Customer Reviews

Zojirushi NS-KCC05 Micom Programmable 3-Cup Rice Cooker & Warmer

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

How many appliances and kitchen devices claim they will streamline preparation, enhance foods and recipes, be easy to clean, even to be so darn wonderful that you'd want to start a catering business just so you could use the product all the time? Well, I don't know about the catering business, but this cooker is the best of the best kitchen appliance, device, tool, anything having to do with cooking. At my house, it's used every day.

Construction is what you'd expect from this price: thoughtfully designed, quality materials, quality fit and finish, well put together, and the retractable cord is great. If you can operate a toaster you can operate this (and the learning curve is about the same too). There's no setup and ease of use couldn't be easier or more foolproof. Many appliances and kitchen devices I've bought over the years didn't become part of my cooking routine because often they were too tedious to clean up after, but there has never been an appliance or kitchen devise nearly as easy to clean up after than this. It takes about 5 - 10 seconds.

This cooker is great for making complete meals - as well as rice, porridge or rice soup. The recipe booklet only has 12 recipes, but it demonstrates the diversity that's limited only by your creativity. Some examples from the booklet are: Jambalaya, Wild Rice with Mushrooms, Curry Flavored Rice, Vegetable Rice, Adzuki Bean Rice, Creamy Grits. This cooker is very forgiving, rice is always perfect. Most of the rice I cook with is organic, I've used this cooker for: Wild Rice, Black Japonica, Wehani, Brown, numerous types of jasmine and basmati. For variety I've added vegetables, several types of lentils, green or yellow split peas to various rice dishes and they've all come out perfectly.

Oh, the product description states the cooker can handle up to 3 cups of dry rice, it means the provided 175 ml cup, which means about a maximum of 2 1/4 cups or 525 ml of dry rice. Things to ensure perfect rice: wash rice 1 - 2 times, fluff right when the buzzer sounds and the "Warming" light comes on. This cooker does way more than "just rice" and it's an appliance that will earn a permanent place on your kitchen counter. [...] Enjoy.

Yes, you can make rice on the stove. No, it doesn't come out as good. This rice cooker is our favorite thing in the kitchen. Not only does it make delicious rice, you can make breakfast porridge and soup. It keeps the rice warm, it can be set in advance to have it ready when you come home from work. Since one of us at home can't eat wheat products, rice is our staple and we keep this thing busy all the time.

Some of our friends were not familiar with rice cookers, and they kept inviting themselves over for dinner every week and asking for rice. They'd eat the entire batch. It was really funny. (We also use a Thai blend of Jasmine rice from our grocery store that is especially moist and delicious.)

This model has a "fuzzy logic" chip to sense when the rice is nearing done-ness. It comes out perfectly as a result.

Earlier this year, I bought the 10 cup fuzzy logic Zojirushi rice cooker, along with the Ultimate Rice Cooker cookbook, which has some fantastic recipes in it. I still love this cooker and have made all kinds of things in it - brown rice, white rice, risotto, polenta, oatmeal, even chicken chili. It really is a versatile appliance, but it tends to cook quantities of at least 2 cups of dry rice best.
I had started to use the timer function quite a lot - just stick the rice and water or other ingredients in the pot in the morning and set it to be ready and perfect at a designated time. It was great to come home and have the rice ready - all I had to do was throw together a quick stirfry or reheat leftover curry, something like that. Saves so much prep and waiting time.
I bought this cooker because I wanted to be able to cook much smaller amounts of rice without having leftovers. I have cooked as little as 1/4 cup rice in the cooker and it came out perfectly! Obviously it handles larger amounts too, but if I'm cooking for 4 or more people I tend to use the 10 cup cooker.
If you're debating whether or not this is a good purchase or if it will be sitting in the cupboard forevermore, I can tell you that I use mine all of the time, and use it at least 3 times a week. Don't forget that it cooks much more than just rice, and there are all kinds of creative dishes you can make. For ideas on that, I really recommend the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook.
I hope this review is helpful.

This rice cooker works great and is very easy to use and clean. Out of the box, you plug it in (retractable cord), set the clock, use the menu button to select which type of rice you're making, use the measuring cup for your rice, fill the water corresponding to the number of cups of rice. Hit the "cooking" button and you're off.

The rice comes out beautifully, and after you fluff it, you can keep it in the cooker where it will stay nice and warm until you're ready to serve.

On an aesthetic level, this is a wonderfully designed (and compact) kitchen accessory.

This smaller model is perfect for 2 people. We usually make around 4 bowls of rice. If you need to make a larger amount you'll want to get the larger capacity model.

This is NOT intended as a full review of this machine; I have only owned it for one day and obviously cannot comment on reliability and many other important issues.

The only reason I decided to post this is that I almost did not buy this rice cooker because of some comments that are present repeatedly in earlier reviews, which are perhaps either overstated or not applicable to many potential buyers.

One common complaint is that the rice maker won't make enough rice and you need a larger one. This depends entirely on your circumstances. I am an athletic 50 year old male and eat a huge amount of food for dinner each evening. The most dried rice product (e.g. when cooked) I could conceivably ever eat is 1.25 to 1.5 cups, the cooked result of which is obviously much larger. Two very hungry adults would have trouble consuming all the rice this thing can make in one sitting. And why would you use the rice for leftovers if making rice in a rice cooker is so easy and the rice itself is dirt cheap? I used a similarly sized (but very basic) 3-cup National (Panasonic) rice cooker for about 10 years and never used close to the capacity of that cooker. So, for 1 or 2 people this thing makes a fully sufficient quantity, however for a family you would probably want a larger model.

As to quality of the rice produced, there is no comparison between what this Zojirushi makes and what I get out of the Panasonic. The Panasonic produces dry rice that is burned at the bottom. This cooker, the Zojirushi, produces moist rice in easily separated grains that are not burned at all, anywhere. I found the timing function to be convenient.

Other reviewers have stated that this model has fuzzy logic; I don't think that is correct. You have to buy a more expensive rice cooker from Zojirushi to get that feature. Personally, I'm only concerned about the results, not how they were made, so I'm happy with this and don't miss fuzzy logic.

Using white rice, clean up took about 1 minute or less.

You will need to read other reviews for the kinds of insights you can get only from longer term ownership.

We've been using this now for several months and have been very impressed with the quality of the rice. We've made mostly brown rice but also basmati, all nearly perfect. It's also easy to use.

The main problem is that the smaller model is difficult to clean. My brother has the 10-cup model and although it uses the same technology and produces the same quality rice it is easier to clean. The reason is that the smaller model accumulates rice gunk in the inside lid and it is difficult to reach inside. The gunk leaks out the back (there is a drain for it) whereas the larger model has no such drain, not needing one.

Also, the 3-cup model is really too small, even for just the two of us.

So don't hesitate to buy one of these - just buy the 5-cup or 10-cup model.

I have this rice cooker for about a year now, and I simply love it! The rice cooker can cook enough rice for 4 people at once, which is enough for a single gal like me.

It does a pretty good job of keeping the rice warm, also. I can cook a batch of rice for both lunch and dinner.

what I really like is the timer - which allows me to wake up to a hot pot of thick soup of rice in the morning.

The interior pot is non-stick, but I would recommand you to take care it and wash it by hand. The dish-washer can be kind of harsh for it.

I can't believe that Amazon is offering this product. Ususally, you can only purchase it in China town. I have to ask my mother to bring one for me from the other side of the earth!

Perfect rice every time! Previously I owned a much less expensive rice cooker and was often disappointed with the results. This cooker is worth every penny. I've used it to make brown rice, barley, wild rice and even risotto. (Yes! risotto! and it came out perfect - just needed a vigorous stir at the finish. ) Next I'm going to try some pilafs in it.

Easy to clean and easy to use. Be sure to follow their recommendations on the rice to water ratios. These cookers use less water than making rice on the stove top.

The only suggestion I would make if you're considering this particular model is consider how much rice you want to make on a regular basis. This model makes maximum 6 cups cooked rice. If I had a large family this would not make enough.

My previous rice cooker was a no name cheap model. It always burned the rice. However, after purchasing this little gem, my rice has always cooked to perfection. Brown rice, white rice and other different types I purchase at the Korean grocery market. It is so simple to use. The timer is extremely convenient. I set it in the morning and have hot rice ready when I return home in the evening. This cooker is also great for oatmeal and whole grain hot cereals. It is particularly convenient for 'steel cut' oatmeal. This is the best oatmeal and is not processed as rolled oats are. I measure the ingredients in the evening and set the timer and I have hot steel cut oatmeal ready when I get up in the morning. It usually takes 35-40 minutes to cook steel cut oats on the stove top, but is is so easy and convenient with this cooker. I have eaten much healthier since purchasing this rice cooker.

I have used a regular rice cooker for thirty years and was perfectly happy with it until I moved up to this fuzzy logic machine. It makes 3.5 cups cooked sticky rice or 4.5 cups regular rice or other grain. Instead of several times a week, I find myself using this several times a day. In ten days I have made oatmeal, grits, bulgur, couscous, rice porridge (which I had never eaten before), pilaf, risotto, real tapioca pudding, and of course a number of types of rice (brown, white, short and long grain, basmati, texmati, Carolina, wild rice, etc.). Everything is superb. The porridge cycle does puddings and custards as well as cereals. The timer allows you to prepare breakfast before you go to bed or dinner before you leave for work, and it will be ready at the hour you set. It keeps whatever it cooks warm and appetizing for hours (longer than it says). Rice generally takes around 50 minutes and things on the porridge cycle take around 70. If you need a larger amount of rice, then I'd recommend a bigger fuzzy logic cooker over the regular style machines. This is truly superb.