The very best rice cooker for 2026

Capability (cups): 6 cups (raw) / 12 cups (cooked) | Options: Twin strain cooking (excessive and comfortable); 14 menu choices together with GABA rice, porridge, and scorched rice; nonstick internal pot; auto-clean perform; voice navigation in English, Korean, and Chinese language | Guarantee: 1 12 months restricted | Weight: 12.6 kilos

This higher-end Cuckoo model delivered the very best batches for all three grains of rice. Not solely did it make rattling good rice, it delivered in report time due to its pressurized cooking choice. The Japanese-style white rice took a mere 29 minutes. The brown rice had a wonderfully agency texture, a fantastically nutty taste and no hint of stickiness — all cooked in simply 43 minutes. I used the non-pressurized mode for the basmati spherical and that also solely took 37 minutes. And that was simply the presets; it’s also possible to customise to your tastes.

However I will be sincere, I’ve some reservations about recommending this mannequin. Each the white and brown rice had some crisping on the underside throughout my testing. It’s not clear if that is the “melanoizing” impact described within the guide, or only a issue of the excessive strain mode. For a half-hour cook dinner time, I can overlook that. For a $260 price ticket, I am much less forgiving.

I additionally bumped into some problems with practicality. Just like the purple Cuckoo Micom mannequin, the lid springs open exhausting sufficient to rock all the unit, and this one was additionally probably the most tough to scrub. There are additional rubber gaskets within the lid that must be completely cleaned and dried earlier than the subsequent use. And the rubber deal with for detaching the primary lid floor was ineffective; I needed to pry the factor off by the perimeters. I would not thoughts that with a inexpensive equipment, however for one thing this high-end, these little touches make a distinction.

Lastly, I do not recommend this mannequin for a median cook dinner as a result of this equipment is downright intimidating. Cuckoo had probably the most tough to parse manuals, with some particulars presumably misplaced in translation, and its menu settings had been oddly convoluted. As an example, I managed to change the voice alerts to English (sure, there are very chipper and barely obnoxious voice alerts), however I needed to watch a YouTube video to determine turning them off fully.

So whereas this was for sure my best-performing mannequin purely when it comes to meals, it calls for a whole lot of its proprietor. Until you’ve severe expectations of your rice, count on to make use of the machine on a near-daily foundation and are keen to sort out the training curve, this equipment might be not price the associated fee. However if you’re that individual, you may be thrilled together with your funding.