Top 7 Best Japanese Rice Cooker of 2021

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A crossover between a countertop slow cooker, an oven clay pot and a stove top saucepan, the rice cooker is a versatile and reliable appliance created for faster, more convenient food preparation. To assist you in selecting the best Japanese rice cooker, here are some detailed information for you to know.

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Different Types of Japanese Rice Cookers

Before figuring out the perfect machine that definitely suits your personal preferences, we gathered some information about the different types of Japanese rice cookers.

  • Cook-and-Shut-Off Rice Cooker

This type of rice cooker only requires you to switch it on because it automatically shuts off when the rice is done cooking. As the water boils off or when the lid is removed, you will hear the switch pop-up. It is fitted with a plain aluminum cooking pot and a tempered glass or metal lid.

  • Cook-and-Reduce-Heat Rice Cooker

Also known as the Keep Warmer cooker, it automatically adjusts the heating element to low when the thermostat senses that the water has boiled off and the rice is done. This type of machine will keep the rice warm and for up to four hours before forming a thick crust on the bottom of the pan.

  • Micro-computerized (MICOM) Rice Cooker

Started in the early 90s, this technology enables the rice cooker to judge and calculate the amount of rice by weight, automatically adjusting the cooking time with the help of a micro-computer chip that is used to control the temperature during the process. It also knows how to switch from cook to keep warm setting.

  • Induction Heating (IH) Rice Cooker

This type of rice cooker is designed for sensitive sensor timing and temperature detection. Inside the pot, there is a heat circulation made by the electromagnetic force which makes more accurate cooking, resulting in softer and sweeter rice. This is best used when you’re cooking something at a moderately precise simmer that will take a long amount of time.

  • Pressure IH Rice Cooker

This type of rice cooker uses the combination of the power of an electromagnetic wave and pressurized cooking. As the temperature rises inside the jar due to the pressure, it steams the rice outright, creating a fluffier type of rice compared to other rice cookers.

Expert Guide in Selecting the Best Japanese Rice Cooker

With a great variety of Japanese rice cookers in the market, it is difficult to choose and purchase the right product. So, we provide you a simple guide that will help you be a smart consumer who consciously takes things into consideration in searching for the perfect rice cooker.

  • Budget

Before anything else, think and consider carefully about your personal budget. Narrow down your choices with a budget because there are Japanese rice cookers that range from medium to high prices with different types and functions. Focus on what you really need and not just what you want.

  • Cooking Type

Analyze what type of rice cooking you want and need. If you cook only white rice and steam a few vegetables, go for a simpler machine. If you want the full range of timing and cooking capabilities, go for a more elaborate model but consider that you won’t be able to use this type as a steamer. If you do a lot of steaming or create multicomponent steamed meals, search for a model with a huge steamer tray or a set of baskets.

  • Capacity

Japanese rice cookers come in various standard sizes: the 3 or 4-cup cookers for small quantities, 5 or 6-cup cookers for medium, and 8, 10 or 14-cup cookers for large quantities.  Some rice cookers can hold up to 20 cups for home use. For large families, and small cottage businesses, there are jumbo rice cookers or deluxe rice cookers that can hold a capacity of 15 to 30 cups. If you’re living alone in a small apartment, you just need a compact-sized rice cooker that sits well in your small kitchen

  • Cooking Options and Control Settings

Some rice cookers are able to prepare steamed vegetables, breakfast oatmeals, cereals, etc. Others can also make breads and cakes. If you want a particular texture to your rice, there are some rice cookers that offer that kind of setting. Think about what kinds of cooking options and control settings you really need.

  • Materials and Construction

The most common bowl is made of aluminum which is an excellent heat conductor, lightweight and cheaper while others are constructed of stainless steel which is very strong enough to resist corrosion. Materials are important to consider as they contribute to the heating and cooking process of the rice. Look for durable and long-lasting materials.

  • Brand Quality

Not all famous and top brands offer the needs of everyone. Select a legible brand that has been well-known and successful in the market and evaluates if it provides a product that will fully cater to your needs. To name a few, Japan has a wide selection of top brands like Zojirushi, Tiger, Toshiba, and Panasonic.

Best Japanese Rice Cookers For The Money

Zojirushi Pressure IH Rice Cooker and Warmer

Ideal for families who love delicious food and rice to be served right away, this 3-in-1 rice cooker from Zojirushi is engineered with multiple intelligent high technology factors. It is powered by Advanced fuzzy logic technology with AI (Artificial Intelligence) that learns and adjusts the cooking cycle to get perfect results anytime. It has a superior Induction Heating (IH) system that utilizes induction heating principles as it generates a magnetic field to create instant heat within the inner cooking pan. It also features a pressure system that increases the normal boiling point of water to make the cooked rice stay softer over a long period of time.

This is an ultimate multipurpose Japanese rice cooker and so far the most advanced item among other brands. It also consists of an array of options and settings like the umami setting that upgrades the flavor of the rice into much tastier and sweeter. The rest of the settings are steam-reduce, scorched setting, automatic keep warm, extended keep warm, reheat function, etc.

PROS

  • IH Pressure system that creates an even cooking process
  • With multi-menu cooking functions and settings for tastier rice
  • Colored and readable LCD control panel that displays the clock and delay timer
  • It has 5.5 cups or 1 L capacity

CONS

  • It consumes more electricity
  • It only cooks a wide variety of rice effectively as it does not have other cooking options for different foods like steaming and baking

Tiger JAX-S Micom Rice Cooker

Live with serenity by simplifying your household chores with this unique multi-functional rice cooker from Tiger that has a built-in synchro-cooking function called “Tacook” which lets you cook rice and a main dish simultaneously without having the flavors affecting each other. It works with the help of the steam made from cooking rice that enables the dishes on the “Tacook” plate to be cooked, saving you time and serving your loved ones with nutritious meals faster.

Tiger’s Automatic Cooking Logic system actively monitors cooking temperatures, creating the perfect meal with minimal preparation and with just a press of a button. You just cook rice in the inner pot, place tacook cooking plate above and press start. In just a few minutes, two dishes are being cooked at the same time. This rice cooker is part of Tiger’s JAX-S series that gives you the comfort of being able to select any special grain and simply use the multi-grain function to cook other grains besides rice.

PROS

  • With Tacook function for synchronized cooking
  • MICOM technology
  • 10 cooking settings in 1
  • Up to 12 hours of automatic Keep-Warm setting
  • Two preset delay timers for up to 24 hours
  • Easy to clean and energy-efficient
  • It yields 5.5 cups uncooked/ 10 cooked rice

CONS

  • It does not have induction cooking system for precise cooking but it can save much energy.

Tiger Earthen Pot Pressure IH Jar Rice Cooker

Featuring a premium earthen pot plus the thermal efficiency, this stylish Japanese rice cooker from Tiger makes a sweet, rich, abundant and aromatic rice. With the use of Induction Heating (IH) system, the earthen jar holds and emits IR ray as it utilizes the heat to flow inside the rice slowly, creating a softer rice. Because of the pot, the rice will be cooked more deliciously than others.

After cooking, it uses a pressure system with a high temperature steaming that exceeds up to 200 degrees or more so that you can enjoy and get the excellent, fragrant scorched rice or “Okoge” which tastes amazing. It thoroughly maintains the good taste of the rice. As for the usage, it acquires a motion sensor and touch panel and you can also confirm the operation through the voice guide but only in Japanese.

PROS

  • Induction Heating (IH) and Pressure Systems
  • Easy to operate with motion sensor  and touch panel
  • Stylish and contemporary design
  • Premium earthen pot for flavorful and aromatic rice
  • Prepares 4 cups of rice

CONS

  • It can be more fragile than those made of metal so you need to be little cautious when taking care of it.
  • The voice guide is available only in Japanese

Panasonic Micom Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker

For busy people who love convenience and multifunctionality while effortlessly enjoying delicious home-cooked meals, this professionally designed microcomputer-controlled Fuzzy Logic rice cooker from Panasonic is perfect for you. It takes the stirring, hovering, checking, and temperature adjusting right out of food preparations. It features a simple, pre-programmed control panel with four large buttons for selecting up to six menu options: quick cook, steam, white rice, brown rice, porridge or soup.

Thanks to the wide options of rice settings, this rice cooker can cook anything from basmati, jasmine, or arborio rice to hearty wild rice, brown rice or short- or long-grained rice in restaurant-quality perfection. Aside from rice, it expands in cooking quick and healthy steamed vegetables as side dishes to be complemented into your grilled meat. For busy and hectic mornings, just load up the rice cooker with oatmeal, or hot cereals and water or milk for a quick and satisfying breakfast on the go.

PROS

  • Micro-computer fuzzy logic technology controlled with 6 menu operations
  • With easy-one button operation and convenient cooking icons
  • Small size for portability and space-efficient
  • It has automatic Keep Warm setting up to 12 hours
  • It yields up to 5 cups of cooked rice

CONS

  • Some steam water from the lid keeps dripping back into the pot

Zojirushi Umami Micom Rice Cooker

For tastier and flavor-enhanced rice, this Japanese rice cooker from Zojirushi carries an exclusive Umami setting that soaks and steams the rice longer for a richer flavor. Umami is considered to be the fifth taste which represents savoriness, mostly found from glutamate which is a naturally-occurring amino acid found in meat, cheese, mushrooms, broth and stock.

It also works as a slow cooker with its Slow Cook function, perfect for making soups and other menus. It is powered with micro computerized Fuzzy logic technology or MICOM that provides you maximum ease and comfort as it does all the work for you such as adjusting cooking times and temperatures depending on the type of rice you are cooking and timing the pre-soaking of the raw grains.

PROS

  • Micro-computerized Fuzzy Logic Technology
  • 5.5 cup capacity
  • It has multi-menu settings
  • Automatic Keep-Warm feature
  • Easy to read LCD control panel

CONS

  • The cord tends to be loose in some cases

Aroma Professional Plus Digital Rice Cooker

This rice cooker from Aroma is exceptionally designed to cook 4 to 20 cups of any variety of rice with specialized functions for both white and brown rice. It has an automatic Keep-Warm function so that you will not need to monitor it once the rice is done.  It is a versatile kitchen equipment with the inclusion of a steamer tray that allows you to prepare healthy steaming of meats and vegetables while the rice cooks below. If you’re in a hurry, try the Quick Rice function which cuts cooking time in half.

With the unique options of Slow Cook and Saute-then-Simmer (STS) functions, it remains to be an excellent cooking powerhouse which makes meals rich, tasty, and delicious for families to greatly be satisfied and happy. It also carries a programmable 15-hour delay timer, suitable for families on the go as it can deliver delicious rice ready when it’s needed.

PROS

  • With nearly one dozen cooking functions and settings
  • Built-in steamer function for healthier meals
  • It has AROMA’s patent-pending Sauté-Then-Simmer (STS) function for versatile use
  • Up to 15-hr delay timer
  • It yields 20 cups of cooked rice

CONS

  • Overflowing liquid out of the vent occasionally
  • Difficult to clean as the lid doesn’t detach naturally

Aroma Simply Stainless Rice Cooker

If you’re tight on a budget and you like a much conventional rice cooker, this very affordable rice cooker from Aroma brings you top quality rice, healthy steamed meals, and delicious one-pot dishes in just a breeze. Made completely of surgical-grade 304 stainless steel, this convenient and compact cooker is perfect for busy parents out there who are busy helping their kids in accomplishing their homeworks, or for ones who just want to relax by reading a book without distractions.

With the simple one-touch design, you can cook delicious and fluffy rice in no time. It has an automatic function that switches to the Keep-Warm setting that is perfect for making oatmeal, jambalaya, soups, and many more foods that you can be creative for.

PROS

  • Simple and easy to use
  • Very affordable and convenient
  • Prepares 2-6 cups of rice
  • One-touch operation and automatic Keep-Warm Setting
  • Great for soups, jambalaya, chili and more
  • Easy to clean and lightweight

CONS

  • Does not have the latest and complex technology

Comparison of the Best Japanese Rice Cookers

Japanese Rice Cooker

Dimensions and Weight

Capacity

Unique Features

Current Price

Our Rating

15.4 x 10.1 x 8.6 in


13 pounds

5.5 cup

  • Advanced fuzzy logic technology with AI
  • Automatic selection from three pressure levels based on the selected menu

10.1 x 13.6 x 8.2 in


6.2 pounds

5.5 cup (uncooked)

  • Built-in “Tacook””or synchro-cooking function for cooking food simultaneously
  • Energy-efficient and time-saver

10.3 x 12.8 x 8.7 in


14.95 pounds

5 Cup

  • Uses premium earthen pot

  • With Pressure IH system

  • Stylish and contemporary design

10.2 x 13.9 x 7.8 in


6.6 pounds

5 Cup

  • One Touch Cooking with Advanced Fuzzy Logic technology

  • Portable and a Space Saver

15 x 10.1 x 9.2 in


7.15 pounds

5.5 Cup

  • With Micro-computerized fuzzy logic technology

  • Exclusive Umami setting

12.2 x 12.1 x 12.2 in


5.45 pounds

10 cup (uncooked)

20 cup (cooked)

With patent-pending Sauté-Then-Simmer (STS) function

8.2 x 8.1 x 10.3 in


4.4 pounds

2-6 cups

  • Simple, one touch operation

  • Lightweight

The Verdict

Food becomes a good medicine, especially when it is made with fresh, organic ingredients and cooked in a way to retain its nutrients. When it comes to cooking rice, the concept remains similar.

After finishing up the quest for the best Japanese rice cooker, Zojirushi Pressure IH Rice Cooker and Warmer ranked the best among the rest as it exclusively showcases the newest revolution in rice cooking with 3-in-1 high technology and advanced AI features, providing you the most delicious and healthy rice that you and your family will surely love.

All of these top-rated Japanese rice cookers beautifully express Louis Sullivan’s idea that “form follows function”— pure and uncomplicated home appliances that solve the cooking dilemmas of the many. Try one of these wonderful products that we curated for you to enjoy delectable and hearty homemade meals in great convenience while spending most of the time with your loved ones.

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