| Picture | Name | Unique Feature | My Rating | Amazon Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Aroma 8-Cup (Cooked) (4-Cup UNCOOKED) Digital Rice Cooker | Programmable digital controls with Steam, White Rice, Brown Rice, Delay Timer (up to 15 hours) and automatic Keep-Warm | [usr 4.3] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
  | Zojirushi Micom 3-Cup Rice Cooker | Automatic and extended keep-warm setting, reheating cycle, delay timer. | [usr 4.7] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
  | Tiger 10-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker | 3-in-1 functions with 9 computerized cooking menu settings | [usr 5] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
  | BLACK+DECKER 1.5-Cup Dry/3-Cup Cooked Rice Cooker | Automatic Keep Warm - The rice stays ready for serving! | [usr 4] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
  | Instant Pot 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker | UL and ULC certified with 10 proven safety mechanisms; Highly energy efficient and kitchen friendly | [usr 4.5] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
  | Cuisinart Stainless Steel 4-Cup Rice Cooker | Square modern shape finished in brushed stainless steel | [usr 4] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
You’d think that cooking rice, and choosing the best rice cooker, is a simple affair, but one look at the variety of rice cookers and you’ll quickly feel full with the dizzying choices on offer, especially that the technology has kept up and transformed conventional rice cookers into versatile kitchen appliances.
So we have chosen the top rated rice cookers in the market today that cooks not just rice but a variety of tasty dishes too! Take a look at the table we have put together to help you pick the right cooker for your needs.
To help decide which rice cooker to go for, you may want to ask yourself the following questions. Like your needs, rice cookers are not created equal, so a little more probing will help you zoom in to the most suitable option.
How often do you cook rice?
If rice is your staple food, you want a durable rice cooker that is easy to operate, clean and maintain, and cooks your rice just right. For simple rice cooking needs, with a little steaming on the side, a one-button operation rice cooker is often enough.
The Aroma Rice Cooker is ideal if you want something easy to operate with tasty results, and are not keen on a higher price tag and extra features that you will not likely to use often. The Aroma 8-Cup (4-Cup uncooked) Digital Rice Cooker and Food Steamer earns rave reviews from thousands of satisfied customers who feel that the balance between affordable price and quality is, like the rice it cooks, just right.
Do you cook different varieties of rice?
Conventional rice cookers produce restaurant-quality steamed white rice, but a few rice cookers equipped with micro-computers (Micom) have built-in sensors to determine how “done” your rice is and adjusts the cooking time accordingly. This nifty feature is called “fuzzy logic.” You want to have this feature if you are regularly cooking brown rice.
Unlike white rice, brown rice has all the bran layer and germ that makes it a nutritional superstar among grains but a challenge in the kitchen. Bran is barrier to water, so brown rice takes much longer to cook. The best rice cooker for brown rice at the moment that’s getting thousands of positive rice cooker reviews is Zojirushi Micom 3-Cup Rice Cooker.
Zojirushi features “fuzzy logic” to time your cooking intelligently if you want your rice fluffier or softer. Unlike run-of-the-mill rice cookers, Zojirushi Rice Cooker produces buttery and creamy brown rice that is soft but not mushy because it’s able to cook rice for long periods (up to 80 minutes) without burning the rice or overheating the pan.
How many people are you cooking rice for?
Some rice cookers do well when cooking only a few cups, but perform poorly when you want them to cook rice to feed a big household. Others are more suitable for heavy duty tasks, producing excellent results even under pressure. Tiger Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer can cook up to 10 cups of white rice, more than enough for an average household of 4 sitting down to 2 rice-based meals a day.
While you can cook 2 cups of rice using a cooker with a 6-cup capacity, the quality of your rice will suffer. As there is plenty of room for moisture to collect, your rice will likely end up mushy if you cook well below the rice cooker’s capacity.
If your needs are smaller, BLACK+DECKER is the best small rice cooker that lets you cook a manageable 1.5 cups of rice producing 3 cups. This is ideal if you only cook for yourself or for one more person. Staying true to its compact size, its price also easily fits even the strictest budgets.
Are there other things you want to cook in your rice cooker?
Despite what its name suggests, rice cookers are more than just countertop appliances that cook only rice; conventional types steam vegetables too, while fancier ones with multifunctions can cook yogurt, sushi, porridge and even meats!
Instant Pot 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker is your ultimate multi-function rice cooker that lets you sauté, brown, warm, steam, slow-cook, and roast food other than rice. All this translates to plenty of buttons to deal with, but its large, easy-to-use panel makes you feel like a kitchen pro in no time.
Though priced on the upper end, Instant Pot is one of the most well-loved and top rated rice cookers that have been glowingly reviewed by thousands of happy customers. Thanks to its extreme versatility and safety feature, you can put other stuff in there too – chili, soup, curry, meatballs, gumbo – if you are too tired to prepare a proper meal.
Ease of use
Many rice cookers are very easy to use, with just one button to push to have perfectly cooked rice in minutes. Others require a bit more intuition and guidance from the operating manual, while a high-tech few leave users frustrated with their panel of buttons complete with bells and whistles.
If you are time-constrained but want to prepare healthy meals, even the most basic of rice cookers lets you cook and steam at the same time. Priced in the midrange and cooking rice of the best consistency, Cuisinart Stainless Steel 4-Cup Rice Cooker is a one-push button contraption that lets you steam vegetables and cook meat too.
Conclusion
In sum, if you are looking for a rice cooker that is hardy enough for day to day use, produces rice for an average household with excellent consistency, priced reasonably, and painless to use, the best rice cooker that fits perfectly with your budget and needs is Aroma.
If your kitchen needs, however, require more than just cooking rice, or if you want to expand your cooking repertoire without too much hassle, and you are willing to invest in a well-made rice cooker with excellent reputation, Instant Pot wins hands down.
| Picture | Name | Unique Feature | My Rating | Amazon Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aroma 8-Cup (Cooked) (4-Cup UNCOOKED) Digital Rice Cooker | Programmable digital controls with Steam, White Rice, Brown Rice, Delay Timer (up to 15 hours) and automatic Keep-Warm | [usr 4.3] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
| Zojirushi Micom 3-Cup Rice Cooker | Automatic and extended keep-warm setting, reheating cycle, delay timer. | [usr 4.7] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
| Tiger 10-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker | 3-in-1 functions with 9 computerized cooking menu settings | [usr 5] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
| BLACK+DECKER 1.5-Cup Dry/3-Cup Cooked Rice Cooker | Automatic Keep Warm - The rice stays ready for serving! | [usr 4] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
| Instant Pot 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker | UL and ULC certified with 10 proven safety mechanisms; Highly energy efficient and kitchen friendly | [usr 4.5] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
| Cuisinart Stainless Steel 4-Cup Rice Cooker | Square modern shape finished in brushed stainless steel | [usr 4] | Read Reviews On Amazon.com! |
