I canāt recommend this rice cooker enough
Lately, Iāve been thinking about all of the good shit I havenāt gotten to blog about in the past two yearsāthe stuff that Iāve used super consistently, and that really stands the test of time. This Zojirushi rice cooker ($172 on Amazon) is one such thing!
I wasnāt a big consumer of rice for most of my life, but Kiyana had mentioned wanting a rice cooker several times, so I decided to buy this one for her for Valentineās Day a few years ago. She now says itās one of the best gifts sheās ever received, and I have to agreeāthis thing is amazing! It just makes extremely delicious rice literally every single time with minimal effort on our part. Itās fully turned me into a rice personā¦like, I will now sometimes just eat a bowl of plain white rice straight out of the rice cooker because itās that good.
This particular rice cooker also has some additional features (including a vegetable steamer and the ability to bake a cake) that we havenāt taken advantage of. My only real complaint is that there are two components that arenāt dishwasher safe, but itās also not that big of a deal because they are very easy to clean (especially compared to burned-on rice thatās glued to a pot).
A few items I recommend to go with it:
Rice washing bowl with strainer ($8 on Amazon). Washing the dried rice before you make it is the most tedious step in the process, and while itās truly not that big of a deal, itās significantly easier now that we have this tool. Pro tip: Use a whisk to swish the rice around in the bowl when youāre rinsing it!
Tamaki Gold California Koshihikari Short Grain Rice ($22 for 4.4 lbs. on Amazon). I think the Zojirushi could make any rice taste good, but this rice is excellent.
Rice storage container with measuring cup ($15 on Amazon). This is definitely just a ānice to haveā item, but I do think itās helpful, given that our go-to rice comes in a 4-lb. bag that is a bit unwieldy. And the built-in measuring cup makes the whole process that much easier.
There are a lot of different Zojirushi models, and I have no doubt that they are all fantastic (especially after seeing what other people are saying about the brand online), so if a different model is speaking to you, Iād say go for it!
Please share your favorite rice-centric recipes in the comments if youāre so inclined! Our go-tos are slow cooker chipotle-honey chicken (great over rice instead of in tortillas), miso honey chicken and asparagus (we do green beans), and a sticky miso salmon bowl, but Iād love to add some new ones to our regular rotaysh. š