You might not consider a rice cooker an essential piece of kitchen equipment, but it can totally change the game—even if you only cook plain white rice once a week. That’s because cooking rice is fraught with challenges. Do you have the right water-to-rice ratio? Is the heat even and consistent? And cooking rice in the oven only works well for heartier varieties like brown rice. A rice cooker’s primary promise: Perfect rice every time. For that alone, a rice cooker is worth it.
Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of buying a rice cooker, plus a few options to consider.
Pro: Rice cookers get it right 100% of the time.
Most rice cookers work simply: A measuring device inside the cooker’s body is depressed by the weight of the rice and water inside the interior pot. Weight and heat sensors detect how much rice needs to be cooked and turn off the cooking function when a certain heat has been reached. All of this is to say that even if you measured the water or rice inaccurately, a rice cooker will still cook your rice perfectly.
Con: Stovetop rice can be faster.
Because these machines run cycles based on weight and moisture, they can sometimes take longer to heat up than a pot on the stove does. Most rice cookers take 30 to 40 minutes to cook a standard 2-cup batch of rice, while you can make basic white rice on the stovetop in less than 20 minutes.
Pro: Rice cookers are hands off.
With a rice cooker, you can set it and forget it. You can set your rice cooker to make porridge, like congee, right before you wake up. Or fill your rice cooker before you leave for the day and come home to rice ready and waiting. You can also use a rice cooker’s “keep warm” function to cook rice for nights when your family eats in shifts or when you’re hosting a group of friends.
Con: Not all rice cookers have a cook ahead option.
A caveat: Some rice cookers do not include a cook ahead function and some cheaper models have warm settings that can scorch the rice onto the bottom of the pot. Buying the right rice cooker for your needs will ensure that you don’t run into these pitfalls. (Keep reading for my top picks.)
Pro: Rice cookers do a lot more than just cook rice.
If you like cooking lots of different rice dishes or if the idea of cooking whole meals in your rice cooker is appealing, there is likely a rice cooker (or two or three) that can do just that for you. You can cook eggs, steam vegetables, make oatmeal, beans, pasta, and more with a good rice cooker.
Con: All the bells and whistles can be overwhelming.
If you opt for a tricked-out rice cooker, be sure to read the manual and consider watching some YouTube videos to make the most out of its functions. On the other hand, if all you want is to make simple rice accurately, you don’t need a highly programmable rice cooker for that!
Pro: Most rice cookers are relatively inexpensive.
Unlike other small kitchen appliances (like stand mixers), which will probably cost a few hundred dollars, a rice cooker can be yours for around $50. Of course, you could spend (a lot) more, but you don’t have to.
The bottom line
A rice cooker is almost as versatile as a multicooker, so if you have limited counter space and you’re weighing your options between the two, consider what’s important to how you already cook. If you’re cooking rice even once a week, you should seriously consider getting a rice cooker. On the other hand, a rice cooker won’t be able to pressure cook beans or large roasts, so if that’s more your speed, a multicooker may be the better option.
So, which rice cooker should you buy?
Zojirushi and Cuckoo are two trusted brands to look for when you start shopping for the right rice cooker for you!
If space and budget are limited: Zojirushi 3 Cup Rice Cooker/Steamer, $50 at Amazon
If good looks are almost as important as good rice: Cuckoo Micom Rice Cooker, $100 at Williams-Sonoma
If you want all the bells and whistle: Zojirushi NP-HCC18XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker, $319 at Amazon