This is not a complete list of everything we tested in previous versions of this guide, just what is still available.
What about the Instant Pot?
Our favorite electric pressure cooker, the Instant Pot, is a combination slow cooker, yogurt maker, and rice cooker (among other things). While this is a great multi-functional pressure cooker, it is not as good a rice cooker as our top models.
If you need white rice, the Instant Pot can cook it if you’re not too discerning. If you want brown rice, the Instant Pot is not for you; In our tests, the Instant Pot produced dense rice that was much less fluffy than a batch of Cuckoo CRP-P1009.
We also tested the inexpensive Instant Zest Rice and Grain Pressure Cooker from Instant Brands (which is not a pressure cooker) in two different sizes. The 8-cup (cooked rice) model was the smallest in our line, and the 20-cup (also cooked) version was similar in size to a standard Instant Pot. While Instant Zest worked well with jasmine rice, it cooked inconsistently with other styles, creating completely different textures in one batch. The inner lid of the smaller pan also did not hold securely after several uses.
PFAS-free options
As much as we liked the Clay Pot Crock Pot for Organic Rice and VitaClay 2-in-1 Slow Cooker in our previous round of testing, we decided it wasn’t a cooker we’d recommend for most people. Our rice stuck to the seasoned clay and we had a hard time gripping the ridge of the hot inner lid.
While we were enamored with the retro look of the Tatung 11-Cup Stainless Steel Rice Cooker and Steamer, we felt that due to its high price, it didn’t provide any additional features over our budget pick, the Aroma Select Stainless Steel Rice Cooker and Steamer.
Jojirushi
We’ve recommended the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy NS-ZCC10 Rice Cooker and Warmer as a top choice for many years. While we still think it’s a good model, the newer NL-EAC, which costs about $60 less, outperformed it slightly in our latest round of testing. The jasmine and Neuro Fuzzy sushi rice were flavorful and tender, but the brown rice was sticky and had a porridge-like consistency. And when we tried to cook one cup of jasmine rice in this machine, the texture began to resemble carpet.
The Zojirushi NP-HCC10 Rice Cooker and Rice Warmer with Induction Heating System has an additional setting for cooking jasmine rice and an easy-to-read display. While the rice was very good, we found that the rice from our top pick, which was cheaper, was even better.
The Zojirushi NHS-10 is more than twice the price of our budget option, but doesn’t provide any additional functionality. There was no noticeable difference in the quality of the rice.
Cuckoo
The Micom CR-0675F 6-Cup Rice Cooker produced very dry, tough brown rice, and the jasmine rice we cooked in this machine came out bloated with split grains.
While we liked that the HP Cuckoo 6-Cup Dual Pressure Rice Cooker CRP-ST0609F lets you choose between steaming or pressure cooking your grains, it overheated when we tried to cook small amounts of rice, causing the grains to smell too toasted.
We also tested the Cuckoo CR-1020F, a 10-cup model. While the rice wasn’t as tasty in texture as more expensive models, it still cooked all types relatively well. This model was also slower than other Cuckoo cookers and the dimensions on the inner bowl were difficult to read.
The Cuckoo CR-0631F claims lightning-fast cooking speeds comparable to our winner Cuckoo, but at a more affordable price. It met the targets of producing white rice in 30 minutes and brown rice in less than an hour, but the quality of the rice was not very good. Sushi rice always turned out soggy and sticky, and long grain rice turned into mush.
Also on the lower end is the Cuckoo CR-0351FR, a tiny 3-cup wonder that cooks rice quickly and sloppily. While the white rice never took more than 40 minutes to cook, we found the popped and sticky grains to be woefully poor quality for a $100 cooker.
Tiger
We were excited to try out the Tiger JBV-A10U because it is an affordable cooker with fuzzy logic control. While it was fast in our tests, cooking a serving of white rice in less than 30 minutes, the grains could have been plumper. Plus, the lid isn’t removable and doesn’t have a functional drain hole, so puddles of condensation collect and spill onto the rice when you open the lid.
The Tiger JAX-T10U performed among the best in our previous tests. It has a nice thick inner pan, a stainless steel body and a removable inner lid. When cooking sushi rice, it cooked on par with Zojirushi’s best models, but we weren’t impressed with its brown, long grain, or quick rice.
Aroma
The Aroma ARC-914SBD, which we tested in 2013, is an affordable rice cooker with a 4-cup capacity and a small footprint. Unfortunately, the rice wasn’t up to par in our tests, and most of our tasters rated this machine as the worst for both white and brown rice.
Throw
The Dash Mini Rice Cooker, with its removable nonstick pan, bubbled while cooking, leaving a sticky, starchy residue all over the machine. Unsurprisingly, the rice was sticky, waterlogged, and inedible.
This article was edited by Amanda Arnold and Marilyn Ong. Tim Barribeau, Sabrina Imbler, Karen Solomon and Tammy Teklemariam contributed reporting.
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