Our Picks for the Best Rice Cooker

Rice is actually one of the most highly consumed staple foods worldwide, from Africa to Asia to Latin America. Reports show that it makes up about 16.5% of the global caloric intake, translating to more than 1.6 billion people, making it a highly regarded source of nourishment. It is prepared using various methods – open-pot boiling, using a pressure cooker, and even microwaving.

This article will focus on the use of rice cookers. Continue reading to learn more!

What is the history behind it?

Origins

Development

This first iteration of the rice cooker was deemed impractical for wide use. In 1945, another version was developed and manufactured by the Japanese company Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.

Its design was no longer rectangular-shaped or made out of wood. Instead, the main components consisted of an aluminum pot with a heating coil inside. The downside to this iteration was the lack of an automatic turn-off feature, which caused the rice to be ‘cooked’ continuously and requiring constant monitoring.

After much research and trial-and-error attempts by various makers, the first commercially successful rice cooker was invented by Yoshitada Minami for Toshiba Electric Corporation in 1956. Their model was more practical and consisted of a triple-chamber that provided heat insulation via air layers, thus eliminating the issue found in the 1945 model by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.

However, the model that Toshiba Electric Corporation eventually sold commercially to the market adopted a double-chamber indirect cooking method. Using this model involves putting rice into a rice pot, and the pot is placed into a container filled with water, hence the term ‘double-chamber.’ 

The term indirect cooking method, meanwhile, indicated the way rice is cooked indirectly: the appliance generates the required heat, causes the water to boil, increases the temperature of the rice pot, and results in cooked rice. In the process, the increase in temperature activates a bimetallic thermostat that automatically turns off the cooker and stops the cooking process.

Designs

Over time, rice cookers became more efficient and precise. The popularity of high-end models with unique materials also grew.

The bimetallic thermostat was slowly replaced in the 1980s with microprocessors in high-end electric rice cookers that help regulate the cooking process. These microprocessors were also combined with an electric timer and a battery-powered memory. There were also high-end electric rice cookers that incorporated induction heating, which controlled heat more precisely.

By the 1990s, many new features were introduced and tested, including cooking settings that allowed cooking other varieties of grains, cakes, and bread, provided a steam function, and allowed users to select their own desired cooking results.

By the 2000s, deluxe rice cookers were incorporating uncommon materials and included models with inner cooking bowls made from non-metallic components, which aided in improving the taste of cooked rice. Other models had cooking bowls made of hand-carved pure carbon, which was developed by Mitsubishi in 2006 in an effort to launch a better heat-generating profile than induction heating. The latter became one of the most expensive rice cookers on the market at the time, at over $1,400, but the hefty price tag did not hinder customers from buying it.

This set the trend for more premium or very high-end rice cookers. By this time, one can now find rice cookers that come with rice bowls coated with ceramic-iron, copper, or even diamond!

How does it ‘know’ when the rice is done cooking?

Since the rice cooker was made to remove the need for monitoring rice as it cooked, creators invented a function that, in some way, ‘alerts’ the appliance that the rice has been fully cooked, thus systematically instructing it to switch off its heat source and end the cooking process.

Technically, the ‘alert’ is triggered by when the inner pot’s temperature has arisen to boiling water point, 100° C, which is typically when water would have boiled away, leaving behind cooked rice. Though there are various ways for a rice cooker to pick up that the inner pot has reached that temperature, the original patent was that a contact magnet would be used to keep a switch, keeping the circuit to the heating element, closed.

This is because when contact magnets get hot enough they temporarily lose their magnetic property. A permanent magnet, on the other hand, would lose its magnetic property entirely. Therefore, when water boils away, the only items that continue to be heated are the inner pot and cooked rice, which would cause the internal temperature to rise above 100° C. The contact magnet then loses its magnetic properties when it gets too hot, causing it to let go of the switch, disconnecting the circuit to the heating element, and putting it into warm mode. The contact magnet later regains its magnetic property from a permanent magnet also installed in the appliance.

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How is a rice cooker cleaned?

Cleanup of rice cookers is easy and a unit typically has three standard parts that can be cleaned.

What are the different types available nowadays?

There are typically four types or categories of electric rice cookers on the market:

How different are they from pressure cookers?

Pressure cookers, as the name implies, are designed to maintain pressure in the inner pot by having a sealed lid that prevents steam from escaping. This makes the appliance ideal for tenderizing meat that would be tough to do with a rice cooker, for instance. It can also cook whole vegetables and roasts. It is a more efficient way of cooking food, requires lesser liquids, and allows the temperature to go above the boiling point of water. With multi-functional pressure cookers available on the market, this means that they are capable of cooking rice as well, which basically removes the need of having a separate rice cooker.

What are their other uses?

Rice cookers are versatile appliances that can process other food items such as:

What are the best types on the market?

Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD Rice Grain Cooker and Food Steamer

This 8-cup model might be a better deal than the one mentioned above as it includes a steamer tray, all for a price of around $30. It is also extremely easy to operate, does not occupy much space, incorporates a delay-start timer which can be set for up to 15 hours in advance, has a digital timer, and includes presets for brown rice and white rice.

Hamilton Beach Digital Simplicity

This rice cooker is quite similar to the one mentioned above, as it also includes a steaming basket and a delay-start timer. Its timer can be set for up to 15 hours in advance as well. However, it boasts a 4 to 20 cup cooker capacity; greater cooking versatility as it supports all kinds of white rice, quick rice, and whole grains; and more functions such as ‘Heat/Simmer’, which is used for pasta, beans, soups, and one-pot meals, ‘Steam Cook’, and ‘Hot Cereals’, which is suited for oatmeal and cream of wheat. All these great features come at a price tag of approximately $50.

For versatility: Gourmia GRC970 11-in-1 Digital 20-Cup Rice Cooker

This model, named the Gourmia TenderRender 3000, is a highly beneficial appliance as it is capable of cooking meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert that comes at around $45. This rice cooker also has a 15-hour delay timer and comes with a handful of accessories, such as a measuring cup, spatula, clear glass removable lid, and steam tray. It is ETL-certified which ensures that users are operating a safe appliance. The multicooker is great for preparing large batches as it has a capacity of up to 20 cups of rice and highly convenient due to its One Pot Meal feature, which enhances a user’s cooking experience by providing them various innovative functions such as a steamer and slow-cooker all packed into one machine.

For high quality: Zojirushi NP-NVC10 Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker

This particular cooker model from Zojirushi packs a hefty price at between $350 to $500 and incorporates advanced fuzzy logic technology with artificial intelligence. What this means is that this machine, with frequent use over time, ‘learns’ and adjusts its cooking cycle and achieves perfect results each time its users cook rice.

The inner pot is made of platinum-infused nonstick material, which is claimed to change the water quality and improves absorption into the rice for better taste. It adopts superior induction heating technology and an induction heating pressure system. This means that the cooking temperature within the inner cooking pot is more uniform and precise, and the unit prevents air or liquid from escaping, which keeps the rice soft for longer periods compared to regular cooked rice.

It also comes with accessories such as a rice spatula, a spatula holder, and two measuring cups- one for regular rice and the other for rinse-free rice. It boasts the capability to cook any type of rice imaginable, including brown rice, sushi rice, rice that has been mixed with seasonings, rice porridge, and even GABA brown rice. The last type is a newly discovered way of cooking brown rice to ‘activate’ an amino acid called gamma-aminobutyric acid which is found in brown rice and believed to help lower blood pressure, improve kidney function, and relieve stress.

Is using a rice cooker better than cooking manually?

The opinion as to whether one is better than the other may vary from person to person. Modern stoves now come with a timer, better heat control, and settings that allow one to manually cook rice, using heavy cast iron or earthenware pots. The pros are many but there are also cons to owning rice cookers.

The pros to using a rice cooker:

• It automatically shuts off and prevents burning and over-cooking or under-cooking.
• It helps keep your favorite grain warm for hours.
• It does not require much preparation.
• Several models can even be used to cook other foods.
• Seriously saves time for the user, particularly when one has many things to do.
• Enables cooking in small batches or large quantities easily.

On the other hand, several cons include:

• Cannot function without an electricity source.
• Adequate space needs to be available to place the rice cooker.
• Proper maintenance is needed if one part malfunctions or goes missing, which disrupts the entire cooking process. The entire appliance becomes redundant and needs repair or replacement.
• Can be costly, particularly high-end ones.

Is owning a rice cooker really necessary?

Simply put, this depends on how much rice one consumes routinely and the time and effort one is willing to put into cooking rice. The option of whether or not to own one is up to the consumer, their preferences, and budget.

Conclusion

With many kinds of rice cookers available on the market, one can easily find a model that fits one’s needs and budget. These gadgets have definite advantages over cooking rice manually, such as being able to prevent burning and maintaining the food temperature long after the rice is done. Households that own a rice cooker would also greatly benefit if the family consumes rice frequently because of its convenient features. Lastly, newer models sport other convenient and versatile features, such as a steamer for vegetables. Many like the Zojirushi NP-NVC10 can now replace slow cookers for the making of stews and have become ever-smarter and more efficient.

This page last updated June 30, 2022