Rice is pretty popular around the globe, with many countries regarding it as their staple food. For the rest of us, rice remains a great part of both daily and special meals. It cooks quickly and fills your tummy easily. It is also versatile to work around – make a bowl of quick fried rice by dumping your leftovers on it, or make a more elaborate dish out of it – jambalaya or paella, anyone?
Since rice is a simple dish on its own, just plain water and grains fusing together, it has to have the right texture and feel in the mouth. It also has to have the right firmness to complement a dish well. Thus, cooking rice on a stovetop requires extra pampering and a whole lot of time just to make sure you get it right.
Now, an electric rice cooker handles the time-consuming aspect of cooking rice on the stove. It also removes the guesswork from knowing the right time to put that fire on low. The perfect cooker rice should be able to understand your grains and cook them excellently all the time.
The technology of a rice cooker is improving so fast. With it, you can now make gourmet rice meals at home and have them cooked perfectly. No more babysitting the stove and you can now have rice as a quick meal with a flip of the switch. You can now also explore different grains either to please your palate or change your diet. Either way, investing in a reliable electric rice cooker that fits your needs could be life-changing.
We checked Amazon for the top-rated and most reviewed electric rice cooker choices, which include the most innovative ones like an induction rice cooker and a smart rice cooker.
There are actually many types of electric rice cooker out there, so hopefully, this review can help you see the perfect match for your requirements.
| Name | Cooking Technology/Key Feature | |
|---|---|---|
| Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer, 1 L– Editor’s Choice | Induction Heating (IH); With Keep Warm and Extended Keep Warm functions | Check Price |
| Cuckoo CRP-P0609S 6 cup Electric Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer | Pressure Cooking; Comes with X-wall non-stick coated Stainless Steel inner pot | Check Price |
| Buffalo Titanium Grey IH SMART COOKER, Rice Cooker, and Warmer | Induction Heating (IH); Offers multiple cooking modes to cook your rice and other dishes | Check Price |
Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer, 1 L – Editor’s Choice
This electric rice cooker utilizes induction heating technology, which promises quick but perfectly cooked rice all the time. This is possible since the heat envelopes the rice grains – with heat coming from the bottom, sides, and even the lid, instead of just heating everything from the bottom, just like how a traditional electric rice cooker or stovetop rice cooking method works.
The heating method is the key to this electric rice cooker’s performance, which users are loving. The heat is sourced in three areas within the rice cooker pot, enabling even heat distribution while cooking. No more half-cooked grains or mushy rice.
The Zojirushi rice cooker has pre-programmed functions where each already sets the temperature and cooking time based on the type of rice you are using or the dish you are making. These functions include:
- White rice – with sub-options to cook it normal, softer, or harder
- Jasmine white rice – since Jasmine rice is essentially more fibrous than regular rice grains, it needs a different cooking time and temperature
- Mixed rice
- Sushi rice
- Porridge
- Sweet rice
- GABA brown rice
- Regular brown rice
- Quick cook
If you are in for some quick-cooking during lazy days, sick days, or even craving days, you can choose the Quick Cook function. With this variety of automatic functions, this electric rice cooker can instantly become a part of your cooking routine.
Aside from cooking your grains, the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer, 1 L also has a keep warm and extended keep warm functions. The former automatically activates after the cooking time. If you intend to keep your rice warm for more than 8 hours, choose the latter instead. Keeping the rice warm may cause the grains to dry, but the Extended Keep Warm function warms the rice at a much lower temperature to prevent this.
This electric rice cooker also has other modern features like the easy-to-read LCD setting display. This allows you to see the program you chose, as well as the time remaining before your rice is done. The control panel is also conveniently placed around the LCD for easy access.
The inner lid is removable so it can be washed easily. You can also change the melody and beep sounds if you prefer to.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Uses induction heating technology for even heat distribution | Expensive |
| 9 programmed cooking settings | |
| With Keep Warm and Extended Keep Warm functions | |
| Comes with a backlit LCD and touch button control panel |
Conclusion
If you are particular about getting perfectly cooked grains, whether it is white, Jasmine, or brown rice, the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer, 1 L has great technology for that.
Cuckoo CRP-P0609S 6 cup Electric Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer
Asians have a great reputation for cooking the best rice in the world. It may be attributed to the fact that they are heavy rice eaters since it is their staple food, so, they sure know what a bowl of perfect rice should look, feel, and taste like.
If you are looking for an Asian rice cooker, or at least, from a manufacturer that knows how to incorporate the characteristics of white rice into technology, this is the electric rice cooker for you.
This electric rice cooker is made in Korea, created by Korean engineers and designers who use pressure technology not just to quickly cook your grains, but also work on it to properly break the starches and release its natural texture and flavor.
To aid the pressure cooking technology, this electric rice cooker uses a rice cooker stainless steel inner pot. The pot is also coated with an x-wall non-stick material that ensures proper heated air circulation and even heat distribution. Overall, it complements the system so it will cook your rice properly to come out perfect all the time.
More on its cooking methods and technology, the Cuckoo CRP-P0609S 6 cup Electric Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer not only intelligently plays with heat and distributes it evenly, but also works with steam. The steam is vital to cooking the rice without drying, resulting in a soft and fluffy texture that stays even the rice gets cold.
Are you pressed with time? If you have those time-crunch moments at least twice a week, or more, then this electric rice cooker’s pressure cooking technology can benefit you most. From the usual 40-minute cooking time, you can have your rice ready in 20 minutes! And if you need it faster, it also has a turbo cooking feature to speed up the process.
If you intend to serve your rice later, you can take advantage of this stainless steel rice cooker’s Keep Warm function. It is designed to use the right temperature to keep the rice from burning or drying out.
And as a thoughtful feature, this Cuckoo rice cooker features voice navigation. It informs you of the current cooking step to guide you through the cooking process. You can choose to have it speak in English, Korean, and Chinese.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Uses Pressure Cooking technology for speedier cooking time | Expensive |
| Multi-mode cooking functions (a total of 13 modes) | |
| Comes with X-wall non-stick coated Stainless Steel inner pot | |
| With voice navigation |
Conclusion
If you want it fast but good, take advantage of the Cuckoo CRP-P0609S 6 cup Electric Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer‘s pressure cooking technology and multi-mode cooking functions.
Buffalo Titanium Grey IH SMART COOKER, Rice Cooker, and Warmer
A smart cooker is relatively more expensive, so, understandably, a buyer would look for more value from his investment. Some may find a smart electric rice cooker too pricey for its function, thus they look for more. This is where a multipurpose rice cooker comes in.
This electric rice cooker has multiple cooking modes to cook not just your grains but also your meat, soup, or dessert. You can choose from its preset programs for baking cakes, steaming, porridge, rice, multigrain, soup, baby food, and even yogurt. This is one definite smart pressure cooker.
The use of rice cooker is now expanded with the Buffalo Titanium Grey IH SMART COOKER, Rice Cooker, and Warmer. Its many cooking modes allow you to make this electric rice cooker a constant companion in the kitchen. You can now whip the entire course meals using one piece of equipment.
The Buffalo Titanium Grey IH SMART COOKER, Rice Cooker, and Warmer use Induction Heat, or IH technology. This enables your food to cook faster but evenly. This is complemented by a buffalo clad material, which does not have any chemical coating but is non-stick and highly resistant to oxidation.
This slow cooker rice equipment uses the right combination of heat and steam to ensure the quality, texture, and taste of your rice and dishes.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Offers multiple cooking modes to cook your rice and other dishes | Expensive |
| The inner pot is made with Buffalo Clad material that does not have a chemical coating on it but is non-stick, non-oxidating, and scratch-resistant | |
| Uses Induction Heating (IH) technology |
Conclusion
The Buffalo Titanium Grey IH SMART COOKER, Rice Cooker, and Warmer is the one for you if you opt for a multi-functional electric rice cooker.
Final Verdict
Weighing all of these three’s performance, built, and user feedback, our best electric rice cooker on this list is the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer, 1 L.
The Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer, with its Induction Heating technology, is effective in cooking your rice perfectly and consistently. It is actually hard to find a flaw in its performance, and the price point is worth it considering its variety of rice cooking modes that cater to your preference or dietary needs.