I've wanted a Zojirushi rice cooker for several years, but wondered if it really was THAT much better than the inexpensive Chinese-built 10-cup cooker that had been in regular weekly use for the last 10 years. Short answer: yes. It's THAT much better.
My old rice cooker was a very basic, made in China, 10-cup flip top rice cooker. The non-stick coating in the rice pot was very thin and fragile, and from day one, there was always some overcooked, crunchy rice in the very bottom of the pan near the heating element. I learned to immediately uplug the rice cooker as soon as the rice was done, or even with a minute or two showing on the timer. With the Zojirushi, there is nothing tricky or fussy. I mostly cook medium grain (sushi) rice, and use the recommended water/rice level as indicated on the inside of the rice pot. It's important to remember that "one cup" of rice is not the 240 ml US cup standard, it's the 180 ml rice industry standard, so use the cup that's included with the purchase if you use the water level indicators on the pot. It's also a good idea to let the rice rest for five minutes after the cook time has concluded to allow the moisture to evaporate a bit, and the heat to distribute evenly through the cooked rice. This resting period is not mandatory, but it's become a habit for me, and I just factor it into the meal prep time. After the resting period, fluff the rice with the included paddle, and it's good to go. There are two warm settings on the Zojirushi, I generally use the lower setting.
I don't need to use the rice cooker for anything other than rice, and indeed, all I really use are the white/brown/quick and warm settings. The quick rice feature is nice if you really are in a hurry, but I'd suggest you avoid using it unless necessary. The white/sushi rice settings cook perfectly. Every grain, every time. The rice is tender, and never gummy. According to Zojirushi, micro computer, fuzzy logic tech allows the rice cooker to make cooking temp and time adjustments on the fly to insure perfectly cooked rice.
This model, the NL-AAC-10 is Made in Japan, unlike many cookers in the Zojirushi line. That is important to me, but it does come at a price. Less expensive models, made in China, are also available, and likely work just as well, so you may choose savings over the country of origin. Overall, I'm extremely happy with this purchase, and can attest to the fact that it really does produce a superior cooked rice as compared to my older, basic rice cooker. I could have saved over 100 dollars by buying another cheap, generic rice cooker, but we do a LOT of Asian cooking in our house, so really felt that the upcharge was worth it, especially after we've used this one for a few weeks. Highly recommended
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