Best Japanese Rice Cooker: Buying Guide, FAQs, and More

The first product on our list is a very versatile 10″ x 14″ stainless steel rice cooker by the Japanese manufacturer Zojirushi. Not only can it be used to cook brown, white, and sushi rice, but it also doubles as a steamer and cake baker, making it an excellent item to have around the kitchen.

Whereas most rice cookers simply turn on and off in reaction to temperature, the Zojirushi NS-TSC10 employs something called ‘fuzzy logic,’ which continually makes minor adjustments to the temperature based on what kind of rice is being cooked. This is done by a well-placed microsensor at the bottom of the heating plate that closely monitors weight and heat, making small changes as needed and ensuring that you get perfectly cooked rice every time.

On top of all this, the non-stick inner pan is dishwasher safe, has a total capacity of 5.5 cups of uncooked rice, and comes equipped with an electrical cord that winds up automatically when unplugged. When you take all this into consideration, it’s easy to see why this product from Zojirushi is considered by many to be the best Japanese rice cooker available.

Coming in at second place is another Zojirushi product known as the Neuro Fuzzy. Like the last Zojirushi rice cooker we looked at, the Neuro Fuzzy has setting options for several rice types and features the ‘fuzzy logic’ technology the Japanese manufacturer has become known for.

Upon first look, one thing that immediately stands out is the unit’s unconventional design, which is much more spherical than the average Japanese rice cooker. Despite its unique look, it comes with the standard capacity of 5.5 cups of uncooked rice (although a 10 cup model is available) and an automatic keep warm function. Additionally, it can also be used for steaming vegetables and baking cakes, making it highly versatile.

At just over $200, this Japanese rice cooker might be a little expensive for some, but we promise that it’s well worth the price.

For some people, the standard 5.5 cup capacity that most Japanese rice cookers come with simply isn’t enough. If this is an issue you sympathize with, the Tiger JAX-T1U-K may be just what you need in your kitchen.

With the ability to hold up to 10 cups of uncooked rice, this Tiger product allows you to cook nearly double the amount of rice that most Japanese rice cookers are capable of producing. What’s more, it comes with 11 built in cooking settings that include white rice, brown rice, mixed rice, steam, and many others.

However, perhaps the most impressive aspect of this model is Tiger’s proprietary ‘Tacook’ plate. Essentially, the Tacook plate functions as a steam tray, allowing you to cook vegetables, meat, and anything else using the heat produced from cooking rice. This innovation has made it possible for people to cook an entire meal with the JAX-T1U-K, and each purchase even comes with a small cookbook containing several tasty recipes.

The products we have covered so far are, without a doubt, some of the best Japanese rice cookers on the market. However, they all come with price tags of $150 and up – an amount of money not everyone can justify spending on a rice cooker.

If this sounds like you, this 5 cup Japanese rice cooker from Panasonic is worth some serious consideration. Retailing at just under $70, it’s perhaps the best budget option available and even comes equipped with fuzzy logic technology, and an advanced ‘keep warm’ function that maintains rice at an ideal serving temperature for up to 12 hours.

While it doesn’t come equipped with some of the fancy features included with more expensive rice cookers, this offering by Panasonic is an excellent budget option and even comes with a free rice spoon and measuring cup.

An induction heating system allows for a finely tuned cooking process, producing flawlessly cooked rice every time. The downside is that these systems can be considerably more expensive compared to non-induction rice cookers. Still, if you’re serious about rice, induction is the way to go.

Besides its superior heating system, which utilizes a triple contact heater (bottom, side, and lid), this Japanese made rice cooker comes equipped with advanced pre-sets that includes:

• White rice
• Brown rice
• Jasmine rice
• Sushi rice
• Porridge
• Sweet rice
• GABA rice

On top of all this, this electric rice cooker features significantly higher than average construction quality, featuring clear-coated stainless steel and a dishwasher-safe inner cooking pan. However, with a cost of over $300, some people may find it hard to justify spending that kind of money on a Japanese rice cooker, no matter how good the results are.

The Tiger JKT-S18U is much more than your conventional rice cooker and can be used to cook a wide variety of foods. For starters, it comes with Tiger’s classic Tacook plate that, as we previously discussed, uses rising heat to cook meat and vegetables and can provide users with a complete meal.

To use this feature, simply select the ‘Synchronized Cooking’ option, load the Tacook plate with whatever it is you want to cook, and wait for the process to finish. What’s more, even if you don’t feel like cooking rice, this function can still be used so long as the inner plate is filled with water.

In addition to the Tacook plate, the JKT-S18U can also be used to make bread, soup, and stews and even comes with a slow cook function. This slow cook setting works by heating food to near boiling point, then gradually dropping the temperature to 199F. Doing this causes the food to be cooked gradually through a simmering process and is excellent for making stews and soups.

While the JKT-S18U is a phenomenal product, we must warn you – it’s not cheap. At just under $550, this offering by Tiger is truly a luxury model and one of the best Japanese rice cookers around.

Did you like the versatility of the Tiger JKT-S18U but have no interest in spending hundreds of dollars on a rice cooker? If so, we don’t blame you – It’s an easy position to understand.

To anyone looking for a Japanese rice cooker that offers a high number of functions at a reasonable price, we present the COMFEE All-In-1 Multi-Cooker. Although COMFEE isn’t as well known as Tiger or Zojirushi, the company is quickly gaining a reputation for producing quality products at an affordable price, and there is no better example of this than their All-In-1 multi cooker.

Not only can this model cook the standard white and brown rice, but it can also be used to make soup, pasta, stews, and even yogurt. On top of all this, it even comes with a measuring cup, steam basket, soup ladle, and rice scoop, making it one of the most value-packed options on this list.

Do you care more about simplicity than having a bunch of special features? If so, this offering by Toshiba may very well be the best Japanese rice cooker for you.

While it does come with seven pre-sets that include white rice, brown rice, and even porridge, its Quick Rice’ feature is what has made this rice cooker a favorite amongst those who value simplicity.

In addition, this Toshiba rice cooker also comes equipped with fuzzy logic technology, a programmable ‘keep warm’ function that can run for up to 24 hours, and even includes a measuring cup, rice spoon, and steam tray.

Although it’s becoming more and more common, not many rice cookers include a slow cooking function. That being said, this offering from Aroma Housewares does not fall into this group and can even be used for sautéing, yogurt making, and much more.

Like all the other rice cookers we have seen so far, the ARC-6106AB includes an impressive ‘keep warm’ function and comes equipped with a non stick inner pot. Furthermore, this model includes all the standard pre-set functions one would expect from a rice cooker in the price range, including white and brown rice, oatmeal, soup, and more.

While the ARC-6106AB is overwhelmingly a quality product, it has one noticeable flaw: there is no condensation tray. As a result, when the lid of lifted, the water droplets tend to fall everywhere, leaving something of a mess.

All the electric rice cookers we have seen so far use a metal material for their inner bowl. If, for one reason or another, you’re looking for a Japanese rice cooker that uses a ceramic inner bowl instead, the Tianji FD30D has you covered.

Many people prefer ceramic over metal for a variety of reasons. First off, with metal pots, the non-stick coating tends to scratch off over time, especially if crusty rice is repeatedly scraped off the bottom. Secondly, more and more people are growing concerned about heavy metals and other contaminants used to make non-stick coating. Because ceramic pots don’t employ a non stick coating, they effectively alleviate this concern. Finally, ceramic pots are easier to clean as food doesn’t stick to them as strongly.

If you plan on making soaps and stews with your Japanese rice cooker or are concerned about the long-term health concerns related to non-stick coatings, you may want to consider buying a model with a ceramic pot.

Next up, we have another quality product by Zojirushi, and with a capacity of just three cups of uncooked rice, it is considerably smaller than rice cookers we have seen. Nevertheless, if you’re hard up for space or don’t need to cook rice in large batches of rice, the NS-LGC05XB is an excellent option.

Besides its compact nature, this rice cooker features a detachable and washable inner lid, a removable steam vent cap, and a retractable power cord that makes storing the product very easy.

Using fuzzy logic technology, this unit is capable of producing perfectly cooked rice on demand. Furthermore, like most Zojirushi rice cookers, the NS-LGC05XB comes loaded with an impressive collection of pre-set functions, including white rice, brown rice, mixed rice, sweet rice, slow cooking, and much more.

Although not as common, some rice cookers use an electric heating pressure system for cooking rice, a method which most people consider to be one of the better options around. For anyone who wants a premium pressure rice cooker, this offering by Cuckoo is an excellent option.

Unlike the traditional coil heating system, this model circulates pressurized heat throughout the cooking pot, leading to faster cook times and is one of the best ways to cook rice.

Besides high-tech heating technology, this rice cooker also comes pre-programmed with 13 pre-sets and a full stainless steel non-stick inner pan.