Cooking rice is not a particularly tough job, but achieving fluffy rice every time is very tricky. Here, is a list of the best rice cookers for beginners you can choose you. Thus, rice cookers are a strict necessity for those newly entering the kitchen learning fold. A good rice cooker simplifies the process and provides them with an excellent result every single time. In this detailed review article, we have discussed the best rice cookers for beginners on the criteria of ease of operation, functionality, and good value for money.

Why Do I Need a Rice Cooker?

Let’s now listen to why you should pump your money into a rice cooker. Here are some of the top reasons that support it:

Consistency: Nobody wins at the precision of a rice cooker, and you know rice is ready every time.

Convenience: The simple one-touch operation or preset functions make it easier and more convenient than ever.

Versatility: Some rice cookers are capable of making so much more than just rice. They can also prepare porridge, quinoa, steamed vegetables, or even cakes.

Keep Warm Function: Most rice cookers put themselves into a keep warm after they have done their job. Your rice is always ready to serve.

What to Look for in the Best rice cookers for beginners

Finding the right rice cooker, especially if you are a beginner entails its own set of expectations :

Ease of Use: Simple interface and intuitive controls are what beginners primarily use, with avoiding complicated settings.

Capacity: How many people are in your family? You want a rice cooker that is just big enough to feed your small family or you have leftovers for later.

Automatic Keep Warm: This will keep it ready for you and then will not cook the rice anymore or keep it idle until you are ready to eat.

Versatile: Do you need to cook different types of grains? Looking for any other functions in a rice cooker, such as steaming or slow cooking?

Budget: Cost is always a concern. Fortunately, most entry-level rice cookers can afford to be cheap without sacrificing quality.

List of Best Rice Cookers for Beginners

1. Zojirushi NHS-06 3-Cup Rice Cooker

If you are looking for hassle-free rice cooking that will not even disturb you, then the Zojirushi NHS-06 is a good option. Zojirushi is considered to be a credible brand in the market of kitchen appliances. It is known for reliability and durability. This 3-cup capacity rice cooker is perfect for one or a small family, and it is as easy as they come.

Some of its prominent features are:

• 3-cup capacity (uncooked rice)
• One-touch operation
• Nonstick inner cooking pan
• Glass lid for easy monitoring
• Automatic keep-warm function

Advantages:

• Very user friendly
• Compact and lightweight, ideal for small kitchens
• Very affordable, very durable
• Heats rice after cooking

Cons

• Only limits its use to rice-cooking functions
• It is small. Not possibly big enough for larger families

Why Great for Beginners:

 The one-touch cooking operation ensures that getting the desired task is easy for any one individual to do, even for a first-time cook. With its nonstick inner pan, cleaning will never be a problem.

2. Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD Digital Cool-Touch Rice Cooker & Food Steamer

For those who need a little flexibility for the beginner, the Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD is so much more than just simple rice cooking. This gives you presets for white rice, brown rice, and even steaming vegetables and slow cooking. It does have an 8-cup capacity so you can cook for bigger servings as well. The price is very much worth such an offer.

Features:

8-cup capacity (cooked rice)

Presets for white rice, brown rice, and steaming

Delay timer for meal preparation

Cool-touch exterior for safety

A steaming tray comes with it for a healthy meal choice

Pros:

• Has several other cooking functions aside from rice
• Delay timer, hence flexible mealtimes
• More capacity for families
• At a very affordable price, the best feature offered in this device

Cons:

• It becomes complicated to use because of the many buttons
• The nonstick coating wears off over time.

Why It’s Great for Beginner Users: 

Given how much more it does than just a simple rice cooker, the appliance is surprisingly user-friendly, with readable controls, and even delay timers that almost make you want to meal plan.

Steaming veggies or slow cooking just adds to the kitchen appliance appeal, making it all the more convenient as a multi-function unit.

3. Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker

This is one of the cheapest devices, at least for a beginner, Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker. The machine may not be affordable, but it does an amazing job. This equipment supports more than one set of cooking, and one can prepare hot cereals like oatmeal. It also has a 2-in-1 design which, among other features includes a steamer basket in order to steam the vegetables or fish, and the rice at the same time.

Key points:

• Capacity of 8 cups for cooked rice
• Has preset modes for white and brown rice, and hot cereals
• Has a steaming basket to cook vegetables or proteins
• Has delayed start and keep-warm functions
• Has a dishwasher-safe nonstick pot

Advantages

• Lowly priced in the overall value scheme but not a loss of quality
• Has many preset functions for many grains
• Multi-functional with the steamer basket that is provided
• Convenient and easy to clean especially through dishwasher-safe parts

Drawbacks

• The plastic parts could be flimsy as the parts are made from such a material.
• The cooking times for some of the users may be longer than that of the cooking times in the expensive model designs.

Why It is Good for Beginners:

 This rice cooker will give you extremely affordable value with lots of features included. Preset functions are very easy to use, making it really easy for beginners to make a wide range of grains without making much effort.

4. Toshiba TRCS01 Rice Cooker

The Toshiba TRCS01 is an option for consumers who want to spend a little more to get more functionalities. It utilizes the latest application of high-tech fuzzy logic for ascertaining cooking time and temperature so that it would be perfectly cooked for the rice. It also carries programmed cycles for different types of grains and varied rice.

Key Features:

• 6-cup capacity; uncooked rice
• Fuzzy logic technology: adjusts the cooking time and temperature
• 7 in-built programs include white and brown rice, porridge
• Quick-cook function to cook food in no time
• 2-hour keep-warm function

Advantages:

•  The fuzzy logic feature that ensures repeat performance
•  Many pre-programmed programs for different types of rice
•  Quick-cook function to prepare meals in no time
•  Visible control panel

Disadvantages:

•  Costlier than the conventional models
•  The advanced features may not be necessary for everyone

Why it’s Great for Beginners: 

Despite having many high-end features, preset programs and fuzzy logic make it one such foolproof unit for any newbie. None of the tasks of manually adjusting the times or temperatures are required because the rice cooker does everything for you.

5. Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer

This is the most recommended for those wanting to get their cooker spot on and perfect. The neuro-fuzzy logic technology changes the cycle with regard to the temperature and moisture content of the rice to ensure perfect rice every time. This comes with multiple settings, a big LCD display, and easy control.

Key Features:

• 5.5 cups capacity Uncooked Rice Capacity
• Neuro-fuzzy Logic 
• For Precision Cooking
• Preset Programs – White Rice, Brown Rice, Porridge, and more  Extend keep-warm and reheat time.  
• The LCD display with a simple user interface control  

Advantages: 

•  Always cooks perfectly advanced technology to achieve the precision in cooking multiple preset functions for different types of grain as well as styles long-lasting 

 Disadvantages:  

• Expensive than other beginners
• It’s bulky, and bigger in size, hence taking up lots of space on the counter.

Why it’s Great for Novices: 

Although a little pricey, Neuro-Fuzzy does make cooking rice very easy. Almost very suitable for beginners who want a perfect outcome without much interference because this cooker adjusts automatically.

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6. Panasonic SR-DF101 5-cup Rice Cooker

Panasonic SR-DF101 is the best rice cooker that is ideal for people in tight spaces in the kitchen, but at least to enjoy having it as a useful device; three types of cooking styles can be produced – white and brown rice, in addition to porridge. Its compact structure makes it seem fit to occupy even the most compact space while yet being capacitative to carry small families portions of rice.

Major Features:

• 5-cup capacity for raw rice
• Pre-programmed apps for diverse rice and oat styles
• Touch control
• Automatic Keep Warm
• Flat Design

Advantages

• Portable and compact, so it won’t occupy too much space in a small kitchen.
• Prone to fail in touch operational design
• Massive range of recipes to make
• Ergonomic design for people having a small kitchen or even countertop

Disadvantages

• Not for medium and big-sized families
• Extremely minimal features compared to expensive ones

Why It’s Awesome for Beginners: 

One-touch mode and compact size this rice cooker turns out to be a perfect appliance in the kitchen for newbies and for those who don’t have much counter space. Easy to use, it comes out satisfactory each and every time, so it is perfect for beginners.

Conclusion:

For anyone starting out, one of the essential tools is a rice cooker to make the entire process of cooking rice easy and have it turn out just right every time. They come in with variations very much depending on your needs and budget.

For ease, Zojirushi NHS-06: is fairly simple to use; thus, ideal for anyone looking to have straightforward functionality.

For variety, the Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD offers other ways of cooking apart from just simple rice; it can steam and slow-cook, hence greatly value for money when you are looking for something more than just plain cooked rice.

The Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker is a budget-friendly solution that puts several preset options at a decent price-ideal for the first-time buyer who would like to save some money without some loss of quality.

Toshiba TRCS01 employs fuzzy logic technology where cooking time and temperature are automatically set so that the rice cooks precisely every time.

Perfect control by the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy allows precise cooking and leads to being the best investment in long-term quality.

Compact, no doubt: For those with less room in the kitchen but still want to have a good rice cooker that you can rely on, the Panasonic SR-DF101 is an option.

Be it the model you opt for, a rice cooker is sure to ease up your stay in the kitchen more so when you are a beginner. With these best beginner-friendly rice cookers, you can enjoy good rice easily as you try to get to other dishes without much hassle.