rice cooker brands

[bear]

I've seen this thread, which is very helpful. It seems to be the top choice for higher-end cookers. I'm looking for a model for around $50, with maybe a six-cup capacity. Any rec's?

Thanks!

[Kagemusha]

Zojirushi makes low-end National-style models, as well as the pricier Neuro Fuzzy(love those names!)models. Have both types and love 'em--totally bomb-proof and worth the extra $.

[tinarina]

We've had the small Panasonic for years now (it definitely can do six cups) and it works great for all kinds of rice. At Pearl River Trading I think it's $30 or less.

[Alan408]

For your price range, based on my experiences with a Panasonic (National) I recommend a Panasonic. I saw a 5.5cup rice cooker for ~$35 at a local store a few weeks ago. Looking at Amazon today, they have that cooker for ~$30.

My rice cooker is ~25 years old, used 15-20 times a year, and is not fuzzy logic.

[scubadoo97]

Cool. I'm looking to get a rice cooker not to make rice, I can do that very well, but to use for sous vide cooking with a PID controller. I need one with a mechanical switch as opposed to an electronic switch.

[onocoffee]

scubadoo -
I would think a rice cooker is a bit small for sous vide. Perhaps you might want to think about buying one of those restaurant grade electric steam pans (about eighty bucks). They hold a full hotel pan and use a heating element to heat the water in the reservoir.

I've always thought about adapting one to use for sous vide but never got around to doing it. Although, I think with a thermocouple, a Fuji PID and a plug you could easily adapt the PID to the heating element.

I would explore it more but I've just ordered 4 thermal circulators from PolyScience to play with!

[scubadoo97]

Ono, I have been looking at this product.

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_pa...

For home use a good sized rice cooker would do the trick. 4 TC from PolySc is some serious bucks.

[ccbweb]

A quick peruse of Amazon's rice cooker options says that RichardM is correct: $50 is too low to get a fuzzy logic cooker. I think it's also right to say that's the best kind, but it's going to cost you more than $100 to get any sort of fuzzy logic cooker.

As for brands, we've been very happy with our 5 cup Sanyo model.

[sueatmo]

I agree that the fuzzy logic rice cooker works well. I have a Zojirushi and I like it fine. Its strength for me is that it can cook brown rice, as well as white, and can handle "porridge," meaning risotto. If bear only cooks white rice, a less expensive cooker should be fine for her.

[RichardM]

Try to find a asian market or appliance store in your area. Tiger is a good medium priced brand but your budget might be too low for an electronic/fuzzy logic type cooker although that's what you want to get.

[ATaleOfFiction]

Zojirushi

[cacruden]

I bought a Zojirushi (don't know the exact model but it was top of the line) - BUT it was not close to $50 (more like $200+ discounted). I use the rice cooker all the time so paying that was no problem. Funny thing is I have an old cheap rice cooker in storage that I had before - and I was not careful with it so it is all scratched up and makes crispy rice (browned). I have a Japanese friend that stayed with me and she told me that they buy special rice cookers to brown the rice like that - and all I did was to mistreat it.