Rice cookers have gotten fancy, but our top pick, the Hamilton Beach Programmable Rice Cooker, offers streamlined performance at an affordable price. For a spendier option that&#;s well worth the cost, we like the Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer. It&#;s an outstanding rice cooker from a reputable brand.
Click here to get more.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who grew up with a rice cooker, and those who didn't. If you didn't, I extend to you my sincerest sympathies; if you did, high five!
People who are accustomed to seeing a rice cooker on their parents' kitchen counter will require no explanation for an equipment review of the appliance; the utility and convenience of this type of device were likely demonstrated to them on a near-daily basis. For those who didn't, let me briefly extol: A good rice cooker offers convenience and gustatory pleasure in equal measure&#;giving you perfectly cooked rice, whenever you want it, whether it's first thing in the morning or right when you get home from work.
To find the best rice cookers, we tested 19 models, making seemingly countless batches of rice to land on our top picks. If you've ever been in the market for a rice cooker, you've probably realized that there are a lot of options available. Some leading companies like Zojirushi and Cuckoo make enough that an entire review could be consumed just by a single company's offerings. Three machines from Zojirushi fit our criteria, and so our first order of business was running early rounds of testing pitting its models against each other, moving forward only with our top pick from the company. That model, the Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer, ended up being one of our winners.
We also recently re-tested our favorite rice cookers&#;comparing them to newer models&#;to make sure they're still the best of the best. This means our top picks have held up to repeated evaluation for years (no small task).
We recently received a sample of KitchenAid&#;s Grain and Rice Cooker and tested it according to the metrics used in our original review&#;and we were impressed. It has smart technology that actually works and other helpful features, like a delayed start option. Plus, it can cook beans, lentils, and grains.
The Winners, at a Glance
The Hamilton Beach rice cooker was a surprisingly strong performer in our many tests, keeping pace with rice cookers that are much more expensive. Despite having a more rudimentary control panel than its competitors, as well as fewer presets, it was just as good at cooking long-grain rice as it was short- and medium-grain&#;and was the standout winner for cooking brown rice. It also cooked rice in less time than any of its competitors.
While the price point of this model is high, Zojirushi is well-known in the rice cooker space for good reason. In our tests, it cooked Japanese rice varieties exceptionally well. It has accommodations for those with visual impairments (including sound signals, like the playing of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to indicate when the rice cooker has started and stopped cooking).
The Cuckoo CR-F rice cooker was another consistently strong performer. Given its slightly higher price point relative to Hamilton Beach, we decided to recommend the Cuckoo only for those home cooks who are quite serious about rice.
Other than its good performance, the Cuckoo has a relatively small footprint, an attractive exterior, and a number of presets, including one for germinated brown rice (GABA). While the control panel isn't as intuitive as we'd like, once you get used to operating it, the Cuckoo offers up a range of customization options, including how long to soak your rice, how long to heat it, and at what temperature to cook it.
The KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker is by no means a traditional rice cooker: It&#;s more similar to a multicooker, like the Instant Pot. But after testing it, we were won over by its delayed start feature and scale that automatically dispenses the perfect amount of water&#;no measuring required. It&#;s a great option for &#;set-it-and-forget-it&#; types, or anyone who&#;s new to using a rice cooker.
The Tests
We prepped each batch of rice according to the same directions to eliminate variables.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Before each test, we prepared many varieties of rice the same way. The dry rice was placed in a bowl filled with cold water. We swirled the rice by hand 15 times and then drained it, repeating the process seven times to ensure the rinsing water ran clear. Then we drained the rice in a fine-mesh strainer before placing it in the rice cooker's pot.
First, we narrowed the field with basic rice cooking tests (cooking rice according to the manufacturer&#;s instructions, as well as our prescribed quantities and ratios). We evaluated the cookers on performance and ease of use and eliminated poor performers.
Finally, when we had determined a preliminary list of winners, we tested them against an Instant Pot, using the Instant Pot's method for foolproof rice.
What We Learned
A Simple, Intuitive Control Panel Will Best Suit Most Cooks
There&#;s a bit of a learning curve on the more advanced models. But the appeal of a rice cooker for most households is the hands-off efficiency and elimination of guesswork water-to-rice ratios. For that reason, the Hamilton Beach will suit many. Our favorite Zojirushi is one of the brand&#;s more user-friendly options, and the KitchenAid is a snap to master (you don&#;t even have to measure anything when filling the cooking pot and water tank). We recommend the Cuckoo for cooks with intricate knowledge and experience with cooking specialty rice.
&#;But the Ability to Customize Was Nice
Serious Eats / Rochelle Bilow
Many of the rice cookers were programmed with options like the ability to dial in between Jasmine and Basmati rice. Although we did not conduct any formal tests on added cooking features, we were impressed by machines that included programs for beans and other grains. The KitchenAid was a standout in this category, with 21 preset cooking options. Most of the advanced rice cookers we tested also came with the ability to save a customized time or temperature setting.
Texture Was a Matter of Preference
Serious Eats / Liz Clayman
One cook&#;s inedibly hard rice is another's perfect al dente. For example, in our brown rice test, the Hamilton Beach produced fluffy and distinct grains of brown rice that were a little firm directly after cooking but softened to a pleasing consistency after about 15 minutes. The Cuckoo and the Zojirushi, on the other hand, produced brown rice with a sticky consistency, very reminiscent of the texture of cooked short- and medium-grain Japanese rice varieties.
If you&#;re highly opinionated about rice texture, you&#;ll want to choose a machine with customizable programs. Some, like the Cuckoo, offer plenty of opportunities for greater control, although the ability to choose minute details like soak time and cooking temperature may overwhelm some cooks. For a more streamlined approach, the KitchenAid display lets the cook choose between &#;soft,&#; &#;regular,&#; and &#;firm&#; textures.
The Best Rice Cookers Were Speedy
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Most of the rice cookers on our winners' list had quick-cook options, and we consider that essential. It doesn&#;t matter how good the rice is if it takes forever (practically speaking) to cook. The Hamilton Beach made a near-perfect batch of brown rice in under an hour&#;an impressive feat.
Keep Warm Functions Were Only Helpful If They Preserved Quality
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Beyond cooking rice, a rice cooker also serves as a rice warmer, keeping it at serving temperature for long periods without scorching or drying it out. We eliminated any rice cooker that produced dry, gummy, or burnt rice after eight hours. The best rice cookers kept the rice warm and tender, with distinct, fluffy grains that were (almost) as good as just-cooked rice.
Why You Shouldn't Cook Rice in an Instant Pot
Whenever rice cooking as a topic comes up, someone will inevitably point out that you can cook rice in the Instant Pot. However, we found that the Instant Pot's rice was terrible and under- and over-cooked at the same time (and this was using their suggested method).
Should You Buy Any Accessories for Your Rice Cooker?
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Some of the rice cookers we tested came with accessories, like steamer baskets and paddles. But in our experience, these add-ons aren&#;t the greatest quality (we didn&#;t love the Hamilton Beach&#;s included paddle). If you plan on using your rice cooker a lot, it&#;s worth picking up the following accessories.
The Criteria: What to Look for in a Rice Cooker
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik / Rochelle Bilow
It depends on the variety, but all rice should cook up evenly so there aren&#;t pockets of over- or under-cooked rice&#;and certainly no scorched rice. The grains should be distinct and soft enough to eat, but not so soft that they become mush. Long-grain rice should be fluffy and dry, while short- and medium-grain rice should cook up slightly sticky, but not water-logged or gummy. A good rice cooker should also be easy to use, with user-friendly features like easily read measurement markings or a built-in scale. Special features should enhance the rice-making experience, like efficient Keep Warm functions and the ability to delay the start of a cooking cycle. Plentiful presets for specific rice varieties are a must; presets for other grains and beans are a bonus.
Link to Foshan Osno
The Top-Performing Rice Cookers
What we liked: While its appearance would suggest that it's nothing special, the Hamilton Beach performed just as well as, if not better than, more expensive machines. The Hamilton Beach excelled at every type of rice we cooked&#;despite having a single preset&#;and in every test we ran, except for the test of the quick-cooking rice function, it cooked rice faster than any other machine.
If what you're looking for is a no-nonsense, budget-friendly machine that's simple to use and puts well-cooked rice on the table in about 30 minutes, the Hamilton Beach is it. It proved to be quite capable of handling varying amounts of liquid for similar quantities of rice, which means it's less susceptible to producing bad rice as a result of user error.
What we didn&#;t like: Like all rice cookers, cooking the maximum amount of rice it can hold will give you subpar results. It produced scorching on the rice along the bottom of the cooker, which became pronounced after using the Keep Warm setting. The provided measuring cup was shallow, and the fluffing paddle, while functional, was a bit flimsy. Commerce editor Grace Kelly owns this rice cooker and notes that the hinged lid is prone to falling down when lifted, which can be unnerving when it&#;s hot.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
What we liked: Cooks who make a lot of Japanese rice should consider this Zojirushi model. It comes with instructions for varieties of rice typically found in Japanese markets, like polished rice with the germ still attached and two types of "semi-brown" rice.
We also want to note that Zojirushi, alone among the brands we tested, has some accommodation for those with visual impairments: The Start and Cancel buttons have a raised dot and dash, respectively, so you can start and stop the machine by touch alone, and all Zojirushi models have (quite loud) sound signals (the default is a rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star") to indicate when the cooking process has begun or ended.
What we didn&#;t like: Of course, this rice cooker is expensive. It also produced mushy seasoned rice.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
What we liked: The Cuckoo CR-F has a relatively straightforward control panel, particularly for cooks who plan on using the preset programs for cooking glutinous rice varieties, long-grain rice, and brown rice. The one slightly confusing element of the preset programs was that long-grain rice and brown rice share the same preset; while that may be unorthodox, it did result in the Cuckoo taking the top spot for the jasmine rice cooking test and the second spot in the basmati test. The Cuckoo, like the Zojirushi, has a preset program for germinated brown rice.
The rice cooker also has several other functions: a steam function, for steaming dumplings and vegetables; a porridge function, for making juk/congee/okayu; a multicook function, which is essentially a slow cooker; a baby food function, which, to be frank, we don't quite understand; and a cleaning function, which sterilizes the interior.
Finally, the Cuckoo allows cooks to customize the rice-cooking process: You can choose how long the rice soaks before the cooking process begins, you can choose how long to heat the rice for, and you can choose the cooking temperature. We believe this level of control will be appealing to some cooks out there, particularly those who regularly purchase and eat different varieties of rice.
What we didn't like: It didn&#;t blow any of the competitors out of the water in terms of texture, but we still think it did a solid job.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
What we liked: You simply cannot make bad rice in this cooker. A scale underneath the ceramic cook pot is what makes it so hands-off: Just add your rice and press start, and the machine will automatically dispense the correct amount of water from the attached water tank. (If you want to cook with stock or broth, that should be added directly to the cooking pot, according to the manufacturer&#;s instructions.) There&#;s also the option to choose your ideal texture: soft, regular, or firm. A textural adjustment will, of course, affect the cooking time. The digital display is sleek and super easy to use. We liked the delay start feature, which could be set up to 24 hours in advance. And although the presence of 21 cooking functions (that includes items like pearled barley and pinto beans) edge it away from &#;true&#; rice cooker status, we did find them useful and effective.
What we didn&#;t like: It has a large footprint, owing in part to the water reservoir on the side of the cooking pot. The Keep Warm function tops out at six hours, and sometimes the rice was mildly scorched around the edges. It&#;s pretty pricey.
Key Specs
Serious Eats / Rochelle Bilow
The Competition
FAQs
Are rice cookers worth it?
In our opinion, yes, they are. A good rice cooker is easy to use and will make well-cooked rice and keep it warm for a prolonged period of time. If you love rice and eat a lot of it, there are few kitchen gadgets that are as useful as a rice cooker.
How much should you spend on a rice cooker?
You really don't have to spend a lot to get a great rice cooker. Our winning model, the Hamilton Beach, hovers around $50, and you may be able to snag a sale. But if you cook a lot of specialty rice, a rice cooker with more presets and features is worth the price bump. The Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker costs over $400, and it's worth every penny&#;especially if you cook a lot of Japanese rice.
Is the Zojirushi rice cooker good?
Very! In fact, we tested three for this review and only eliminated two because they didn&#;t meet the specific criteria we&#;d set. It&#;s an incredibly reputable brand and a Serious Eats staff favorite. Senior commerce editor Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm has one, and notes that she especially likes that it offers auditory cues for both the start and the finish. &#;I've owned a Zojirushi rice cooker for years, use it multiple times per week, and have found it to be super consistent,&#; she says.
What size rice cooker should I get?
We find rice cookers that have a cooked rice capacity of no less than 10 cups and no more than 15 cups to be the most useful; they also don&#;t take up too much countertop or storage space. Remember: A bigger rice cooker can handle less rice, but a smaller one can't accommodate more.
Is a rice cooker faster than a stovetop?
Sometimes; depending on the variety and cycle you choose. But the appeal of a rice cooker is less about the cooking time and more about hands-off efficiency. The consistent textural perfection is pretty great, too!
Can you make seasoned rice in a rice cooker?
Yes, you can. In most instances, you can add seasonings, like dashi, spices, or broth, right into the cooking tank. That said, introducing ingredients to the mix that increase moisture (such as vegetables) may result in mushy or clumpy rice.
What else can I cook in a rice cooker?
Depending on the cooker, you may be able to cook a variety of other things in it. Some people like to steam vegetables on top of the rice as it cooks (and even thinly sliced meats)&#;just make sure you add the vegetables later in the cooking process, to avoid soggy, overcooked results. Many rice cookers also have a "porridge" option, which makes congee. You can also cook oatmeal and other grains in a rice cooker. One of our winners, the KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker, even has settings for beans and lentils.
How do you clean a rice cooker?
To clean a rice cooker, wash the cooking pot with warm, soapy water and a soft sponge. Some rice cookers (like those from Zojirushi and KitchenAid) have removable portions on the underside of their lids that should also be cleaned after each use. You should then wipe down the exterior of the rice cooker with a clean, damp cloth. Let both the cooking pot and rice cooker dry completely before storing.
Why We&#;re the Experts
Capacity: 5.5 or 10 cups | Settings: White/sushi, mixed, porridge, sweet, brown, cake, steam, and quick cooking
Since I got my hands on this Zojirushi a year ago, my rice has been evenly tender and fluffy every time I use it. I tend to mostly make sushi rice and long-grain white rice like basmati or jasmine, and the machine excels at both. I&#;ve made brown rice a few times and even tested out quinoa and farro to much success. The reason for this is thanks to what the brand calls &#;Fuzzy logic,&#; or a built-in microcomputer that can sense how your rice is cooking and adjust the time and temperature to get a perfect result. I don&#;t totally understand the mechanics, but it works. For the grains that don&#;t have specific settings, the brand has this incredibly helpful guide, and a quick Google search will yield instructions on any type not listed there. I&#;ve also used the included basket to steam greens and, as Carla Lalli Music taught me, perfect potatoes. And, I think it&#;s worth noting, I&#;ve left my rice on the &#;keep warm&#; setting for as much as an hour and a half and remarkably, it doesn&#;t affect the texture at all. (Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang has let hers sit even longer, up to four hours, and says the same.) When all is said and done, both the steamer and the inside bowl are a breeze to clean. You pluck them out, and any residue rinses right off. My biggest disclaimer: It takes quite a while &#; about an hour &#; to cook the rice. Other models (and even making rice on the stovetop) are done in closer to 30 minutes. But for consistency and texture, it really is the best.
But don&#;t just take it from me. In my reporting, Zojirushi came up more than any other brand. They have a fancier model with even more settings that multiple experts mentioned (you can read about that one further down on the list), but this one &#; especially given that it&#;s less than half the price of the other &#; makes for an all-around great buy. Food writer and recipe developer Kiera Wright-Ruiz had to leave hers behind when she recently moved out of the country, and told me it&#;s the thing she misses the most. &#;I&#;m sure people have said this before, but it really is the Lamborghini of rice cookers,&#; she says, noting that even if you add too little or too much water, it will self-correct. &#;You get a consistent texture with a margin of error.&#; Another particularly appealing feature is the ability to preset when you want your rice to cook. &#;You can sync it to be done at the same time as other foods,&#; says Wright-Ruiz. &#;Like if you&#;re braising something that takes three hours, you can time it so that the rice is done right when your braise is done. Or if you want rice in the morning, you can set it before you go to sleep and it will automatically start so you have rice ready to go when you wake up.&#; Finally, though perhaps not the most imperative to the rice itself, Zojirushi&#;s machines play music when you start them (an adaptation of &#;Twinkle Twinkle Little Star&#;) and when they&#;re done cooking &#; and it&#;s clearly delightful enough that everyone who recommended the brand (again, more on the rest of those folks below) made mention of the jingles.
For more information, please visit Rice Cooker Production Line.