Zojirushi NP-HBC10 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel

Comment: I had an older-style Tiger cooker we used for years. This Zojirushi inductive rice cooker we got is doing a much superior job on everything we've used it for. Well the oatmeal is gummier than I like, but of course it isn't actually designed for that. Brown rice is particularly much, much better than it was on the old rice cooker. The other two things we've used it for are white rice and quinoa.

I really like the fact the delay timer is designed to have you set a target time. That's a lot easier than having to do the math to figure out when to start cooking.

I've gotten my results by measuring servings in grams according to the package, because I prefer to deal with mass instead of volume in cooking measurement. And as for the amount of water to add, it's worked very well to use the markings in the rice cooker's pot. They're easy to see because the water really obscures them well when the level is reached. My previous rice cooker you could go blind trying to read the water level.

Due to the inductive cooking, it seems we don't have hot spots on the pot that cause crusting and inevitably peel off the coating. I'm thinking this will definitely allow the coating to stay on far longer than it will for a traditional heater element cooker. Also, the rice texture is more consistent throughout. These appear to make the extra cost for inductive worth it.

I was worried about the cost when I bought this. We don't have a lot of money. However, rice is a very important part of our diet, so we can spend more money on something like this based on per-use benefit. This rice cooker has really helped, and we're very happy we got it.

Comment: I am extremely happy with my rice cooker. The only time I had a misfire was when I kept sushi rice (never had it before) in the cooker on warm for a couple of hours and it turned mushy. Other types of rice (brown, med. grain white, boxed) turned out beautifully light and fluffy but with a bit of chew. I am concerned that so many rice cookers now have only teflon interiors, as I question the number of chemicals in & about my food. The directions for the cooker say not to use vinegar, as it will degrade the nonstick. I certainly never knew that. I did use it to make miso soup with some leftover rice, seaweed & veggies & it turned out fine. You must turn it off manually, though, if using a lot of liquid.

Comment: This is my first rice cooker, and I'm delighted. The first time I used the cooker I brought the rice to a picnic lunch to share with a friend. It was simple brown rice mixed with a little black rice. My friend exclaimed that it was the best tasting brown rice she'd ever eaten. And I had not mentioned that I'd purchased the rice cooker, so it was a totally unprovoked comment. I get home late from work and have always been too lazy/hurried to prepare brown rice for my dinner, but now it's ready when I get home and the kitchen smells good and I'm even more motivated to prepare the veggies to go with it.

I also set the timer to prepare my morning oatmeal and discovered I could forego the alarm clock because the delicious smell of oatmeal would wake me up. Warning: this doesn't work when there's been a power outage overnight. At first I only tried oat flakes because I was scared off by some reviews that mentioned messes with steel cut outs. But I finally gave it a try -- with towels covered in the vicinity to prepare for the accident -- and it worked perfectly. Maybe that's because I'm only preparing oatmeal for one and so the bowl is nowhere near full.

The only little problem I have is that, for some reason, I find it difficult to reattach the inner lid. I try and try and then, finally, it snaps it easily. But I haven't yet been able to figure out what it is I'm doing differently when it finally does go in. Does anyone have a clue for me?

Comment: I've owned this rice cooker for four months now. I use it about 3 to 4 times a week with stellar results each and every time. I've made rice, short grain rice (to make sushi with), brown basmati rice, short grain brown rice, mahogony and wild rice mixed together, and even quinoa with it. They have all come out perfect with it. A lot of times, I'll throw in the rice in the morning and don't even think about it until dinner comes around, at which point I have perfect rice waiting for me. However, I must say that when I did this with quinoa, I felt it came out a touch bitter (it had been in there for almost six hours). I've also made gabba brown rice but have to admit, didn't notice a difference with regular brown rice. I grappled with which size to get for a good month before I actually ordered it. We're a family of five and I was making a rice or grain each night with dinner (never had my results come out this perfect even though I'm a pretty good cook). If you don't know what size to get either, I have some helpful information to guide you. The inside of the rice cooker "bowl" has lines which show how much water you need to put for the type and amount of rice you're making. Please note that the following "cups" refer to the rice cooker cup which is smaller than a regular cup (it's about 3/4 of a reg measuring cup used to measure dry ingredients). If you make white rice, you can use up to 5.5 cups of rice. If it's mixed, then the max is 4. For brown, it's 4 and for sweet, it's also 4. If you're making sushi rice, you can make 5.5. For porridge, 1.5.

Comment: I had the fuzzy nuero and loved it so much I had to upgrade. Completely worth it. Nails the perfect brown rice exactly the way I like it.
I read plenty of reviews on both models before I purchased and most people seemed like they didnt know how to adjust water levels in order to make the rice the way they like it.
It's a pretty straight forward operation. If you dont like the way it cooks the 1st time, put a litte more or a little less next time until you get the right amount.

I should mention I only make and eat brown rice, so I cant really comment on the other rice types but Im sure they are just as perfect.

Oh, and the cooking bowl is cleaned with a paper towel or a sponge in like 10seconds. Thats all the cleanup required.
That alone makes it worth its price.