Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer (Peal Beige, 5.5 Cups)

Zoji is the best rice make brand and this is the best small appliance I have ever purchased, my mom and my brother both bought one after I did because I loved it so much!

Very easy to use and functions really well. The size is very fitting with our kitchen. There are many different and necessary cooking settings on the rice cooker making it great to use.

Best rice cooker ever. Dont buy a cheap one. Buy this one. It's robust, accurate, consistent, easy to clean, use and store. It has a small footprint on the counter and best of all it has a countdown timer that uses fuzzy logic. No more guessing when your rice will be done, you can plan a meal and time service around the rice estimate. Not just for rice, it has settings to cook several types of grain. The graduated measure for water on the inside of the pot is easy to read. This is one of the most thoughtfully engineered products I've ever owned. I wouldn't hesitate to get one as a wedding gift or housewarming gift. it's perfect for a foodie or vegetarian or any household that eats a lot of cooked grains and rice.

Cons:If you must have a made in Japan cooker this is not the cooker for you.Product Description on Amazon is incorrect. It does not have a steamer basket and it does not play the start/end melodies that other Zojirushi cookers play.The cooking functions listed in the Amazon product description are incorrect.This cooker has a soldered in clock battery that will eventually die some years after date of purchase if left unplugged.The clock is a 24 hour clock (ie. military time), no AM/PM. The display is not backlit.Pros:Seems well designed, built, and was packaged well. The outer shell of the cooker is plastic but does not feel cheap. The inner bowl has a good weight to it and also doesn't feel cheap.The buttons are easy to operate, as is the lid opener.The display shows a time to completion immediately after the start button is pressed.The unit operates quietly except faint clicking can be heard from electronic relays.Less steam is emitted from the cooker than what I expected.The measuring lines in the bowl are white and easy to read.Included carrying handle makes it easy to move.The display turns off when unplugged which should help extend the life of the battery. If the battery does die the clock will need to be set if you want to use the timer. Clock is easy to set.The unit does not have an attached holder for the spatula, however a tray is included that you can place on your counter.The cord does not retract but is easily removed.The cord, spatula/tray/measuring cup all fit inside the unit for easy storage.It has a lot of settings options: white, long grain white, sushi, congee, brown, GABA brown, Jasmine, steel cut oatmeal, quinoa, quick white and cake.Reasonably easy to clean, the inner lid and external steam vent is easily removed.Does a great job of cooking rice and oatmeal.

Something you should know about all rice lovers. There are two types, seperated grain lovers and soft sticky grain lovers. This cooker makes rice exactly the same every time. It may take a couple of attempts to make your type of texture. I am a soft rice fan, not a seperated rice fan. Seperated rice is not crunchy hard but sometimes al dente like pasta with a small bit of chew in the very middle. Even if it is not al dente it is (to me) a little dry and stiff but many people love that. Take a little while to understand the different types of rice and which one is soft or hard. Know that adding more liquid makes the sensor in the cooker boil the rice longer. Know also that the measuring cup that comes with the unit is a Japanese cup, NOT an American liquid of measure. The supplied cup actually measures 3/4 cup SAE (U.S.) in case you lose it. Also know that the markings inside the cooker are for water levels with the uncooked rice added to the pot and DO NOT equal anything other than zojirushi recipes. They DO NOT even equal the little measuring cup than comes with the unit. So my style of rice is always with considerably more liquid than the recipe calls for.My go to rice is jasmine, 1 zojirushi cup of rice (UNWASHED) and liquid to the 2 "white rice" line in the cooker pot.Japanese do not use salt in rice as rice is simply the delivery vehicle for the rest of the meal. I am not Japanese, I season the **** out of mine and you should feel free to do so as well. I often use chicken broth / stock.Spend an afternoon using 1 cup of rice (find the minimum amount for your cooker) and different amounts of water to find your perfect rice and learn from there. Don't be afraid to discard a few batches and start over, it is unlikley that the Japanese rice police will invade America to get you.I like this cooker because I am a busy person, I like to write, sometimes I just want something good and fast to eat because I have many things to do. I am still experimenting with rice + other stuff as a one pot meal but this machine gives me the ability to throw stuff in and walk away and come back an hour later to a tasty wholesome meal.Caution cooking oatmeal, in fact don't. One cup of rolled oats boiled over in my cooker and the oatmeal it made had the texture of the gel they use at the hospital for ultrasounds.P.S. The Japanese are not skinny because they eat a lot of rice, they are skinny because they eat a small portion of rice with a lot of vegetables !!!!!!