Mini Rice Cooker and Warmer: Kitchen Essential

The best rice cookers should make the process of cooking rice nearly effortless, requiring very little human involvement. Our test models provided that intuitive simplicity with instruction manuals that clearly outlined how to get started, including how to measure your rice, how to wash it, how much water to add to the cooking pot, and which settings to select. The Keep Warm setting in machines that kept the rice warm was enabled soon after the rice was finished cooking.

Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer

The Zojirushi rice cooker has a generous capacity of 5.5 cups (uncooked). It’s easy to use and easy to clean. The nonstick inner pot was the heaviest of all we tested, and the markings inside that indicated how much water to add for different types of rice were clearest (the markers are white, which stand out well against the dark pot). One thing that really set this machine apart was its use of induction heating, which provides a precise, even heat source that warms the entire pot rather than just the bottom. (Most rice cookers heat the bottom of the pot with a heating element, which can cause uneven cooking and brown bits at the bottom of the pot). Zojirushi rice was never unevenly cooked; it was fluffy, perfectly tender, and overall better than the rice we made with any other machine. Additionally, it never stuck to the bottom of the pot.

One of the great pleasures of using the Zojirushi Induction Rice Cooker is the ability to set it and forget it, keeping rice warm for hours with the automatic Keep Warm feature. This model is a Micom rice cooker (a.k.a. micro-computerized), so its sensors allow it to adjust temperatures and cooking times as necessary. Having precise measurements of your grain or water is beneficial if yours are imprecise. In the event that you accidentally add too much water, for instance, the machine adjusts the cooking time and temperature so that you will still not end up with mushy rice. It is also the only one of our top picks that counts down your cooking time from start to finish, so you know exactly how far you are from making the perfect bowl of rice.

Because of its induction heating capability, large capacity, and programmable features, this rice cooker is more expensive than most on the market. But it completely eliminates the many variables and shortcomings of cooking rice on the stove. When it comes to foolproof, the Zojirushi model can’t be beaten for great tasting rice that doesn’t take much effort.

Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer

The Zojirushi rice cooker has a generous capacity of 5.5 cups (uncooked). It’s easy to use and easy to clean. The nonstick inner pot was the heaviest of all we tested, and the markings inside that indicated how much water to add for different types of rice were clearest (the markers are white, which stand out well against the dark pot). One thing that really set this machine apart was its use of induction heating, which provides a precise, even heat source that warms the entire pot rather than just the bottom. (Most rice cookers heat the bottom of the pot with a heating element, which can cause uneven cooking and brown bits at the bottom of the pot). Our rice from the Zojirushi was never unevenly cooked; it was fluffy, perfectly tender, and just overall better than the rice we made in every other machine. Additionally, it never stuck to the bottom of the pot.

One of the great pleasures of using the Zojirushi Induction Rice Cooker is the ability to set it and forget it, keeping rice warm for hours with the automatic Keep Warm feature. This model is a Micom rice cooker (a.k.a. micro-computerized), so its sensors allow it to adjust temperatures and cooking times as necessary. Having precise measurements of your grain or water is beneficial if yours are imprecise. When you add too much water, for instance, the machine adjusts the cooking time and temperature so that you won’t end up with mushy rice. In addition, it is the only app on our list that counts down the time it takes to make perfect rice and informs you when you are near it.

Because of its induction heating capability, large capacity, and programmable features, this rice cooker is more expensive than most on the market. But it completely eliminates the many variables and shortcomings of cooking rice on the stove. This Zojirushi model makes foolproof, delicious rice with almost no effort.

Cuckoo Rice Cooker and Warmer

Our budget rice cooker category was won by the Cuckoo Rice Cooker and Warmer. It produced rice of similar quality to that produced by the Zojirushi Induction Rice Cooker at a much faster pace than the machine earning the top spot. A 15 minute advantage over Zojirushi was the difference. Furthermore, it holds 6 cups of uncooked rice, compared to the Zojirushi’s 5.5 cups. It’s an excellent deal for $80, and it will absolutely produce great rice for many, many years to come.

Watch Slow-Cooker Green Chicken Chili In the negative column, the Cuckoo cooker displays the remaining cook time when the rice is about ten minutes from being done, so you can’t time your meal quite as precisely as you can with the Zojirushi. Additionally, although the digital face is relatively easy to read, it does not light up.

The Cuckoo’s biggest flaw, which we noted during testing and is well documented in other reviews and comments about the product, is its lid design. By pressing the button to open the machine, the lid lifts so quickly that the motion can cause the machine to jerk backward, knocking it over or even knocking it off the counter. We recommend avoiding the button altogether and gently opening the rice cooker with your hands. It’s an affordable alternative if you don’t mind that minor inconvenience or the shorter timer display. In case you need more recommendation for mini rice cooker, we have a list for you.