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Looking to find thebest rice cooker in 2019? You’re in the right place.We’ve got 12 picks that you’re going to love.
What Are The Differences Between All These Rice Cookers?
Although all of these models cook rice, there are still quite a few differences between them.
Most of them have one-year warranties and very few color options compared to other home appliances, so customization options are lower than in other kitchen machines. They all have components that can be removed from the cooking base and put through the dishwasher (aside from one unit) for easy clean-up, and they all have keep-warm settings that mean your rice won’t get cold if you take a little long getting to it after it’s finished cooking. They all have some accessories included – usually measuring cups and steaming baskets, which allow each model to steam other food while the rice is cooking.
Rice is a great staple, and making it is easy with a rice cooker.
However, that’s about where the similarities end. Within this line-up, there’s a range of different specs to choose from. Some models have much larger capacities than other – the Hamilton Beach model holds 14 cups of rice, for instance, while the Oster only holds six. Some of these models are stainless steel while others are plastic. Some have delay timers, so you can set up the rice cooker and have it start cooking just before you need it. And some have different functions that allow you to cook all sorts of things, especially the two pressure cookers, which allow you to cook all sorts of things apart from rice – including baking cakes!
Do you live alone, or do you have a family of six? Do you eat a lot of rice or only irregularly? Are you planning on eating leftovers? Do you want to be able to make soups and stews? Do you want to make porridge in it? Are you having big dinner parties? Do you work a lot? How important is it that you come home to a meal that’s already made? Do you want an Asian rice cooker that can do every type of rice to perfection?
All of these questions will help you figure out exactly what kind of rice cooker you want. Smaller models are ideal for people who eat little rice or aren’t cooking for a crowd; larger-capacity models are for people with big families, big appetites, or who love leftovers. Get a model with a delay timer if you want to walk through the door to find your rice already cooked and ready to go. Go for something with functions if you want your oatmeal to be ready when you wake up each morning, or you want to make stews.
It’s up to you what kind of rice cooker you want – luckily, there’s a whole lot to choose from here.
The Japanese Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer is definitely the best model on this list in our opinion. It’s a great all-round machine that performs really well and has a host of functions that make even the relatively simple task of using a rice cooker even easier.
It holds 10 cups of cooked rice, which is one of the biggest on the market, and represents approximately 10 servings of rice. However, you can of course use it for less rice if you require less; you just have the option of making 10 cups of rice if you need to.
It has the classic features of top rice cookers: a delay timer, a keep-warm function, removable and dishwasher-safe components, and a steaming basket, which allows you to steam food at the same time as your rice is cooking. This allows you to make an entire meal in the machine at once.
The best thing about this model is the massive range of functions that it has. While most rice makers will have one or two different settings – for white rice and brown rice, for example – this model has eight different functions: white rice/sushi, mixed rice, porridge, brown, sweet, cake, steam, and quick cooling. While many rice cookers are able to cook these things, this is one of the few models that has settings specifically for them, which means you don’t have to supervise the machine as it’s working to make sure things are cooking and not burning.
The thing that’s most innovative about these functions is the ‘cake’ function, which allows you to bake a cake within your rice cooker. As far as I’m aware, no other rice cooker on the market shares this ability; it’s easier to make a cake this way than the traditional way, as you just need to put it in the container, push the ‘cake’ button, and come back when the machine beeps to collect your cooked cake.
If you want a rice cooker that can do much more than just cook rice, this is a great model for you. It can steam foods at the same time as cooking the rice; it can make your morning porridge; it can bake a cake; and it can create perfect rice every time. It even comes with an extended keep-warm function, so if you make your rice a little too early, it’ll keep it warm for longer than other rice cookers on the market. It’s the perfect rice-cooker; Zojirushi has thought of everything in this machine, and it shows.
The Oyama 7-cup rice cooker has a stainless steel body and comes with a stainless steel cooking bowl that has a triple layered base for uniform heating without the risk of burning your rice.
There is also a setting to keep your food warm for extended periods after cooking, allowing you to keep it warm for up to 24 hours. This makes it ideal for large families with busy schedules or for couples who eat their meals at different times. Despite the non-stick coating, cleanup is a breeze and takes a short amount of time.
Besides a sophisticated keep warm function and a three dimensional heating base, side and lid, there is a stainless steel steamer tray so that you don’t burn your rice.
This is a great option for people who avoid non-stick surfaces as the stainless steel material means that chemicals don’t leech into your food. The steamer tray can also be used to steam vegetables (or any other foods that can be steamed or cooked).
Besides regular white (sushi) rice, this gadget also cooks jasmine, basmati, Arborio, and other short grain rice as well as other grains like quinoa, buckwheat groats and oatmeal.
This is a great choice if you’re looking for an all stainless steel model that is simple to use. If fuzzy logic is not important to you then this is a great device that will cook your rice to your desired consistency.
The Fuzzy Logic Pre-Programmed Rice Cooker is one of two of Panasonic’s Fuzzy Logic range on this list, and it’s also our top pick from the Panasonic range. The Fuzzy Logic models are named for the Fuzzy Logic technology, which is claimed by Panasonic to automatically adjust the power and cooking time during the cooking process to ensure that the rice comes out perfectly every time – a massive benefit, especially when cooking an uncommon grain (which is also possible with this machine).
This model comes with an 8-cup container, which is roughly eight servings of rice – so plenty for an average family. It has a keep-warm setting and a delay timer, so you can time your rice perfectly for whatever you’re making. It also has a steaming basket, so you can make other components to your meal at the same time.
Some things more specific to this model are its digital display, which shows just how long there is to go in the cooking process so you can time it expertly. There’s a domed lid to prevent moisture that’s evaporated from dripping back down into the rice and making it mushy, and this lid has a nice push-button release that clicks it into place.
It also has eight different functions to choose from: white rice, brown rice, sticky rice, quick cook, porridge, cake, slow cook, and steam. These functions make it way easier to use your device for different grains – instead of hoping for the best when using your rice cooker to make oatmeal, quinoa, or sushi rice, you know that it’ll come out just right without you having to do anything at all.
The slow cook function is also very cool, because it means that to some extent your rice cooker can double as a slow cooker – you don’t need to have both. The cake function is shared by very few other models, but it’s also a great addition, because it means you can cook a cake perfectly in the perfect size, and collect it when the beeper goes off – no more checking the oven to make sure it’s done.
This is an excellent rice cooker, and definitely one of the best on the market. It has a great capacity, excellent functions, the ability to steam food while the rice is cooking, and an easy-to-use interface complete with digital display. If you want a machine that can double as a slow cooker and, to some extent, an oven, this is an excellent pick that’s sure to save you tons of time.
The Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker is one of the best models on the list for a couple of reasons. It’s got the biggest capacity, at 14 cups of cooked rice, which is useful for if you’re cooking for a family or want the option to have leftover food for the next day – for this vegan fried rice, for example. Of course, you can use much less than that, which gives it the same usability as smaller models, but if you’re interested in making a lot of rice all at once, you can.
It has a delay timer, a keep-warm function, removable and dishwasher-safe components (found from the manufacturer’s website here), and a steaming basket. This model comes with a few standard accessories: a steamer, a measuring cup, and a rice paddle for stirring.
This machine has the second-most functions in this line-up: white rice, quick rice, whole grains, heat/simmer, steam cook, and hot cereals. It’s good for any sort of grain you’d like to put into it, which makes it a massively versatile machine and means you don’t need to invest in a bunch of different devices to do the same things. This is an ideal machine for if you’d like your rice cooker to act with some of the features of a slow-cooker, in terms of the heat/simmer function, and if you’d like a large capacity model for plenty of rice.
There’s also a20 cup versionin case you need something even bigger!
Pros
14-cup capacity
Six different functions
Delay timer
Keep-warm setting
Dishwasher-safe parts
Comes with steam basket, measuring cup, rice paddle
Cons
None!
T-fal RK705851 10-In-1 Rice and Multicooker with 10 Automatic Functions and Delayed Timer, 10-Cup, White
The T-fal 10-in-1 Rice and Multicooker is the only model on this list with alifetime limited warranty-all of the other models have 1-year warranties.This makes it exceptional compared to almost all rice and slow-cookers on the market, and is a great sign of this model’s excellent build quality and great construction.It’s likely to be a very reliable model.
Alongside this, it’s also the second model on this list that is not only a rice cooker but a multicooker.
It can do plenty more than just rice, and actually comes with nine different functions: rice, risotto, reheat, oatmeal, slow cook, steam/soup, baking, and browning.It can be used to create almost anything you would want to make, and can replace a lot of different appliances in your kitchen, including an ordinary rice cooker, the oven, and a pan on the stove.
As you can see, there’s even a setting yogurt (we recommend soy yogurt) on it – something that is rarely seen in multicookers.These settings can be easily accessed through the simple push-button digital control panel.
It has a delay timer, so you can program the machine to start cooking exactly when you want it to, a keep-warm setting to keep your food heated while you prepare other things, and dishwasher-safe parts to m
