Zojirushi Rice Cooker Reviews – A Buyer’s Guide

Interested in getting the best Zojirushi rice cooker for your budget and don’t know where to start? This helpful buyers guide will give you some tips on choosing the right zojirushi rice cooker for you.

The Zojirushi Corporation began as the Ichikawa Brothers Trading Company, established in 1918 in Osaka, Japan, as a manufacturer of insulators for beverage dispensers. In 1961, the company changed its name to Zojirushi – ZO is Japanese for elephant, symbolizing strength and intelligence – and began manufacturing the Zojirushi rice cooker steamer. Zojirushi introduced their micro-computerized “Micom” Zojirushi cooker in 1983.

Zojirushi rice cookers come in a variety of types and price ranges. Their basic model is a conventional, electric Zojirushi rice cooker. These affordable models use a simple thermostat to sense when rice reaches the “done” temperature, then switch to a warming temperature. The conventional models do not come with a Zojirushi rice steamer, included in the high-end models.

Zojirushi is best known for the technology of their Micom Zojirushi rice maker, which use microcomputer chips to both control the heat and cooking time, and to adjust to the type and style of the rice. Their Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic rice cooker is a popular model in this line. The term “fuzzy logic” was first used by computer scientist Lotfi Zadeh to describe computers that mimic human reasoning. Zojirushi trademarked Neuro Fuzzy to describe their Micom line.

The Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 is often given top marks by Zojirushi rice cooker reviews, not only for the exceptional quality of the cooked rice, but for the cooker’s features, which includes an ability to store rice texture preferences, as well as a capability to cook specialty rice, such as sushi and basmati. The model is a Zojirushi 10 cup rice cooker, while the NS-ZCC18 makes 18 cups. The smallest size the brand offers is 5 cups – there is no Zojirushi 3 cup rice cooker.

The best Zojirushi rice cooker may be their Induction Heating System Rice Cooker NP-HBC10/18. Inducting heating utilizes currents of electricity that create a magnetic field. This enables the cooker to instantaneously raise the temperature of the whole cook pot. The induction cookers use fans to sustain the temperature to the correct degree.

In addition to the conventional cookers, microcomputer cookers and induction cookers, Zojirushi also carries a line of pressurized rice cookers, which produce a softer rice texture. For all their technology, the Zojirushi cookers are easy to operate. However, the cookers are not cheap. For those who eat rice frequently, or who are particular about the quality of their rice, Zojirushi cookers may be worth the price.