accessories are dishwasher safe, however any kind of spills on the cord or the electrical equipment, might ruin it. Stainless-steel and plastics are easy to wipe and clean.
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- Other factors to look for is the weight of the rice cooker, smaller cookers are lightweight and weigh less than six kilograms, while the really large one weighs more than 7-8 kilograms. A usual 20 cup weighs around 16 Kgs. So basically, the whole point is that, the bigger it is, more space it will consume.
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- People also look for stainless-steel pots because of their easy to clean and easy to use nature.
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- You might want to look for the accessories that are given along with the rice cookers as well. Usually rice cookers comes with a measuring cup and a spatula but some rice cookers might not give the spatula or the cup which is a problem since they are a must in case you are planning to use the cooker properly.
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- Look for the safety features on the rice cooker, it’s one of the plus points while buying a rice cooker.
- Finally, you might want to look for the brands or the good companies in the rice cooker industry but it usually doesn’t matter as long as the performance and quality of the product is good.
It comes down to good after-service which might be needed in the event of the breakdown of the rice cooker. The top 3 companies that comes in rice cooker are aroma, oster and zojirushi.
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Check These Best Rice Cookers :
11) Zojirushi NS-LAC05XT Micom 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer
The first product that is on the list is “Zojirushi NS-LAC05XT” Micom Rice Cooker which is a combination of the sleek design and fair price, making it the perfect fit for a rice cooker. 3 cups make 6 cups of perfectly cooked rice thus making it a full meal for everyone.
Features
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- Its function includes many functions such as quick cooking, Sushi and Brown etc. Zojirushi contains an inner cooking pan which provides heating for better cooking, different measuring for better control.
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- The digital LCD control panel and the detachable inner lid with the extended keep warm setting as well as a built in retractable power cord makes It to the top 10 best rice cookers.
- Small footprints in this model takes less space making it a better cooker to place anywhere. It comes up with other accessories such as measuring cup, allowing you to measure how much rice needs to be added.
Accessories include non-stick spatula and spatula holder. If we were to rate this product, I would rate it 9 out of 10, considering its sleek design and the fair price as well as the space efficiency this product provides.
10) Aroma Housewares Professional 12-Cup (Cooked) (6-Cup UNCOOKED) Digital Rice Cooker and Food Steamer
Second product on the list is the “Aroma Housewares Professional (12 Cup Rice Cooker)”. This product is brought in the market by the aroma housewares which comes under the category of the “fuzzy logic” rice cookers. Aroma 12 Rice cooker allows at max 6 cups of rice I.e. uncooked while making it to 12 (as the name suggests) after cooking.
Features of 12 Cup Rice Cooker
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- It has a built in digital display which displays everything elegantly and it provides a user-friendly interface to the user as well.
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- Considering fuzzy logic models, it costs significantly less than the other models.
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- Comes with a sauté-then-simmer feature which is available with the aroma brand and is an egg-shaped model which has a picnic style handle, making it easier to grab the cooker whenever the need arises.
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- It contains isolated setting for white, brown, slow cooking, soup, steaming and cakes.
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- This product comes with a delayed timer which allows you to set the cooker in advance, as long as 15 hours earlier before the actual cooking takes place. Accessories includes a plastic measuring cup and a serving spoon.
- Its power cable however makes it different from other models due to its detachable nature which is not offered by other models in the same price range.
On the scale of 1-10, this product definitely deserves a 9 due to its sauté-then-simmer and easy to use, clean function.
9) BLACK+DECKER RC436 7-Cup Dry/16-cup Cooked Rice Cooker, White
One of the favorites of the people and currently trending in the market is the “Black and Decker 16 Cup RC436”. This product can cook hold 8 cups of uncooked rice and produces 16 cups of rice after cooking which is actually double the size of the cookers in the same price range. The design is a bit simple and flat which might not be aesthetically pleasing but it’s at par with the best in terms of functionality.
- It doesn’t let the water to get condensed and drain back into the rice by letting it out with a small vent present in the removable lid on the top.
- Warming mode is switched on as soon as the rice is done.
- Product allows you to separate inner pot and basket in order you to allow to store left over food in the refrigerator.
Drawbacks of Black and Decker 16 Cup-(RC436)
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- Products like this one get very hot, hence it’s up to the user to handle the sides off the product very carefully.
- One of the possible cons for it would be the manual switching of the cooker as soon as the rice is done.
Accessories includes an attached spoon, which has a latch on the side to keep it close when you need it. This product scores 7 due to its simple design and extra capacity to hold more rice. It further includes an extra steamer basket, which allows you to steam other vegetables and fish.
8) Bajaj RCX 5 1.8-Litre Rice Cooker
“Bajaj RCX 5 1.8 Litre Rice Cooker” is one of the most popular rice cookers in India. It comes up with 1.8 litres of capacity which is more than appropriate for a normal sized family.
Features of Bajaj RCX 5 1.8 Litre Rice Cooker:
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- It has quite an advanced functionality and has a warm and a power indicator which indicates the power and the temperature of the pot inside the cooker. The bowl inside the cooker is made up of aluminum while the vents are made up of stainless steel.
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- This product comes up with a 2-year warranty and also one of the highest ratings on the Amazon.
- It provides 550 watts of power and works on an operating voltage of 220 volts. It has the capacity to cook 1 kg raw rice which roughly would be around 5 cups of raw rice(approx.).
Drawbacks of Bajaj RCX 5 1.8 Litre Rice Cooker
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- One of the cons that this product has is the delicacy of the product as the product is quite soft and it needs to be handled with care.
- The other drawback would be its automatic mode, that usually doesn’t work easily. Considering it pros and cons this product scores a 7 as well.
7) Panasonic SR-WA10 550-Watt Automatic Rice Cooker
Panasonic’s SR-WA10 comes under as a must have under this list. One of the highest rated cooker on Amazon as well as other e-commerce websites that sold the rice cookers. One would usually expect a good capacity cooker from Panasonic but this product has one litre of capacity and usually good for a small family.
- It comes with advanced features which includes auto cooking, auto cut-off, scoop holder and many more.
- This product also provides 2 years of warranty much like the Bajaj’s rice cooker and comes with 450 watts of power.
- This cooker being small in capacity but with the advanced features and the ability to turn off when the rice is prepared beats all the other cookers in the market.
One of the cons that is usually seen with this rice cooker is its cover which doesn’t fit properly most of the time and due to this, the little beast scores a 7
6) Tiger Corporation JBV-A10U-W 5.5-Cup Micom Rice Cooker with Food Steamer and Slow Cooker, White
Sixth in the list would be Tiger corporation JBV-A10U 5.5-Cup Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer with Tacook Plate. A brand not that well heard of in India, but it does produce some really quality products.
Features:
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- It comes with multiple menu settings which includes plain, synchro-cooking, brown and slow cook-steam option. This suncro-cooking function also known as tacook, allows a user to simultaneously cook his rice and his meal.
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- Non-Sticky inner pan and easy to clean pan is always appreciated by the customers. The tacook comes up with a separate cook just for this function
- Accessories includes a nonstick spatula, measuring cup and a cooking plate.
Drawbacks:
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- Now, let’s talk about the cons of this product and the first con would be the large steam that is generated while cooking and the second con is the difficulty that occurs while cleaning the rice cooker.
- One of the other cons which actually might the reason as to why people might not prefer this item is the lid which is not removable and most of the people prefer cookers which has the lid that can be removed. The reason for this preference is due to the fact that removable lids can be easily cleaned.
This product on our score card scores 6.5 out of 10 due to it syncro feature and the user-friendly operation but it does seem to have way too many cons for it to get a higer score.
5) Zojirushi Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer 1.0 Liter, Stainless Brown NP-NVC10
Zojirushi features on this list again with its model NP-NVC10 Induction heating pressure Cooker that essentially works under “fuzzy logic” artificial intelligence which simply means that it learns from its past experiences.
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- It works on fuzzy logic, a form of artificial intelligence. Suppose, previously with certain amount of water and certain amount of rice when heated for a certain amount of time the rice ended up getting roasted. It’d know that either it has to decrease the time span or the temperature to improve its performance, this is what fuzzy logic rice cookers do and helps to improve its performance.
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- It also comes up with the head induction technology which ensures that the heat flows from all the sides thus enabling a good heat flow for the food inside the cooker.
- The scorch setting feature allows the rice to turn into crispy golden brown which is ideal for special dishes which would require such a preparation.
The delay time which allows the time to be set in advance and the ready colored easy to use LCD display scores it an 8 out of 10 score. This product comes along with multi-cooking settings which includes setting for sushi, white, brown, GABA brown and quick cooking.
4) Panasonic Sr-Y22Fhs 750-Watt Automatic Electric Cooker 5.4L With Non Stick Cooking Pan
The other product which is popular as much as the best rice cookers is the “Panasonic electric rice cooker-Panasonic SR-Y22FHS”. This product can prepare for one big family and can prepare it one go.
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- The unique selling point of this rice cooker is the capacity it can hold large amount of rice, high end features and high power as well. It has 5.4 litres of capacity with 750 watts of power and 240 volts of operating voltage.
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- It’s aesthetically pleasing looks is one plus point coupled with the feature which allows to keep the food warm even after the cooking has been already done.
- It involves an auto-cooking option and the handles are quite easy to hold on to. Pros includes its polycarbonate body while cons mostly consists of its high price.
It scores 8.5 out of 10 due to its high storing capacity and the auto cooking feature. It’s one of the must buys for the people who has large family and need to cook more rice in one go.
3) I COOK, YOU REST, Cuckoo 8 in 1 Multi Pressure cooker, Stainless Steel, Made in Korea, ICOOK Q5 PREMIUM
One of the simplest rice cookers out there is the Pigeon Joy 1.8 L Double Pots Unlimited SDX. It has the design of the basic pressure cookers but it does put up a good performance when it comes to rice cooking.
Features:
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- It has a removable pot which helps in better cleaning of the rice cooker. It’s a double pot cooker, which allows more food to be prepared in one go and allows extra space for more food.
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- The capacity of this product is 1.8 litres and it has got 700 watts of power which basically uses 240 volts of operating voltage.
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- Accessories includes one spatula and a user manual. It comes with an aluminum container which is a perfect fit for a rice cooker.
- It comes at quite a cheap price and it provides much better performance while compared to other rice cookers in the same range.
Drawbacks:
Cons includes its basic design which might not be aesthetically pleasing and off-putting for some of the customers out there.
- This product neither comes with an automatic feature thus making its features a little bit limited. Hence, it scores a meagre 6 out of 10.
2) Oster 6-Cup Rice Cooker with Steam Tray, Black (CKSTRCMS65)
Oster came up with its own rice cooker “Oster CKSTRCMS65 Rice cooker with steam try”. This rice cooker can hold up to 6 cups of uncooked rice.
Features:
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- The lid above is removable and transparent which allows the users to view the condition of the rice inside.
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- Oster rice cooker comes with the warm feature which makes the rice warm even after the cooking has been done.
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- As the Oster rice cooker lid can be removed, it makes the cooker easy to clean and carry.
- The small vent on the lid helps to pass the steam or any kind of overflows while cooking or steaming.
Drawbacks:
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- While talking about cons, the size is one of the biggest problems of this rice cooker.
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- Though it claims to cook up to 6 cups of rice but in reality, it yields about 4 standard cups of rice.
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- It might be good for small number of people but it’s not good when it comes up for a large family.
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- One of the other reasons as to why people might not prefer to buy this rice cooker is that it doesn’t have any off switch hence making the user to remove the plug from the socket when the cooker goes into the warm mode.
- Further it’s recommended to not keep the cooker in warm mode for long because it’s warm mode temperature is quite high which leads to overheating of the rice.
Oster rice cooker scores a 6 out of 10 mostly because of its cons which are size and a no off-switch issues.
1) Instant Pot IP-LUX60
The second last product on our list would be the instant pot IP-LUX60 rice cooker. This was basically designed for fast paced cooking and easy meal preparation.
Features of IP-LUX60:
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- This rice cooker comes up with different menu settings and all sorts of built in programs for all kinds of meals.
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- This rice cooker provides user friendly interface and combines the functions of different kinds of cooker such as pressure cooker, slow cooker, warmer steamer and even the browning function.
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- Furthermore, it contains an LCD display which displays the time and it has a keep warm feature which keeps the food warm after the food is done cooking.
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- The delay timer of this cooker extends up to 24 hours.
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- This cooker comes up with different kinds of adjustment modes such as slow cooker which provides three different temperatures to set to and to achieve the perfect meal.
- It is almost free from any kind of leakage and trapping almost every kind of aroma the food releases.
Drawbacks of IP-LUX60:
Cons include the valve of the pressure cooker get a bit rusty which needs to cleaned more often thus increasing the work of the user.
This is one of the reasons the cooker might not turn on. On a scale of 1-10 it scores a 7.
Conclusion for Best Rice Cookers of 2023
This article is a complete guide to choose the right rice cooker according to your needs, considering all the factors in mind. With the Best Rice cookers listed here, I hope it will be now easy for you to choose the perfect one for you.