Zojirushi Rice Cooker

Stainless Steel Rice Cooker

Some people feel that to be a truly perfect rice cooker it needs to be stainless steel. Others have gone so far as to say that the best rice cooker is actually a pressure cooker that's stainless steel.

Whichever camp you subscribe to, here's our reviews of several stainless steel rice cookers.

The Miracle Exclussives ME81 Rice Cooker / Steam

This is an 8 cup rice cooker that yields up to 12 cups of cook white or brown rice. After cooking it automatically switches to warming mode to keep it warm until you're ready to serve. The inner cooking bowl is stainless steel and has a 46 inch power cord. It gets 4 stars from reviewers at Amazon. Priced at $65 it's a good entry level rice cooker if you're wanting to try it out before upgrading to the professional and commercial models.

Panasonic SRG06FG 3-Cup Automatic Rice Cooker

This is the top selling model at Amazon, with a 4 star rating and priced at $25. Even cheaper than the Miracle model it's another good entry level option. At this price point it would make a great gift for friends or family, especially those who are hard to buy for. It makes up to 6.6 cups of cooked rice in a single session. There's a tempered glass lid so you can see how the rice is doing during the cooking session. Stay cool handles make it easier to transport the cooker from counter to table.

 Zojirushi NP-HBC18 10-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel

We featured this model on our home page, it's the top rated rice cooker at Amazon. Zojirushi is the top brand for this product, and while its price point is definitely higher than your average off the shelf model, these are far superior in features and cooking quality. They cook rice evenly using induction heat. This model is $284, average, and is very popular among avid rice eating fans. Reviewers have provided a few additional tips for making your Zojirushi the top performing model in your kitchen.

1. Add 10% more water than is indicated, this will make fluffier rice
2. In order to make Persian-style rice, throw in one tablespoon butter and salt to taste with the water: when used with Basmati rice, this would produce fragrant rice with every grain standing apart.
3. For long-grain rice, use the "Soft" option.
4. Please use it to cook brown rice on GABA setting. Exquisite.

This brand is our favorite of all the options available, though we understand if the price is shocking. Get this as a gift for the greatest cooks in your life and open their world to the best that rice has to offer.