Rice Cookers Buying Guide

If you cook a lot of long grain rice or you often spend too much time preparing your rice  dish, then a rice cooker  might be a good cooking tool for your home. Some models can control heat or temperatures while rice is cooking to ensure that your dish will be made accurately without constant vigilance over your stove top. Besides just cooking rice, some cookers can be used for a wide variety of grains, beans  and other legumes, as well as doubling for steamers  or warmers  for vegetables  and other foods. Rice cookers can come in electric or microwaveable models depending on your preference.

Types

On/Off Rice Cookers  Most automatic cookers are called on/off rice cookers. The operation is basic - press a button and the rice cooker runs through its cooking cycle until turning itself off. It does not require much monitoring and will adjust itself to the proper temperature to ensure that rice is well cooked.	Warmer Rice Cookers  Similar to On/Off rice cookers, these will switch into a warm mode once the cooking cycle is complete. This feature is useful if you wish to eat the rice at a later time or if you want to store the rice throughout the day.	Neuro Fuzzy Logic Rice Cookers  More versatile than the basic rice cooker, neuro fuzzy logic rice cookers are smart enough to adjust the amount and duration of the heat during the cooking cycle to compensate for cooking errors. Many are programmable and will adjust the cooking to create sticky or fluffy rice depending on your taste.	Induction Heating Rice Cookers  Induction heating rice cookers use a special heating element that will cook rice to a more even texture. The rice pan (container) is heated more evenly and the amount of heat can be controlled with precision for the best cooking results. Top of the line rice cookers will include induction heating as a major feature.

Important Features

• Capacity
• A 3- to 5-cup model is adequate for two or three people or a small family. Opt for more capacity (6-10 cups) if you have a big family or tend to cook large quantities at once.
• Keep in mind that price will rise or fall according to size.
• Size will make a difference in storage. Do you have room to store the rice cooker you want?
• When reading product specs, make sure you know whether they mean "10 cups dry" or "10 cups cooked" -- there is a big difference!
• Extra Functions
• Some people want a warmer or warming function to keep your dish warm after cooking, and a steamer is necessary if you want your cooker to be multi-functional.
• The most advanced rice cookers come with features like delayed start, extended keep warm, and different settings for different types and textures of rice (long grain vs. sushi rice, hard vs. soft).
• Cleaning
• Most are non-stick, which makes for easy clean up, but some may need some soaking.
• Programmability
• Timers and autostop functions are good if you need to leave the cooker unattended or if you just happen to forget that you are cooking something.
• Accessories
• Steaming baskets  might be useful if you plan to use the steamer for other foods.
• Some cookers come with a rice spatula  and a slot to store it in.
• Measuring cups  can be helpful when choosing your portion size for dinner.
• Recipe books  will give you lots of great ways to use your rice cooker.

Quick Recommendations

Aroma ARC-717-INGR   This large-capacity cooker can make up to 14 cups of rice and can also steam fish, meat and vegetables as part of your dish. This cooker is designed to make any type of rice from long grain to brown.	Rival 16c Rice Cooker White  This cooker makes 16 cups of rice and also comes with a warmer setting. It includes a rice ladle, steaming basket and measuring cup as well as a non-stick removable bowl for easy and varied use.	B&D RC3406 Rice Cooker  This rice cooker comes with a glass lid and also a steam vent to ensure cooking perfection. The bowl inside is dishwasher safe for easy clean up and this cooker can also warm your rice.

Major Manufacturers

• Panasonic 
• Tiger 
• Black and Decker 
• Salton 
• Sunpentown 
• Zojirushi 
• Sanyo 
• Cuisinart 
• Rival 

Related Guides

Steamers	Measuring Cups and Spoons	Kitchen Utensils	Pressure Cookers	Slow Cookers

International Resources

For this resource in your home country, please see:
NL: Rijstkokers Shopgids