Journey across Japan theme music with a rice cooker from Japan. Perfect

Don't try to outsmart the Zojirushi. People coming from old-style rice cookers and saucepans always try to use their old techniques and ratios (eg: add water to the depth of one knuckle) and you don't need to do that with the fancy models. Just follow the instructions: use the included cup to measure your rice (I measure dry and wash in the rice cooker pot), fill to the line, and let it take care of the rest. I've used an induction heating Zojirushi for the last 9-10 years and every time I use it, it amazes me how good rice can taste.

So two things: You really have to follow the directions on a zojirushi and use their measurements. It really does make a difference in the final result. Also, most of the value is in the multiple functions. Brown, Sushi, Long grain, mixed, oats, etc. It will perfectly cook all of them without you having to do anything special.

I've lived in Tokyo for 2 years, and what I liked the most about the Zojirushi rice cooker i had at the apartment i rented was that i had the ability to just set in an x amount of rice in the cooker in the morning. Get a shower etc. Have rice for breakfast, lunch AND dinner from that same batch. It would STAY good for like the whole day. (officially they recommend 12hrs for best taste, or 24hrs with the extended warm feature) - that's something you can't do with those simpler rice cookers. Their "keep warm" mode eventually burns the rice on the bottom and super dries out the rest after a mere hour or two. When i moved back to the Netherlands, I just couldn't go without a Zojirushi for that feature and bought one. Was worth it to me.

Obviously you buy the Zojirushi for the fancy tune it plays when you start it!

This rice cooker is perfect! I use it only for me kzfaq.infoUgkxviiltW7NlHbp_VL_bLbIkbLAvILVhnia and sometimes me and my friend so the small size is really great for counter space since we never need to make all that much. I have been using it now for about 2 months and it still works perfectly. I use it for both rice and vegetables (better for harder vegetables like green beans and carrots, it made my broccoli way too smoosh-y for my taste). It keeps your rice on keep warm automatically which I really like, and I’ve used a few of the settings, flash rice, white rice, brown rice, and steam, and they all work super well for me, although I don’t like smooshy rice so I’ll usually use flash rice. It’s super easy to clean either in dishwasher or hand wash, and it’s pretty easy to get rice out of the grooves by where the container comes out. I assume this one will last me a long time but if I ever need another I will definitely be getting this one again!

When Technology Connections, Hot Thai Kitchen, and Andong dedicate entire episodes to rice cookers, you know they’re a big deal.

I love how the zojirushi has the clock on, so you can see how long it takes him to record the lines as the minute mark changes every 2nd line, lol

The expensive rice cooker takes longer because it includes time to soak the rice. If it took an hour, then it probably soaked the rice for 40 minutes, then actually started cooking for the last 20 minutes.

I mean it sure can make good rice, but can it seal away Namekians?

Are you happy with your rice cooker? 🤔 Also use my code ANDONG10 and link: bit.ly/3iCd12v to get 10% off (save up to $47!) your own authentic Japanese subscription box from Bokksu! Don't miss out on this amazing snack-journey through Japan!

The biggest difference between cheap vs expensive rice cooker is it's ability to maintain rice fresh and delicious for a long time. You can get at least 4-5 days of "fresh cooked" quality rice in the expensive rice cooker whereas, in the cheap one, the rice will no longer feel fresh after 1-2 days. I find that in the cheap one, it will develop an unpleasant smell (moldy yeast odor?) after 1.5 days when it's left at warm, but in the expensive one the rice will be kept fresh for sometimes 5+ days in the warm state. The ability to keep rice fresh is very important in a typical East Asian household where rice is consumed "on the go" as almost every single or other meal includes rice. So, people generally cook large portions of rice that can be consumed at any moment without worrying about having to cook new batches of rice every other day. This is the main reason why in East Asia (at least in Japan and Korea), households spend a lot of money on a good rice cooker. If you had to consume rice every meal, you will find that the ability to maintain high quality rice for a long time a crucial factor in selecting the rice cooker and this is why almost every household chooses to buy expensive rice cooker instead of the cheap one. Of course, this wouldn't make sense in cultures where rice is not consumed with every meal. Anyway, I hope this can be clarified in a future episodes. Love the content!

Doing the exact same thing on both rice cookers isn't really an "even playing field". There is no way it will be an even playing field because the Zojirushi one will always draw more electricity. It's better to do the test like how people who buy these rice cookers would use them. Use the instruction for the Zojirushi one vs the optimal way to use the other rice cooker.

Dude spent 300 plus euros on a state of the art rice cooker and he still managed to screw up cooking rice in the state of the art rice cooker. Now that is an achievement. That zojirushi fuzzy logic processor worked overtime to compensate.

I think you should redo this test and follow the instructions to the fancy one. I'm pretty sure I've seen other videos do that it the rice turns out so much better.

Technology Connections comes into chat

I think the difference in result is mostly due to how you used the cheap rice cooker. You turned it on immediately then let it sit for 40 minutes after it was done. While the Zojirushi does it the other way round. Soaking the rice first means the rice will heat more evenly, it also means there will be less free water in the pot thus reducing the actual cooking time.

7:10 If your rice cooker has a small springy bit in it, it's using a magnet with a Curie point of 100 C to make contact, so once the pot rises above 100 C, the magnet stops being a magnet, and breaks the contact.

I bought my Zojirushi at a yard sale 10 years ago for $25! Best deal ever.

I bought my rice cooker when I was in South korea. Its a pressurised induction heating rice cooker by cuckoo. It cost me about what you paid for the Japanese one, but bought locally. It cooks rice in 17 minutes under pressure and comes perfectly. It speak to you (in english) which is handy because I don't know what any of the korean buttons mean. Big plus! It also has loads of features for other kinds of rice, grains, and can make crunchy rice that has become a favourite of mine.

I'm not sure if it's the case for that exact model but for most good rice cookers using the measuring cup that comes with their rice cooker is essential to getting the perfect result and it's also the cup that is referred to on the inner pot markings. Not generic cups. Anyway kind of a pet peeve on this one soon as I saw you not use the rice cooker as is normally instructed.

I cook rice on the stovetop and soak it first for 30 minutes after washing it. I wrap the lid in a damp kitchen towel to create a tight seal. Then i start cooking, it's quite quick; bring it to a boil, then 10 minutes on super low heat and voila! Buuut it would be nice to have a machine that could do this for me from time to time haha

I wouldn't say that slightly burnt crunchy rice is a bad thing. You have to try the Persian rice dish Tahdig. You cook the rice until it is half done, strain it and then put the wet rice back in the pot with some oil or butter and a bit of saffron, and put a paper towel and a lid on the pot. Then let the rice steam until it's done. This creates a nice layer of crispy rice on the bottom of the pot. There is also a variation with potato slices at the bottom of the pot which is also very good. This has become my favourite rice dish.

The biggest benefit of the more expensive rice cooker are settings for different kinds of rice. It took me years before committing to a better rice cooker. It was worth it for me.

I bought a zojirushi just because they have been known for their longevity and reliability.

Ahh, and here's a third option. Three years ago at Christmas in the USA there was a fad for Insta-Pots. Best Buy had a bunch of Hael knockoffs for $30. I bought one and made a beef stew in it and I was so impressed I went back the next day and bought another two. I bought three Insta-Pot knockoffs for my own kitchen. I discovered subsequently that they make great rice. The reason I have three is that My family loves Indian cuisine and I can make a meat dish in one, a vegetable dish in the other and rice in the third. I've been using them now for the past three years and they work really well and like I say they make great rice. My Zoji (yes, I have one) has stayed in the appliance cupboard since and I'm probably going to sell it.

The fancy rice cookers operate on 'fuzzy logic' algorithms which sort of turns them into low-level rice-making AI. It's wild.

I think the virtue of the expensive rice cookers is that they can keep the rice warm for much longer. I've gotten acceptable rice from 48 hrs on the keep warm function.

I bought a (very) cheap rice cooker about 5 years ago and its great. Once you get the hang of using it (I too let mine steam off for a minuite or 2 before leaving on warm) I get great rice every time. Sometimes with starchy rice you get a crispy layer at the bottom, but I actually quite like that.

I did find it funny that you were impressed with the soft open button on the rice cooker & saw it as a sign of quality. Back in the 1980's my friends & I were marvelling at a similar function on the doors for audio cassette tapes on music stereos. Before that they clattered open.Everybody in places where they sold stereos would be pushing all the "Soft Eject" buttons [as it was called] on every stereo in the shop. 😁 📾

I have never tried Zojirushi as they stopped improving on export models a long time ago. I went for a Korean model from YumAsia instead (Bamboo) , and the difference between it and rice made by thermostat rice cookers found in the west is huge. The Bamboo uses induction to heat the bowl and this makes it much easier to control the temperature. Asian rice cookers tends to use fuzzy logic to measure a myriad of variables while cooking. It knows the temperature, pressure and how quickly the temperature is increasing. It will then use these variables to calculate on the fly how long it will take the rice to reach a certain temperature. This enables it to cut the heating elements in time so that the threshold is never reached (if you stop at certain temperature with a normal cooker the steam alone can overcook the rice). Mine also has a Yumami program that will cook the rice at different temperatures in order to release the sugars contained within the rice. This makes the rice taste sweeter and in my opinion much better. I am pretty certain that the Zojirushi has something similar. One more thing. If you cook brown rice then it is almost impossible to beat the results you can get from a high-end asian rice cooker with a "gaba" program. This program uses soaking and heat to release the gamma-aminobutyric acid in brown rice, and that really changes the taste. The last point is that you can turn on the rice cooker, leave your home for a day and when you come back the rice will still be warm and taste good. Most of the shitty rice cookers I have bought in the west turn the rice to crisp after a short while. When having guests over I no longer have to be afraid that the rice will be anything less than optimal. I use the provided measuring cup as instructed (hint hint) and the result is always perfect.

Uncle Roger told me i need the zojirushi so has to be it

Do you need a rice cooker at all? I'm just using my saucepan and it comes out perfect every time! 😂😂

Can confirm, my zojirushi rice maker is an absolute game changer. Sometimes I leave rice in it for a full day on its low heat mode and it's still pretty damn perfect. If you have the money, get one.

To get a good consistency with cheap rice cooker, I stir the rice midway during cooking just before all the water evaporates. This prevents rice in the middle of the pot to become mushy👍

I have a zojirushi cooker that's a step down from the model you got. It makes very nice rice with very little thought or effort. I eat primarily brown rice, and the setting for it produces excellent, tender results, though the cook time is very long (2 hours!). Fortunately there is also a timer feature to set the time you want the rice ready. Of course with some inexpensive cookers this could be accomplished using a simple timer on the plug socket to control the time it turns on. I also really like that the lid insert comes out so the inside can be cleaned and dries quickly. I have twice had to throw out cookers with fixed lid assemblies because of the creeping horrors that hid in that space between the interior plate and the top vent. That said, they're certainly overkill for a casual rice eater and pricey for people on a limited budget. As AP pointed out, you can get the same result as the fancy cooker with a cheap one and a little patience/practice. If you like your rice in a non-East-Asian style, it is hard to get the texture/hydration right; there's no Basmati or Costa Rican rice function. In my case, this is a workhorse appliance -- and an indulgence. A cheap cooker will often do an acceptable job. I'll own that this one just makes me feel good.

9:58 I never thought it actually sounded that close, but my zojirushi plays the same jingles and the manual states that the 'done' one is 'Edelweiss' (from the sound of music)

I got myself a simple one button rice cooker last year, the trick to it (and what i suspect the timer on the fancy one does) is to actually not to open it right away when it's done cooking but wait 10-15 minutes extra, which gives the rice the time to steam and absorb the water more evenly. Or in my case i just remember an hour or so later that i had rice cooking.

Rice cooker saved me when I was remodelling my apartment and didn't have access ti kitchen. I could just plug it in and have a nice, affordable, tasty meal.

If you jump from a super cheap one to Zoji, you'll notice an obvious difference. But if you are already using a mid-tier one, the only situation you'll notice is probably if you forget your rice on warm mode overnight since the warm mode on Zoji is super low and will keep your rice infinitely more moist.

Can we all appreciate that Andong is honest and doesn't immediately just say "ZOJIRUSHI!". I could only get a Cuckoo where I live and definitely appreciate the upgrade but any rice cooker > pot.

I used to have a Hitachi rice cooker many years ago. It was a gift. In a NYC, where ever centimeter of storage space is considered precious, I got rid of it. There wasn’t room for an appliance that only had one minor function. The appliance of the moment here in the States is the INSTANT POT, which I believe has a rice cooking function. (I would know if I ever took it out of the box when I bought it over 2 years ago.) My point is, if you have the storage space, by all means, buy whatever makes your cooking experience easier. Thanks ANDONG for another amazing and insightful episode.

If you cook rice every day, or even several times a day, the Zojirushi starts making a lot more sense, especially with all those extra options.

I'm not sure comparing the machines after only one use with the Zojirushi is particularly meaningful. As simple as it is, there's some nuance to it. Use it for a while, get a feel for it and then compare the two units. I expect that'll be a comparison that provides more value.

Though I love to cook & love rice, I've never been a fan of cooking it. I didn't grow up eating a lot of it so it wasn't something I was used to preparing. A couple of months ago I bought an Instant Pot; electronic pressure cooker, steamer, slowcooker/crockpot, sauté pan, rice cooker, yogurt maker, you know, it has all the pre-programmed stuff built in. I mainly bought it as a pressure cooker as it will cook meat, veg & soup quickly & healthily. But the other functions have been good too. But I've started making rice in it... & as long as you make sure the rice is properly washed & set it to the right program or time for the type of rice it's been turning out perfect rice every time. I'm really happy with it & it was a lot cheaper than the expensive rice cooker you just bought. [Plus it does a lot more in the way of cooking methods]. Great video, you always do interesting things.

In China you can get ones just like that "fancy" one for the equivalent of around 30 euros or less

It really depends on how much rice you eat, in Asia the rice cooker on the left is almost a default that every families have.

I've got a decade old 20 buck rice cooker I bought on sale that is is so old somehow the Teflon has started coming off the pan. I still use it even though little bits of rice are starting to stick to the pan.

can you do the same vid on air fryers pls???

I still want a Zojirushi if I can ever afford one, but the reminder to VENT AND STIR THE CHEAP RICE COOKER AS SOON AS IT BEEPS is priceless!

If i had an endless kitchen i'd probably have a rice cooker... since i have limited space my regular cooking pots do just fine.

You never really need a high-end Zojirushi to get your rice evenly cooked, all you need is one that is not shitty. And many rice cookers can accomplish that. I owned a Toshiba and a Xiaomi, they both do a very good job. What type of rice you use is more important for the result.

I have a top of the line vacuum capable Zojirushi model that I've gradually upgraded to in years. I can say I've used rice cookers of all tiers. They get a bit gimmicky without obvious improvements in my opinion. What I appreciate the most with my current cooker is the ability to make congee by pressing a button. My wife loves congee but I hate babysitting it in a regular pot for 45 minutes. Not related to the machine, for an exceptional bowl of rice, you need more than anything else, access to top quality grains like shinmai, new harvest in Japan. Wash it by gently rubbing the grains between your hands for at least 5 minutes and add a little white vinegar. It is a great pleasure to have a perfect bowl of rice, steaming shiny looking individual grains, that you can feel one by one in your mouth. It'll make whatever you're eating with it taste much better.

I bought that simple rice cooker (brand: Solis) at a flee market for 5$ and it has served me well ever since.

So I love rice. All kinds. In my family we always used to cook rice in a regular pots. My mom always used this specific recipe for basmati where you quickly fry the rice in oil and then pour hot water and let it cook. Somehow my mom always managed to make a pretty good rice. Same for my dad whenever he cooked dinner for us. But seems like I was cursed and I never actually managed to properly cook rice. I am not a pro cook, but I love cooking and I can prepare some decent or even really good food. Except I wasn’t able to cook rice. It always was too mushy or undercooked. My mom used to give me advices. All this measure with finger and other BS. One day I was so anxious I was experimenting whole day in my kitchen trying to come up with proper temperatures and measurements. Got some decent results, but was never able to recreate normal rice again. That moment I started noticing many people using rice cookers and they always told me like it’s the best thing ever, and I thought of rice cooker as some sort of lame tool for lazy people, just another electric pot that won’t fix the issues with my rice. Well, I left with no choices, but buying rice cooker. Bought a small Tefal one for 60eur. God damn. I just followed the instructions and rice was so freaking perfect. It was fucking shining like some sort of a message from God. I was living without proper rice that I love for so many years and it was so easy to get. I enjoy rice so much nowadays, even my moms rice sucks compared to mine prepared in rice cooker. Please, if you read this, and you think rice cooker is not what you need, no. Stop thinking this way. Buy rice cooker. Please. Treat yourself with proper rice.

The fancy rice cooker plays "alle meine Entchen" If that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will

I always use the basic rice cooker since I learned its simplicity in achieving automatic control. Through years of experience, I settled down the exact same method Andong shows for the basic rice cooker. Release the steam, and let the rice rest for 5~10 more minutes. It does a pretty decent job and I never find the need for a fancy rice cooker. Who needs those stupid buttons, screens, and circuit chips for such a simple job!

Andong: "This is my rice cooker" Me: "There are many like it but this one is mine!". Also that unboxing music was boppin my guy. Love it.

I always just cook rice in a pan with a bunch load of water, works every time

I make my Japanese-style rice in the pot on the stove and it turns out pretty good. Just rinse, wash thrice, soak for 30 mins to an hour (you can do this the night before, there's a limit to the absorption). Then just use around 200ml of water per 150g (一合） of dry rice or so. Start timing once it starts boiling. 12 minutes, gradually starting high heat and lowering as you go. Once it's done, turn off the stove and let it steam for around 10 min. Eventually you get a feel for adjusting the water based on whether you want it with a little more bite or a little softer. Helpful for people who live in countries where rice cookers aren't really readily available. My dad is addicted, the Japanese know their rice.

If the Zojirushi actually has Rie Tanaka or Kikuko Inoue going "Ara ara~" when you open it, I'M BUYING 4!!!

I recently invested in a Zojirushi and there is no turning back. I saw the difference with one bite. The best comparison would be using the recommanded ratio of water/rice of each machines.

Mine was about 130€, has different options (I like the "crust" option alot) and makes perfect rice. Plus it has a "warming" option which keeps the rice nice and fluffy for hours.

I find it best to fluff up the rice, then cover and let it steam under its own residual heat for 20 mins. It then comes out light and fluffy.

Uncle Roger would be proud , a whole weejo about rice cooker

I HIGHLY suggest you also try at least once using the measuring cup the Zirojushi came with along with IN CONJUNCTION WITH the water level marks in the pot. If you pour in 2 LEVEL Zirojushi cups of white rice, you can fill the final water level in the pot up to the 2 mark in the white rice column. See how that factory recommendation turns out; probably no need to open lid and air out rice afterward. I would also be curious if you can compare for us brown rice and different types of rice (jasmine, basmati, etc) between your two rice cookers....as well as testing the quick mode on your new one. I don't think your model is one of those new ones with the high pressure function that can cook brown rice to give it a nice short grain rice texture with a bite, right? I like using those for cooking up rice by pouring in lager or pilsner, sliced onion, Sichuan peppers, salt, and laying some whole Chinese sausages or bratwurst on top to cook up together. The handle is handy for when you easily remove the pull away plug and take the whole insulated cooker to your dining table on the other side of your large flat. It'll keep it insulated and warm and within reach when you and your guests need a refill of rice to go with that delicious food you cook.

360 Euro??? Hahaha - when you did the drumroll I thought you were going to say some CRAZY amount - like the $500+ for the Panasonic rice cooker with the multiply metal bowl! I know that 360 is a lot, but when you're Asian, that's kinda the average amount you spend on a proper rice cooker! Zojirushi makes some of the best. We've had several over the years and they're always awesome. The high tech rice cookers, like yours and mine, take longer because they hold the rice and allow it to hydrate for a bit before actually cooking the rice. It's similar to manual cooking rice in a donabe where you hydrate the rice for 30 minutes before cooking. Plus, the high tech rice cookers will compensate for the overabundance of water - since you used more than a 1:1 ratio. Also, the performance of the rice is improved if you use the paddle to mix the rice a bit before eating. But really, don't go down the rabbit hole of varietal rice. That's where the insanity truly begins!

Wow I never knew my 14yo CD player radio alarm clock could also cook rice. If only that thing wasn't 3x the size of a regular cooker that makes rice plenty even with a couple stirs.

A lot of the minor issues you mentioned with the cheap rice cookers are solved by “fluffing” the rice to redistribute the moisture and letting it sit for longer with the lid on :) it just takes a bit longer to continue cooking even after the button pops up.

The start chime clearly is lifted from a cheap christmas card. The finish chime sounds (almost) like the classic "Sandmännchen" intro. Shoutout to Technology Connections, who has an (as usual, very) extensive video on the "analog" rice cooker.

You didn't buy a fancy rice cooker, you bought a fancy slow cooker.

“Ara Ara” Now that’s a rice cooker to buy

Andong, I think you missed one variable here: what rice did you cook? I've eaten Jasmine rice my whole life, and my recent downgrade to a cheap rice cooker after my childhood's nice one failed made no difference to me. Part of that may be because the grain of Jasmine rice is slimmer and more easily cooked (and I also use less water because I like drier rice). I'm aware that Champa rice and Japanese varieties have fatter grains and may offer a difference.

I use an instant pot to cook my rice I would recommend. It's not as good as a stand alone Rice cooker but it's great at so many other things.

Here in Hawaii we definitely do take the rice cooker to the picnic. Cool the rice so it’s ready just before you leave the house. Don’t open. Bring the whole thing. There’s always rice at every gathering.

I bought a Zojirushi earlier this year for about half that price! Best damn rice I've ever had!

I have a Bosh cooker that look exactly like this Zojirushi, from what I saw I'd even say they have the same features, it costs less than 100€, I still prefer to cook in an old rice cooker that costs 15€

Do make sure you use the Zorojushi cup to measure the rice and fill the line to match what you measured. Thats v. important. The congee comes up great. It holds the rice in good shape for like a whole day. It also does stews etc. Great stuff.

When he closed the rice cookers you could even hear the price difference 😂 Cheap: *tink* Expensive: * deep thonk*

6:36 so... just cook rice in the pot, once the water is just about to dry, transfer to a steamer cook until its dried completely... no need to worry the rice overheating or burning then

12:42 source for japanese is from lisa / genshin impact (the full quote in japanese is - わたくしは野菜スープが好きよ。大きな鍋に野菜をぜ～んぶ入れて、長いお玉でかき混ぜるの･･･えっ、美味しいかって？あらあら、それならどうぞ、ほら--)

We’ve had a rice cooker years ago in my family, it was zojirushi with some flowery design, a simple cook/warm switch. What I liked about it was that it kept the rice warm for days without it drying out on the bottom and getting mushy and spoiled in the middle. I’ve yet to find a rice cooker in the cheaper range work as well as that rice cooker.

Panasonic make a great mid level rice cooker, I'd highly recommend it. 🙂

btw expensive zojirushi also last waaaay longer than cheap rice cooker, my zojirushi also has been used for more than 10 years and still working great and makes perfect rice everyday. you can even use it to make steamed cake in it lol. if the cheap rice cooker breaks in every 2-4 years i would rather buy an expensive one that can last for like half of my life. this year i'm 19 and damn for my entire life since i can remmember anything, that rice cooker has exist in my house. the only thing that started to wear out is the metal pot of the rice cooker as it already got scratched up from years of usage and beatings from metal utensils thanks to my father's inatentiveness (which has been scolded for years by my mother and me who loves to cook in my household but still do it anyways). that song at the start and the end of the process of the cooking of the rice is the song of my people, every zojirushi models used that song including the old ones. i have heard it every morning everyday for my entire life of consuming white rice and its still fun to hear that.

The Zoji makes really good mixed rice too. We like the recipes in The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook, but I'm sure there are others too.

Ah, you lost the opportunity of talking about the Curie Point and how when it's reached, depending on the temperature, the magnetic properties of the metallic elements change and it makes the rice cooker going from one mode to another... but I guess at that moment half of the viewers would be yawning 😂

I actually found a different pretty good solution a while ago that works well for me - I have an electric steamer! Of course it needs some knowledge about the proportions (they are different since some water from the bottom is absorbed as well) and I usually leave it for around 35-40 minutes plus some time with the power off. I used to have a cheap rice cooker while my mum has a fancy one and I must say that in terms of how pleasant the texture from the steamer is, it's right between the two and closer to the expensive rice cooker. However, the main advantage is that I can also do whole potatoes, greens, fish in foil and dumplings (it was a game changer for my dim sum!) without having to monitor anything :)

That music brings me back to the Journey Across Japan series

That power up melody gives me childhood PTSD.

As a Brazilian, I've been doing rice in a pan over the stove for so long, muscle memory and intuitive understanding is so natural that it just seems pointless to buy one of these. The type of rice we get here is pretty decent too, so it's basically not an issue. Obviously could adapt to using a rice cooker, but I would just mostly use for different sorts of functions and spend less on gas.

if you like brown or mixed grain rice, the japanese and korean fancy rice cookers are a blessing, they usualy have modes for it which are just about always perfect results

The „Journey Across Japan“ theme matches your unboxing perfectly 😂

another big benefit of the more expensive rice cooker is the ability to just keep cooked rice in it over time. One of my roommates in college had one of these and we literally had rice whenever we wanted it 24/7 because we would just make batches and keep whatever was left over inside. There is a keep-warm function that keeps the rice at the perfect consistency and it definitely keeps rice great for a few days

I haven't used my rice-cooker in 7 years or so. I just use a pan on my stove. (wash, about a cm water above the rice, bring to a boil, low for 15 minutes, let sit with lid on for at least 10 minutes) I just don't find it worth the space in my small kitchen. Even if I had the space I wouldn't want to keep it in the open anyway because everything in the kitchen gets really dirty over time and I just don't want to bother cleaning surfaces like that (counters clean easily, devices do not) As far as this difference goes, I'm pretty sure letting the rice rest (which the fancy machine probably did anyway) bridges the difference.

Package: Fragile, handle with care Andong: *SLAPS ON THE TABLE*

Now you need to show your expertise in making perfect Persian rice in your fancy cooker. The kind you flip out of the pot into a dish and show off a perfectly golden buttery crunchy crust that formed on the bottom. Yummy.

I got a cuckoo rice cooker for $200CAD and it's functionally same as this one. As long as you get a fuzzy logic one with the rubber seal it's just a matter of size and additional functions. The three leading brands are zojirushi for japan, cuckoo for korea and tiger is also japanese made as pointed out in the comments. Just grab one of those and you'll be fine

Short awnser: Yes Lomg awnser: If you eat rice daily it is worth it. If you are eating rice less than at at least once a week, stick with a good pot. Avoid the cheap rice cooker.

The ratios probably should be different. With an expensive rice cooker, it demands also experimenting for the perfect ratio.

4:27 - You're listing to the song of it's people, that's a great honor.