The rice cooker might be a single specialty kitchen item, but sushi lovers cannot live without it. These electric gadgets make perfect rice for all sushi balls or rolls. Japanese rice cookers make firm rice that can withstand the seasoning process.
The top four rice cookers for sushi include the Zojirushi induction heating system and the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cookers. The six-cup Cuckoo CR-0655F self-cleaning model and the budget-friendly and large Aroma Housewares ARC-5000SB will also make exceptional sushi rice.
When your rice is stable, you will find it easier to season it evenly. A good sushi rice cooker will preserve your glutinous rice’s sticky texture. Let’s go through the top rice cookers for sushi that you can find in the market today.
Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer
The Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH rice cooker is the smartest rice cooker from Zojirushi, and with good reason. It makes fantastic rice every time, no matter the variety of grain that you put in it. Having said that, the Zojirushi induction rice cooker’s price tag might look like daylight robbery to most people that live outside Japan.
In Japan, rice is a staple food. This rice cooker like the toaster has had to differentiate itself from the everyday rice cooker. It sells at a premium cost but has become a must-have tool in the kitchen. Though cooking rice is actually a fairly simple task, cooking rice that passes the Japanese standards of sushi rice is however not a simple process.
Rice is at the heart of Japanese culture. This simple grain has a complex connection to tons of Japanese expressions and forms both in the contemporary and historical settings.
In fact, a lot of Japanese social behavior stems from the process of wet rice cultivation. In the past, Japanese families had to pool their labor to accomplish the arduous wet rice cultivation process.
For this reason, they needed to share their irrigation and water resources. Since irrigation designs forced water downhill, the flow of water was a link that bound families, forcing them to cluster together. It is through rice farming that the aspects of Japanese culture such as dependency and harmony came to be.
Rice is so central to Japanese culture that Gohan the title for cooked rice also means ‘meal’. The Japanese refer to breakfast as ‘asagohan’ and lunch as ‘hirugohan’. Dinner goes by the title ‘bangohan’. A meal without rice in this northwest Pacific Ocean Island nation is unthinkable.
Zojirushi Corporation, a Japanese company found in 1918, understands the importance of rice in Japan. The multinational manufacturer of consumer electronics and vacuum flasks has leveraged technology to coax textures and flavors out of any rice.
Their sushi rice cooker makes extraordinary fluffy white rice, with a top-notch creamy, nutty, and sweet flavor. Toss brown rice in it and you will get back perfectly chewy pliant and distinct kernels, a feat not as easy to achieve with an ordinary rice cooker or stove pot. It will make your long grain basmati grains delectably fluffy, all thanks to its fuzzy logic technology.
The Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH buttons will make the perfect sushi rice, jasmine rice, and black rice. Simply press the right button on the screen at the front of the device. Put your rice, go attend to your other chores, and enjoy perfect rice at the perfect temperature when you get back.
This sushi rice cooker will also cook your GABA rice in its GABA setting. GABA rice is sprouted rice and is softer and sweeter than plain brown rice is. Germination turns grains into nutritional powerhouses increasing their magnesium, potassium, zinc, and Vitamin E, B1, B6 content.
GABA rice is especially rich in the amino acid GABA that has a calming effect on the body. The Zojirushi induction rice cooker will cook your GABA rice on its ‘Softer’ menu for better tasting and softer rice.
It will also activate your brown rice to encourage germination by holding the rice grains in its pan at a perfect temperature for 2 hours. Using induction heating, this sushi rice cooker also has pressure-cooking features that through fuzzy logic it will make the best sushi rice.
It will also learn over time, adjusting variables to suit your climate, water type, humidity in the air, and different types of rice. The Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH does not only make rice-cooking dirt simple, but it is a quality gadget that cooks better than most chefs can. Unlike most kitchen gadgets, it does not sacrifice quality for convenience.
Specs
- Capacity : 1 liter (uncooked)
- Material: stainless steel
- Heating method: Induction Heating (IH) technology
- Cooking functions: Mixed rice, white rice (regular, harder, or softer), sweet rice, sushi rice, GABA brown rice, brown rice, jasmine white rice, porridge, and quick cooking.
Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer
Japan is big on rice. It does not come as a surprise then, that electrical equipment manufacturers like Zojirushi spend most of their budgets innovating around rice. The Japanese company’s hard work has brought about the Zojirushi NS-ZCC18.
The Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker just like its counterpart, the Zojirushi induction rice cooker has fuzzy logic technology. It thinks for itself, adjusting your rice cooking temperature as well as heating time to make flawless sushi rice effortlessly.
Zojirushi’s Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker has an incredibly comprehensive list of features. First, it has a spherical thick inner rice-cooking pan that balances the heat from its system. Besides its sturdy pot, it has a user-friendly digital interface that has pre-programmable options for various types of rice grains and dishes.
A large part of the Neuro-Fuzzy rice cooker’s attraction is its design aesthetic that focuses on better usage of small living spaces. Minimalist living is a common aspect of city living in Japan. It is not uncommon to find apartments that have the dimensions of an office cubicle.
Kitchens can hardly hold a single induction cooktop and a small washing area. Tokyo is the king of downsized living. You will find communal share houses, capsule hotels, and compact prefabs here because of land scarcity.
The rabbit hole apartment and tiny homes need kitchen equipment as compact as the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10. It is easy to transport and carry a rice cooker with a fold-down handle. It has a retractable cord and stay-cool side handles. Use them to safely move your Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker pan while it is still hot.
It also has an extended automatic keep warm setting and a reheating cycle. Your rice dish will not cool down too fast or spoil when it is in the neuro-fuzzy rice cooker. These settings will activate automatically once the rice’s cooking cycle is complete.
The rice cooker will keep your cooked rice at optimal serving temperatures for at least 12 hours. The Extended Keep Warm feature has manual settings. Dial it up, and your Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker will keep your rice warmer for longer.
These features can be lifesaving. Did you know that while reheating rice after a long day for a quick meal is one of life’s little pleasures, leftover rice can be harmful? This simple delicacy can give you a horrible case of food poisoning after reheating.
The reheating is not the culprit. It is the meal’s storage process after cooking. Rice grains have Bacillus cereus spores, which can cause food poisoning. These spores can survive the cooking process. If you leave your rice resting at room temperature, after boiling it, these spores could sprout into bacteria.
Give them enough time and they will multiply into diarrhea and vomiting, causing toxins. Rice left at room temperature can be unsafe to eat. To keep it safe, store it in the right way, should you plan to reheat it. The Zojirushi NS-ZCC10’s warm setting features will keep your rice free of bacterial toxins.
Even better, you do not have to fret about the method of reheating your cold rice safely any longer. The rule of thumb is that to kill bacteria, reheat rice until it is steaming hot. The Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker keeps not only your rice safe and warm for hours on end, but has a reheating cycle as well.
This formidable sushi rice cooker will heat your rice back to its steaming hot and ideal temperature, making it safe to eat. With it at hand, you do not have to chance on poorly reheated microwave or cooking stove rice.
Specs
- Capacity – cooked (uncooked) : 10 cups (5.5 cups)
- Material: stainless steel
- Heating method: Advanced Fuzzy Logic technology
- Cooking functions: Brown rice, semi-brown, white (sushi/ regular, softer, or harder), porridge, mixed, rinse-free, sweet, steam and quick cooking
Cuckoo CR-0655F Rice Cooker & Warmer
Most Americans may not grasp just how important rice is to the world. According to ricepedia, wheat, maize, and rice are three of the world’s dominant food groups. That said, the staple food taken by over half of the world’s population is rice.
Over 3.5 billion people depend on rice for at least 20% of their daily calories. Asia alone consumes 90% of the world’s rice, and the demand for this small grain in that vast continent is huge. The continent’s culture and observances are also deeply enmeshed with rice.
As an example, rice has such a deep effect on Japanese norms and culture that it sprouted the island’s emphasis on group interests. Rice farmers had to live together in close quarters for generations. Consequently, the Japanese avoided friction between families and neighbors and still do so today.
The commitment to harmony is such a vital part of rice growing, that in Japan it is only a small fraction of people that grow rice to sustain the country. They regard rice so highly that Shinto emperors’ religious obligations revolved around rice cultivation.
For this reason, rice in Japan has a political function. It was not only a signal of wealth in the past, but it gives farmers great clout in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan’s ruling party.
It is no wonder then that some of the best sushi rice cookers are Asian.
The Cuckoo brand of rice cookers is South Korean. The Cuckoo CR-0655F is a six-cup rice cooker and warmer with eight smart rice cooking functions. It has a setting for the perfect glutinous white rice and mixed rice.
You can use it to prepare rice porridge, GABA rice, and baby food. It can also reheat and warm your rice safely. The beauty of the intelligent Cuckoo CR-0655F is its ‘My mode’ function. Using its smart cooking algorithm and fuzzy logic function, this sushi rice cooker will adapt and cook your rice to your preferred level of ‘glutinosity’ and softness.
It has different settings for its heating and soaking function that you can use to make sixteen different rice textures and tastes for your meals. The Cuckoo brand is the most popular brand of rice cookers in Korea. Their rice cookers are easy to use, have an attractive design, and very durable.
The Cuckoo CR-0655F’s detachable cover makes it super easy to clean. There is also an auto steam cleaning function that uses strong jet steam to sanitize and clean the rice cooker’s interior.
At its six cups capacity, this sushi rice cooker is perfect for small families. It also makes a fantastic housewarming or wedding gift, turning the novice sushi rice cook into a master chef at the push of a button.
Specs
- Capacity – cooked (uncooked) : 12 cups (6 cups)
- Material: plastic
- Heating method: Fuzzy Logic & intelligent cooking algorithm
- Cooking functions: Glutinous (White Rice), turbo, porridge, multi cook, brown GABA, mixed, baby food, steam
Aroma Housewares ARC-5000SB Digital Rice, Food Steamer, Slow, Grain Cooker
Unlike its Asian counterparts above the Aroma Housewares ARC-5000SB, the rice cooker is American. It is not as expensive as the Zojirushi rice cookers but can prepare great sushi rice at a budget. It has ten different cooking settings that will make sushi, brown, white, and quick rice.
You can also use it to make your jambalaya, fluffy rice cake, or steamed veggies. The advanced sushi rice cooker has features that automatically adjust the temperature and the cooking time for superb rice. No need to watch over a boiling pot of water; get easy, but restaurant-quality sushi rice in the comfort of your home.
The Aroma Housewares ARC-5000SB is a ten-liter capacity model. Its size makes it perfect for large families. You can use its extensive 15-hour delay function to extend your cooking time and to keep your meals warm.
It has a built-in steam feature that makes nutrient-rich above it as the rice cooks below. A rice cooker for all sushi needs, perfect for the enthusiast short on time. Use it to cook your big batch of grain perfectly for all your week’s needs.
Make enough rice at a go-to for your lunch salads, curries, and nourishing soups and your speedy fried rice dinners. Use the same quantity of rice to make amazing rice puddings or crispy rice fritters on the side. With a fantastic rice cooker by your side, you can have nourishing and filling rice dishes, with minimum effort.
Specs
- Capacity: 20 cups (cooked rice)
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Heating method: Sauté-Then-Simmer Technology (STS)
- Cooking functions: quick cooking, steamed veggies, steamed rice, fluffy cake.
Why are Japanese Rice Cookers so Expensive?
Most people are understandably guarded about the purchase of single-specialty kitchen tools. They would rather not purchase these items, because all that they do in the kitchen is ease cooking tasks. Rice cookers, for instance, may cook the perfect rice, but how bad can stove cooked rice be?
Sure, you will make a few mushy pots occasionally, but that is part of the cooking process, right? Other people opt for cheaper rice cookers, to make the perfect meal. After all, rice is but a dish you make occasionally when you are craving some fried garlic butter rice, homemade risotto, or creamy chicken and rice.
You, therefore, need not invest in high-end Japanese rice cookers that cost much more than an excellent set of traditional cooking pots. This begs the question, why are Japanese rice cookers so expensive?
Cooking on burners has many inherent shortcomings. First, you have to master the art of cooking with unpredictable heat levels. Then there are different cooking pots, each with its degree of heat conduction and insulation.
With a rice cooker at hand, you do not have to worry about undercooking your rice. Your rice cooker will not burn your rice, but it will cook it to perfection and keep it warm until dinnertime. Japanese rice cookers are the reigning kings of rice cooker technology.
The Zojirushi line of rice cookers, for instance, are the Cadillacs of Japanese rice cookers. Sushi chefs highly recommend these legendary electrical devices for their ability to churn out the uniformly cooked, perfect rice, every time. If you are chasing rice dream texture, toothsome tender rice but perfectly fluffy with a hint of stickiness, then these magical gadgets will see it done.
This feat is hard to manage on a stove pot. You might get most pots just right, but some of them will be gummy, mushy, hard, and just lackluster. That said, this is not all that there is to Japanese rice cookers. Have you heard about Fuzzy Logic?
Fuzzy Logic
Fuzzy logic is a concept of fuzzy mathematics that technologists used to tackle the notion of partial truth. What does that mean? Mathematicians say that classic logic only deals with true or false conclusions. Nevertheless, there are undeniably variable answers to some questions.
The degree of truth in some of these variable answers ranges between 0 and 1. Fuzzy logic is the brainchild of computer scientist and mathematician, Lofti Zadeh. The principle works on the idea that people often make decisions using imprecise data.
The fuzzy model, therefore, represents this vagueness, interpreting information that lacks certainty for use in many applications. Zojirushi adds fuzzy logic technology to their high-end gadgets via microcomputer chips. This is the reason why you will find the abbreviation Micom on the rice cooker’s product name.
Wondering why these gadgets need to solve complex mathematical concepts to cook great rice? Here is why. In the rice cooker, fuzzy logic helps all levels of rice cooks achieve perfection when cooking rice. These rice cookers will make heat placement adjustments to eliminate any risks of wet or burnt spots in rice.
The Japanese rice cooker can intimidate at first sight. It looks too high tech. These diverse controls however ensure that the device can fix any rice making mistakes that you make. If you mess up the rice to water ratio, it will turn its settings to get rid of any clumps in the rice.
It is an idiot-proof kitchen device that can handle all types of rice dishes. Below are some benefits of Fuzzy logic rice cookers.
Intelligent Rice Cooking Choices
A rice cooker that has fuzzy logic technology makes smart choices when cooking rice. It will assess all factors that influence the meals’ final output. The kitchen device will, for instance, sense any sudden change in the ingredient’s core cooking temperature. It takes into account factors such as the pan warm-up time to allot accurate rice cooking times.
Can Cook Rice in Diverse Cooking Styles
From Gohan to Mochi to Onigiri, the Japanese have a wide range of rice dishes. The traditional cheapie rice-cooking gadget will only cook rice at one setting for any rice dish that you may have in mind. Gohan or cooked rice is the basis of most dishes, not just in Japan, but also all over the world.
In Japan, Gohan goes with breakfast and is accompanied by other dishes such as miso soup for other meals. In the West, Gohan is an excellent alternative to bread. You will find that the off-shelf rice cooker can make respectable Gohan. To make Mochi or rice cakes, the Japanese will steam and pound glutinous rice.
This rice dish is perfect when fresh, or fried. You can also have it in soups. Kayu or rice porridge is a product of slow-cooked rice in plenty of water. It is a thick type of rice dish that goes along well with pickled plums. Kayu is a comfort food for people recovering from illness.
This is the point where the limitations of the traditional rice cooker show. They cannot handle authentic Japanese rice cookery. Glutinous rice, a favorite of the island nation, requires unique cooking options, which you will not find in the average rice cooker.
Fuzzy logic gives these high-end rice cookers different settings for diverse rice textures. You can choose sticky texture settings for your Southeast Asia dessert to ensure that your base ingredient does not dry up too much.
The variety of settings on the intelligent kitchen devices may make the Japanese rice cooker look a tad unnerving. Over time, however, you will find them irreplaceable in the kitchen.
Precise Cooking Features
Japanese rice cookers can also cook various types of rice with precision. Say Hakumai or Japanese short-grain rice. It becomes sticky on cooking and makes the perfect sushi rice. To cook the perfect Japanese white rice in a rice cooker, rinse it perfectly and use a 1:1 water to rice ratio.
Most rice cookers will have a mark for water levels on both sides of the bowl. The fuzzy logic technology in a Japanese rice cooker can speed up cooking time and keep it warm until mealtime. While white rice is the go-to dish in Japan, brown rice (genmai) is also a common cooking ingredient.
Unlike its white counterpart, brown rice does not undergo the polishing process. More Japanese now eat it for its health benefits since it has nutritious rice bran. The yellowish-brown rice is nutty and chewy and has more dietary fiber than white rice does.
Brown rice requires more cooking time to give it a chewy and fluffy texture. Its water to rice ratio is 1:2 or at least 1: 1.5. There are also multigrain rice varieties such as white rice with barley and other types of grains. Then there is Mochigome or glutinous rice, the second most popular rice variety in Japan.
It is more sticky than white rice, making perfect sweets, rice cakes, and other dessert bases. The standard-issue rice cooker cannot cook all these types of rice grains to precision. Fuzzy logic technology on the other hand has programmable precise cooking phases that cook all rice varieties adequately.
Conclusion
The top rice cookers for sushi will keep the rice warm and steam your veggie toppings. This feature gives you the bonus benefit of a quick turnaround when preparing your sushi. These magical gadgets are so handy that they will pre-soak your brown rice to ensure that it is tender and moist.
No need to set the time aside to do it yourself. Besides handling pre-soaking inconveniences, these gadgets will make all necessary adjustments as the dish cooks. The Japanese rice cooker delivers perfect rice every time.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Fuzzy logic
- Wikipedia: Fuzzy mathematics
- Wikipedia: Lotfi A. Zadeh
- japan-guide: Rice
- Thejapanstore: About Brown Rice
- Amazon: Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer
- spice.fsi.Stanford: Rice: It’s More Than Food In Japan
- Wikipedia: Zojirushi Corporation
- Theawesomegreen: What is GABA Rice + A Mental Health Supporting Bowl
- Amazon: Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer
- food.ndtv: This Is How You Should Reheat Leftover Rice To Avoid Food Poisoning
- Ricepedia: The global staple
- Amazon: Cuckoo CR-0655F Rice Cooker & Warmer
- Amazon: Aroma Housewares ARC-5000SB Digital Rice, Food Steamer, Slow, Grain Cooker
