The Best Zojirushi Rice Cookers

Rice cookers fly They fly under the radar of many people who don’t understand what all the fuss is about or simply haven’t heard of them. These people are missing out on a huge amount of convenience. Good rice cookers make excellent rice with surprisingly little effort. They may not be perfect for a fancy restaurant, but they’re way better than most of us can do most of the time. Measure out how many cups of uncooked rice you want in the cooking vessel, rinse it out if that’s your thing, fill the vessel with water up to the line that corresponds with the number of cups you’re making, close the lid, and press start. Do other things for a while, and soon, it’ll play a song to let you know it’s ready.

A little less well-known is how it will keep rice in that near-perfect, warm, ready-to-eat state. Make a batch in the afternoon, and you’ll have enough for dinner that night and some to bolster an early meal the next day. (Zojirushi doesn’t recommend storing rice in the rice cooker for more than 12 hours, or 24 hours on the “Keep Warm Longer” feature.) It may not be quite as perfect the next day, but it’s still surprisingly good. For those of us who just lived a couple of years at home during a pandemic, it’s not hard to imagine the convenience. I like to say that mine has probably been on for about half of the 12 years I’ve owned it, with food ready for hungry tummies.

Although I’ve used and evaluated other brands of rice cookers, Zojirushi is easily my favorite, as it almost always works very well, whether it’s a basic or a high-end model. Opt for one that has a start button (not the light switch style)—a sort of shorthand for which ones have the most even heating and best heat-keeping qualities—but you’ll likely be happy with almost any Zojirushi model.

For more appliance tips, check out our other kitchen guides, including the best steamers, best food processors, best toasters, and best stand mixers.

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