Zojirushi NS-JCC18 Neuro Fuzzy 10-Cup Rice Cooker & Warmer
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Zojirushi NS-JCC18 Neuro Fuzzy 10-Cup Rice Cooker & Warmer
Customer Review: more than just rice
Summary: 5 Stars
Though I live alone, I bought the 10-cup cooker because I wanted to have plenty of capacity to cook dishes other than rice. In the short time I've owned the cooker, I've tried tapioca pudding, a couple of black bean dishes, homemade applesauce, sweet potato porridge, and steel-cut oatmeal in addition to rice. Everything, including cleanup, is such a snap, and every dish comes out perfectly. I'm certain that most people reading this review will be primarily interested in cooking rice, and they will be very pleased with this little machine. I didn't eat much rice prior to buying this machine, but I'm quickly becoming a rice convert. I'm spending time combing local supermarkets and health food stores looking for different varities of rice to try out in my Zojirushi.
This rice cooker was a big investment for a young, single guy like myself, but it was well worth it. I doubt I could own a kitchen appliance that I would use more frequently than this Zojirushi.
Customer Review: Love my Zojirushi!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this practically on a whim after a business trip to Japan, where I was impressed with the ubiquitous high-tech rice cookers I saw there. My wife thought I was crazy to spend [price] on a rice cooker, but much to my surprise she has become a total convert! We are using the machine much more than I thought we would--every second or third night, on average. I've been delighted overall with the cooker's performance. We've made a variety of short- and long-grain rices, both white and brown, with great results overall. I was initially disappointed with my results with Indian basmati rice--it came out too mushy--but I corrected this by using less water. I agonized a bit between the 5- and 10-cup models, and finally decided to go with the 10-cup. I would recommend the larger machine (it is only [price] more expensive) UNLESS you live alone. The 10-cup cooker requires a minimum of 2 rice-cooker cups (1.5 US cups) of uncooked rice to do a good job, which yields way too much cooked rice for one person. In our experience, however, this amount is fine for 2-4 people, as in our family.One thing I would highly recommend, unless you are already very knowledgable about rice, is to get a good rice cooker cookbook. We've been using "The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook" by Hensperger and Kaufmann, and I feel it has really allowed us to get a much higher return on our investment in this machine. The documentation that comes with the cooker is, frankly, pretty awful and does not do the machine's capabilities justice. For example, you may not be aware that this cooker is capable of making FANTASTIC risotto and polenta using the porridge cycle. You can even saute the onion and rice right in the cooker bowl when making risotto by using the quick cook cycle; all you need do is then add the liquid stock, reset the machine and start the porridge cycle. About 45 minutes later, you have perfect risotto with much less fuss than when using the stovetop method. Polenta requires 2 full porridge cycles, but the results are equally impressive. These capabilities, which are not at all touted by the manufacturer, have been a very pleasant surprise indeed!
Customer Review: Excellent and versatile rice cooker
Summary: 4 Stars
This rice cooker is an outstanding addition to our kitchen, and in my estimation worth its premium price. We had been using one of those cheap, one-button, bare aluminum bowl rice cookers and to be honest, it worked good enough for plain white rice. But I was worried about how much aluminum I was introducing into our food this way, and was also looking to be able to cook brown rice, casseroles and rice porridge (congee/jook) with the same ease as regular white rice (if you've ever cooked jook on the stovetop you know how messy this can be). This rice cooker makes it easy to do all those things and more with its simple to use controls. The metal bowl has an effective non-stick coating that releases the cooked food completely after cooking and is almost effortless to clean -- and believe me, I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true, because I loathe cleanup. The only small caveat I have is that the rice porridge setting tends to cook the rice a smidge too thick for my preference - I enjoy a thinner consistency jook. No big deal here, really, just add a bit of hot water to your bowl to achieve your own preferred consistency.
Customer Review: Beyond Mere Words................
Summary: 5 Stars
While it is true that this is for serious cooks (given the price) - it is also true that this device produces the finest rice you'll ever eat. And keep it hot for hours - we've used it for preparing Jasmine rice, Basmati, Texmati, Calmati, Cal-Rose, long & short grain brown rice, arborio as well as brown sweet rice from Japan. All came out perfectly. If one is serious about their rice there is no better machine available - period.Customer Review: Satisfied with purchase
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been happy with the purchase. I decided to go with the 10-cup cooker because: 1) it is not much larger than the 5-cup cooker, 2) it offers twice the amount of cooking capacity useful in occasions, and 3) it costs only slightly more than the 5-cup cooker. One thing to watch out for is to avoid placing it directly under kitchen counter, as it will generate a lot of vapor/steam when cooking. The timer and keep-warm function is great as it gives you freshly cooked rice when you need it. I've cooked white rice so far and am happy with the result but have not try porridge and others.