Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Amazing device. I wanted a cooker for brown rice I could set ahead, by being: easy to use, one hundred dollars less than other brands, easy to clean, and best of all, producing tasty products with minimal effort, including the boon of porridges--rice porridge, oatmeal, you name it-- and rice with extras (like vegetables.) I have heard wonderful things about Zojirushi, but the local availability, and cost, kept me away.
Descriptors, mostly "PROS", below. "CONS" follow, and a book recommendation--
Accessories: Rice spoon, measuring cup, and comes with two instructional booklets (I suspect in response to an earlier review or other customer feedback, asking for simple "English only,") one very easy to use, and just in English. Able to clean, use immediately.
Operation: Read booklet, pick type of rice, measure, rinse as per instructions and your desire, add water up to lines in the non-stick bowl, close lid, push start (also has timer.) It has "fuzzy logic" advanced computer control for cooking accuracy, frankly this non-engineer does not understand its workings, but I am amazed at how tasty the rice comes out. No problems. Notes that if power interrupted, will pickup where left off and should not harm rice, have not had to test.
Settings: plain rice, quick rice (have not used, "consistency may be harder/drier"), rinse-free rice(Japanese product I have not tried), germinated brown rice (have not yet tried), brown rice (have used successfully with short, medium and long-grained brown rice, including specialty brown basmati, Lundberg "Japonica", and combination of the latter with just "brown rice", medium to short-grained), and porridge (have not made rice porridge yet, but it has cooked steel-cut oats wonderfully), mixed rice (meaning rice with meat or vegetables on top, have not used, but have put Japanese seawood and other combo seasonings on top of brown rice in small amount for great results.) Only rice that came out tasty but not perfect was generic first bag of "brown rice" I tried (not long-grain,etc.), came out fluffy on top and sticky on the bottom, did not leave longer on warmer, may have steamed. Would like a "mixed" setting for brown rice with vegetables or meat, but life is not perfect--I did
Clean-up: critical to me, if I can't clean easily, I don't want. It comes with non-stick bowl. Too too easy to wipe condensation after use on body of machine, and clean up the bowl.
Comparison to other rice cookers used: I can't, as this is my first one. I always used the stovetop method, and brown rice has NEVER tasted this good, I have tested without broth or any seasoning and it is marvelous. My friend who feeds her own kids brown rice as healthy food but really does not care for said it made the first brown rice she has ever enjoyed! (It was Lundberg Brown Basmati, no broth or seasonings added.)
Flavor: Outstanding, friends have remarked on how tasty the rice is, we all have made brown on the stovetop (without professional cookware, nor professional cooks ), with varied results, sometimes disappointingly undercooked and needing lots more time.
CONS?
Varied consistency on brown-rice setting with "brown rice" I bought, have not noted with the longer grains I have bought. with As noted above, when I first made generic bagged "brown rice", versus long-grained, part was fluffy and part a little sticky (all was tasty.) I did not note this when I was more particular to use long-grained, basmati, medium grained, etc.
Size on counter, a bit long, large, and the 5 cup cooker's cost so close just not worth it to me, but I can and do make lots extra to share or take to work the next day.
Time to cook regular rice may be longer than you want, 70 minutes for brown rice is great for me because of the flavor, but no 15-minute preparations here, unless you pre-plan and pre-set with timer.
Price much higher than basic rice cooker. A basic rice cooker I understand will do marvelous things, I just never had one and confess to enjoying the "bells and whistles" on this one.
Japanese company but "Made in China": It is a reknowned Japanese company, but manufactured in China, which likely is why such an advance cooker is available at such relatively low price (compared to Zojirushi for example.) I could not find anything this good from Japan or American near the price I paid.
Options galore: If you want a basic rice cooker, this is not for you.
RECOMMENDED BOOK: Amazon has the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook (kindle edition, too, with great indexing for the device!) The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook : 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings and More, from Start to Finish in Your Rice Cooker, by veteran cookbook authors Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann, which has wonderful discussion of different rice types, and recipes such as for Steel Cut Oats with specific measurements in American cups, or Japanese (whichever it is, clearly marked.) Such a book enables more creative use of this timed steaming device which is faster than a crockpot by far, and I have not only enjoyed learning more about rice and gotten ideas, but am looking forward to more exploration.
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