My expertise in the area of rice cookers stems from the time I have spent in Japan. Before I lived in Japan, the idea of eating rice on a daily basis was not appealing. However once you try eating rice that has been prepared properly you begin to see why rice is a staple food for a huge number of people across the world. I now consider myself an ambassador for the simple rice grain and genuine Japanese rice cookers. On this site you will find a wide range of online rice cooker reviews manufactured by a range of companies.

My focus will be on discussing Japanese rice cookers that have been designed for the Western market. In effect these machines are very similar to those sold in Japan itself. However important differences include working at the correct voltage as well as having buttons and instructions in the English language. I use my rice cooker on an almost daily basis and specialize in making all in one mixed rice dishes, or as the Japanese would say, takikomi-gohan. I am compiling a list of my favorite rice cooker recipes on this site.

In Japan, the rice cooker market leader is the company, Zojirushi. Many people decide to buy a Zojirushi rice cooker because of their excellent reputation. They make a wide range of top quality rice cooking appliances, including the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10, Zojirushi NP-HBC10 and the brand new Zojirushi NS-YAC10 machines. By clicking the picture links above you are able to find the cheapest prices for these machines on Amazon.com.

To find out more on me, you can click the About link at the top of this page or read about my rice cooker. If you have any questions or comments regarding rice cookers, please leave a comment or contact me via the contact page above. Let me help you find the best rice cooker.

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The Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme® Breadmaker bakes a large 2 lb. rectangular loaf of bread. It has menu settings for a range of other cooking needs such as cakes, dough, sourdough starter, jam and it can even be used to make meatloaf. As you can see, this breadmaker from Zojirushi comes in two different colors, black/silver and white.

Breadmakers like this one from Zojirushi are very popular in Japan. In case you do not already know, Zojirushi are actually a Japanese company. The reason that these machines are so common in Japan itself is that ovens are particularly rare. Therefore using a machine such as this one is one of the only feasible ways of making bread at home.

Best Price Zojirushi BB-CEC20

If you are looking to purchase a cheap bread machine then it makes sense to check out prices from a variety of sources. From the searching that I have done myself online, it looks like Amazon are currently offering the lowest price on the Home Bakery Supreme BB-CEC20 as well as a wide range of other breadmakers. I would say that this is a good place to start your price comparisons. If you can find a cheaper retailer than Amazon, please leave a comment to let myself and my readers know the good news.

Zojirushi BB-CEC20 Review

Making bread at home is a good idea for a few different reasons, we can get that homemade taste, there are health benefits to being able to make our own food, it is economical and can save us money. This is why purchasing a high quality bread maker such as the Zojirushi BB-CEC20 can be money well spent. Their products can be expected to last for years therefore the price tag can easily be justified. But maybe you are wondering what this machine can do for you.

This kitchen appliance is more than just a bread maker. You can use it to make jams and cakes too. Of course, spending time reading through the instruction manual and recipes will give you a better idea about how you can make the best use of this machine. There are a whole host of different settings that you can choose from using the LCD panel including Basic, Basic Wheat, Basic Dough, Quick, Quick Wheat, Quick Dough, Jam, Cake, Sour Dough Starter, and Home Made. Making bread is actually pretty straight forward. In many respects it is similar to using a Zojirushi rice cooker. This is because the important part is measuring out your ingredients. As long as you do this part accurately, you can expect the machine to take care of the rest. As long as you get your measurements correct, this bread maker pretty much guarantees that you will get a perfect loaf.

If you look at the pictures at the top, you will see the large viewing window on the Zojirushi BB-CEC20 makes it easy for you to see what is going on inside the machine. It comes with all the accessories that you need to get started making your own great tasting homemade bread. Included in the package, you will find a double-ended teaspoon/tablespoon measuring spoon; an 8-ounce measuring cup;and a user manual that has a variety of recipes.

The Japanese are certainly not as famous for eating bread as they are for eating rice. However, Zojirushi have done a great job with their Home Bakery Supreme® Breadmaker and it is well worth considering if you are looking for a high quality product that makes it easy for you to bake your own bread at home.

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For many people, a stainless steel rice cooker is the most attractive choice. The model that I have myself, the Zojirushi NP-GC05 is this style. For me, they are the most attractive sort that are on sale today. They are really easy to keep clean too.

We have to remember though that as far as their functionality is concerned, they are still just machines for making rice. This is all about the design and styling. Of course, this is something that is very important if you want to leave your machine on display in your kitchen. The best rice cooker is one that not only makes great tasting rice but also looks good.

As always, you can find these machines for sale on the Amazon website at decent prices. Just having the stainless steel styling does not seem to alter the price of the units significantly. Instead, it is the technology that they contain, e.g. Micom, Induction Heating and so on that affects the price to a much greater extent.

The Zojirushi NP-HTC10 is a pretty cool machine. This is in fact the top of the range model sold in the U.S. today. The price of the unit reflects the fact that it is a feature packed model. It includes, Micom, Induction Heating and Pressure Cooking. On top of this, it has a unique stainless steel body. Zojirushi call the coating, stainless brown.

When you look at rice cooker reviews, the main choices that you have are the size of machine as well as the price of the unit. Design is of course a very important issue, but I would personally class this as an item of secondary significance.

According to the Zojirushi website, they have just brought out a new type of rice cooker. Its name is the Umami™ Micom Rice Cooker. The NS-YAC10 is a 5 1/2 cup unit and it also comes in a larger 10 cup size, the Zojirushi NS-YAC18. These are the only two Zojirushi devices that currently come with the Umami setting. This works by soaking and steaming the rice for longer which apparently ensures an enhanced flavor. The machine also has has a Slow Cook function which simply means that this unit is a bit more versatile than most other Zojirushi rice cookers.

This model was released in  March 2011. Just looking at the features that this machine has, it seems like a cross between the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 and their more expensive Induction Heating range of rice cookers. That said, the NS-YAC10 does not have an Induction Heating component so this machine will likely fall in the $200 to $250 price range. It will not cost as much as the Zojirushi NP-HBC10 but it will be more expensive than the NS-ZCC10.

As with the NS-ZCC10 unit, the NS-YAC10 also makes use of Advanced Micom Fuzzy logic technology. It is also the only non-Induction Heating model to offer a GABA brown rice option. So for this setting alone, it may be an attractive purchase for you, particularly if you are wanting to feed your family the most nutritious brown rice.

The umami option may see like a bit of a gimmick but in actual fact, this is a one of the five basic tastes. You can read more about it on Wikipedia. To be honest, I am not so keen on the fact that Zojirushi have trademarked a word, originally from Japanese, but now part of the English language.

In addition to the umami and GABA brown cooking cycles, there is also the slow cooker setting. These three options on top of all the standard options make this particular rice cooker one of the most versatile units in the entire Zojirushi range. As far as value for money goes, it looks like this unit will supersede the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 as the best rice cooker without Induction Heating technology.

When it is officially released, you should be able to find the best price Zojirushi NS-YAC10 on Amazon. This is the best place to look for discount rice cookers in the United States.

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Zojirushi NP-KAC10 Review

The Zojirushi NP-KAC10 is the cheapest Induction Heating rice cooker that is currently sold in the United States. This machine, while being more expensive than other Micom machines is not actually all that much more expensive than the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker. The benefits of a machine with the Induction Heating function is that the quality of the rice that it makes is that little bit better.

Machines with this Induction Heating function cook the rice by the use of a magnetic field instead of a heating element under the cooking bowl. The current makes the whole metal cooking pot heat up evenly which ensures that your rice will be cooked to perfection every time.

The Zojirushi brand is the most well respected company in all of Japan. The specialize in the design and production of top quality rice cookers. This particular model is the right size for family cooking. Its capacity is 5.5 cups of uncooked rice which is enough to be able to feed up to ten people.

Best Price Zojirushi NP-KAC10

As usual, the you are able to find the best price for this product if you take the time to do some online research. The lowest price that I have discovered has been on the Amazon website. Of course, it is worth spending the time to do your own research but this is a good place to get a benchmark price. If you can find a lower price than on Amazon, you can be pretty certain that you have found the best deal on the web.

Zojirushi NP-KAC10 vs Zojirushi NP-HBC10

You can save yourself round about $50 by purchasing the Zojirushi NP-KAC10 rather than the NP-HBC10. Both machines are the same size and can do pretty much the same things. The reason for the lower price includes the following points.

Savings have been made in the production of the NP-KAC10 because its body is not the attractive stainless steel design but is made out of hard white plastic. That said, it may well be that a white machine would be more suitable for the color scheme of your kitchen. It also does not have the option to cook GABA brown rice. This is the special cooking setting that takes about 3 hours but produces the most nutritional brown rice possible. Finally it just has a regular LCD display rather than the color display that you get with the Zojirushi NP-HBC10.

3 Cup rice cookers · 5 1/2 Cup rice cookers · 10 Cup rice cookers

Browse rice cookers by size

Zojirushi rice cookers are very easy to use. The best kind to get is a Micom rice cooker. Prices for these models start at not much over $100. You can find the best price on Zojirushi appliances on Amazon. There are a wide range of different models. The cheapest machines such as the NS-LAC05 are very good. But if you want to get an amazing rice cooker you have to spend over $250. This is quite a price jump. Models like the Zojirushi NP-HBC10 feature their Induction Heating system which helps to make the highest quality rice.

In this article I shall be posting videos and photos of exactly how I use my Zojirushi NP-GD05 rice cooker which is a model sold in Japan. This machine is very similar to the NP-GBC05 which is available in the United States. The NP-GBC05 actually has a sushi rice setting which my machine does not.

There are lots of different rice cooking recipes that you can make if you buy a Micom device. They are great for cooking all sorts of plain rice including white, brown, rice porridge and so on. However a high quality rice cooker can be used to make so much more. To add some flavor, all that you have to do is use some stock instead of plain water and you can also add any other ingredients such as vegetables or meats that you want. You can take a look at my list of rice cooker recipes here.

Washing rice, particularly if you are cooking Japonica, Japanese short grain white rice, is a hugely important step. It is fairly easy. Typically the Japanese will give their rice three washes and rinses before they consider it ready for cooking. It is important not to treat your rice too roughly because it is easy to break some of the grains.

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Induction Heating (IH) rice cookers are some of the most expensive ones available. If you want to compare prices of these models then Amazon is a good place to start. They have some of the best deals online. Realistically, if you want to get an IH rice cooker then you have to pay at least $250. But it is sure to be the best rice cooker you have ever owned. All models with an Induction Heating system are of course Micom rice cookers. The IH functionality is on top of the Micom system.

3 Cup Induction Heating

The only option if you want a 3 cup appliance is the Zojirushi NP-GBC05. As I have mentioned on other articles, I own the Japanese version of this machine, the Zojirushi NP-GD05. The difference between these two machines is mainly cosmetic. The buttons and markings on my inner cooking bowl are in Japanese. Other than that they are pretty much identical.

5 1/2 Cup Induction Heating

There is more choice when you start to look at larger machines. For example in the mid-sized devices, you can choose from the following Zojirushi models: NP-HBC10, NP-KAC10 and the NP-HTC10 which also has a Pressure Cooking function. The Sanyo ECJ-JG10W has both IH and a Variable Pressure control as well but comes at about $100 cheaper than the Zojirushi.

10 Cup Induction Heating

In the 10 cup range there are the Zojirushi NP-HBC18 and NP-KAC18 to choose from. These are basically just the same as the 5 cup models but have a slightly bigger capacity.

Is Induction Heating Worth It?

Getting a rice cooker with IH functionality adds a large amount to the cost. If you want the best then this is the choice you should make. It depends on how often you will use your rice cooker. The more regularly that you cook rice, the more worth paying the extra money becomes. Particularly if you have already owned a normal Micom rice cooker, if yo step up to an IH model, you will certainly notice the difference.

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Where to buy a Zojirushi NP-HBC10

There are a few different places where you can purchase this rice cooker. The biggest difference in retail location is whether you buy it from a store or an online retailer. At an electronics store you will have to pay a bit of a premium but the benefit is that you get to see and touch the machine. Whereas if you get it from an online store such as Amazon you are likely to get a lower price but you will not get to actually see the real machine until it arrives.

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 Review

This is one of Zojirushi’s top of the range rice cookers. Of course it is a Micom rice cooker. All their best machines have this technology. But not only this, it uses their Induction Heating system as the way to cook the rice. This is a completely different technique than standard Micom machines. For a start, in the NP-HBC10, there is no heating element. How then does it heat the rice? This rice cooker has electrical coils that generate a magnetic field when the device is turned on. This has an effect on the metal heating bowl which becomes instantly hot and the whole inner pot becomes the source of heat within the machine. The result of this is the most even heat distribution possible which means perfectly cooked rice.

The inner cooking bowl of this machine is spherical and is covered in a non-stick coating. On the inside it has markings that make it clear how much water must be added for certain amounts of rice. There are a host of different programmable options to cook many different types of rice. One option that is unique to Induction Heating models is the ability to make GABA brown rice. This takes close to 3 hours because it includes a pre-heating phase that helps to release more nutrients from the rice. For the health conscious this may be an important function.

The NP-HBC10 is Zojirushi’s latest Induction Heating System rice cooker. It can also be used to keep rice warm and includes induction heating and micro-computer technology. There are a variety of features and settings on this Japanese rice cooker. These include superior induction heating technology when you compare the machine to other manufacturers.

The NP-HBC10 has a range of healthy cooking options which include brown rice, GABA brown rice and germinated brown rice. There are also a variety of multi-menu cooking functions. These include options for making white rice, mixed rice, sushi rice, rice porridge, sweet rice as well as quick cooking. The NP-HBC10 is a 5.5 cup Zojirushi rice cooker. If you require a rice cooker with a larger capacity you may want to buy a Zojirushi NP-HBC18. This is the big brother of the device featured on this page. This makes is perfect for many different sorts of households. It is small enough not to take up too much space. Deciding to buy a Zojirushi NP-HBC10 will suit those living alone as well as families. It is a well designed piece of kitchen equipment and has an easy to clean clear coated stainless steel exterior. The cooking pan is thick and hard wearing. Fortunately there is a detachable and washable inner lid. This is useful because it means it is easy to get all parts of the rice cooker clean. The machine also has an easily readable LCD control panel incorporating both clock and timer functionality. Induction heating is a special type of technology that Zojirushi employ. It involves the use of magnetic heating coils that produce a magnetic field that allows for instant heating of the contents of the non-stick inner cooking bowl. This heating method that the NP-HBC10 uses means that rice simply will not burn while it is cooking.

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 Best Price

To find the best deal for this Zojirushi rice cooker it is a good idea to compare prices from as many different vendors as you can find. The best place that I have found is Amazon. They offer the lowest price online for the Zojirushi NP-HBC10 as well as many other rice cookers. They are a good place to start your search so you can see what price you have to beat if you are to get it from somewhere else.

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 vs NS-ZCC10

The Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 is probably the best rice cooker that does not have Induction Heating so it makes a very good choice if you want to save some money [EDIT: Since early 2011, the Zojirushi NS-YAc10 Umami has become their premium non-IH model]. In fact, it is almost $100 to get the NS-ZCC10 instead of the NP-HBC10 so it may well may economical sense to choose the cheaper model. The NS-ZCC10 does not have the GABA brown cooking option but it does have a re-heat cycle that the more expensive machine does not have. Both have spherical cooking bowls and removable inner lids so they both make very user friendly cooking appliances.

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 vs NP-GBC05

When you compare the Zojirushi NP-GBC05 and the NP-HBC10, you can see that there model numbers are slightly different. The “05″ and “10″ at the end are easily explained. The lower number means that machine is a 3 cup rice cooker and can feed up to five persons while the higher number means that the NP-HBC10 is a 5 1/2 cup rice cooker than can make enough for ten people. The difference in the lettering is probably to do with the slight difference in functionality. For example the larger machine has the option of making hard, regular or soft white rice but the NP-GBC05 just has one white rice setting. In addition, the bigger device has an extended keep warm setting but the 3 cup device just has one keep warm temperature. Both these rice cookers have Micom and Induction Heating technology. Their primary difference is their size. Price does not vary much at all.

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 vs NP-HBC18

In the same way that the NP-GBC05 is smaller than the NP-HBC10, the NP-HBC18 is just a bigger version. In fact it is even closer in specification. Literally the only difference is the capacity of these two rice cookers. There is very little difference in the price either. I would say that if you are going to regularly make rice for more than six or seven people then you may want to think about getting the larger unit.

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 vs NP-HTC10

These are two of the top of the range Zojirushi rice cookers. As far as their settings are concerned, they have the same menus for cooking rice. The one main difference between these rice cookers, other than their coloring, is that the Zojirushi NP-HTC10 has a Variable Pressure control feature. So when you choose your rice cooking setting the cooker will automatically select one of three pressure levels. This is a nice feature to have but it adds more than $100 to the price tag. For me, there is more of a difference between Micom and Micom plus Induction Heating than there is between Micom plus Induction Heating and Micom with Induction Heating plus Variable Pressure control. How much you are willing to spend will obviously play an important role in whether you buy a Zojirushi NP-HTC10 or the more reasonably priced NP-HBC10 rice cooker.

Zojirushi NP-HBC10 vs Sanyo ECJ-JG10W

Both of these machines are 5 1/2 cup rice cookers. The Sanyo machine is more expensive but it also has a Variable Pressure control as well as a few other cooking options that make it quite an attractive choice. For example it is only about $50 more expensive than the Zojirushi. However for your money you get the pressure cooking feature, a steaming rack to steam vegetables and seafood and also a slow cooker setting which is great for soups and stews. The Sanyo however does not have the setting to make GABA brown rice. Also Zojirushi rice cookers have the reputation as being the best. Perhaps this accounts to a certain extent for the relatively high cost. Now that I own the Sanyo ECJ-JG10W rice cooker, I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed with it. Knowing what I know now, I can safely say that, for me, the Zojirushi NP-HBC10 is the better option.

Low Cost Zojirushi NP-HBC10?

This is really a question that only you can answer for yourself. It costs well over $200 for this kitchen appliance so it is quite expensive. That said, it is one of the best Japanese rice cookers that money can buy so you are sure to get many years of use and great tasting rice from this device.

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The rice cooker on the left is the Zojirushi NS-TGC10 which is a Micom device. The one on the right is the NP-HBC10 which is also a Micom machine but this one features Zojirushi’s Induction Heating system. So if you generalize this principal we can see that all Induction Heating (IH) rice cookers also have the Micom component. Micom units have a micro computer that controls the way they cook the rice. Induction Heating is a specific way of generating heat within the rice cooker. Both types of machines are very similar in most respects but the way they create heat is completely different. Standard Zojirushi Micom rice cookers have a heating element that warms up when the appliance is turned on. The Micom controller can then adjust the temperature as your rice cooks. Induction Heating style machines on the other hand do not actually have a heating element inside. Instead when this type of unit is switched on, the electrical current creates a magnetic field within the rice cooker which acts upon the metallic inner cooking bowl. This magnetic force turns the cooking pot into the heat source for the machine.

Having owned two regular Zojirushi Micom rice cookers and now an Induction Heating NP-GD05 which is the Japanese version of the Zojirushi NP-GBC05, I can safely say that in my own experience the rice from an IH machine is noticeably better. Rice from regular Micom units is great but using an IH cooker, it is really great! The thing is though, to get the IH functionality, the cost doubles. If you check out Amazon you will find the best deals for Zojirushi rice cookers online. So it really comes down to what size of budget you have available for your new rice cooker as to which machine you should purchase. If you have never owned a Micom machine before then I am sure you will be happy with the quality of rice that it makes. It is really good. However if you have previously owned a Zojirushi rice cooker you will know what good rice is supposed to taste like. Therefore it might be time to consider the top of the range IH models.

To find out more information about how to download these Zojirushi instructions, go to the manuals page of their website.