Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB 5 5-Cup Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker and Warmer Stainless Black

I had to replace my old zojirushi fuzzy neuro rice cooker and I tried their competitors from a prominent korean company and another japanese company since this rice cooker hurts my wallet. The biggest feature about this rice cooker is the induction heating and pressure cooking which seemed like buzzwords but it makes a huge difference. If you have an instant pot, you know what I mean when you have that juicy pressure cooked rice. Imagine that quality rice but more homogenous and in a nonstick container so you don't have to scrape at the pot after you're done with your rice. The rice here blows the rice from my old zojirushi fuzzy neuro out of the water. With the korean competitor, on paper it looks better. It's half the price of a comparable zojirushi with the same induction heating and pressure cooking. It cooks rice at half the time 25 - 30 minutes vs 50-55 minutes. There's a lot more functions such as scorched rice and what not. I've tried it and it's incredibly temperamental. It tries to do everything and is the master of none. The rice from this korean competitor is subpar compared to the zojirushi. This zojirushi takes a bit longer to make rice, it has less settings, but it does everything perfectly. But what really stood out is the price of the parts. It's actually cheaper and easier to get replacement parts for this zojirushi if anything were to happen in the future. That is something else you're paying for, the availability of OEM parts 5 - 6 years from now. If money is an issue, I'd still get the induction heated version of this rice cooker, but I would highly suggest splurging ever so slightly for the pressure cooking version instead. Over the span of the lifetime of the product, it's pennies. Read more

Love, love, love this rice cooker! I have to admit that I had to think long and hard over the price of this rice cooker, but I’m glad I finally decided to buy it. I can make just one cup of rice and it comes out perfectly. If it takes me 2 days to eat that one cup of rice, it holds it perfectly. The rice doesn’t dry out, or get “funky”. It stays delicious. This was an important feature for my decision because my husband only likes white rice and he likes to put bacon grease and salt in it. I’m on a low sodium and low cholesterol diet. And I also like a variety of different kinds of rice, depending on the meal. So we now have two rice cookers. Being able to prepare a small quantity is especially important for those who need to restrict carbs, or just don’t eat quite as much as they used to. I also appreciate the various options for cooking a variety of different types of rice and rice blends. I like traditional short grain white rice, but I also like brown rice and also a blend of brown rice, brown sweet rice, barley, and black imperial rice. So far, everything I’ve cooked comes out perfectly - even when I forget to prep the rice ahead of time, the quick setting still comes out perfectly. I think my next adventure will be to cook a whole meal in the rice cooker. I’ve seen a few very tempting recipes online. I have no doubt that it will work beautifully. I mean, what could be better than that when you get home from work and you’re dead tired . . . Just throw everything in the rice cooker and have a complete meal ready for you after you’ve changed your clothes, and poured yourself a cocktail. What could be better?! Read more

What can a very expensive rice maker do that less expensive ones can't? I would argue this has less features out of the box than less expensive rice makers. But what you buy this for is the quality and precise cooking of your rice. You buy this because "good enough" isn't! This rice maker makes rice, grains, oats and that is it! (Unless you buy a steam tray separately and then experiment so that you can still make your steam buns...) But the rice and oats come out marvelously, the texture is perfect and I didn't realize you could get different flavors out of rice with a pressure boil method or however this works. Truly a revolution in my mouth. The first use smelled like burning plastic, and I did remove all of the plastic prior. So maybe run it first time with just water. It looks pretty nice, but is definitely out of place on my counter; everything else is black or stainless. With that said, I find it to be an attractive device. It is easy to use, and it makes more than I know what to do with it. It has congee presets, steel cut oats, different styles of rice. Only thing missing is a steam tray, but I ordered a steel one off of eBay, and that filled it's role nicely. For the price, it is hard to recommend; but if you are well off this is the single best grain making appliance that I have encountered. I think you could find a better value lower down the line if you are ok buying made in China though. Read more