Panasonic SR-MS182 Fuzzy-Logic 10-Cup Rice Cooker, White

This cooker is supposed to be able to: cook white rice (normal mode), white rice (quick mode), brown rice, sticky rice, rice porridge, steam, cake, slow cook. I tested the functions I would most often use: cooking white rice, steaming, cake, and slow cooking.

[1] Cook rice (white jasmine) in normal mode
This cooker is meant to make as little as 2 cups rice (4 cup yield cooked) to 10 cups (20 cup yield cooked). Cooking takes about 40 minutes. When cooking the minimum (2 cups) with the recommended amount of water according to the markings in the inner bowl, the finished rice seemed a bit dry and undercooked. Whenever I find the rice slightly undercooked for my taste when the machine says the rice is finished cooking, I let the rice steam for a few additional minutes in "warm" mode, and it'll usually eventually get cooked more thoroughly, though still a bit dry. I've had the same problem with my old rice cooker. With smaller amounts of rice, the markings are usually...Read more

Pros:
Easy to use.
Cooks perfect rice.
Fits under cabinet with the lid open.
Non-stick pan, nice and heavy.
Works as slow cooker and steamer and you can even make a cake in it.
You can cook rice and steam veggies on top of it at the same time.

Cons:
You cannot change the clock battery - need to bring it in for service for that, but the cooker will still work without battery.
Not dishwasher-safe, and there are 4 removable parts to be cleaned every time - the pan, inner lid, and two-part went. There is also 2 places that get dirty every time you use the cooker, but they are not removable, you need to wipe them off. Those two places do not come into contact with food. Some pieces to be washed have very irregular shape and may be hard to wash.

Also, please note, that when the instruction says "cup" they mean 6-oz cup, not the regular 8-oz cups. The smallest amount of rice to be cooked is 2 "cups", which is 1.5...Read more

This fuzzy logic rice cooker is a great in some ways, and aggravating in some others.

OK, the good stuff first: It makes fantastic rice. Put the rice in the pan, add the suggested amount of water, press a couple of buttons, and come back in an hour to the best rice you've ever had at home. I make a lot of basmati rice. To be honest, before I got this cooker, I kind of sneered at the idea of a rice cooker. I mean, it's just not that hard to make rice. But when I used the cooker, I realized that on my best day, the rice I make by hand isn't quite as perfectly done as with this cooker. OK, I'm not too big a man to admit I was wrong.

The so-so: Cleanup requires cleaning the pan, the gasket and the steam releaser valve. Not hard, but a little more work than just cleaning a single pot.

There are a limited number of setting on the cooker, so you need to shoehorn your favorite rice into the choices presented if you are getting funky.

The not...Read more