For the past week, we put four rice cookers to the test to see which ones cooked white and brown rice better.
The Contenders
The Test
While all the rice cookers could do fancy things like make porridge, cook up risotto or bake a cake, we only tested on their ability to make rice. After all, rice cookers should cook rice well.
We made 1 cup of Jasmine white rice and 1 cup of brown rice for each of the rice cookers. Besides taking note of the time needed to cook the rice, we observed the texture of the rice—they should be fluffy, with clear separate grains but they shouldn’t be too hard or too moist. They should not be sticking on the rice pot or have crispy bottoms.
We also took into account the design, the ease of usage and handling of the rice cooker, as well as the ease of cleaning.
How did they fair?
Which rice cooker produced the fluffiest jasmine white rice?
Not all rice cookers were able to handle cooking brown rice.
Electrolux ErgoSense Rice Cooker (ERC6603W)
$159 at major electronic and department stores
Capacity: 1.8 L
Features: Steam tray; can make sticky rice, soup and congee as well as handle slow cooking
In terms of aesthetic, this was our favourite. With a curved white frame, the appliance looked clean and modern. There was no unnecessary frills and buttons, making it easy to operate. Regrettably, its rice consistencies weren’t the most ideal. While the white rice didn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, the consistency at the base was slightly coagulated. When it comes to brown rice, texture was overly dry—almost bordering on crispy.
Like Mayer, it had a lightweight pot with a non-stick coating that made it easy to clean. Its timer was also the only one that measured down to the seconds. It took approximately 40 mins to cook white rice and 57 minutes to cook brown rice.
Hitachi Rice Cooker RZ-KV180Y
$1,099 at major electronic and department stores as well as Hitachi’s online store
Capacity: 1.8 L
Features: Comes with steamer basket, can make porridge, risotto and cake. It’s also a good choice if you like mixing your grains as they have a mixed option.
The priciest rice cooker of the lot, and it shows in its functions: it was the only one that could immediately show how long the white rice was going to going to be cooked for. For the rest, the timer only starts from around the 15-minute mark.
However, the timer didn’t immediately show long it will take to cook the brown rice, which was a bit confusing. With Hitachi, white rice took 48 minutes to cook, while brown rice required about an hour.
We enjoyed the white and brown rice texture, although we still preferred the rice textures from Philips better. Navigation was quite perplexing at first, although we figured it out quickly. The lid’s soft opening function also had us opening and closing it a few times before realising it was actually already opened. Cleaning up also was quite a chore, as the pot was the heaviest among the rest. Leftover rice also stuck to the bowl, so we needed to do a bit of scrubbing down.
Mayer MMRC18D Rose Gold Rice Cooker 1.5L
$159 at major electronic and department stores, as well as Mayer showrooms
Capacity: 1.8 L
Features: Able to make congee, porridge, soup, baby food, slow cook, reheat and steam
We love Mayer’s white rice consistency. The rice was fluffy, with individual grains well-defined. It was also the fastest rice cooker for white rice, cooking at only 30 minutes. Unfortunately, when it comes to brown rice, it took the longest at over an hour. The texture for brown rice was also a mushy, coagulated mess.
Operating Mayer was a breeze even without a manual. Our only gripe was that its lid flipped opened too vigorously. Washing up was also really easy, with hardly any need for a scrubbing down. According to Mayer, the cover plate can also be removed to make it easy to clean.
Philips Avance Collection Rice Cooker HD3175/62
$299 at major electronic and department stores
Capacity: 4 L
Features: Comes with a steamer basket; can cook claypot rice, porridge, soup, noodles and cake
With a whopping 4-litre capacity, this rice cooker is perfect for a large family. We love Philips’ white rice texture best. It’s fluffy, with just the right moist level so that it doesn’t feel dry. We could also scoop out the rice from the pot easily, with virtually no sticking at all. Brown rice was also well done, and neither too firm or soft. It took about 40 minutes to cook white rice and 58 minutes to cook brown rice.
The timer continues operating even after it finishes cooking and switches to ‘keep warm’ mode, letting you know how long your rice is resting for. However, it can be confusing if you didn’t hear the chime in the first place—which rings out when your rice is done cooking—and you might mistake it for a fact that your rice is not done yet.
It was the only rice cooker that didn’t come with a handle, which is okay if you’re keeping your rice cooker firmly on the countertop without moving it in and out of the cupboard every time you need it. Cleaning required a bit more elbow grease, because the pot is really heavy.
The Verdict
When it comes to cooking both white and brown rice well, we liked Philips best for making perfectly textured grains that are neither too firm nor too mushy. Invest in this if you’re looking for a countertop rice cooker, as it doesn’t come with a handle for easy transportation in and out of the cupboard.
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