Rice Cookers

[lindag]

I have the Zojirushi NP-HBC10 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel which I purchased about three years ago...I totally love it. It cooks every type rice there is flawlessly.

[UnConundrum]

I just received a 10 cup Cuchen black diamond as a gift. Only time I use a pressure cooker is for canning. Does anyone have one of these? What do you make in it other than rice and beans? Does the pressure cooker work like any other electric pressure cooker?

[Hassouni]

A recent recipient of a Zojirushi NH-VBC18 IH rice cooker,I can say that everything you've ever heard about these things is true. The difference in rice quality is stunning. We notice the benefits of this machine particularly with Korean brown rice, Kokuho Rose, and the older bag of Thai jasmine rice we're working our way through (I'm really dying to get some new crop Jasmine rice).

I would never have purchased this machine for myself, but if you eat rice regularly and have the disposable cash to drop (or a kind gift-giver in your family) for such a thing, it's a bit like going from button mushrooms to truffles, I gotta say.

We've got the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker. It is one of the best purchases we've ever made; I haven't a single complaint.

You have both? Is there a noticeable difference? The Neuro Fuzzy is a lot cheaper...

[Chris Amirault]

Not sure what happened there -- I can't even find the NH model I linked above -- but the second link is correct, and we absolutely love it.

[rotuts]

if you have any doubts about what a fuzzy (+) rice cooker might do for you take a look at this book:

the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook:

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook-Porridges/dp/1558326677/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343046744&sr=1-1&keywords=Ultimate+Rice+Cooker+Cookbook

It covers all rice cookers up to the Pub.date

Ive had my National (Panasonic) 10-cup for over 10 years. After reading this book, the feature that allows you to cook with milk sold me, and Ive never looked back. No scorching! This model has a flat bottom and does "Komando" rice: it crisps the bottom for a crunchy 'top' this is a nice feature, and I cant say if all models do this.

get the 10-cup, as you will never make 10 cups but the added room in the bowl allows for lots of "mix-ins" after the rice/grain is cooked for only a slight price increase.

[Hassouni]

I just bought the 5.5 cup Zojirushi Made in Japan Neuro Fuzzy, since I had a gift certificate for Super H Mart, who happened to be discounting it. It came out to well under 50% of the cost of their same-sized IH model. Let's see what it can do!

Edited July 26, 2012 by Hassouni (log)

[rotuts]

let us know how you like it. Mine might decide to retire someday. does the Zoji crisp the bottom of the rice?

[Hassouni]

No, it doesn't crisp the rice. It makes very soft rice, at least when using Japanese styles of rice. Not sure if that's a Japanese preference or not.

Does anyone know how I can make bulgur wheat (burghul) in a micom rice cooker?

[gfweb]

Stupid question. Does a 3 cup unit make three cups of rice? I see posts implying that it isn't a full there cups. Others seem to say that its 3 dry cups at the start.

So if I put three cups of dry rice into a cooker what is the yield?

[Hassouni]

3 cups refers to 3 Japanese rice cooker cups (gou) of dry rice. Each gou makes enough rice when cooked for two people, more or less. 1 gou is 180ml or pretty much 6 fluid ounces

What you see implying it isn't a full 3 cups probably means it's not equivalent to 3 western cups, or, 3x240ml (3x8oz)

Edited September 18, 2012 by Hassouni (log)

[rotuts]

to understand the versatility of a rice cooker try to look at this book:

The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rice-Cooker-Cookbook-Porridges/dp/1558326677/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347968390&sr=1-1&keywords=ultimate+rice+cooker

[TicTac]

Bit of an old topic revival, but rather than start a new thread, I wanted to inquire...

 

I am looking at the Zoijirushi brand and am trying to determine what the benefits (besides what their marketing dept. claims) are to their pressurized cooker systems vs. non.

 

Cost difference is fairly significant, but I do like the idea of being able to do crispy bottom rice (do any other models do this?).

 

 

[lindag]

The ratings for this rice cooker on Amazon are excellent.

I have the Zo induction model and it makes the best rice ever but, of course, it can't do the crispy bottom kind.

Edited December 9, 2018 by lindag (log)

[andiesenji]

3 hours ago, TicTac said:

Bit of an old topic revival, but rather than start a new thread, I wanted to inquire...

 

I am looking at the Zoijirushi brand and am trying to determine what the benefits (besides what their marketing dept. claims) are to their pressurized cooker systems vs. non.

 

Cost difference is fairly significant, but I do like the idea of being able to do crispy bottom rice (do any other models do this?).

 

 

I have had and still have several Zojirushi rice cookers - I got one soon after they introduced them to the US. I previously had a couple of smaller ones, a Salton and another brand I can't recall and for my catering business a 25 cup Panasonic.

Friends who had lived in Japan told me that Zojirushi was expanding to the U.S. and their rice cookers were superior to the others.

I have moved up as new models became available, gave away some - I got the "neuro-fuzzy" cooker when it first was offered and then passed it on to my daughter - they also consume a lot of rice. 

I then got the Induction Heating  one, which I still use - I got the 10-cup because  I cook batches of rice and other grains that are large enough that I have leftovers that I can portion out and freeze.

 

I too like the crispy-bottom rice but solved that problem years ago when I bought one of the "special" pans with the bottom with the rounded sides made especially for "TADIG" rice - and I cook the rice in the Zo,  melt butter in the bottom of the tadig pan, add turmeric and saffron and allow to "bloom" while the butter melts and ALMOST gets to the "brown butter" stage, dump in as much of the cooked rice as I want, press it down firmly (I use one of the round perforated potato mashers) cover tightly and reduce the heat. I have several squares of muslin, that are large enough for the corners to be tied together over the top of lid which I have ready as a Persian friend showed me this was the best way to catch condensation so it doesn't dampen the rice. 

The rice should be golden brown and crusty after about 10-15 minutes - faster on higher output burners, slower on lower output burners.  

My friend has tried my version and says it is "almost" as good as hers made the traditional way - which takes almost an hour.  

And in fact, she has adopted my method when having to cook for a crowd because she can't dedicate one or two burners on her stove for just that one dish for an hour for each batch.

Edited December 9, 2018 by andiesenji (log)

[Hassouni]

For what it's worth, there are specialty Persian rice cookers that are designed to make tadig, for all you crunchy rice lovers:

 

https://persianbasket.com/kitchenware/persian-rice-cookers

[andiesenji]

3 hours ago, Hassouni said:

For what it's worth, there are specialty Persian rice cookers that are designed to make tadig, for all you crunchy rice lovers:

 

https://persianbasket.com/kitchenware/persian-rice-cookers

Thanks for the info, Hassouni!  

They sell pans for tadig at the middle eastern store, where I bought mine. It had clips on top for holding the cloth to prevent condensation but I promptly lost them the first time I put it in the dishwasher - took them off because I thought they would come loose. Miriam showed me that she just ties the corners together at the top so that's the way I have done it ever since.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

9 hours ago, TicTac said:

Bit of an old topic revival, but rather than start a new thread, I wanted to inquire...

 

I am looking at the Zoijirushi brand and am trying to determine what the benefits (besides what their marketing dept. claims) are to their pressurized cooker systems vs. non.

 

Cost difference is fairly significant, but I do like the idea of being able to do crispy bottom rice (do any other models do this?).

 

 

 

I have the 10 cup induction pressure model and I love it.  However I sure wish I'd gotten the 5 cup size.  I am unlikely ever to be in the catering business.  I don't think the Japanese crispy bottom rice is supposed to be as golden and crisp as rice from Iran.  (Probably because of sanctions.)

 

The fancy Zojirushi has an iron pot but to my knowledge they don't make a North American version of that one.  Still, mine is certainly convenient:  press a button and get perfect rice in just 82 minutes.

 

 

[lindag]

4 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I have the 10 cup induction pressure model and I love it.  However I sure wish I'd gotten the 5 cup size.  

 

 

 

My Induction Zo is The 5-1/2 cup model..when I bought it the smaller3 cupmodel was considerably more expensive and it’s size wasn't much smaller so I opted for the larger model. I never make more than a couple cups of rice at a time.  Still, I really love mine.

[TicTac]

Thank you all for the feedback.

 

Now to begin price watching/shopping these little rascals.

 

At roughly $500 CDN, that is an expensive bowl of rice!  But with the amount we are now eating, the convenience might just well be worth it...

 

 

[gfweb]

2 hours ago, TicTac said:

Thank you all for the feedback.

 

Now to begin price watching/shopping these little rascals.

 

At roughly $500 CDN, that is an expensive bowl of rice!  But with the amount we are now eating, the convenience might just well be worth it...

 

 

I'm happy with my fuzzy logic Zoj. ~$150 US on Amazon a little more up north

It looks like a Pokemon which is a bonus

https://www.amazon.ca/Zojirushi-NS-ZCC10-Cooker-Warmer-Premium/dp/B00007J5U7/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544411796&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=zoj+fuzzy+rice

Edited December 10, 2018 by gfweb (log)

[KennethT]

2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

 

The fancy Zojirushi has an iron pot but to my knowledge they don't make a North American version of that one.  Still, mine is certainly convenient:  press a button and get perfect rice in just 82 minutes.

 

 

Wow... 82 minutes for rice.. Is it growing it too?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

30 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Wow... 82 minutes for rice.. Is it growing it too?

 

There is a different cycle for sprouting rice.

 

[Duvel]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

I'm happy with my fuzzy logic Zoj. ~$150 US on Amazon a little more up north

It looks like a Pokemon which is a bonus

https://www.amazon.ca/Zojirushi-NS-ZCC10-Cooker-Warmer-Premium/dp/B00007J5U7/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544411796&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=zoj+fuzzy+rice

 

I have that one, actually already my second one, after buying it first while living in JP in 2003. It is excellent - foolproof & perfect (and I mean perfect) rice every time.

And makes pretty good soups, too ...

[Smithy]

Does "perfect" rice, in this context, depend on which variety of rice you're cooking and what you ask of it? I sometimes us jasmine, sometimes basmati, sometimes something else altogether. I generally go for fluffy rice rather than sticky, but I'm curious about whether a good rice cooker will do either, with any variety of rice.

[TicTac]

2 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Does "perfect" rice, in this context, depend on which variety of rice you're cooking and what you ask of it? I sometimes us jasmine, sometimes basmati, sometimes something else altogether. I generally go for fluffy rice rather than sticky, but I'm curious about whether a good rice cooker will do either, with any variety of rice.

Great questions, I echo the same.

 

We do the above varieties, and often 'sushi rice' as well.

 

At over twice the cost, I am curious as to the notable differences between the  'pressure cooker' model and the 'pokemon' model (my 5 year old will love that!)