ZojirushiNS-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.

Purchased in June 2016, used at least weekly since then (often 3-5 times a week)Before I say anything else, a note about cooking rice - RINSE YOUR RICE, PEOPLE. IT'S IN THE DIRECTIONS AND IT'S CRUCIAL FOR GOOD RICE.Fit & Finish:- Despite the shell being mostly plastic, this rice cooker feels a bit luxe and everything is nice and tight. The super shiny plastic is extremely easy to wipe down whenever it gets dirty.- The retractable power cord is an amazing feature, such a creature comfort. It works just like it did when we got it, albeit slightly slower now. I've never had a problem with getting it to go in the direction I needed.- The lid and hinge mech is solid and easy to use, just one big button to release. An interesting thing to note is the hinge only opens just beyond far enough for the rice pan to be insertable into the machine, so if it didn't pop up all the way and your hands are full, you'll need to use an elbow to nudge it the rest of the way open. My solution is to just pop it open and make sure it's fully open before I start doing anything else.- The handle is light and plastic but has not cracked at any point, not even the joints. This was something I was worried about since the unit feels like it could be an issue, but I kinda swing this thing around when moving it in/out of my pantry, and it's still totally solid.Product in use:- The user interface (buttons and screen) is intuitive, easy to use, and there are no seams between the buttons for any water ingress. The buttons on my unit haven't even started to wear down after 7 years.- As far as functions go, I only really ever use the White or Quick rice features - I don't eat brown rice at home, and haven't felt the need to use any of the other ones. I've also never used the timer feature as I am not the best planner. But this thing sure does make the most perfectly cooked rice every single time. It's honestly kind of rough having such high quality, easy to cook, white rice at home, and then go out to eat and the rice you're eating is just mushy and overcooked or gummy. This thing spoils you.--- A note about Quick Rice - I have found that the quicker cook time /can/ lead to slightly tackier/gummier rice if you open the lid as soon as the cycle ends. I would give it a few extra minutes to steam out before opening and the rice will be almost as perfect as the regular cycle.- Volume of rice cooked - I don't think I have ever maxed this thing out, but I have gotten close. What is MORE impressive, is that I can cook 1 single 'cup'** (**OF THE CUP THEY GIVE YOU TO MEASURE THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE LINES IN THE RICE PAN, WHICH IS ACTUALLY 3/4 CUP) of rice and it comes out just as perfect as if I cooked rice for 6 people. This amount of rice has never been short of enough for one meal for two adults. On quick rice, this amount cooks in like...15 minutes? And on White it'll start at 50, but will actually skip a few and be done in 25min or so.Summary:I thought for sure that $130 (at my time of purchase) was a bit overkill for a rice cooker, but I will 1000% buy another one of these whenever my current unit dies, if that ever happens. I thought 7 years was a good run (< $20/year for perfect rice at home?!) so any more time after this is just a big bonus.10/10, and 10/10 with rice.