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    Home » Recipes » Kitchen Tips

    $200 vs $30 Rice Cooker Review & Taste Test

    Published: Jun 5, 2020 · Modified: Dec 7, 2020 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Do Rice Cookers Really Make a Difference?

    If you talked to me years ago, I would've told to just get the cheapest rice cooker - they're all the same, you don't even really need one! But times have changed and so has my mind, haha! Turns out, the rice cooker really makes a difference, and if not in the rice itself, then in the user experience. But is that difference worth the money you pay? Watch the video to find out!

    In Thailand, people don't really put much thought into their rice cookers, and as I've discovered in my taste test, it turns out that it's because white jasmine rice, the rice most Thais eat most of the time, is very forgiving. You can cook it in anything, and as long as you used the right amount of water, it'll turn out fluffy and soft and delicious.

    But not all rice is like that. There is a reason why the Japanese put so much thought into their rice cookers...because Japanese short grain rice is a lot more finicky.

    How I'm Testing

    As you'll see in the video I do two different tests: one for jastmine rice, the other for Japanese short grain rice. And for each type of rice, I cook it in the fancy Zojirushi Micom Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker, my old red Sunbeam ($30 when I bought it), and simply in a pot on the stove. Then I do a blind taste test to see which one I like best!

    Watch the video above to see the verdict!

    PS. I still need to do a test on brown and other whole grain rice!

    Buy The Recommended Rice Cookers Online

    You can check out my "Kit" where I list all my kitchen tools and appliances, including the rice cookers I recommend. These are affiliate Amazon links, so if you buy something on Amazon through my link I will get a little bit of commission.

    Watch The Full Review!

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    1. Terri

      November 10, 2021 at 11:53 am

      My comment is the same as Edilia's-- I am looking for 'something 'in-between' the $200 and $30 rice cookers. I can't find the link you mentioned in your video.

      Reply
      • Adam from HTK

        November 11, 2021 at 9:22 am

        Hi Terri, Adam here and thanks for the prompt - I missed Edilia's comment below.

        As I mentioned to her, Pailin's brother uses the mid-range Hamilton shown here https://kit.co/hotthaikitchen/kitchen-tools-i-use

        Cheers! Adam

        Reply
    2. Edilia

      January 02, 2021 at 5:21 am

      I’m searching for a nice rice cooker but I don’t used it every day so I don’t want to spend that much money for a rice cooker , you mention that your brother had a really nice cooker that he likes can you give me the name of it and if you have any other recommendations please let me know .
      Thank you so much

      Reply
      • Adam from HTK

        November 11, 2021 at 9:21 am

        Hi Edilia - and sorry I just saw this! Her brother uses the mid-range Hamilton shown here https://kit.co/hotthaikitchen/kitchen-tools-i-use Cheers! Adam

        Reply

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