Zojirushi NS-TSC18 Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer – 1.8 Liters

I’m really impressed with this rice cooker. It’s super easy to use—just add rice and water, press a button, and walk away. The rice comes out perfectly cooked every time: fluffy, not sticky or mushy.The cooker heats evenly and switches to “keep warm” mode automatically, which is great for busy days when I’m not ready to eat right away. The non-stick inner pot cleans up easily, and the compact design fits well on my kitchen counter.Whether you’re cooking white, brown, or jasmine rice, this cooker handles it effortlessly. Great value for the price and a total kitchen helper!

I've been fascinated by the Zojirushi rice cooker since I saw it at a friend's house a few years ago. That's right, years. I had every excuse to avoid buying one. I can cook rice on the stove in a regular pot. I can use my Instant Pot, so why have a dedicated rice cooker? I'm not sure I need this much technology to cook rice, right? Most of all, why spend so much, when there are $20 rice cookers on the market? But the Zojirushi remained on my mind. So did my overcooked, split rice that I always forgot on the stove. I finally decided to order it, and just see if I liked it.I'm so happy I did! Zojirushi lives up to its reputation. I usually make jasmine rice or brown rice, and sometimes Nishiki rice (for sushi; it has a lot of starch and sticks together easily). This machine makes each type of rice perfectly, and then keeps it warm at the right temperature so it doesn't dry out or overcook. It has a reheat function that quickly brings rice up to its keep-warm temp once again. (It's ideally for after the keep-warm setting turns off, but I've put leftover rice from the refrigerator in with a couple tablespoons of water and it had no problem reheating.)I really like the retractable power cord, perfect for small kitchens with multiple appliances. It's very compact and the design is beautiful. There's a detachable piece to hold your rice spoon on either side of the cooker. The markings on the interior bowl are easy to read.I was fascinated by the huge instruction manual, which goes into far more detail about rice, types of rice, old rice vs. new rice, mixed rice ... you name it. Fortunately you don't have to memorize all of that to get good results. Just follow the quick start instructions, press the big friendly orange button, enjoy the startup music (twinkle, twinkle, little star) and go watch TV. In about an hour, you've got perfect rice.

I love this rice cooker! The UI was super simple, especially when you reference the handbook. I haven’t owned a nicer rice cooker before—I previously had a $20 one from Walmart that burnt the bottom of my rice no matter what I did.The rice does take a long time to cook, about 65 minutes, but this hasn’t been an issue for me. I just wash the rice put it on when I get home, which takes less than 5 minutes, and let it cook while I get into my comfy clothes and prep the rest of dinner. It always comes out soft, perfect, and with separated grains.I haven’t tested the quick-cook function out yet, or the oatmeal option, but it’s so amazing for rice.It’s very easy to clean. Since this was definitely a splurge purchase for me, I was very concerned with having to keep it clean and dry so that it doesn’t begin tarnishing on me. Cleaning it is super easy since the pot is nonstick and nothing sticks to the plastic spatula. You just pull out the metal lid piece, super easy to wash, the rice basket, and the paddle. Takes no more than 5 minutes to wash by hand. I haven’t experienced any water leakage, and the machine’s size and handle make it very easy to pick up and move around my counter. It’s lightweight without feeling cheap or flimsy.I have a 5.5 cup capacity machine and it easily feeds around 4-5 adults. If you have a larger rice portion with your meals, I’d say it feeds 3-4.Gone are my days of cooking rice in stainless steel pots on the stove—this Zojirushi really does pay for itself. I’m eating rice at least twice a day now, it’s just so convenient and so nice to use and clean up. The praise and recommendation the Zojirushi brand receives isn’t for no reason. It truly is worth the coin.