Rice Cookers

[CanadianHomeChef]

2 minutes ago, rotuts said:

thank you

 

Im sure you will enjoy it

 

I hope it works out.

 

if all the iPot stuff suggests milk does not do well PC

 

than that must be so for induction ( or not ) pressiure Rice Cookers

 

thanks for looking into this.

If it's induction, it might control the temperature so it doesn't build up pressure when milk is used? I don't know.

[CanadianHomeChef]

 

Zojirushi rice on top. PC on bottom. 

 

Zoji definately less gummy. More defined grains of rice. Not sure if I’d notice much difference once another dish is served over top (I rarely eat rice alone)

[heidih]

As I have mentioned before mine is OLD and purchased at auction and has a huge dent! Maybe cuz I am  old with much experience the water ratio is not an issue. I keep in the back of my mind the "knuckle" test and though finger lengths vary it works for me (eating excellent rice as I write). 

 

8

[chefmd]

Half price 3 cup Zo in Bed Bath and Beyond (returned on line item) minus 20 percent coupon equals a little over 60 dollars.  No box, no problem.

[TicTac]

Where did you find the returned item? 

 

Love the deals you folks are finding! 

 

Am actually considering a 5 cup model; and perhaps selling this little guy!

[rotuts]

one thing to think about w RiceCookers :

 

the cups indicated are smaller than USA cups

 

as noted.

 

all things being equal , if the price difference between a 5 cup and a 10 cup is acceptable to you

 

I have a 10 cup Panasonic

 

the extra space in the bowl allows platy of room for ' mix-ins ' after the rice it cooks and the gizmo warms them up !

 

ie Not-FriedRice ,  Not-Biryani  ,  Not-Rice++  etc

 

well worth it.   the gizmo @ 10 cups is not that much bigger to boot.

[KennethT]

I have a 10 cup rice cooker (it's actually a combo slow cooker) and I hate it.  We are only 2 people, and most commonly only make 2 cups of rice, for which this machine is extremely oversized.  It makes it much trickier to make a good batch of rice.

[rotuts]

good points

 

I do 4 - 5 cups  ( the smaller oriental ones ) then add mix ins

 

and have lots of leftovers i eat cold or at room temp over a few days

 

like Chinese - Indian take out w/o the Out.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, rotuts said:

one thing to think about w RiceCookers :

 

the cups indicated are smaller than USA cups

 

as noted.

 

all things being equal , if the price difference between a 5 cup and a 10 cup is acceptable to you

 

I have a 10 cup Panasonic

 

the extra space in the bowl allows platy of room for ' mix-ins ' after the rice it cooks and the gizmo warms them up !

 

ie Not-FriedRice ,  Not-Biryani  ,  Not-Rice++  etc

 

well worth it.   the gizmo @ 10 cups is not that much bigger to boot.

 

When I purchased my Zojirushi the price difference was negligible.  What I did not take into account is that the 5 cup will make half a cup of rice but the 10 cup won't make less than a cup.

 

[rotuts]

@JoNorvelleWalker

 

that a 1/2 cup bonus for tomorrows breakfast or lunch !

 

I do ' mix-in ' rice  80 % of the time

 

so I plan and look forward to leftovers the next day ++

 

the it.    its not really " fried rice " but its close enough for me

 

same w the biryani rice

 

and a ++ is I can control the sodium content.

 

I haven't made rice in the iPot for this reason.

 

it takes 55 minutes in the Fuzzy but im not involved until it beeps

 

the I Fluss up and add the mix ins

 

so " Indian "  I add the Patak paste at the Get Go

[CanadianHomeChef]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

When I purchased my Zojirushi the price difference was negligible.  What I did not take into account is that the 5 cup will make half a cup of rice but the 10 cup won't make less than a cup.

 

As a single person, that half-cup setting makes a huge difference. My old rice cooker would only do 1 cup minimum (or that was the marking in the machine). I often found that as too much rice and it discouraged me from using it. With the convenience of the rice cooker, I'd rather have a fresh batch than left overs. 

[chefmd]

9 hours ago, KennethT said:

I have a 10 cup rice cooker (it's actually a combo slow cooker) and I hate it.  We are only 2 people, and most commonly only make 2 cups of rice, for which this machine is extremely oversized.  It makes it much trickier to make a good batch of rice.

We are two people (most of the time) as well so 3 cups size is just perfect.

[Katie Meadow]

I'm thinking of buying a rice cooker. I'm looking at two Zojirushi models, both 5.5 cup.

 

Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Neuro Fuzzy Rice    $161

 

Zojirushi 604976-NS-LGC05XB NS-LGC05XB Micom Rice   $121

 

The pricier one has the Fuzzy Logic and is made in Japan. The other one is simply "micom,"  not fuzzy logic, and is made in China. Both have features that are comparable or that make no difference to me. We do eat rice maybe five times a week, and I like leftovers for breakfast as well. My intention is to primarily cook white Asian rice, enough for me and my husband for a stir fry, and then enough left over to refrigerate to use for fried rice the next day, or breakfast, or whatever.  The 5.5 cup size seems about right.

 

Many Amazon reviewers and other sites stress the "made in Japan" factor as being important to overall quality. What do you think? And how much difference does the Fuzzy Logic make? Anyone with strong opinions on these two issues please weigh in! Thanks.

 

 

[CatIsHungry]

Katie, I did a TON of research before replacing my Zo - all reports led back to buy the Made in Japan and buy the Made In Japan only - especially if you use it frequently and expect / want any longevity out of it. 

 

That's my two cents - take it for what you think its worth - hope it helps.

 

As for the Micom / fuzzy logic - someone much more technical than I will have to chime in about that - sorry :-/

 

CAT

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'd look for pressure and induction heating.  Which also should get you fuzzy logic and made in Japan.  And I'm old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" was pejorative.

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I'd look for pressure and induction heating.  Which also should get you fuzzy logic and made in Japan.  And I'm old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" was pejorative.

 

 

Me too - now I love it when I find an appliance made there.

[Katie Meadow]

 

Pressure and induction features add $200 to the already nausea-inducing  $161. Just to make rice. I'm not planning on using it for oatmeal or steaming vegetables or whatever. It's just that I want the keep warm feature, and the 5.5 capacity for substantial leftover rice or feeding more than four people. Also I am eating a lot more short grain rice these days, and although I can make very good basmati with one hand tied behind my back in a pot on the stove, the short/medium grain or so-called sushi rice I seem less able to get perfect. And I am hoping never to buy another rice cooker after this one, so I want to get twenty years out of it, or until I forget what it does, whichever comes first.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The pressure, induction Zojirushi do not do oatmeal.

 

[palo]

If it was a choice between the two, I would choose induction over pressure.

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, palo said:

If it was a choice between the two, I would choose induction over pressure.

 

p

 

Probably me too but I don't think there is that choice.  If I'm not mistaken with Zojirushi if you want pressure you get induction wanted or not.

 

[lindag]

The Zo I have is the induction model and it's never not made the best rice I've ever had.  I used it yesterday morning to make steel cut oatmeal, which is does equally well (and I don't even like porridge...I only eat it because it's healthy).

[stephen129]

21 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

 

Pressure and induction features add $200 to the already nausea-inducing  $161. Just to make rice. I'm not planning on using it for oatmeal or steaming vegetables or whatever. It's just that I want the keep warm feature, and the 5.5 capacity for substantial leftover rice or feeding more than four people. Also I am eating a lot more short grain rice these days, and although I can make very good basmati with one hand tied behind my back in a pot on the stove, the short/medium grain or so-called sushi rice I seem less able to get perfect. And I am hoping never to buy another rice cooker after this one, so I want to get twenty years out of it, or until I forget what it does, whichever comes first.

 

 

You think that's bad?

 

I had to pay £300 ($390) to get a 5.5 cup made in Japan Zojirushi with the premium white rice and GABA brown settings (no idea if they make a real difference, haven't tried the normal or quick cook settings). It doesn't have induction or pressure. The made in China version without premium white rice and GABA was £200 at the time, now it's £230.

 

The website I got it from has even increased the price to £340 recently!

 

Amazingly my girlfriend and I still love it, we want to eat rice all the time. 

 

We recently bought some Koshihikari from Niigata (middle one in the picture. Supposedly the best place in Japan for rice and the most popular variety), best plain rice I've ever eaten, much better than the Nishiki. Cost £37.50 for 10kg... Beautiful packing though 😂

 

[weinoo]

On 1/3/2019 at 2:22 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

When I purchased my Zojirushi the price difference was negligible.  What I did not take into account is that the 5 cup will make half a cup of rice but the 10 cup won't make less than a cup.

 

 

Oooh, this is a good thread to go along with the recently started farro rice thread. That ability to make 1/2 cup is very important to people, I think.

 

On 3/27/2019 at 5:18 PM, CatIsHungry said:

Katie, I did a TON of research before replacing my Zo - all reports led back to buy the Made in Japan and buy the Made In Japan only - especially if you use it frequently and expect / want any longevity out of it. 

 

That's my two cents - take it for what you think its worth - hope it helps.

 

As for the Micom / fuzzy logic - someone much more technical than I will have to chime in about that - sorry 😕

 

CAT

 

Me too. Yet I ended up with the non-induction, non-pressure, non-pejorative Made in Japan 5.5 cup Zojirushi. I love the thing.  I wanted the ability to make oatmeal and other morning foods (5-grain cereal, etc. etc.)

 

Like any other piece of equipment we all get our thrills playing with, I'm pretty sure the one I have can be "hacked" to cook a few other things than rice and AM cereal. And like any other piece of equipment we "hack," it will take some playing around with, in terms of settings and amounts of liquid.

 

I downloaded this book from the library for a few ideas; it possibly has the longest title in existence:

 

The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook: 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings, and More, from Start to Finish in Your Rice (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

Worth a read. 

 

And I thought my rice cooker was interesting looking, but that red one certainly isn't letting anyone forget it's there - whoa!

 

 

I'm sure, like the episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Fever," (about a possessed slot machine) this rice cooker will end up in my nightmares dreams, following me around and making me use it.

Edited November 30, 2020 by weinoo (log)

[palo]

As a singleton the ability to make just a 1/2 cup is perfect for me (it will also handle larger quantities). I have the Zojirushi induction model and it makes perfect rice every time. Adding some frozen vegies also turns out well. I usually use basmati but Jasmin is also in my cupboard.

 

p

[weinoo]

Does anyone cook stuff in the rice cooker with liquids other than water?

 

Like in that book I linked to above, she discusses cooking oats with milk or cream. I just worry it will muck things up.