Answering some rice cooker questions

posted on 7 Dec 2007 by maki :: 23 comments

A few readers have emailed me recently about rice cookers by coincidence. So I thought I would put my answers here for everyone’s benefit.

Q. What size of rice cooker is right for me?

A single portion of rice ranges from 1/2 to 1 cup. So, if you are a single person or a couple you don’t need a huge rice cooker unless you are the social type who regularly has parties. The smallest capacity I’ve seen sold outside of Japan (where they do sell 2-cup or even 1-cup cookers) is 3 cups.

However, the newer rice cookers from good manufacturers like Zojirushi, Panasonic, Mitsubishi and so on handle small amounts of rice in their big-capacity rice cookers. For example this 10 cup capacity Zojirushi model can cook 1 cup as well as 10 cups. So, the size issue may come down more to budget and how much countertop space you can give it.

Q. Do I really need to spend so much on a rice cooker?

My general philosophy is this: If you think you’ll use it regularly, it’s worth spending a bit more for any appliance. The if you’ll use it regularly part is critical though. Will you be making rice at least 1 or 2 times a week, every week? Then a rice cooker is worth getting. And there’s such a world of difference between a good rice cooker and a cheap one. The most important one is durability - my older Zojirushi rice cooker is 20 years or so old and still working fine. The more durable an appliance is, the less you’re going to be adding crap needlessly to your local landfill. And you’ll save money in the long run.

(Incidentally, I’m not being unfairly biased by always recommending Japanese rice cooker manufacturers like Zojirushi. For one thing, everyone in my family has had great experiences with them. For another - Japanese people eat a lot of rice and they are quite particular about how their rice cookers perform!)

Q. Should I get a rice cooker that can cook brown rice, or other types of rice?

Again, if you think you will be cooking other types of grains or rice regularly, definitely yes.

Q. What features should I look for?

In order of importance:

A timer! Most rice cookers have a timer function, but it’s really handy to have. You can wash the rice the night before to have it freshly cooked in the morning, or wash it in the morning so you can come back to fresh cooked rice, etc.
Ease of use! You should be able to set it without thinking once you’ve read through the manual.
A durable, non-stick inner container is good to have, so that you can wash the rice in the container instead of having to bother with another bowl, etc.
An audible beeper, so you know when the rice is done.
Settings for cooking different kinds of rice or grains.
Sophisticated electronics that ensure your rice is cooked well (they are called Micom or Neuro-fuzzy or something like that usually)
Keep-warm feature. I have to say that I usually switch off the keep-warm as soon as the rice is done, because I think it makes the rice taste worse and worse. You should never use keep-warm for whole grains, including brown rice, because it will start to get odd fairly fast.

Q. I got a rice cooker but my rice still doesn’t taste right.

If you’re cooking Japanese style rice, are you sure you got the right kind? (See Looking at Rice.) Are you washing it correctly? (See How to wash and prepare rice.) You can’t skip the washing part and expect to get rice that’s as good as you can get at your favorite Japanese restaurant. (And to be picky, a lot of Japanese restaurants don’t wash their rice well enough for me, or use the evil ‘no-wash rice’ (musenmai). But that’s another story.)

Can I use a rice cooker for cooking other things?

You sure can. You have to keep in mind that a rice cooker is designed to start cooking at a low heat, gradually increasingly the heat, ending at a high heat. And it’s also fairly (in some models completely) sealed, so you get a moist steam heat. So, things that can be cooked in that type of environment will fit. There are several books about rice cooker cooking in Japan, and All About (the Japanese equivalent of About.com) has a whole section devoted to the subject. There are some rice cooker books in English too, like this one. I can’t vouch for any of the books, but I’ve tried some of the recipes on All About and they are rather fun.

Q. Do I need a rice cooker at all?

Our ancestors didn’t have cute beepy electric cookers, so obviously it is possible to cook rice properly without one.

I have a little confession actually - recently, I’ve been cooking rice more and more in anything but my rice cooker. I still rely on it when I’m in a hurry. And when someone else is making dinner, I can just ask them to ‘do the rice’ and as long as it’s using the rice cooker, everything is ok.

But I’ve found that the best tasting rice really is made in a regular, heavy pot, or in a pressure cooker. That’s the only way I cook brown rice these days. However, it takes some patience and practice to cook rice without the handy set-it-and-forget-it-ness of a rice cooker. I never used to be able to cook rice properly without a cooker - the rice would always turn into mush, or be hard and raw. Even now, after years of fairly concentrated practice, I occasionally turn out a pot of inedible goo.

So for a busy person who cooks a lot of rice or other grains, I think a rice cooker is a great appliance to have. It’s just one less thing to think about after all.

Addendum: About the rice cooker cup

One very important thing to keep in mind if you purchase a rice cooker is that you should always use the little measuring cup that comes with it. The capacity of the cup is usually 180ml, which is less than a Japanese one cup (200ml) or an American one cup (220ml). If you do lose that cup though, try measuring 180ml with a regular measuring cup.

Addendum2: A Zojirushi rice cooker that’s available in Europe

Europe-based readers haven’t had a lot of luck finding Japanese rice cookers, barring a trip to Japan. I’ve spotted this fairly new Zojirushi Rizo model on the web site of a European mailorder store:

It’s a 3-cup capacity model that cooks Japanese style rice, risotto, and also does ‘steam cooking’. It comes in yellow, white and stainless steel, and it’s available from Ja-Mart.de. The price for the yellow and white models is €186, which for a Japanese rice cooker in Europe is fairly reasonable. The site is in Japanese and German only, but they do deliver to several European countries, so try emailing them at customer.service at ja-mart dot de.

If you’re in the U.S. and fall in love with the cutie, you can get it from Amazon.

23 comments so far...

Rice on the stove

I must be especially bad-ass because I’ve never had a problem making rice on my stove. ^_^ Or maybe I’m just not picky about my rice? I dunno.

Dina | 8 December, 2007 - 03:21

This is a great article.

This is a great article. I’m with you - I still cook rice in a pot on the stovetop. I have tried cooking it in the microwave but I never get the proportions right because it invariably boils over and I spend most of my time cleaning out the microwave.

Paula from Only Cookware | 8 December, 2007 - 05:37

My mom taught me how to cook

My mom taught me how to cook rice on the stove, even measuring the level of water by the digit in your finger so it comes out perfect everytime, fluff it once with a fork or spoon and let it cook.
That’s really only at times there’s no rice cooker around. We bought a rice cooker for family in the Philippines once but I’m not sure it caught on.
We’ve used the same Japanese one since I can remember, but we give it a break once in a while and use the Aroma brand endorsed by Martin Yan. It, out of all the American brands we’ve tried performs the same as our Japanese brand. It’s a lot cheaper too, but I’d still like a Zojirushi someday.
Lastly, I can not get over the fact that Alton Brown refuses to get a rice cooker because he believes it to be a “unitasker”, well I think the fact that he fails to think up other uses for it is the real problem. :P

MasPinaSarap | 8 December, 2007 - 10:52

Rice Cooker

Hi M,

I have that same one and believe it or not I burned my left wrist on the top part. Now I have round shaped burn marks.

Ciao from South America

ode | 8 December, 2007 - 11:59

rice cooker

Hi Maki,
I Just Love Just Hungry.
After a lifetime of avoiding appliances that I was sure I would never use, you have fully convinced me that it’s high time I got a rice cooker. I used to think it was a “unitasker” too, but now I see it can be used for brown rice as well. Cool! So now I need to find out where I can get one. I live outside of Zürich, and we have Asian grocery stores not only in Hauptbahnhof, but closer to me in Wetzikon and Uster. Do you think they might have a Zogirushi, the small one? Or do I need to go to a specialty kitchen appliance store?

Livia in the Zürich Oberland.

Livia | 8 December, 2007 - 17:12

rice cookers in Zürich

Livia, unfortunately Zojirushi doesn’t seem to have much distribution in Switzerland (or the rest of Europe…not sure about that) yet. I’ve seen rice cookers at Nishi’s Japan Shop, though they are direct imports from Japan and therefore rather expensive. I’d start looking there first though, then try the usual electronics stores, or Ricardo.

maki | 9 December, 2007 - 21:33

Rice Cooker - Must for us

Hi Maki,

This is a great article!

I have a Tiger rice cooker (also made in Japan), have been using it for about 4 years now. I had wanted to buy a Zojirushi rice cooker (heard they were very good), but unfortunately when I bought my rice cooker, the larger model I needed wasn’t available so I ended up with the Tiger instead. Mine also has functions to cook other kinds of grains, although I must admit, I haven’t used the other functions much.

A rice cooker (good one) is essential for us since we eat rice very often. I especially like the timer function on mine because sometimes I can pre set the time on when I want the rice to be ready.

I have gotten the “rice cooker” book from the library thinking it would be a cook book with recipes of dishes we could make using the rice cooker. It wasn’t really that. It’s more a cook book for people who cook rice a lot (lots of different grain dishes are covered).

Have also experimented with some recipes using the rice cooker (ex: buta no kakuni with coke in the rice cooker - the taste was okay, I wasn’t wowed, but for the amt. of work I had to do, it was easy).

One dish I cook very regularly with my old rice cooker is steamed chicken thighs. I marinate the thighs with coarse salt (a lot of it, when you think it’s too much, that’s the right amount), some chinese cooking wine, some julienned green onions and ginger, freshly ground pepper. Marinate for about 2 hours. Then dump everything in the rice cooker. I let it steam until it’s done. Sometimes if the thighs are big, it needs to go through two cycles. I don’t eat the skin because it can be quite oily, but the chicken meat comes out very tender and nicely seasoned.
The chicken thighs are white looking cuz no soy sauce is added.

Wakkun | 8 December, 2007 - 19:14

Maki, you seem like an

Maki, you seem like an expert, so here goes…

I have lived in Japan and had a rice cooker. Just having one there and seeing the difference between the rice I turned out and what my friend’s rice cooker from Lakeland Limited makes is enough to make me realise I want a Japanese brand again.

I travel to Japan for work all the time, but live in Wales. What is your advice on buying in Japan and using back at home? I’m scared about the difference in voltage to be honest, I’d hate to blow up my kitchen!!

Love your page. Love, love, love it.

Peter | 11 December, 2007 - 16:23

you need a very good transformer

Peter, you need a good transformer, which you can get in Akihabara at stores that cater to people bringing electronics overseas…I can’t say a specific store but there are several. (My transformer was bought locally here though, since it’s very heavy! You might want to look around in Wales first to see if there’s anyone that sells transformers, so you don’t have to lug home a huge brick.) I do run several 100v appliances with the transformer and they all work fine.

maki | 11 December, 2007 - 18:17

Thanks!

Thanks Maki. I have to say, before reading your response, I decided to make getting a rice cooker my mission for the trip I was just on, and schlepped off down to Akihabara the other day. I asked about transformers and explained what I wanted them for, and the staff at Yodobashi Camera recommended just getting a rice cooker already volted up for use in Europe. They had a nice Zojirushi model for ¥15, 800, which has a 5.5 cup capacity, but which was sold out (typical). So I have one on order.

Thanks for your help though! One thing I would add if anyone else who travels to Japan is reading and also wants one - you don’t even need to go to Akihabara. They sell the same model in the duty free store (also called Akihabara, strangely…) in Narita Airport, I subsequently found. I’ll be getting mine from Yodobashi though - the man who helped me really went out of his way, and they work on commission. Plus I get points on my loyalty card! :)

anon. | 17 December, 2007 - 11:52

great!

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I didn’t know about the store in Narita - I’ll have to look next time. (Re the transformer, I have a couple of other 100 volt appliances so for me the transformer made more sense, but if it’s just the rice cooker the already wired one is probably a better choice.)

maki | 17 December, 2007 - 21:07

Great Grandma's good Juju

I have an old old rice cooker that I inherited from my great grandmother. It’s just an old Hitachi, nothing fancy. Looks like a beast! Missing a leg, I have to put a potholder under one spot to level it out when cooking. It makes wonderful rice! I tell my kids not to get me the Zoji just yet. This rice cooker has all the good juju from my great grandma. When it dies completely, I’ll move on!

Tracy | 18 December, 2007 - 07:26

juju

Good juju from your grandmother beats fuzzy-neuro-micom any time, I say. :)

maki | 18 December, 2007 - 21:31

I used to live with a

I used to live with a Japanese girl and she had the best rice cooker, it was small and compact and made fab rice. I scoured London looking for one and couldn’t find anything similar, I see now that hers must only be available in Japan. The one I have takes up about half the counter space in my kitchen.

Lm | 18 December, 2007 - 22:13

National

I live in Japan and my pick is a small National model (SR-CH05). Panasonic is the name for National in the West. I haven’t tried the Zoijiruchi but I’m sure they are good. They didn’t have a small one when I went shopping, though, just the monster family-size, maybe 6 cups. Mine is a 2-cup raw, 4-cup cooked model, just perfect for me. It’s round so it takes up less space, with a handle on top for easy pick-up and dark grey in colour, which is easier to keep clean. :)) Mine has been cooking most days for about 7 years now.

I always make brown rice with no special setting. I use Japanese short-grain organic rice and if I set the timer for 45 minutes it always comes out great. I would recommend experimenting with the times if you use another brown rice. You can always put the pot back on for another few minutes if it’s too hard the first time or two.

vegetablej | 22 December, 2007 - 09:18

Rice cooker

I totally agree with buying one of the programmable rice cookers. Several mentioned that they can make rice as well on a stove top, but there’s a much more important point. A rice cooker lets you prepare rice (steel cut oats, lentils, barley, etc.) in the morning with about 30 seconds of preparation. When you walk in the door in the evening, the house is fragrant with your cooked grain - and the rice cooker will keep it warm for hours if you’re late. It’s very quick to saute something additional, and dinner becomes an easy 10 minute task, even at the end of a long work day. My wife and I find we prefer cooking our meals rather than getting take-out or restaurants, and that’s where you’ll soon save the price of the rice cooker.

Doug | 27 December, 2007 - 15:11

Thank you for this great

Thank you for this great article =D Since I am Asian (father is from Hong Kong), I have definetly grown up with one of those things xD We currently have one from Walmart (it was cheap, sue my father x.x). But I’m seriously gonna persuade him into buying an actual quality one (and hopefully from an Asian company, cause they just rock ^^). Which brand (and model if you have any in particular) would you suggest? It has to be a fairly large one (we have 4 people in the house, and we just love rice, haha), and also with the features that you mentioned above. Thanks! =)

Steph | 1 January, 2008 - 23:54

Recommended rice cooker brands

Steph, my favorite brand is Zojirushi - I’ve listed some of their models on my astore page. I have two Zojirushi cookers, one is more than 20 years old and still works great! Other brands include Tiger, Panasonic/National, Mitsubishi, Toshiba etc.

maki | 2 January, 2008 - 10:42

Zojirushi is probably the

Zojirushi is probably the best, but there are also some good Chinese rice cookers out there— if you happen to live in China, a Midea rice cooker will be a lot cheaper and also works quite well. I wish I could have taken mine back to the states with me!

Alexis | 3 January, 2008 - 01:52

Fantastic piece

That was a very informative article on rice cooker selection.

I’m Chinese so a rice cooker is about as normal to me and my family as a coffee maker is to other North American/European families. My mother doesn’t even know how to make rice on the stove. (I learned from my grandmother how to cook rice on the stove.)

I agree that it’s very important to get a good quality rice cooker. I have a National SR-CF05N and I think my mother got it over 10 years ago. I love it so much that I brought it with me to Sweden. I had to get a more powerful power converter to get it to work but it’s all worth it.

I’m a bit biased in my rice cooker selection as well. A friend of mine was given a Cuisinart rice cooker and he says that it’s more work to use it than to cook rice on the stove. After looking at the design, I quickly realized why it’s inferior to its Asian counterparts. Asian rice cookers usually come with a locking lid, a sufficient steam vent and some sort of escape route for the rice water to “boil over” without it boiling over on to your counter.

Wendy | 14 February, 2008 - 01:46

I am hopeless at cooking

I am hopeless at cooking rice on the stovetop. I can never ever get the setting that will simmer it gently. Either it’s still trying to cook two hours later, or, more usually, the water is gone too soon and the rice isn’t cooked. I like my cheap Aroma rice cooker, even if it is unsophisticated.

I also use Minute brown rice sometimes. Not as good as regular brown rice, but sometimes ten minute preparation in the microwave is more important.

anon. | 22 March, 2008 - 19:22

microwaved rice

a big microwavable casserole and the microwave works fine too!

pop it in for about 20 mins on high.

the water content is usually one quarter MORE than the volume of the rice.

then once it stops leave it to stand for about 5 mins or so.

:D we always cook our rice that way.

dani | 22 March, 2008 - 23:49

Rice my favourite

Im a Singaporean Chinese & rice-cooker is an essential in all homes here. The latest rice cooker craze here is the Philips model (10-cup capacity) & it can bake cakes too.

I never use the measuring cup to add water, prefer to measure with the 1st digit of my index finger. When you put ur finger on the top of rice, the water shd cover up to the 1st digit of your index finger mark. If your rice turns out too watery, just leave it on “Keep warm” mode and it will turn dry soon.

If you have rice leftover frm dinner and a very good chicken broil with yummy chkn/seafood, you can all dump into the cooker and leave as “Keep warm” mode overnight. By morn, you shd haf a delicious chkn porridge (rice-stew) for breakfast.

Another way is to use a covered container in the microwave. The reason why it boils over is becuz it’s not covered.

For normal rice, you can always add a clove of garlic in the cooker for a nice fragrance in your rice. Instead of water, you can use a gd chkn stock too (for normal rice).

Jenn | 28 March, 2008 - 10:07