Rice Cooker Recommendations?
Hi all... I am thinking about getting a small rice cooker (3-4 cup capacity, uncooked). Does anyone have any suggestions for brands? Here are a few I was looking at on amazon, but I really have no idea what is good, since they all seem to have some good and some bad reviews... any thoughts? (sorry I don't know how to make links)
Rival RC61 3-Cup Rice Cooker, Red
Aroma ARC-733G 3-Cup Pot-Style Rice Cooker and Steamer
Panasonic SR-G06FG 3.3-Cup Rice Cooker/Steamer
This is a microwave one - Nordic Ware Rice Cooker
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16 Comments:
If the Nordic Ware Rice Cooker is made of plastic, I wouldn't buy it, as I've become a little apprehensive about microwaving food in plastic.
What kind of rice are you looking to cook? For white rice, these rice cookers seem fine. I have an Aroma rice cooker my parents bought in the early 90s that still works great, so I would lean towards the Aroma Cool Touch. The handle is a nice feature, making it portable if you wish to take cooked rice over to a friend's house for a potluck. My concern with the Panasonic and the Rival versions are the lids they both have, which look as if they could potentially slip off if they get bumped, or may not cook the rice properly if the lid isn't on correctly.
Not to complicate your decision-making further, but I happened to notice a rather glowing review of the Fujitronic FR-803.
tastyfever at 11:00PM on 01/17/09
My family swears by Zojirushi. I don't know if it's available on amazon, but you'll find it in almost every Asian grocery store.
wookie at 2:29AM on 01/18/09
My first thought was for a Zojirushi, but when looking on amazon, they are bigger and waaaay more money than I want to spend. Thanks though!
NYCEater at 7:26AM on 01/18/09
Depends on what you want to do with it -- just cook rice, or do you want to "hack" it and cook other dishes in it as well? I have an el cheapo Aroma brand 3-cup cooker, and it suits my needs fine for now. (I use it primarily to cook rice for curry rice and for some other Asian-type dishes. I would recommend getting one with a steamer basket. Mine was ultra low-end and didn't even have that--I wish it did.
It would be interesting to hear from people who have the high-end "neurofuzzy logic" cookers with the "stay-warm" features on them. Perhaps they could give us a heads-up on how those go above and beyond the little pot-type cookers.
Adam Kuban at 11:48AM on 01/18/09
A pot with a tight-fitting lid. Much easier to clean than a rice cooker.
buffy at 3:10PM on 01/18/09
I would heartily recommend the Sanyo ECJ-HC55S 5-1/2-Cup Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker and Slow Cooker
The machine's cups are 6 oz, not 8, so it's actually only a tiny bit bigger than a 4 cup 8 oz capacity. It was a Christmas gift, and one I have used at least 4 days a week since I got it. It makes wonderful rice and steel cut oats. It's got a steamer that makes the best hard cooked eggs ever, and a slow cooker that's adequate for smaller amounts than one would make in a standard slow cooker. I've used all it's bells and whistles and they work well. It's not cheap, but it is cheaper than the Zoji and definitely has great bang for the buck.
chisai at 5:47PM on 01/18/09
Here's the one Cook's Illustrated recommends(reviewed in October 2007)
http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-ECJ-N55W-Electric-Porridge-Steamer/dp/B000FEH1Q2
andshewas at 7:00PM on 01/18/09
I use a Proctor-Silex one. It has a "warm" and "cook" setting. Brown Rice gets done in around 35-40 minutes, and it's very easy to clean. Has a removable bowl with a lid that can be put in the fridge for leftover rice, also.
Oboegal1 at 8:36PM on 01/18/09
I have a very simple Cuisinart one with a steamer basket, easy to clean bowl, "cook" and "keep warm" settings. I've had it for more than a year now, and have no complains about it, especially considering that it was a gift. It's convenient, I use it for rice, chickpeas, beans, etc.
But I really covet this one. I almost can't justify buying it because I, supposedly, have a rice cooker, but you can't even compare them...oh well, back to your question - if I wanted a small one, I would most likely go with the Sanyo model recommended by chisai and andshewas.
brooke29 at 10:22PM on 01/18/09
I own an Aroma rice cooker and steamer. It's a bigger one, about 10 cups, and I got it at Costco about 3 years ago for about $30. I probably use it 3-4 times a week for either steaming or rice. It works great, cleans up easily and I've never had a problem or a bad batch of rice.
lattelatte at 9:21AM on 01/19/09
The Zojirushi, and other fuzzy logic rice cookers are wonderful, but not in the right price range for most. I had an Aroma rice cooker that I got at Costco for around $30, it is like that cool touch one. It lasted, with heavy use, for around 8 years. It was still working when I gave it away.
hindyg at 9:55AM on 01/19/09
I have to agree with Buffy. Get a pot with a tight fitting lid. My son & daughter have to use a rice cooker they cannot make rice without one. They are always amazed at how good my rice is. How do you make arroz con pollo in a rice cooker?
odaddyo at 10:03AM on 01/19/09
I've got the small Cuisinart model from Williams-Sonoma. It works great for the most part. Quinoa comes out perfect.
browngravy at 11:53AM on 01/19/09
I have a small Elite. It was fairly cheap ($20) and has a tight fitting glass lid and steamer basket. It also has the cook and warm settings. My big complaint is that the rice scorches on the bottom, even when I don't use the warm setting. Other than that, the rice cooks quickly and comes out nice and fluffy.
Josdean at 12:03PM on 01/19/09
We just bought the Aroma Pro 10 cup from Costco for $30. It is unbelievable how easy and convenient it is.You put the rice and water in, press the button and leave it alond until you are plating your food. Perfect every time . I can and have been making rice in a pot , but it is not set it and forget it. It requires waiting for a boil, then simmering, then turning off at 20 minutes or so. Also, there is no keep warm without drying out feature when you cook rice in a pot. Perfect basmati also.
jnros at 3:00PM on 01/19/09
I have an Aroma from the mid-90s that looks similar to the ARC you linked. I love the convenience of a rice cooker, and it's pretty durable. Ten years in, the enamel is a little scratched, which makes it difficult to clean after cooking sticky/colored rices, but it's otherwise completely functional.
That said, if I were shopping for a new one, I'd look for a different style lid- mine spits liquid if it's more than a third full. This is especially bad when I cook colored rices, because it turns a 4' swath of my counter purple, red, etc. It also has a tendency (which might be fixed in newer ones?) to overcook the bottom layer of rice.
bialy at 6:36PM on 01/19/09