Best Rice Cookers are great ingredient that forms the backbone of so many dishes across the globe, from spicy jambalaya and comforting congee to sabzi polo with its crispy crust. But no matter what recipe you’re making, your grains should be perfectly prepared. That’s where a rice cooker comes in.
While cooking rice on the stovetop is fine, a quality rice cooker eliminates the effort and guesswork involved in making batches. That’s right—no more babysitting the stove and still getting starchy, undercooked mush or crunchy, half-done grains. From single-button basics ideal for rushed weeknight dinners to computerized machines that can cook every grain under the sun, there are devices out there that make cooking perfectly prepared rice easier and speedier than ever.
To help you sort through the options and find the best rice cookers for your needs, we’ve turned to reviews from actual customers on Amazon who have purchased and used the appliances for themselves. No matter if you’re looking for a small tool for tight spaces or a professional-level device to really dive into a variety of grains, these best-selling cookers have near-perfect ratings and rave reviews describing why they’re so great.
Top 10 best rice cookers in UK 2021
1. Yum Asia Panda YUM-EN06
The Yum Asia Panda YUM-EN06 is a compact rice cooker which comes with a digital timer, keep warm function, and a 24 hour preset option. It is best for cooking and keeping warm easy cook long white rice as it produces fluffy, light and flavourful results. It’s also ideal if you haven’t got much space in your kitchen and are looking to spend under £100.
2. Ninja Foodi Electric Multi-Cooker [OP300UK]
Quickly and easily create delicious homemade meals, sides, snacks and desserts with the Ninja Foodi 7-in-1 Multi-Cooker.
Get creative with 7 cooking functions including Pressure Cook, Air Fry, Slow Cook, Steam, Bake/Roast, Sear/Sauté and Grill. Perfectly sized for up to 4 people, you can cook and crisp a whole 2kg roast chicken.
The pressure cooker that crisps. With Ninja’s exclusive TenderCrisp Technology, pressure cook tender meals up to 70% faster than traditional cooking methods*, then crisp to give your food a perfect golden finish.
3. Aroma 8 Cup Stainless Steel Cool Touch Digital Rice
While you can cook a bunch of different grains in this rice cooker, more than 20 percent of reviewers particularly like it for rice. “Even a caveman can make perfect rice” with this machine, writes one customer. All you have to do is “scoop rice, pour into the bowl, rinse, add enough water, press the button, wait, and eat.” Since it comes with different preset timers for different kinds of rice, one reviewers says that this machine “does justice to white rice, brown rice, [and] sweet brown rice” alike.
4. Reishunger Rice Cooker and Steamer
A simple, no-frills rice cooker with a medium sized capacity, you can make 6.5 of multigrain and white rice with each use. The double non-stick coated pot alleviates the risk of the rice burning and sticking to the bottom, making it easier to clean than other rice cookers.
Top reivew:”This is a brilliant little rice cooker. It cooks the rice perfectly and the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. It even has a little plastic thing that catches the water when you open the lid! A tiny negative for me is that the cooker itself doesn’t have a switch. Would’ve been nicer rather than having to turn it on and off from the plug switch. Doesn’t stop me giving it a 5 star as I feel its only a minor inconvenience.”
5. Yum Asia Sakura Rice Cooker, 6 Multicook Functions
This is a great all rounder – it’s ideal for the growing family or people who just love eating rice! Sakura can cook all types of rice perfectly at the touch of a button but also has useful complementary add on functions. The advanced fuzzy logic technology controls the temperature using phased cook cycles for the efficient and perfect cooking of many different types of rice…you can cook long grain, short grain (including sushi and glutinous rice), brown rice (short or long grain). Sakura doesn’t just cook perfect rice, it cooks other grains like quinoa, cous cous, millet and pearl barley perfectly too. The add on functions include porridge that can be used for rice porridge or oat porridge, slow cook, steam (steam basket included), soup, cake baking, crust (for Persian Tahdig) and yoghurt.
6. Zojirushi NS-TSQ10 micom fuzzy logic rice cooker
The NS-TSQ10 has multi-menu selections which uses Micom (micro-computerised) Fuzzy logic technology to control the temperature for the efficient cooking of many different types of rice including white, sushi, porridge and brown rice. There is also a quick cooking feature on this model. The micro computer chip inside the NS-TSQ10 automatically makes adjustments to temperature and heating time – it ensures perfect rice every time. This is what we call the ‘yum factor’.
The Zojirushi NS-TSQ10 has an automatic keep-warm function. There is a countdown feature during the cooking cycle and when the rice is cooked a tune is played and the cooker automatically shifts to keep warm mode. For added convenience, the NS-TSQ10 has a low light LCD display with clock and timer function (for up to 13 hours in advance), a 1.5mm Sumiflon/Teflon coated inner bowl and a convenient detachable inner lid for easy cleaning.
7. Russell Hobbs Cook @ Home 19750-56 rice cooker
This multi-functional appliance not only cooks rice to perfection but can also steam a number of your favourite foods making it a healthier option for the whole family. It cooks rice to perfection, up to 10 cups at a time, and automatically switches off when food is ready. Includes a tray for steaming fish and vegetables, to complete a nutricious and delicious meal.
8. Kitchen Perfected Lloytron Automatic Non Stick Rice Cooker
These rice cookers are perfect for family use and better rice dishes. It has a non-stick and removable rice bowl. It has a harder glass lid with a stainless steel rim. It has a feature to keep the rice warm. It includes a measuring cup and a spatula. It has 800 ml capacity which is about approx. 4cups.
9. Drew&Cole CleverChef 14-in-1 Intelligent Digital Multi Cooker
One appliance, endless possibilities! Introducing the Drew&Cole CleverChef. Your one stop solution for perfectly cooked, delicious meals every time. Replaces your steamer, rice cooker, slow cooker or all those pots and pans! Perfect 5-litre capacity lets you cook perfect meals at the touch of a button, featuring 17 pre-programmed cooking functions. Ingenious Flavour Lock Technology controls moisture release to create delicious, more intense flavours.
Inner pot is non-stick and dishwasher safe for easy clean-up. Just set it & forget it. 17 pre-set cooking functions: Steam, Stew, Soup, Roast, Poach, Bread Rise, Bake, Fish, Saute/Brown, Rice, Pasta, Slow Cook High, Slow Cook Low and Yoghurt. Features fully adjustable DIY functions; easily adapt your favourite recipes.
10. Wahl ZX916 James Martin Multi Cooker
If you’re looking to buy a piece of kitchen equipment that can do more one job from the UK then you will have heard of the lovely James Martin and probably watched him on Saturday morning cookery shows, having a chef recommend a product is always a plus and it’s not overpriced because of it. We’ll be looking today at what you can do with this multi cooker so you can decide if it’s worth giving kitchen space to it, I’m sure that you will love it.
Which rice cooker to buy
Glass or sealed lid
Some simpler models have a glass lid. Steam from cooking condenses between the lid and the cooking pot to form a seal – a bit like a slow cooker. The advantages are that you can see in the bowl and these models tend to be cheaper. Rice cooking is more vigorous than slow cooking, however, and so hot water and steam tend to spit out from the edges. More expensive models will have sealed lids with vents for a more controlled release of steam – these are safer and create less mess.
Single purpose or multi-cooker
Some machines also have slow cooking, steaming or pressure cooking functions. Having one multi-cooker rather than several single-purpose machines can be a good space saver. Multi-cooker machines are often more complicated to operate, however and it is important to make sure the functions are compatible. A machine that lets you steam fish and veg over your rice is certainly useful.
Other functions such as deep-frying are less helpful. A rice cooker relies on its non-stick surface but oil residues from regular deep frying will eventually accumulate on even the best non-stick bowls, tainting the texture and flavour of the rice. Likewise colour stains on the bowl from a slow-cooked stew might permeate your rice. Rice purists are best sticking with a single purpose cooker.
Fuzzy logic
Basic rice cookers use a thermal sensor to determine when the rice is done. When the contents of the pan go above a fixed temperature, the machine either turns off or switches to a ‘keep warm’ mode.
Top of the range cookers use fuzzy logic processors which are programmed to make precise adjustments to cooking time and temperature in response to sensors in the cooker. For example, the ambient temperature in a kitchen can affect how fast a rice cooker cooks. In the same way that a chef would lower the heat under a vigorously boiling pan, a fuzzy processor will lower the temperature of the rice cooker’s heating element if the rice is cooking too quickly on a hot day. This technology is particularly effective in cookers that use induction heating.
Fuzzy logic cookers often have different programmes for different types of rice. Each program will have a unique heating/soaking cycle and temperature range for optimum cooking. Basic rice cookers are cheaper and produce good results particularly if you tend to cook the same type of rice. Fuzzy logic cookers are better at cooking different types of rice but they do come with a higher price tag.
Conclusion
The above selection includes some of the most advanced models of rice cookers; some rely on sensors and other elements for proper functioning, as compared to others that use the conventional thermostat for its operations.
With electric rice cookers, you only need to rinse the rice and place it in the stove with the correct amount of water, before turning it on. The inner pans used to cook the rice are made removable to enable easy cleaning.
The above review also features models that have multiple uses, from warming your food to cooking vegetables and even making yogurt! These models are usually purchased by college students and home users who love to be efficient with their time. With such a magnificent selection made available to you, feel free to start shopping for the perfect rice cooker, specifically designed to meet all your family’s needs.