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How to choose the best rice cooker for your home
From multifunctional models to budget-friendly options
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With rising food prices in Singapore – even a bowl of fish soup at a hawker centre can now cost double
The best rice cookers today go beyond steaming white rice. From sleek compact cookers perfect for solo dwellers to smart multi-cookers with porridge and cake functions, modern models come packed with features like preset menus, keep-warm functions, and even voice control.
There are also plenty of simple and fuss-free rice cooker recipes
Whether you’re looking to whip up a quick Butter Yakiniku Beef Rice, Fried Rice, or even Mac and Cheese within 30 minutes, these rice cookers will make a great addition to your kitchen.
What to look out for when shopping for a rice cooker
Depending on your needs such as whether you’re cooking for a bigger family or simply cooking for one, here are some features to look out for when choosing your rice cooker.
Capacity
This refers to the number of cups of uncooked rice your cooker can hold. The standard sizes are typically 0.5 litres (3 cups); 1 litre (5 cups) and 1.8 litres (10 cups).
A rice cooker cup size is classified as 180 millilitres.
Cooking settings
Check for multifunction cooking options like standard white rice, brown rice, sushi rice, multigrain, porridge and oats, as well as other menu presets such as soups, congee, stews and cakes.
There may also be other settings available such as a delay start function that allows you to predetermine and set the cooking timer in advance for a specific time, and a keep warm or reheat function that ensures your rice is automatically kept warm post-cooking.
Design features
Choose between basic one-touch rice cookers, and other models using advanced technologies, such as voice-activation, dual temperature senses and LCD display screens available.
There are also different types of heating with induction heating offering precise temperature control and even-cooking as the entire inner pot is heated, and thermal heating that only heats the bottom of the inner pot.
Depending on your preferences, look out for the type of inner pot that comes with your selected rice cooker such as stainless steel, teflon-coated, non-stick Japan binchotan charcoal, and aluminium.
Other features and functions
Other useful design features also include a removable lid for easy cleaning, a removable inner pot and a detachable power cord.
Remember to check out the sizes too, as rice cookers come in a variety of shapes and sizes with compact rice cookers taking up less countertop space.
Some may also come with more design functions and included accessories such as the rice cooker spatula, measuring cup, spatula holder, and removable steamer baskets.
Energy Efficiency
Compare the energy consumption between rice cookers, especially for households with frequent usage.
Rice cookers for households generally only require machines with 500 to 1000 watts. The higher the wattage, the faster the cook time, but the more electricity it utilises.
Zojirushi NL-DSQ18 - 1.8L Rice Cooker and Warmer, $288
Original price: $308 (6 per cent off), Buy here
PHOTO: AMAZON
Best for large households and congee-lovers
This deep 1.8 litre Zojirushi model is perfect for large family households, fitting up to ten cups of rice. It cooks different types of rice from white to short grain, sushi, GABA brown and more, and is equipped with two congee settings (thick or thin).
It also comes with high-tech features, such as Micom technology using fuzzy logic, an extended keep warm function, double heating sensors and super boiling.
Philips 3000 Series Mini Rice Cooker 0.85L, $79
Original price: $129 (39% per cent off), Buy here
PHOTO: LAZADA
Best for fast-cooking when in a hurry
Whether it’s congee, sticky rice or a classic bowl of rice you’re after, the compact Philips 3000 Series delivers every time in just 30 minutes. Installed with a fast cook setting and a smart heating system, your rice will be ready in half an hour.
The keep warm function ensures it stays heated for up to 12 hours, and it also has an easy timer and delay function if you need to prepare in advance. With features like its digital LED display and non-stick pot for fast cleaning, minimal effort is required — and it also comes with a two year warranty.
Toshiba Digital Rice Cooker, $93
Original price: $129 (28 per cent off), Buy here
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Best for multiple menu settings and 24-hour preset timer
Toshiba’s Digital Rice Cooker is favoured for its quality, durability and an extra thick inner pot allowing the rice to fully expand and get extra fluffy. It’s also coated with Japan Bincho charcoal that helps to enhance the taste of the rice.
Cook different dishes with the multiple menu settings available including steaming, soup, cakes and sushi, and separate rice options for white, brown, sticky and crispy. Built with a 24-hour preset timer, it automatically switches to the keep warm mode where you’re able to check how long the rice has been heating.
Tefal Induction Rice Master & Slow Cooker, $138
Original price: $289 (52 per cent off), Buy here
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Best for induction heating technology and ergonomic design
Get creative in the kitchen with what feels like endless cooking programs, and a special function for you to choose between two different rice textures. Its individual rice feature buttons on the left side of the rice cooker include Japanese, brown, glutinous, basmati and mixed rice.
The right side of the touch control panel is for selecting its soup or congee; steam or quick rice; cake; slow cook and preheat functions. Another unique function is its claypot option, and it automatically switches the cooking method for softer and fluffier white rice too.
Nushi 2.2L Stainless Steel Rice Cooker, $79
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Best for stainless-steel cooking and balanced heat distribution
Nushi’s rice cooker is constructed using food-grade stainless steel from top to bottom. This means that all of your cooking compartments are free from toxins and chemicals found in non-stick alternatives.
Stainless steel also ensures a balanced heat distribution — and better taste with no chemicals altering the flavour profile. This model also comes with a one-year warranty.
Zojirushi 1.8L Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer, $480
PHOTO: AMAZON
Best for healthy menu functions and built-in steamer
Featuring a built-in steamer, healthy menu function for quinoa, steel-cut oats and GABA brown rice, and a slow cook function for wholesome soups and clean broths, the Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer is designed for those looking to eat healthier.
This model also has a keep warm setting so your soups, stews and rice dishes are never left cold, and a removable steam vent cap for high-temperature cooking without the mess.
Panasonic 1.8L Micro-computer Rice Cooker, $119
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Best for versatile menu settings and easy clean features
The thickness of the signature 6-layered pan for this range of Panasonic rice cookers is optimised to produce evenly cooked rice, with the keep warm setting keeping your dishes nicely heated or your freshly made banana bread moist for hours.
Choose between various menus: white rice for regular, soft, hard and quick white rice, healthy rice for quinoa, brown rice and multigrain, and versatile rice and other dishes for jasmine, sticky rice, porridge, clay pot rice, soup, slow cooking, steaming, cakes and breads.
Tefal Easy Rice Plus, $99
Original price: $169 (41 per cent off), Buy here
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Best for affordability and automatic temperature regulation
With a sleek contemporary design and seamless frontal button panel display, the Tefal Easy Rice Plus is an affordable option that comes with all the basic functions of a modern rice cooker. It also has an AI Smart Cooking Technology that produces evenly cooked rice every time by automatically regulating temperatures and cook time.
It includes preset, timer and reheat functions, as well as claypot, congee, quick cooking or steam and slow cook or stew cooking methods.
Panasonic Conventional Rice Cooker, $67
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Best for fuss-free cooking and steaming
The transparent tempered glass top lid and pot of this Panasonic Conventional Rice Cooker is great for letting you keep an eye on the progress of your rice as it cooks, or if you’re steaming dishes. After cooking, it has a built-in function that automatically switches to keep your rice warm for five hours.
Toyomi Micro-com Mini Rice Cooker, $63.90
PHOTO: AMAZON
Best for compact design fit for smaller households
Designed to be small and compact, it cooks up to two rice cups so it’s best for singles and couples, and hardly takes up any kitchen space.
This efficient rice cooker comes with a one-year warranty and features six default functions including white and brown rice, congee and soups, a steamer for fish or vegetables, and a preset or timer and keep warm function.
