Customer Reviews

Zojirushi NP-HTC18 Induction Heating 10-Cup Pressure Rice Cooker and Warmer

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Just completed my first pot of brown rice at 7,300 ft. It is so much better than my usual pressure-cooked brown rice, it is amazing. And I didn't have to stand around adjusting the flame on my stove to keep the pressure up, but not too far up. I simply put in the brown rice to the levels recommended. I closed it and set it on the brown rice setting. Perfect the first time.
Yes, it is really expensive, but brown rice doesn't really get done at my altitude unless you use a pressure cooker. The controls on a pressure cooker are not very fine. This machine immediately brings the rice to the best temperature for cooking whatever kind of rice one chooses and raises the pressure, if necessary, to get the water to that temperature.
I looked at the non-pressurized Zojirushi rice cookers and realized that they would not work for me, so my sweet husband sprang for the NP-HTC18 and gave it to me for a gift. I am very lucky. Great husband, great rice-cooker. He figures he will be paid off in more frequent brown rice from now on and he is right.

First off I know this rice cooker is super expensive. Why the heck does a rice cooker cost this much? But this isn't even the most expensive, there's a rice cooker that's $2000 in Japan, that's the Bently or Rolls Royce of rice cookers. This one is the Lexus of rice cookers.

The main selling point for this one is that it has induction cooking and pressure cooking. I'm assuming that if you are looking at this machine, you are probably Asian and eat rice everyday. Does this machine make the rice so much better that it's worth the price, not really. Not for it to be worth this much but if you like your rice to be perfectly moist, this does a great job. I'm comparing this rice cooker to my old Tiger which is just a standard rice cooker. This one is all computer controlled and you just can't mess up the rice.

The main reason to get this rice cooker over a cheaper brand is that you want to eat brown rice. Now to be perfectly clear the brown rice is a lot softer but it is not the consistency of white rice. I was reading some reviews and people say they got the brown rice to have the same consistency as white rice. It's softer by far but the brown rice still has the brown cover on it so it is still harder than white rice but a lot softer. This pressure cooker version even makes it softer than just the induction model. I have both. I bought the induction only model and gave it to my mom and now I have this one.

I have no idea if the GABA feature really works but might as well use it, can't hurt.

This machine is made in Japan, not China. Some of the cheaper Zojirushi rice cookers are made in China now.

I am quite aware as a non-Asian that my review of a rice cooker which is basically no more than a fancy, perhaps overpriced water boiler, might not be taken too seriously. However, I have been cooking Asian/Chinese cuisine for almost 35 years and for some reason have had an identity, if not a passion for the art of properly cooking rice. During this time I have owned 6 electric rice cookers. I began with a National basic rice cooker. You placed the rinsed rice into the aluminum cooking pot, clicked the switch to on and off it went. When the rice had boiled all the liquid away the temp spiked and my rice cooker shut off. The following rice cooker was again a National brand, but this was a much more sophisticated model that touted "Fuzzy Logic". I realize that it is a bit of a stretch to believe a microprocessor could be needed to merely "boil and cook" rice? However, given the assortment of rice dishes and not just cooking plain rice a convenience like this seemed to be a natural progression in the countries where rice was an everyday staple.

My next rung up the automatic rice cooker ladder was a more sophisticated Zojirushi rice cooker with more settings and again "fuzzy logic". Not long after this I was in a Korean grocery store and found a Panasonic brand "pressure" rice cooker that touted that it could not only cook outstanding rice of any variety, but an assortment of mixed grains, stews, and one meal dishes. I bought this and immediately feel in love with all of its features. Not only did it perform flawlessly cooking rice, it could also cook almost anything else, rice, grains, or otherwise and this is with what ever you chose to add.

I eventually ordered another pressure Panasonic rice cooker since they had stopped making them, from Ebay in order to have a back-up and/or parts. Some time after I received this second Panasonic pressure rice cooker I happened to have found a link to Zojirushi. I have always been very keen on this Japanese brand. To make a point, I was a very snobbish bread baker; sneering at anyone that would consider making bread in a bread machine. After receiving my Zojirushi BBCCX-20 bread machine I had to eat my words.

Anyway, I decided to try the NP-HTC18 Induction Heating 10-cup Pressure Rice Cooker. I have been cooking on induction cooking hobs for years and decided to give this a try, in spite of the cost. All I can tell you is that if you love rice and all the other rice/grain dishes that I do, you should invest in this awesome kitchen device. I have not had it long, but have cooked several batches of various white rices, barley, mixed grains and rice, and mixed rices. All of these have been either plain or with oils, mushrooms, spices, herbs, etc. I am not sure what is on the horizon here, but for me this is the ultimate anything cooker. I hope that more and more people buy this and experiment with all of it's amazing possibilities.

This is a long term user review....

In the first 6 months of use, it made some very good rice and even stored the rice for up to 3 days fresh---no drying or yellowing. HOWEVER, after the initial 6mths of use, we have noticed faster yellowing of the rice within 24 hours. Yes, we have used the extended warm feature, but no difference. I believe it is due to the rubber seal/gasket of the underside lid wearing down. I recall in the beginning, the lid would pressure seal when you closed it. NOW, since the rubber seal has worn down, no more pressure seal when you close, and I believe this is what is causing degraded cooking issues (moisture loss) and faster yellow of the rice. I called Zojirushi customer service (rude by the way), and they were unwilling to replace the worn down lid ($35) part under warranty. My friend also bought this $400 unit under my recommendation, and after about 6mths, she is having the exact same issues. I would like to hear follow up reviews from all the 5 stars folks. I give it 5 stars for first 6mth, and 1 star now that it is good as a cheapy $50 unit after 6 months. Frankly, not worth the money.

I have had a Zojirushi rice cooker for 22 years and it would still be going strong if I had not dropped it. It did not make me sad because it gave me the opportunity to buy the new one without guilt! I cook potatoes, artaichokes, soups and a lot more and oh yes rice too. I could not be happier and I know I will still be using it for years to come. As a professional chef I put my rice cooker right up there with my immersion blender and a good scale as a must have in the kitchen.

Zojirushi NP-HTC18 Induction Heating 10-Cup Pressure Rice Cooker and WarmerPurchased this rice cooker a few months ago and use it several times a week for breakfast, dinner, and dessert dishes. It does so much more than just make perfect rice. I also purchased the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook and it provides excellent recipes in addition to an education about different rice cookers and rices. I highly recommend it in order to make the most of this extravagant purchase.

I've never enjoyed rice this much. Every batch comes out moist and delicious. This thing has a setting called Gabba Brown and it cooks the rice so perfectly that you have to try to believe. Supposively it makes the brown rice healthier because it cooks it slower over a lower temperature which allows the rice to maintain more of it's beneficial qualities.

I think Zojirushi has done an amazing job with the NP-HTC18. I do think it is a little over-priced, but I'm sucking it up and calling it one of the best products ever. Just be careful with opening and closing the gizmo. It has a pressure lid that feels like it'll break with any kind of force.

This rice cooker has all the bells and whistles I wanted. After some research, the choice was easy. Yes it is expensive but you get what you pay for is what I like to say. At first I made rice soup but got the hang of the directions. (My son has a rice cooker and showed me some tricks on preparing the rice and mixing it with water) Long grain white rice came out like a dream. Jasmine rice is our favorite right now. The rice cooker chimes when starting and ending. (nice to know when it's ready) And the keep warm feature is the best. It gently steams away while cooking and I have had hardly any problems with clean up. Opens and closes easily but I wouldn't be too rough on the lid for fear of damaging it. Seals tightly. Cleans up great. Instructions are ok. (If I can do it, anyone can) Now I need to try out some of the other features. So many different kinds of rice out there to prepare. I know that they will all come out perfectly in my new rice cooker. After this great experience with the Zojirushi rice cooker, I also ordered the 2 lb. bread maker from Amazon.com. Like I said, I did some research.

I've never had a rice cooker before so I can't compare this to others but this is great. We have made lots of sushi rice, regular long grain rice and wild rice with it so far. Every batch has been perfect.