Rice is the most important part of a Thai meal and we eat rice every single day, so the rice cooker is the single most important appliance in our households. But when you can spend $30 for a basic rice cooker, or hundreds of dollars for a fancy machine…is the extra money worth it for something that just cooks rice?
In this article I will discuss the pros and cons of a basic VS high-end rice cooker, and why after 5 years of using a $230 rice cooker, I have switched back to a $35 one. AND just as importantly, why the fancy one might actually be the right choice for you, even though it isn’t for me.
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Do you even need a rice cooker in the first place?
Need? No. You can cook perfectly good rice in a pot on a stove as people around the world have done for hundreds of years. Here’s my detailed guide on how to cook perfect rice which I recommend you check out before thinking that a rice cooker will solve your rice problems.
But for families who eat rice frequently, the rice cooker makes a big difference because it turns rice cooking into a hands-off, nearly fail-proof task, so you can focus on cooking the rest of your meal.
To be clear, a rice cooker does not make rice faster, in fact it’s often slower, but it makes it so you don’t have to pay attention to it, which is very useful. So in my opinion, if you eat rice regularly, getting a rice cooker is a big life improvement and I highly recommend it.
How Rice Cookers Work – Important to Understand to Make an Informed Decision
Before you buy, I think it’s important to understand how rice cookers work, and how basic and higher-end ones actually differ, so you can be make an informed buying decision.
A basic rice cooker does one thing: when you press “cook” it heats up the bottom of the pot until the water boils. It then maintains this heat until it senses that the temperature of the bottom of the pot has risen above boiling point, which indicates that all water has evaporated. This triggers it to turn off or switch to a “keep warm” mode.
All rice cookers hinge on the idea that once the water has all been absorbed into the rice, the bottom of the pot is dry, and therefore the rice is done. This of course, assumes that you have added the correct amount of water for the type of rice being cooked, so you still have to know what you’re doing.
Key point: A basic rice cooker is simply a temperature-sensing pot that turns itself off when the water has dried up. You still need to add the correct amount of water to get good rice.
How does a high end rice cooker work? At the basic level it does the same thing as the above, but with a few key differences:
- a higher end rice cooker tends to heat up the rice more slowly, giving the rice time to soak in warm water before it starts to cook. This results in rice grains that are more evenly cooked throughout.
- It tends to cook rice at a low simmer instead of a full boil. This cooks the rice more slowly and evenly, and prevents that slightly hard or brown layer of rice at the bottom that can sometimes happen with cheap rice cookers that cook at higher temp.
- They have a built in “rest” period after the water has dried up to allow lingering moisture to be fully absorbed before the “finish bell” rings. (This is why when you use a basic cooker, you should let rice rest for 5-10 mins before serving after the rice cooker has clicked off.)
Other Features Fancy Rice Cookers Offer
Aside from the above, the extra dollars also go toward many features that may or may not be important to you.
- They have many modes that vary the time and temperature in different ways. For example, the “brown rice” or “sweet rice” (aka glutinous rice) modes cooks much more gently than regular white rice mode. Brown and glutinous rice do much better when cooked slow and low, so this is useful if you cook these types of rice regularly.
- They have timers which allow you to put the rice and water in, and then schedule it to cook later. Useful for those who like to prep ahead or want the rice to be ready as soon as you get home.
- The lid seals moisture in much better than a regular lid, which allows the rice to remain soft and moist for much longer (although there is a big issue with this, discussed below)
- The user experience is just fantastic: retractable cord, carrying handle, music that plays when it starts and finishes, a rice paddle holder, a hinged, slow-opening lid. You definitely feel like you’re adulting using these.
But does the fancy rice cooker actually make better rice?
The short answer is yes. And I know this based on a side by side, blind taste test I did comparing rice cooked from the $230,Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy, a basic $30 rice cooker, and rice cooked on the stovetop. You can see the test in this video:
Both jasmine and short grain Japanese rice came out noticeably more evenly cooked, from the Zojirushi, although the difference was very slight for jasmine rice, which is more forgiving than short grain.
However, I tasted the rice straight up, which is not how I eat rice in real life. When I eat rice in a meal, with curries and stir fries doused in top, this difference is basically gone.
The Zojirushi does, however, cook sticky rice significantly better. Some basic rice cookers can cook sticky rice, others cannot, it really depends on how powerful it is. Sticky rice, when cooked in water, requires very gentle heat, and in my experience it’s kind of a hit and miss which basic cookers can manage the task well enough.
Why I No Longer Use A Fancy Rice Cooker.
What I’ve told you so far is the “facts” for you to consider when making your decision. But now let me share with you my experience after many years of using both basic and higher end rice cookers, and why I am now back to a “basic girl.”
In short, it’s about durability. As you know, the more complex a machine, the more possible points of failures there are. And that was exactly the case with the Zojirushi. If you prefer to watch, I made a video all about it here:
Reason #1: Rice Dries Out After A While
One of the most valuable feature of the Zojirushi and other higher end model, for me, is its ability to keep rice warm and moist for up to 24 hours. (It says 12 hours in the manual, but when I first purchased it, even 24 hours was still fine). But after about 2 years, the rice started drying out faster and faster, until it got to a point where rice on the top would be rock hard in as little as 6 hours.
After consulting the internet, turns out what failed was the inner lid with the rubber seal that was supposed to keep the moisture in. After replacing the lid with the official part bought from the Zojirushi website ($32 USD), the rice was moist overnight again.
But the second lid failed after even less time than the first. So this appears to be an ongoing thing I will have to replace.
Important: I used the rice cooker almost daily, so naturally the seal would wear out faster. If you use it only occasionally, it would likely last longer. So I am not sharing this to dissuade you from choosing the Zojirushi, the point is that there is a part that will eventually fail.
Reason #2: Nonstick inner pot scratches
Most high end rice cookers have a nonstick coated inner pot. And despite me never using metal utensils on it, the inner pot developed lots of little scratches on the bottom. The scratches likely come from washing the rice in the inner pot, so if I were to avoid it, I’d have to rinse the rice in another bowl. Is this a big deal? For me, yes, because remember I cook rice daily, and adding a big mixing bowl to my daily routine is not something I want to do. For you, it may not be.
But also generally I’m trying to eliminate all Teflon coated cookware from my regular usage. You may know that once a nonstick coating is scratched it can release microplastics into your food. And for something I use daily, I just no longer felt comfortable using it to feed my family.
Note: the replacement cost for a new inner pot from Zojirushi is $65 USD a piece. Together with the inner lid, the maintenance cost is adding up quick, not to mention the inconvenience!
What Rice Cooker Am I Using Now?
Given the above reasons, I decided to switch back to the trusty basic one I grew up with in Thailand – a 1-button rice cooker with an uncoated inner pot. Mine is an Aroma with a stainless steel inner pot and comes with a steamer rack, which is very useful! I am by no means attached to this brand over others, I bought it because it was the only brand with an uncoated inner pot that I could find at the time of my search.
Note: Old school rice cookers, like the one we still use in Thailand, usually have aluminum inner pots, but they are hard to find in North America. Aluminum is reactive, so if you have one, it should not be used to cook anything acidic.
Even though it has zero fancy features, here are reasons why I chose it:
- Longevity. Basic rice cookers are known to last a very long time because there’s not much that can break! The stainless steel inner pot won’t scratch, warp, rust, or break, and will basically last forever. It’s also non-reactive so if you wanna cook an acidic food in here, it’s not a problem.
- Cost. Obviously it’s much cheaper to buy, but more importantly there is no ongoing maintenance cost. If glass lid breaks, it is just a regular pot lid that’s easy and cheap to replace. You might even already have another pot lid that fits!
- Versatility. Because it is basically a regular pot that boils things, I often use it AS a regular pot when my stovetop is full, or when I am boiling things that take a long time, such as beans and grains, and I want to take advantage of that self-turn-off function in case I forget about it. And that steamer rack is super useful! You can also keep sauces and soups warm in it on the warm mode. Yes technically you can also cook other things in the fancy rice cookers, but remember that slow, gentle heat that’s good for rice? It’s not great when you’re trying to quickly boil some broccoli!
Final Takeaway: Which one should you buy?
Each person has different needs when it comes to rice, so I will summarize the pros and cons of each below and you can decide for yourself.
High End Rice Cookers Pros:
- Cooks better rice (though difference is only significant with short grain rice)
- Many rice cooking modes, useful if you cook brown rice and sticky (glutinous) rice often
- Keeps rice warm longer (at least until the seal wears out)
- Delightful user experience.
High End Rice Cooker Cons
- Expensive
- Parts may need replacement, especially for frequent users
- Nonstick inner pot scratches over time
- Large footprint, not ideal for small kitchens.
- Rice takes longer to cook, even on quick mode. Not ideal if you need quick meals regularly.
Basic Rice Cooker Pros:
- Cheap
- Simple and likely won’t break for a long time
- If you use stainless steel inner pot, it won’t scratch and will last forever
- Versatile – can be used as a regular pot.
- Cooks rice faster.
- Smaller footprint
Basic Rice Cooker Cons:
- Rice doesn’t come out quite as perfect, especially short grain rice.
- If using uncoated inner pot, rice will stick, so cleanup requires soaking.
- No modes for different kinds of rice.
The post Are Expensive Rice Cookers Worth It? A Thai Chef’s Review appeared first on Hot Thai Kitchen.