Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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73 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love my Zojirushi!, April 14, 2002
I bought this practically on a whim after a business trip to Japan, where I was impressed with the ubiquitous high-tech rice cookers I saw there. My wife thought I was crazy to spend [price] on a rice cooker, but much to my surprise she has become a total convert! We are using the machine much more than I thought we would--every second or third night, on average. I've been delighted overall with the cooker's performance. We've made a variety of short- and long-grain rices, both white and brown, with great results overall. I was initially disappointed with my results with Indian basmati rice--it came out too mushy--but I corrected this by using less water. I agonized a bit between the 5- and 10-cup models, and finally decided to go with the 10-cup. I would recommend the larger machine (it is only [price] more expensive) UNLESS you live alone. The 10-cup cooker requires a minimum of 2 rice-cooker cups (1.5 US cups) of uncooked rice to do a good job, which yields way too much cooked rice for one person. In our experience, however, this amount is fine for 2-4 people, as in our family.One thing I would highly recommend, unless you are already very knowledgable about rice, is to get a good rice cooker cookbook. We've been using "The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook" by Hensperger and Kaufmann, and I feel it has really allowed us to get a much higher return on our investment in this machine. The documentation that comes with the cooker is, frankly, pretty awful and does not do the machine's capabilities justice. For example, you may not be aware that this cooker is capable of making FANTASTIC risotto and polenta using the porridge cycle. You can even saute the onion and rice right in the cooker bowl when making risotto by using the quick cook cycle; all you need do is then add the liquid stock, reset the machine and start the porridge cycle. About 45 minutes later, you have perfect risotto with much less fuss than when using the stovetop method. Polenta requires 2 full porridge cycles, but the results are equally impressive. These capabilities, which are not at all touted by the manufacturer, have been a very pleasant surprise indeed!
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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
more than just rice, April 15, 2002
Though I live alone, I bought the 10-cup cooker because I wanted to have plenty of capacity to cook dishes other than rice. In the short time I've owned the cooker, I've tried tapioca pudding, a couple of black bean dishes, homemade applesauce, sweet potato porridge, and steel-cut oatmeal in addition to rice. Everything, including cleanup, is such a snap, and every dish comes out perfectly. I'm certain that most people reading this review will be primarily interested in cooking rice, and they will be very pleased with this little machine. I didn't eat much rice prior to buying this machine, but I'm quickly becoming a rice convert. I'm spending time combing local supermarkets and health food stores looking for different varities of rice to try out in my Zojirushi. This rice cooker was a big investment for a young, single guy like myself, but it was well worth it. I doubt I could own a kitchen appliance that I would use more frequently than this Zojirushi.
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth Every Penny!, August 20, 2001
By A Customer
I recently purchased this rice cooker and couldn't be more impressed. I'd formerly used a cheap (under $20) rice cooker and had been less than thrilled with the amount of time and effort needed to create rice that only turned out so-so. Unhappy, I reverted to my handy microwave rice cooker which didn't produce perfect rice but was at least fast and easy to use. I resisted getting another electric rice cooker for years until finally a friend persuaded me that the Zojirushi "fuzzy logic" model was different.Not only does this machine make absolutely perfect rice every time but it's incredibly easy to use, clean up and store. The bowl is removable and dishwasher safe for easy clean up. You can program the machine to cook rice and have it ready for you at dinner time. It will even turn itself off automatically and go to the "keep warm" feature if you accidentally leave your rice in too long. It makes every kind of rice from plain white steamed, to Thai sticky or old fashioned wild rice and, like I said before, I've yet to have a batch that wasn't light, fluffy and restaurant perfect! And, best of all for those of us with crowded kitchens, storage is a cinch. The machine is VERY lightweight and even has a handle so that it can be put away easily (no valuable counter space wasted) when not in use. Another handy stoarage feature is a cord spool (like on old vacuum cleaners) that keeps the plug tucked away tightly (under the machine) when not in use. You'll wish every appliance you owned was so well designed! Since getting this cooker, I've suddenly been preparing rice over potatoes at meal after meal. Yes, this machine is expensive (shop around though, you can find it for a bit less elsewhere), but it's worth every penny!
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