There are lot of debates and confusion over how to make a best fluffy rice in jiffy, however, choosing best rice cooker for your need does not need to be difficult. Read our guide Rice Cooker Guide . In this article, we will look at the various type of rice cookers in details. There are a few small appliances that makes life easy for cooks in kitchen and for me it is rice cooker, as we tend to eat rice dish almost every meal and rice cooker makes it easy for us to cook small amount to feed a large crowd.
There are basic 3 types of rice cookers available. Check out all types of rice cooker here:
1. Electric Rice Cooker
2. Gas Rice cooker
3. Microwave rice cooker/steamer
We will explore each type in details so you know which one type of rice cooker is suitable for your need and which types of avoid buying based on your need.
1. Electric rice cooker
Electric rice cooker is most popular type of rice cooker by professional and home chefs and when many use generic term rice cooker they actually are thinking of electric rice cooker. Electric rice cooker comes in 2 types, one is basic model and other one is fuzzy logic rice cooker. Let’s look at both of these types in details.
a) Basic Rice Electric cooker:
Basic rice cooker comes with some basic function such as steam, switch to “warm” mode, rice and other vegetable cooking, glass lid, plastic serving spoon, measuring cup, non-stick inner pot. Basic rice cooker comes in various sizes 3 cups to 10 cups sizes. Buy the one that suits your family need, do not buy too small or too big.
Some basic models offers premium features such as keeping food warm up to 12 hours, some comes with extra steam baskets, some offer auto “on” and “off” buttons and varies in price, depending on brands and features.
b)Fuzzy Logic Electric Rice Cooker
Fuzzy logic electric rice cooker are very sophisticated with computer chip inside, making them almost like a smart machine to make proper adjustment to temperature, and cooking time, even if you as a cook screw up setting minor things off. I am assuming name “Fuzzy Logic” comes from complicated technology that works like a charm but hard to understand for most of us. The logic is rice always comes off fluffy and non-sticky (unless you want to cook sushi rice that is). Fuzzy logic rice cooker used heat induction to cook and steam food. You can check out our review of Zojurushi Rice cooker with pros and cons of electric rice cooker.
This rice cooker can not only cook and steam rice and rice based food, but it also can cook soup, stew, porridge, brown rice and much more. Another benefit of this type of rice cooker is, selecting from multiple menu setting depending on what you are cooking and choose, what type of fluffiness or stickiness you like your cooked food.
- Computer chips technology
- Multiple menu choices and selection
- Can cook, steam versatile of food (more than rice only)
- Porridge and slow cooking options
- Quick cook option, no soaking required
- Texture setting (Regular, softer and firm)
- Reheat function
- Fuse protector
- Auto cord reels : keeps cord out of pets and kids hands
2) Gas Rice Cooker:
Gas rice cooker are gas powered Rice cooker and best suited of commercial catering or restaurant cooking job. They are usually comes in large 55 cups or more in larger quantity sizes. It can cook 100 cups of rice in under 30 minutes! That is super fast for freshly cooked Rice in jiffy. Gas rice cookers are more efficient than electric units and require shorter cook time, saving large parties and restaurant operators both time and money. These type of gas rice cookers have multiple safety features making it one of the safest and quality cookware.
Unless you are own a restaurant or catering business, we recommend not to buy these rice cooker for household use. They are not suitable for home use and expensive enough just to feel your own family and occasionally friends.
3) Microwave Rice Cooker/Steamer:
Microwave rice cooker is simple enough plastic set with bowl and lid that can steam rice, vegetable or pasta in microwave. Rice usually comes out fair enough and mostly does not stick to plastic bottom. This is suitable for student or single person mostly, occasionally for couple. It is cheap enough for anyone to afford it. This is one of the most inexpensive small appliance that anyone can afford.
However before buying know that some plastic rice cooker as cooking in plastic has been linked to health issues and cancer. Not all plastic materials are suited well for microwave. We have not found BPA free microwave steamer yet to recommend it. To read further about Microwave and Plastic Danger from Harvard University.
Our top picks for Electric Rice Cooker
Zojirushi NS-LAC05XA Micom 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer
Sanyo ECJ-D55S 5.5-Cup Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker/Steamer
