A bowl of fluffy, warm rice is one of those things that everyone loves, no matter the culture or type of cuisine. The only thing is that cooking rice isn’t always the easiest thing to do for someone who lacks the proper time and tools to prepare this versatile grain. Luckily this issue can be resolved.
Below are a list of the 10 most popular and useful rice cookers that are available for purchase at this time. With units ranging from simple rice cookers that fit in the microwave to nearly $600 multi-purpose cookers, there’s something for everyone no matter if they’re cooking grains like white rice, brown rice, and long grain rice, vegetables, and even full meals.
Progressive International
Microwave Rice Cooker
The Progressive International microwave rice cooker is about as basic as it gets, but who said that had to be a bad thing? You won’t be able to program this cooker (well, unless you have a programmable microwave that can cook on a schedule), but you will be able to cook six cups of cooked rice, oats, quinoa, and other grains without any of the headache of boiling the traditional way.
This rice cooker also comes with a rice paddle, measuring cup, and locking lid.
Difficulty: 1 (out of 10)
Price: $9.99 on Amazon
Dash
Mini Rice Cooker
The Dash mini rice cooker is a great entry level rice cooker for someone looking for a better way to prepare rice without spending a lot of money or time on an expensive, programmable device.
Equipped with two settings: cook and warm, this rice cooker also makes for a great stand-in as a vegetable steamer as well. In as little as 20 minutes, you’ll have your favorite rice, pasta, or veggies freshly cooked and ready to enjoy.
Difficulty: 2 (out of 10)
Price: $18.99 on Amazon
Oster
6-Cup Rice Cooker
The Oster 6-cup rice cooker is a nice compact cooker equipped with one-touch controls, which makes cooking rice a pain-free activity. This device also comes with a 1-liter steamer tray that is more than capable of handing vegetables, fish, or pretty much anything else thrown at it.
What’s nice about this rice cooker is the automatic warmer and shut-off function, which can help prevent overcooking and burning.
Difficulty: 3 (out of 10)
Price: $21.49 on Amazon
Hamilton Beach
Rice Cooker With Rinse/Steam Basket
The Hamilton Beach rice cooker with rinse/steam basket has many of the same features as the previous entries on the list — can cook rice, quinoa, and other grains and vegetables — the only difference being that it can handle up to 8 cups of cooked rice (4 cups uncooked).
The steam and rinse basket make the whole cooking process easier and cleaner, due to the fact that users can rinse off any unwanted residue that might build up in the rice cooker while it cooks.
Difficulty: 3 (out of 10)
Price: $29.99 on Amazon
Hamilton Beach
Programmable Rice Cooker
This is the second Hamilton Beach rice cooker to show up on the list, but unlike the other offering from the company, this rice cooker comes equipped with different settings for the different types of grains and functions (this includes the steam and warm options).
In addition to cooking rice and other grains, the steam basket in this rice cooker can also prepare entire meals with vegetables and seafood. This rice cooker is also capable of heating up soup.
Difficulty: 4 (out of 10)
Price: $29.99 on Amazon
T Yong Tong
Electric Pressure Cooker
This isn’t the standard rice cooker, it’s not even a rice cook. The T Yong Tong electric pressure cooker is a 9 in 1 crook pot with 14 programmable settings that can slow cook, saute, steam, make cakes, and oh yeah, cook rice.
There’s a lot to take in with this pressure cooker, but those who learn about all of its different features and settings will be able to hand whatever the culinary world throws at them. One of the best features about this cooker is the 24-hour delayed cook setting that allows the user to become a better meal planner.
Difficulty: 7 (out of 10)
Price: $43.99 on Amazon
Comfee
Professional 20-Cup Digital Rice Cooker
This multi cooker comes from Comfee and is equipped with 12 smart cooking programs that can handle anything from rice to soup and anything and everything in between.
This 20-cup rice cooker is considered a safe instant pot alternative and is designed with families, parties, and other events in mind.
Difficulty: 6 (out of 10)
Price: $59.01 on Amazon
Comfee
Professional 17-in-1 Multi Cooker
This multi cooker (it’s so much more than a rice cooker) is the product of 20 years of research by Comfee. Through the company’s research, it developed what is called the “Intelligent 6-Step Cooking Process,” which Comfee believes results in the best possible rice at home.
There are 17 different smart cooking programs in this unit, so there are more than enough possibilities for different types of rices, grains, vegetables, and full meals. And with the capacity of handling 20 cups of cooked rice, there will be plenty of rice for the whole family.
Difficulty: 7 (out of 10)
Price: $60.69 on Amazon
Simfonio
Electric Pressure Cooker
The Simfonio electric pressure cooker is a 6-quart, 10-in-1 steamer, rice cooker, slow cooker, egg cooker (yes, egg cooker), and all around general cooking device. The settings also include functions to automatically cook and warm rice, grains, and other foods, but also pasteurize food as well, which is something that really stands out.
The cooking device also comes with a number of accessories including extra silicone rings, hand gloves, a rice paddle, and a measuring cup. They really thought of everything.
Difficulty: 7 (out of 10)
Price: $96.65 on Amazon
Cuckoo
Smart Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker
This is definitely one of the more expensive rice cookers available for at-home cooks, but the smart induction heating pressure rice cooker from Korean manufacturer Cuckoo is pretty much the Cadillac of the industry.
While the basic functionality of this unit is practically the same as other rice cookers on this list, it stands apart – thanks to features like a ventilation pipe system and voice navigation in three languages (English, Korean, Chinese). The technology involved in creating this rice cooker isn’t cheap, which is why this unit has a price tag just shy of $600.
Difficulty: 9 (out of 10)
Price: $589.99 on Amazon
Anyone who loves and cooks a lot of rice probably already has a rice cooker in their kitchen; But for anyone who doesn’t own a rice cooker, now is the time to jump on the rice train. These appliances make cooking rice so much easier because they don’t take up a lot of room in the kitchen, are easy to clean, and (as seen above) most of them can cook much more than rice.
Considering all the functionality a rice cooker has to offer, there’s no excuse not to purchase a rice cooker, even if you don’t have enough for the nearly $600 top-of-the-line all-purpose cooker. You can always make do with some of the more affordable, and realistic, options out there.