Designing top quality rice cookers is one of the many things that Japan does well and it is one of the reasons that so many tourists come away with a Japanese rice cooker when they leave the country. Japanese rice cookers are designed to work in the varied climate of Japan and with quality first and foremost.
But how do you choose the right Japanese rice cooker out of the thousands that are on the market? We know rice cookers and have come up with ten of the best Japanese rice cookers based upon personal experience, other customer’s reviews, quality, features and much more. If you want the best possible Japanese rice cooker for your kitchen, you can’t go wrong with one of these.
Preview
Name
Rating
Price
More Details
Zojirushi NS-ZCC10
excellent
$$$
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Tiger JBA-T10U-WU
excellent
$$$
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Zojirushi NS-TSC10
excellent
$$$
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Tiger JNP-S10U-HU
excellent
$$
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Zojirushi NS-LAC05XT
very good
$$
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Tiger JNP-1800-FL
very good
$$
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Zojirushi NS-VGC05
very good
$$
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Tiger Corporation JBV-A10U-W
good
$$
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Aroma Housewares
good
$
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Panasonic SR-G06FG
good
$
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1. Zojirushi NS-ZCC10
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This rice cooker is affordable, highly rated and comes with lots of embedded technology. If you want to create the perfect bowl of rice or rice dish, this is exactly what the chef ordered. It will cook more than 5 cups of raw rice and that means big family meals are not a problem. Plus, it is small, convenient and with features like a retractable cord, you can keep it in the cupboard and pull it out when you need it. Let’s take a look at the features.
Features
Non-stick inner pan
Sphere-shaped interior cooks rice evenly
LCD clock/timer
Retractable cord
Cooks and keeps rice warm
Automatic warmer when rice has cooked, including extended warming
Reheating cycles & various menu selections
Accessories include two measuring cups, rice spoon, spoon holder and recipe booklet
1 year warranty
The Good & the Bad
This rice cooker is one of the elite models that utilize what is called “fuzzy logic” which means that it decides for itself when the rice needs a little more (or a little less) cooking, resulting in perfect rice preparation every time. In addition, this is a big enough rice cooker even for the largest families and it has great technology included and some useful accessories. But there seems to have been a pattern of the unit breaking down at about the one year point. While these are a very small percentage of the total customers who bought the unit, it is something to be aware of.
The Verdict
This is really a great rice cooker and has everything that you want. The only thing that you want to be aware of is that there may be a problem months or years down the road and you should keep an eye on it to make sure it isn’t breaking down, so that you can get it replaced before the warranty ends if so.
2. Tiger JBA-T10U-WU
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This rice cooker doubles as a food steamer and slow cooker, and you get plenty of space for your money with the ability to prepare five-and-a-half cups of uncooked rice. This is a terrific unit that has maintained a very high average rating despite having dozens of reviews and people were really happy with the way that it worked for them. Let’s check out what features come with this unit.
Features
Will prepare 5.5 cups of uncooked rice, which translates to a lot when it is cooked
Warmer for rice and other foods
Rounded pot that cooks uniformly and is 1.4mm thick
Nine preset cooking settings
3-in-1 rice cooker with slow cooking and food steaming capabilities
You can wash the inner lid and the steam cap separately
Time delay to start cooking even when you aren’t there
Authentically Japanese made
The Good & the Bad
There are a lot of great things about this rice cooker. To start with, it prepares a whole lot of rice, enough for the entire family and the cooking seems to work perfectly. It is easy to clean and has a lot of useful features like time delay and preset cooking settings. There really is nothing bad that you can say about this product. There hasn’t been a single bad review on it except for one one-star review that was due to a problem with the shipping and nothing to do with the rice cooker itself. The rest of them were four and five-star reviews.
The Verdict
So, should you get this rice cooker? Absolutely. This is one of the best Japanese rice cookers in the world and it is one of the best cookers even on this list. These are all a little different and obviously, the one that you choose depends upon what features you value, but this one has a little bit of everything and lots and lots of satisfied customers.
3. Zojirushi 5-1
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This Zojirushi is a Japanese rice cooker with some cool features and incorporates fuzzy logic cooking technology, which means that it automatically makes adjustments to the cooking time when necessary, resulting in the perfect pan of rice every single time. The price is great, the reviews are glowing and it does everything that the perfect rice cooker from Japan is supposed to do. Let’s look more closely at the features that come with this unit.
Features
Automatic warming cycle and you can extend the warmer overnight if you like
Computerized rice cooker with fuzzy logic that gives you perfect preparation every time
Retractable power cord for easy storage
Stainless steel exterior
Easy to clean
Two different time delay settings for busy families on the go
You can adjust the tone of the complete alert if you don’t like the default beeping
The Good & the Bad
The good thing is, this rice cooker will cook up plenty of rice and keep it warm for a long time. Plus, there are great features like an attached, retractable power cord so you never have to go hunting or risk getting it tangled up with other appliances. Plus, the fuzzy logic always results in the perfect bowl of rice. Plus, it comes with a steam basket to steam foods and a lot of other great additions. But a few people have reported that this rice cooker doesn’t last much longer than a year. In addition, it doesn’t ship to every country outside of the U.S. but only a small select number.
The Verdict
The great thing about this rice cooker is that it uses fuzzy logic, so you never have to worry about getting the perfect rice meal. There are a couple of issues but the overwhelming majority of reviews have been very, very good, with more than 80% rating it at four stars or higher.
4. Tiger 5.5-Cup
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If you like stainless steel rice cookers from Japan at a very fair price then you will love this Tiger unit. Tiger is a great brand when it comes to authentic rice cookers and this model is no exception. One of the great things about this unit is that you are able to select which one would be perfect for your family without spending any extra money because there are five to choose from: the 3-cup, the 4-cup, the 5.5-cup, the 8-cup and the 10-cup, which would basically feed an army. Let’s see what features this Tiger model offers.
Features
Non-stick inner pan means you can clean this unit in no time
Includes accessories like a rice measuring cup and a spatula
Steam vent that is easily removable for cleaning
Warming function that lasts up to 12 hours
Retractable power cord that is attached so you never have to look for it
Authentic Japanese rice cooker
The Good & the Bad
This is a very functional rice cooker, and it has lots of great features like a warmer and accessories. The bad thing is, there isn’t a lot of technology that comes with it and if you are into lots of features, you may want to choose a different one on this list.
The Verdict
If you like stainless steel, relatively simple rice cookers, you might want to give this one a try. If you need more features, check out some of the others on this list.
5. Zojirushi Micom
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This rice cooker looks pretty simple on the surface but what really gives it the strength to be on this list of the ten best is what is under the hood. This rice cooker only holds three cups (uncooked) but it has a lot of great technology with it and three cups of plenty of rice for the average sized family. Plus, there are so many features that come with this unit that it is almost staggering. This is truly a quality rice cooker with everything you could want. Let’s look at the features.
Features
Takes up very little counter space
3 cup capacity, which means that you get 6 cups of perfectly cooked rice
Has multiple cooking functions for white rice, mixed rice, porridge, brown rice and fast cooking rice
Inner pan for better heating and cooking
Measuring lines for more control over your rice preparation
Detached lid for easy cleaning
Reheating cycle
Two setting delay timer so you can cook when you want
LCD control panel
Extended warming capability
Small unit that takes up very little counter space
Comes with accessories like a measuring cup, spatula and spatula holder
The Good & the Bad
There are lots of great features that come with this rice cooker. In fact, this is one of the most technologically heavy rice cookers on this list. The bad things include the fact that it only holds three cups, and there are some on this list for the same price that hold 5 or more, and the fact that it is a large unit that takes up a lot of counter space.
The Verdict
This is definitely a great rice cooker, making perfect rice every time. But it may not be for everyone, especially those with small kitchens. For those who love lots of modern tech with their rice cooker though, this unit is ideal.
6. Tiger 10-Cup Floral White
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This is actually a similar model to the other Tiger with the 5.5 cup capacity that we featured earlier on this list. The reason that it warranted a separate listing was that gives you just about every single feature that you get with the other Tiger model, but it cooks 10 cups of rice instead, uncooked of course, which means that you actually end up with about 20 cups. But the amazing thing is, the price is actually lower on this larger model. Let’s check out the features.
Features
Warmer that keeps rice good for up to 12 hours
Inner pan with non-stick coating for easy cleaning
Retractable power cord
Accessories like rice spatula and measuring cup included
Removable steam vent
The Good & the Bad
This is a great rice cooker and the real strength that it has is the very low cost, especially considering that it cooks up to 10 cups of uncooked rice. But it is also a pretty simple unit that doesn’t come with too many features.
The Verdict
If you want to cook a lot of rice then this is the rice cooker that you should choose. But if you need features beyond keeping the rice warm and basic cooking then you should take a look at some of the rice cookers on this list that do things like steam, cook rice on a delay and the like.
7. Zojirushi 3-Cup
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If you love perfectly cooked rice, this is one of the top brands out there and with three cups of uncooked rice as its capacity; this unit will feed the whole family and it has many, many great features. In addition, this is one of just a couple of rice cookers on this list that incorporates fuzzy logic technology to create the perfect rice dish every single time you use it. Let’s check out the features.
Features
Fuzzy logic technology included
3 cup dry rice capacity (about 6 cups when cooked)
LCD control panel with clock and timer for the perfect cook time
Automatic rice warmer
Spherical inner pan for even cooking
Accessories included: rice spatula, 2 rice measuring cups, recipes
Multiple menu settings for a variety of rice types
1 year limited warranty
The Good & the Bad
The good is that this has a lot of features and it is much less expensive than some of the other rice cookers on this list. There isn’t much bad to list. It will not perform as well as some of the more expensive models, but it does have the price to reflect that.
The Verdict
If you are okay with a budget rice cooker then go for it.
8. Tiger Corporation 5.5-Cup
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Another great entry on this list from Tiger comes this 5.5 cup rice cooker (uncooked, of course) with included food steamer and slow cooker. Basically, this replaces several appliances in your kitchen and does everything you would want a rice cooker to do and a whole lot more. In addition, after more than 420 reviews, it maintains a very high rating. Let’s see what sort of features this rice cooker has.
Features
Syncro-cooking technology which allows you to cook rice plus another dish if you want
Easy to clean
Single button push operation
Multiple menu settings and cooking presets for a variety of rice types
Includes cookbook and other accessories
The Good & the Bad
The good is that this rice cooker comes in at under $100. The bad is that you should probably spend a few dollars more because there were fewer people than usual who were raving about the quality of the cooked rice.
The Verdict
This is definitely a budget rice cooker and while the price is just right, it may not cook rice as well as you would like. If your budget is tight, this is the perfect unit for you.
9. Aroma Housewares 8-Cup
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This is a beautiful rice cooker with a stainless steel exterior and black accents and it may be one of the best ones on this list, with lots of included technology and a bright and easy-to-read digital display that tells you what is going on with your rice. In addition, it steams food and will keep your rice warm for you until you ready to eat it. Let’s see what features this Aroma Housewares cooker offers.
Features
This rice cooker will hold up to 8 cups of cooked rice (which is about 4 cups uncooked)
Easy to use
Programming cooking options include white rice, brown rice and more
Delay timer for up to 15 hours before cooking
Easily disassembled for cleanup
Includes steam tray, measuring cup, spatula, recipes and much more
The Good & the Bad
The good on this unit is one thing above all else – the price is a fraction of what some of the other rice cookers on this are, and while this is considered a “generic” brand, there are still lots of happy customers that have rated and reviewed this product. The bad thing about this unit is that it doesn’t perform as well as it could. However, it performs much better than expected for the price and 4/5 customers were perfectly happy with this rice cooker, rating it at 4 stars and above.
The Verdict
This is probably the best unit on this list when it comes to value to price ratio but it won’t perform nearly as well as the more expensive ones.
10. Panasonic Automatic
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If you can feed your family with 7 cups of cooked rice per meal, this is the perfect budget rice cooker. The price is simply amazing even though there isn’t much technology that comes with it. There is a single button and no digital display but it does the one job it has very well – cooking rice. Let’s see what this rice cooker has to offer as far as features.
Features
Makes up to 6 or 7 cups of cooked rice
Automatic cooking
Automatic shutoff
Glass lid so that you can see when your rice is done
Uses just 310 watts or power
Non-stick aluminum pan
Accessories like rice scoop, measuring cup and operating manual included
The Good & the Bad
The good is that this is a perfect budget rice cooker that will cook most rice really well. Most people have really liked this unit and prepared great meals with it. The bad thing is that it doesn’t work as well as the more expensive models and it will not cook brown rice at all.
The Verdict
You should get this budget rice cooker if you don’t have a lot to spend and want something that will cook white rice well. If you do not cook brown rice this may work for you but if you want something more versatile you may want to go with one of the other models on this list.
Conclusion
There are a lot of great rice cookers on this list, from simple models that cost about the same as a dinner for two all the way to models that are well over $100 and do everything from slow cooking to steaming. Some of them are fully featured and have lots of technology like warming rice up for hours afterward and even delaying the cook time so that you can set up you rice cooker and go to work, knowing that your meal will be ready to eat when you get home at the end of the day.
The one that you choose will depend upon how much rice you need to prepare for your family and what kind of features you want, as well as the budget that you have for a rice cooker, of course. The thing to keep in mind with this list is that although each one is a little bit different, in general, the more money that you spend, the better rice cooker you will buy.
