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167 of 171 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best in class rice cooker--long term use update, February 20, 2007
We purchased this rice cooker last week, and have used it twice for brown rice. The rice came out better (and with less effort on our part) than any other cooking method we've ever used. It was, in short, the best brown rice we'd ever had anywhere.
We also tried out the warming function, in which the machine keeps rice warm for up to 12 hours on normal warm mode--there's also an extended warm mode for up to 48 hours. After about 8 hours on warming mode, the rice was virtually the same as when it had just been cooked.
The machine could not be easier to use. Build and material quality appear first rate. The rice pan is heavy duty--same for the non-stick coating. Very quiet in operation, very easy to clean. All sorts of little details that suggest many cycles of refinement in the design. Aesthetics are delightfully Japanese. The stainless steel side and top panels appear as an afterthought designed to fit Western tastes.
One thing I haven't seen anyone else mention about Zojirushi rice cookers. On the last page in the owner's manual there's a footnote which suggests vaguely that this rice cooker may not function well at high altitude. Since I live in Santa Fe at 7,000 feet, I called Zojirushi USA and asked about this. They told me that their rice machines do not function well above 3,000 feet, and that I should return the machine I purchased. Well, instead, we tried it at better than double its supposed elevation limit, and as mentioned above, it worked perfectly--so it's hard to imagine that it might work MORE perfectly below 3,000 feet. Suffice it to say that if you live in Denver, Albuquerque or Santa Fe, you can ignore Zojirushi's disclaimers about poor function at higher elevation.
All in all, this is a superb product that combines the otherwise mutually exclusive benefits of perfect rice with set and forget automation. The folks at Zojirushi USA (aside from their apparent ignorance about cooking rice at altitude) are informative and friendly. We tend to buy the best kitchen equipment we can find just to avoid the hassles of unreliability. Accordingly, we're difficult to please, and this machine meets our (very high) standards.
LONG TERM USE UPDATE (January, 2009):
This machine has continued to function flawlessly. Apparently Zojirushi induction rice cookers aren't well known in northern New Mexico, since whenever we have a dinner party and rice is on the menu, our guests are always intrigued by this thing, and regularly end up buying one of their own.
One clarification: the cooking bowl is stainless steel, as is the inside cooking bowl cover. Apparently these parts tend to be aluminum on the vast majority of computerized rice cookers, even those from Zojirushi. The bowl is coated in some sort of very heavy duty anti-stick coating--after a year or two of use, the coating still looks new--it hasn't started flaking off at all. I would guess that boiling water (which is basically what rice cookers do) isn't too hard on the coating, and we're probably not poisoning ourselves, the way we might be if we used non-stick pans (which we don't).
Reference my comments above about Zojirushi rice cookers working perfectly at high elevation (which was news even to Zojirushi), I've since heard that high elevation performance may be better with induction rice cookers than with computerized rice cookers with standard heating elements. Who knows. What is definite, however, is that as of this writing this machine has functioned perfectly at 7,000 feet for almost two years.
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78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The absolute best rice cooker, June 5, 2007
This review is from: Zojirushi NP-HBC10 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel (Kitchen)
I've been using this rice cooker for the last two months, and really feel that this is one of the best kitchen appliances that I own. The main advantage of the induction cooker over the regular fuzzy logic model is that when using induction, there is no burnt rice, or any other grain that you make. It may not seem like a big deal to alot of people, but for people that use the rice cooker daily, it is something that is really appreciated. Usually when making brown rice, I use the gaba setting. Some people feel that when making gaba brown rice, the heating/pre-cooking step should be longer to get the maximum health benefits, but I feel that 3 1/2 hours is the maximum amount of time I'd ever devote to making a batch of rice. I've been making a lot of quinoa lately, and it comes out perfect. I use the "Quick Cooking" cycle for quinoa, which takes approximately 25 minutes. The main disadvantage of this rice cooker is the hefty price, but I feel like it's a wise investment in healthful eating. I don't eat out very often, feeling it's too much money to spend on a regular basis for food of dubious quality, so in the long run, using this rice cooker and eating at home more often is a healthier way for me and my loved ones to eat.
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78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love the clock timer and cooking ability, April 6, 2007
This review is from: Zojirushi NP-HBC10 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System, Stainless Steel (Kitchen)
I was expecting this machine to cook rice very well based on previously owning a neuro fuzzy logic rice cooker made by zojirushi, which I've worn out after many years of use. I'm very happy with the new induction heating style of cooking. It cooks brown rice better.
Pro's
--Exceptional rice results, almost foolproof.
--Multiple menu settings account for most types of rice, including GABA brown (which is supposed to make brown rice even healthier)
--Easy to operate. Select menu setting, add cups of rice to bowl (rinse the rice), fill to applicable mark in bowl, and hit cook button.
--Battery backup. A lithium battery means the cooker will remember its last settings even if you unplug it. If you're a creature of habit, this feature makes it even easier to operate.
--Clock timer with 2 time settings you can set based on the clock's time. Like previously stated, the cooker remembers the timer settings until you change them. I leave my cooker set to have rice ready at 6:30a.m. (to pack for lunch at work) or 5:30p.m (dinner).
Con's
--Water level markings in pan are based on the 6.2 oz cup provided (~3/4 cup). Don't lose the cup!
--Expensive (my justification is it saves me $5 every time I pack rice for lunch instead of eating in the cafeteria)
--Takes longer to cook rice than the equivalent stove method (baking or stovetop)
--Timer is military time only (so when I said the timer was set to 5:30p.m., it's actually 17:30)
In summary, buy this machine if you want to use the timer function. If you're the type of person who only remembers things at the last minute or don't like to plan meals ahead, keep your money and get a pressure cooker or a good pot instead.
It fits my needs perfectly, so I give it 5 stars. I also recommend a Zojirushi lunch jar system if you want to use this to make rice for lunch at work. A lunch jar will keep the rice warm and moist, so you don't have to microwave it.
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