Customer Reviews

Zojirushi NHS-06 3-Cup Rice Cooker

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This machine is designed to give baseline service in a rice cooker. It uses a design and technology over 15+ years old. For the amount of money being charged you might want to consider getting a machine that at least has a retractable cord.

On the plus side - the pan heats well and is teflon coated; does white long grain and Japanese medium and short grain very well.

Be aware that the water markings on the interior of the pan correspond to cooking Japanese rice which uses a different ratio of rice to water than other varieties such as, wehani or short grain brown.

This machine has to be played with to do shorter grain varieties of brown. It can handle long grain brown fine.

I would make the suggestion of looking at (all) the rice cookers there and find one that has the following things for the money:

1) stainless steel pan or aluminium pan lined with teflon; 2) retractable cord; 3) warming function;

An on/off switch is NOT standard on an Asian rice cooker. It is due to the fact that in Japan and Australia there is an on/off switch right in the wall plug area. The manufacturers did not take into account that Americans with their different outlet styles would be rice junkies (silly them).

Do not cook anything less than a cup or try for more than 3 cups. Too little rice cooked comes out a bit odd while too much means your pot lid will pop up due to too much steam.

Oh yeah, that's another thing - the lid can make noise due to the steam lifting it during the cooking process (bubbling pot lid kind of stuff). It is not dangerous so don't freak from the noise.

This machine is fine for the dorm or home. But do examine the cost of the machine, the amount of rice you eat and the cost of the machine to features.

This machine is good but it is not great.

I purchased two of these (large size and smaller one) for my family in the US. I use it when I am home for a visit. I have never been able to use this cooker w/o it spraying water all over my countertop. In short, I regret the purchase.

I now live in Tokyo and realize that Zojirushi is just pushing an inferior product on the US market. You cannot even purchase a thin-lid rice cooker here, especially one w/ a blowhole in it that lets turns the cooker into a steady spray of boiling rice water every time it is used. Not good.

If you are serious about cooking rice often, and not having to clean up your kitchen after each use, I suggest that you invest a little more and get a better designed product.

Specs say it keeps rice warm for 5 hours. True of higher priced models, not true of this one. Instruction book clearly states the it shuts off when cooking is complete.

Specs and instruction book say a cookbook comes with it. It does not.

First off, it does not keep the rice warm, according to the owner's manual. Second, I defy anyone over 35 to read -- or find -- the measurement markers on the rice tin. I purchased it for my mother who lives alone. Very disappointing. You can find the same qualities in a 14.99 rice cooker/steamer.

...is the lack of an on/off switch. We bought this a few weeks back and the cooking is generally good and even. The heavy glass lid was a vast improvement over the thin metallic one of our panasonic cooker.

But the lack of on/off means you have to plug and unplug it from the socket whenever you want to turn the system on/off. That sucks.

after owning several salton 3cup rice makers that died (see reviews on them - a lemon model), i decided to try this rice maker. this is a simple design that works just fine. i normally cook rice that i eat over a day or so, then scoop portions out for different meals. as such, a "keep warm" feature is not desired by me (this has no keep warm feature). the lack of an off switch is not a problem - the thing turns itself off when done, and i tend to store it unplugged anyway. the pot is the same size as the 3 cup salton, so my old pots will work if this pot is in dishwasher. this does spit a little from the steam hole, so i aim it at the sink - not really a problem. there are many fancier models which i don't need, and some cheaper brands which i have several dead examples. i don't know how long this may last, but i hope it lasts longer than the saltons! if you want a keep-warm feature or some fancy electronics, or the cheapest 3cup model, this isn't for you; if you want something that just does what it is supposed to do, i'd suggest considering this cooker.

I am totally thrilled. For breakfast every morning I cook Old-Fashioned oatmeal with apple and cinnamon in it and for dinner rice with spices, veggies, shrimp or fish and have a meal in a pot. I highly recommend The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufman which has amazing recipes. The pan inside has very slippery non-stick coating which I carefully wash by hand. I rinse my rice first which is how you prevent the spitting that some people report. You MUST wash the rice to get the starch off. Cooks brown and mixed brown and wild rice wonderfully. Great for 1 or 2 people.

I really love this rice cooker. It is easy to use and clean up and consistantly makes the rice sticky and fresh. The best way to take care of this rice cooker is to always wipe the rice pots base before you put it in the cooker to prevent the popping and sizzling noise. That would also prevent the brown burn marks.
And for consitantly sticky rice, I always wash the rice three times in cool water before adding bottled water to cook.

Being Filipina, I've been through MANY rice cookers and found it difficult to find the perfect one for a household that no longer needs to make 4-8 cups of rice on a daily basis. Yes, there are better rice cookers that have cords that retract, lids that snap shut, are made to insulate, and play digital tunes when the rice is done. They are ALSO close to $100. I'm cool with the old school "ding" for $30. The size saves space on the counter top, it's easy to clean, and the rice comes out just right every time. I have also found my Zojirushi water boiler to be a trustworthy product.

Perfect rice every time. Even brown rice cooks great.

A little hint, when you put the water in the dry rice before hitting the COOK button make a little depression like a crater in the center of the rice bed. It promotes the circulation of the heat and cooks more evenly.

This worls wonderfully with Japanese style rice such as Kokuho Rose or Nishiki. It comes out nice and fluffy.Look down at the bed when the thing dinks done and look at the perfection below.

Enjoy. This is a terrific cooker