If you’ve ever tried to make rice on the stovetop, you know it can take a bit of babysitting for things to come out just right — or anywhere near the perfectly cooked rice from your favorite restaurant. Making good rice is often best left to the experts, whether that expert is a seasoned chef, your grandparent, or a countertop rice cooker that knows what it’s doing. And while you can buy rice cookers from dozens of brands (here are a few we’ve tested and liked), one brand name usually tops almost any list you’ll come across: Zojirushi.
Our Favorite Zojirushi Rice Cookers:
The Japanese company with a reputation for quality appliances and products (including our favorite travel coffee tumbler and a surprisingly good, cheap coffee maker) has been around for over 100 years and has been making rice cookers since the 1970s. The tricky thing about Zojirushi rice makers is that, to anyone who hasn’t spent way too much time analyzing different models, their names may look like an alphanumeric mess. Many models also look alike and often only have slight differences in features, which can make shopping for one confusing. But we still think Zojirushi manufactures many of the best rice cookers on the market, so this guide is here to help you make sense of them all.
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What do rice cookers do?
The short answer? Cook rice. The long answer is that dedicated rice cookers have been specifically designed to come as close to making perfect rice every time you use them. They’re essentially the precursors to multicookers like Instant Pot which often have a rice cooking function in addition to other presets (although our experience with Instant Pots as rice cookers has been underwhelming). One feature that sets certain rice cookers above the rest is “fuzzy logic,” or the ability of an onboard computer to detect how quickly the rice is cooking or to what level doneness it has reached, then make real time adjustments to time and temperature accordingly. This technology means you can make different types of rice—long grain, brown, short grain for sushi rice—as well as dishes like congee with reliable results even if you don’t do much to adjust the machine yourself.
What to look for when buying a Zojirushi rice cooker:
If you’ve spent any time looking for a rice cooker online you may have noticed that Zojirushi topping a lot of “best of” lists, and for good reason. Because the company caters to a market that consumes a lot of rice, they’ve come as close as anyone to perfecting the technology that makes this often daily task quick and easy. But other than coming with a rice paddle and measuring cup, not all rice cookers are created equal, including those made by Zojirushi. Here are some factors to consider before buying a rice cooker:
How much rice can you cook at once? If you’re just cooking for one or two people at a time and don’t care about leftovers, then a smaller capacity, something under six cups, might be fine. If you’re cooking for a large group or want to make big batches for meal prep, you’ll want something with a bigger pot.
The inner pot can come in stainless steel, but most often comes with nonstick coating. Research into the coatings is ongoing, but if you want a Zojirushi rice cooker they are hard to avoid. The outsides of these machines are generally plastic, but some may be made of stainless steel or other durable materials that offer a bit more sophistication in their looks.
Some rice cookers are as simple as an “on/off” switch, others let you more precisely dial in how you want to cook your rice either with adjustable cooking times and heat settings, preset buttons for different rice varieties, or quick cooking settings (which, while faster, can sacrifice rice texture for expediency). Additionally, there are often “keep warm” functions that hold your rice ready to eat without overcooking it, or steam and pressure cooking functions that let you use your rice cooker for the rest of dinner, too. Finally, some rice cookers might also have smart settings for non-rice grains like quinoa and steel cut oats, meaning you can rely on it to cook so much more than steamed rice.
Simple models, sometimes referred to as “conventional rice cookers,” just heat things up to a certain temperature, then shut off. As you might imagine, this doesn’t leave much room for the nuances of various rice types, like white rice vs. brown rice, long grain vs. short grain, or sticky rice vs. fluffy rice. But higher-end Zojirushi models have sensors that can make small adjustments to parameters like time and temperature to achieve different outcomes.
A note about Micom, and Fuzzy Logic: As you scroll through your shopping search results or start to see rice cooker ads pop up in your social media feed because you clicked on this article, you might notice some jargon that, if you haven’t delved into rice cooker before, can be a bit confusing. Micom is short for “microcomputer” which actively adjusts the cook settings to avoid mushy or underdone rice, no matter which kind of rice you’re making. Fuzzy logic (or what Zojirushi sometimes calls “Neuro Fuzzy Logic”) is the mathematical term used to describe the decision-making process the Micom is utilizing.
Many rice cookers are designed with an electric heating element at the bottom of the pot that takes time to both heat up and cool down. They work well enough, especially with fuzzy logic in the mix. Both induction and heating plate styles are designed to heat rice evenly from all sides of the pot, rather than just a single source. Induction rice cookers (sometimes shortened to IH rice cookers) can more precisely control heat around the entire pot without requiring the same warming and cooling periods.
Pressure cooking capabilities
In our testing we’ve found that picking a rice cooker with pressure cooking capabilities is more of a financial decision than an entirely practical one. Pressure cooking can result in even more tender results and do so in a little less time, just as a countertop pressure cooker can do with large cuts of meat. But the changes may be too subtle for some less frequent rice eaters to notice and not really worth the upcharge.
A guide to every Zojirushi rice cooker
Here is a breakdown of every Zojirushi rice cooker sold in the United States, from the most basic to the most advanced.
Conventional Zojirushi Rice Cookers
Zojirushi NHS–06, NHS-10, NHS-18
If simple is what you’re looking for, this line of rice cookers offers no frills functionality in three-cup, six-cup, and ten-cup options. What all three have in common are their bottom-oriented heating element, nonstick pot, clear glass lid that sits on top (rather than one that clips or locks into place), and one single cook setting (defaulted to white rice) that uses an indicator light to tell you when it’s done. If you opt for one of the two larger capacity models, which feature detachable power cords that help with storage, you’ll also get a Keep Warm function and a steaming basket, slightly expanding its capabilities to veggies and more. The larger model is only available in white, however the smaller two models are available in both black and white exteriors. But just because it’s basic doesn’t mean it isn’t great. Check out associate food editor Kendra Vaculin's deep dive into the pleasures of owning a humble Zojirushi NHS-06 three-cup rice cooker.
Zojirushi NS-RPC10, NS-RPC18, NS-RPC10KT
Similar to the larger-sized NHS models, these heating plate-style cookers include only Cook and Keep Warm functions with an on/off indicator light. They come in both 5.5-cup and 10-cup options. However, as their price tag suggests, they offer upgrades from the NHS models in the form of heating from the bottom, sides, and lid for more even results, as well as hinged lids that lock closed and release with the push of a button. The inner lining of the lid is detachable (and washable), as is the “dew collector” which helps keep too much condensation from raining back down on your rice. The power cords can be removed as well, and there’s a place to stash the (included) rice paddle. As for color options, the NS-RPC models come in either white with pink tulips or the more industrial-looking metallic gray. However, for fans of all things cute or all things Japan, the 5.5-cup model also comes in a Hello Kitty edition. It’s the same as its tulip-decorated counterpart, except its white exterior is adorned with gold-colored Hello Kitty faces and bows.
Zojirushi Micom Rice Cookers
Zojirushi NS-WAC10, NS-WAC18
This model marks the least expensive point of entry into the world of Zojirushi’s Micom rice cookers. Its LCD display allows you to toggle between white, brown, sushi, porridge, sweet rice options, as well as quick cooking settings, and rinse-free rice in the case you didn’t wash your rice (You should be washing your rice, by the way). Plus there are time-delay options, and an ability to change alerts between silence, beeps, or a little song when your rice is ready. Available in Cool White only, but both 5.5-cup and 10-cup capacities, it also features regular and extended keep warm functions, and adds scratch resistance to the nonstick pot lining. Speaking of the inner pot, inside you’ll find higher contrast measurement markings for easier reading, and heating elements surround the top, bottom, and sides of the liner. Finally, this model has a detachable power cord, as well as a flip up handle for carrying it from your cabinet to your countertop or wherever you need to take it.
Zojirushi NL-DCC10, NL-DCC18
Take things up a notch from the NS-WAC and you’ll get this model which similarly has Micom fuzzy logic technology, comes in 5.5-cup and ten-cup capacities, and offers a delay timer, and two keep warm functions. However this model also includes a reheat mode, as well as additional presets for long grain white rice, congee, Jasmine rice, non-rice settings: quinoa, steel cut oatmeal, and cake (yes, you can steam a cake in your rice cooker). You’ll also notice this one has a “GABA brown rice” setting used for germinated brown rice and is said to activate the “gamma-aminobutyric acid” in the rice, which has been claimed to lower blood pressure and stress levels, among other purported benefits. Inside you’ll find a high-contrast, scratch-resistant nonstick pot (which gets heated from all sides), and the pot is also much thicker than the previously-discussed models at 2.5mm (as opposed to 1.0mm to 1.7mm, depending on the model). The NL-DCC only comes in a Pearl Beige color (it’s mostly white, though), has an onboard paddle holder, a detachable and washable lid, a detachable power cord, and a carrying handle. Perhaps a little less cheerful than its peers, this model only offers to beep or stay silent when your rice is done.
Zojirushi NS-TSC10, NS-TSC18 (NS-TSC10A, NS-TSC18A)
If plain white appliances bore you, these stainless steel-clad rice cookers are a sophisticated step in a more stylish direction. But first the basics: The heating plate element warms from the bottom, sides, and lid (which features a detachable and washable liner). The inner pot is nonstick, scratch-resistant, but not as thick as the less-expensive NL-DCC model, at just 1.4mm in the 5.5-cup version and 1.7mm in the ten-cup. Accessories include a steaming basket plus a rice paddle and rice paddle holder, and these are the first models available with a retractable power cord, making for sleeker storage. And they both bring back the jaunty melody option as an audible indicator your rice is done.
As for colors, the NS-TSC models come in either Stainless Brown or Stainless Gray with a clear coat finish on either. However, the colorways here aren’t just an aesthetic choice. Each has differing functions and presets which may make or break your affinity toward one tone or another. The Stainless Brown NS-TSC models (without the A) offer settings for white/sushi rice, mixed (which means rice and other ingredients), porridge, sweet rice, brown rice, cake, steaming, and quick cooking. The NS-TSC models with the A at the end have settings for white/sushi rice, mixed, quick cooking, long grain white rice, steel cut oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, and steaming. (Absent from both of these are congee, jasmine rice, and GABA brown, all of which are on the NL-DCC.)
If you’re big on features but short on space, this model offers most of the technology of these middle-of-the-road Micom models in the first compact, three-cup capacity version. Why might smaller be better? This and the NS-LHC and NS-LGC models below let you comfortably add as little as ½ cup of rice or grains at a time, meaning you don’t have to make too much if you don’t want to. But no matter how much or how little rice you make, you’ll benefit from Micom technology, an LCD screen with delay timers (and beeping, a song, or muted alerts), heating elements on the bottom, sides, and lid, a 2.5mm thick nonstick, scratch resistant pan, a detachable and washable lid liner, and a detachable power cord for storage.
Settings include white/sushi rice, brown rice, long grain white rice, steel cut oatmeal, quinoa, cake, and quick cook. plus extended keep warm function and reheat option, too. In fact, the only thing this little guy doesn’t have is a spatula holder.
Zojirushi NS-LHC05 & Zojirushi NS-LGC05
Let’s start with how these two similar, compact, three-cup models are, well, similar. They both feature clear coated, stainless steel exteriors, retractable power cords, spatula holders, and removable/washable lid liners. The LCD displays both have delay timers, They both have scratch resistant, nonstick inner pots with thicker 2.5mm pans. They both introduce Zojirushi’s “spherical pan & heating system,” which means the pot is more bowl-shaped, designed to create more convection-like conditions, that are supposed to result in even heating of each batch.
Here’s where these two machines differ. Other than their colors (the NS-LHC is Stainless Dark Brown while the NS-LGC is Stainless Black), it comes down to the settings. The NS-LHC05 offers white/mixed, sushi rice, brown rice, GABA brown rice, jasmine white, porridge, and quick cooking rice presets. The NS-LGC05 offers one more with white/mixed, sushi rice, brown rice, GABA brown rice, long grain white rice, steel cut oatmeal, and quick cooking rice presets. Neither offers the extended keep warm feature, nor steaming, cake, or congee settings.
Zojirushi NL-AAC10, NL-AAC18
This Micom rice cooker comes in 5.5-cup and 10-cup options with heating elements on the bottom, lid, and sides. Inside you’ll find a nonstick, scratch resistant pan with a thickness of 1.4mm for the smaller capacity and 1.7mm for the larger model. Presets include white/sushi, mixed, porridge, sweet, brown, steam and quick cooking, plus you have a time delay option.
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