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Do any of you remember me rambling about bentos a while back, explaining about how back in the mid-’00s I was so obsessed with the Mr. Bento lunch container that I started a whole online community dedicated to collecting pictures of people’s lunches? Yeah. Obsessed.
Zojirushi, the same company that makes Mr. Bento (and a whole dang family of bento lunch jars) recently sent me this rice cooker to test out, and now I’m just like… you know how obsessed I was with my Mr. Bento? I might be even more obsessed with this rice cooker, which I lovingly refer to as my Rice Robot.
Again, I fully recognize that I’m one of the last people on the planet to discover rice cookers. I’m also fully aware that cooking rice shouldn’t be hard, right? It’s just a pan with water. IT’S JUST A PAN WITH WATER. So why can’t I ever make rice without burning it? Why is it always undercooked or burnt and blackened at the bottom of the pan? The answer is simple: I’m stupid and I suck at cooking. I mean, I’m no Megan (sorry, bitch!) but I’m just not very proficient in the kitchen.
Enter the Rice Robot. One reviewer on Amazon described it as the “Mercedes Benz of rice cookers,” and yeah. They’re not wrong there. It’s got all these different settings for different rices, and seems to magically make every single one perfectly, I think thanks to something they call “micro computerized fuzzy logic technology.” It’s got a timer you can set so that your rice is waiting for you at just the right time. It’s got a steamer tray for veggies or animal protein (if that’s your jam). It can make oatmeal (I like setting it up the night before, with the timer set to have the oatmeal waiting for me at 7am). It can make cake! I think it sings lullabyes to me at night while I’m sleeping.
Ok, ok. It’s just a freaking rice cooker, right? But here’s the thing: when I have warm, perfectly cooked rice waiting for me at 6pm, it makes it really hard for me to justify eating something stupid like cheese microwaved to a plate (that I then lovingly scrape off with my fingernails). You think I’m kidding, but seriously, when I get hungry I get HANGRY and I lose all ability to make rational, healthy eating choices. When I have rice waiting for me each evening, it’s much easier for me to chop up three vegetables and drop them in a pan to slap on a blob of rice and top with soy sauce (or cheese, if I’m feeling like I need my fix). Again, here’s what billions of people in Asia already know: rice is cheap and filling. Since the rice robot came into the house, not only have I been eating better… but I’ve been saving a fortune on food.
Since I fully understand that I’m the last to get on this rice cooking fandom/bandwagon, I’d love to ask y’all: what are your favorite one-pot rice cooker recipes?
It has never even occurred to me to buy one. I am kinda bowled over by all the “this”‘s and joy contained here. I thought rice cookers were for very large families who have to eat in two sittings. I own two medium sized pots, one small one, one wok, one large frying pan and one small one. All cheapy ikea jobs and I can cook anything. My pride and smugness have morphed to shame. I want the shineiness. And the sweet raisins in porridge waiting for me in the morning.
I specifically shopped for (and with determination, eventually found) a 3-cup rice cooker- perfect for making one or two bentos worth of rice, or a batch of onigiri for a small dinner party. And it is definitely not a 1-trick pony, because even cheaper rice cookers like mine ($30 brand new) can handle things like steaming a foil packet with your rice.
My favorite rice cooker recipe is gallo pinto. Just put in white rice and the required amount of water, then up-end a can of black beans. Add some brown sauce (or probably Worsteshire sauce) and some fresh cilantro, give it a stir and turn on the machine. The result makes a great side dish for pot lucks and parties, and a a great main dish too, especially if you substitute quinoa for rice.
“You think I’m kidding, but seriously, when I get hungry I get HANGRY and I lose all ability to make rational, healthy eating choices.”
I laughed so hard at HANGRY!! Glad to know I’m not the only one who uses that word.
This is such a perfect word for it!
I LOVE MY RICE COOKER!!! When my husband and I were engaged, my grandmother asked us what we most want from our wedding registry and we picked the big Zojirushi rice cooker, so she bought it for us. It’s been used at least once per week for the last 4 years and still looks good and makes it’s happy little rice tune when it’s done. YUM! I recently discovered that if you put a piece of salt and peppered (or however you want to season it) salmon on top of your rice with veggies about 30 minutes after you start the rice cooker it steams the salmon perfectly and you’ve got a whole meal made in the rice cooker while you do other chores/drink wine and play the Sims/watch Mythbusters/all-of-the-above. Plus, poached salmon makes you look like a whiz in the kitchen.
30 minutes after you put it in on the white rice setting, or the brown rice setting? Or quick rice? (I so want to do this! But overcooking salmon is a crime.)
rice in my rice cooker (seemingly no matter what the setting) takes about an hour, so just go with 30 minutes before it’s done
I’ve gotten even lazier and started adding defrosted chopped spinach or kale instead of fresh veg. Bottom up layers: rice, veg, fish or plain eggs (they like well done sunnysideups and I top them with sea salt and furikake (sp?))
When I moved back to America from Japan, I made space in my luggage for my Zoujirushi. And it’s probably the only thing from Japan I still use on a regular basis haha. My favorite thing to make in it is steelcut oatmeal. I set it up the night before and when I wake up in the morning I have oatmeal ready and waiting for me! If it weren’t for that I don’t think I’d ever eat a hot breakfast on weekdays.
Oh and another thing I make in it is boiled eggs! Which I know sounds bizarre but if you’re like me you literally don’t function in the mornings. So having fresh boiled eggs waiting for you is a life saver. Now if only my toaster had a timer…
Best quick & easy rice cooker recipe: make hot rice. Julienne, grate, and thinly slice your favourite vegetables. Toss them into the hot rice. Serve with your favourite sauce (plain soy sauce works!). If you want to get really fancy, also sear some tofu and toss that in. The heat of the rice just barely softens the vegetables, and it is PERFECT.
I totally want this rice cooker. But I also want a slow cooker. Slow cooker + rice cooker = dinner. But how many appliances can I get away with keeping on the counter (and still have room to cook)?
In my teensy closet-sized kitchen, the tiny rice cooker, massive slow cooker, toaster, and stand mixer live on the counters. (The auxillary shelving unit right outside the kitchen has the breadmaker and electric griddle. All coffee appliances and supplies have their own plastic drawer unit. The blender got exiled all the way to the catch-all wire shelving by the dining table.)
But seriously, the slow cooker and rice cooker can get pushed to those back-corner areas of the counter that rarely are usable because you don’t need to see them for them to slowly be preparing deliciousness for you- just reach an arm back there, dump in ingredients, flip switch, and ignore until your house smells like you want to eat the air.
ok so, i used to think this was one of those HOW HARD IS IT TO MAKE MYSELF kinda things, but … then i moved to asia. ya know & as an american, the last thing i thought i’d see everyone owning is a rice cooker. i thought everyone would be using steamers. NOPE! i don’t know ANYONE over here who doesn’t have a rice cooker. if you get a really good one, you can do all kinds of stuff w/ it. i’m saving up b/c i tried making sushi by cooking rice the american way … massive FAIL.
*ps- this is not one you should skimp on. you get what you pay for in rice cookers
After reading this post my husband bought us a rice robot, we got the smaller 3 cup one. It came today and its beautiful, tiny and fun. I think you are the official rice robot spokeswoman and I wonder how many of these sold on Amazon because of you. The robot makers owe you some commission, thanks for the rec!
Hi. I’m looking to buy a rice cooker, and the reviews for the zojirushi are great. I am indian and want to cook more than just plain rice in it. I am looking to cook some biryani’s in the slow cook mode and perhaps some spiced up rice?Has anyone tried these? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
O…M…G…I just bought this same model the other weekend and I am in LOVE! I made a cake. It was the most PERFECT cake I have ever made in my life. No need to test over and over again with the knife to see if it’s done. No need to fret over whether it will dump out of the container in one piece. Perfect, beautiful, delicious spongecake!
My MIL is Chinese. She moved out recently, and her old-school Tiger went with her. This worked out well, b/c despite it being a one-button model, I still couldn’t manage to cook rice in it. Only she had the magic touch.
So we tried this one and I’m so glad we did! We make rice perfectly! We did steel-cut oatmeal that was flawless! It is so easy to eat a healthy meal and I’m so inspired by the lack of kitchen mess that we eat out less now and save $$$.
Yes, Ducky, the Rice Robot IS life changing!
We also have a Zojirushi hot water boiler, upon which we utterly depend every morning. On-demand boiling water is amazing!
You article is well written. I enjoy reading your blog.
I had an older model 10 cup Zojirishi for 25 years and it was still going strong. I finally bought a smaller 5 cup version, but now I’m wishing I would’ve sprung for the Rolls Royce version. I’ve only done white & brown rice, pearl barley & steel cut oats with water. I’m curious about adding other things to my lower end model. & boiling an egg?Do tell ?
Rice Robot …love the nickname!….My husband and I call ours Zoji-san 🙂 Loved your article!
Rice cooker… Again?? It seems like you don’t know about multicookers (Redm0nd 4502, 4500 and others) – they are much faster, better and get high quallity! I use that firm for a long time and can say that multicookers can do everything!
Oh a friend of mine has got Redmond multi cooker(don’t remember the model, but it ‘s got pressure-cooking functions too) – she says it’s really helpful and the food tastes great