Zojirushi NP-HBC10XA 5.5 Cup Induction Heating Rice Cooker & Warmer SKU: #7625513

Anonymous

I have been wanting a rice cooker for over a year, and finally took the plunge. This is easily my second favorite kitchen appliance (next to my espresso maker). Not only does it make white/brown rice to perfection, it also makes wonderful steel cut oatmeal, legumes (such as dried beans and lentils), and one pot meals. While I've always made rice on the stove, I've never been able to achieve the exact texture I like: light, fluffy, rice that separates and doesn't stick. (This machine does it effortlessly!) The greatest thing about this machine (and others like it), is the ability to set the timer and leave, and have perfectly cooked food when you are ready. Each night before I go to bed, I add my steel cut oats, and water, turn on the timer and wake to perfectly prepared oatmeal. The machine keeps it warm, so when my family wakes up (at different times), I can serve them warm fresh oatmeal. Once the oatmeal is done, I clean the unit and add my rice or legumes and spices, set the timer, and it's ready for dinner. This is the perfect kitchen appliance for busy families with after school activities and sports, when the kids come home starving! (This is when many families will sacrifice good nutrition, to quickly feed hungry kids.) I was torn between the 3 cup and the 5.5 cup size and ended up with the larger to ensure I had leftovers for lunches and enough rice if we had guests. I don't regret the 5.5 cup purchase, but I also now realize that we eat small portions, so the 3 cup would have served our needs just as well. (We are a family of four, and our serving sizes are usually around 1/2 cup of cooked rice.) The 5.5 cup will make up to 8 US cups of cooked white rice and about 4.5 US cups of cooked brown rice. (Rice cooker cups are approx. 3/4 of a US cup, rice makers are based on uncooked rice in the rice cup measurement.) Having researched rice cookers for over a year, this one is quite expensive in comparison to other models, but I chose this one for the many menu options, the timer, stainless steel interior (pan is stainless, with Teflon coating), and it's made in Japan - not China like some of the other models. I am sure I could have spent a lot less and still have been pleased, but those models are made in China, have aluminum interior lid, aluminum coated in Teflon pan, and not induction. Those differences, mainly the thought of aluminum around my food, kept nagging at me, and I decided the more expensive model was worth it. The features and quality of the food makes the price easily justified in my mind. (We buy our grains and legumes in bulk at the health food stores, which cost a fraction of eating out or buying processed alternatives; adding to the value of this cooker.) I don't think of it as a rice cooker, it's a kitchen robot that prepares a variety of food at the push of a button, prepares food at the specific time you are ready to eat, and keeps it warm without concern of it drying out for hours. Simply awesome!