6 Best Rice Cookers NZ
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Are you sick and tired of overcooking or undercooking your rice? Maybe each time you try to create loose fluffy rice, it comes out sticky and rather untasty. Stovetop rice cooking can be frustrating and time-consuming, not to mention downright unnecessary.
Rice is the backbone of many recipes, and therefore we want to ensure it is cooked to perfection.
Using a reliable rice cooker will not only save you a significant amount of time, but will allow you to present delicious rice each and every time. Chef or beginner, a rice cooker is for everyone!
Our list of the best rice cookers in New Zealand will help you choose the right one for you.
Thing To Consider:
As with most electrical kitchen appliances, there are a few things you will need to take into consideration before you choose the best rice cooker for your needs.
First of all, it would be wise for you to set a budget before you begin searching for rice cookers. Then start narrowing down your options. Rice cookers will vary in price depending on the size, capacity, materials, and functionality.
- Cooking Capacity: When it comes to rice cookers, this is the most important factor. Rice cookers need to be selected according to your household’s needs.
- Non-Stick Bowls: The inner bowl of your rice cooker should be non-stick and easy for you to wipe and clean. The cooking bowl should also be easily removable.
- Reheat/Keep Warm Function: This is not a necessity but sure is nice to have. You can cook your rice and have the rice cooker keep it warm until the rest of your food is ready to be served. Ensure you check the temperature of the keep warm function and the length it keeps your rice warm.
- Texture Function: We all enjoy our rice differently, and you may want to cook your rice a certain way to accommodate the food you put on top (Sticky, loose, or fluffy rice). So, look and see which rice cooker has the texture functions to accommodate all of your meals.
- Modes of Cooking: A rice cooker can have more than one functionality. For example, some rice cookers offer you the option of steaming different food while your rice is cooking. You might even be able to cook other meals like porridge. The rice cooker’s modes should include other grains of rice, such as white, brown, or wheat rice, and different rice types and sizes. This functionality could be on the more expensive side, so look for top-of-the-range rice cookers if this is what you are after.
How Rice Cookers Work
These four stages are automatically followed by rice cookers. It primarily consists of a main body, an inner cooking pan, an electric heating element, a thermometer, and a few buttons.
Rice and water are placed inside the cooking pan and secured inside the rice cooker’s shell. Water is quickly brought to a boil when the pan’s weight presses the thermal-sensing device. Located inside the pan is a small, spring-loaded thermometer that measures the temperature of the contents. Rice cookers have it installed at the bottom of their main bodies.
A rice cooker’s contents are typically heated by transferring heat from the heating plate to the cooking pan, and the type of metal used can affect this transfer. Metals like copper and aluminum, for example, conduct heat well. Basically, they transfer heat easily. Various materials can be used for cooking pans, and each type may affect the overall cooking time.
You can cook rice in a few simple steps. Once it reaches a steady boil, water won’t get hotter than 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius). The temperature should remain stable as long as there is water in the pan. When all the water in the pan has been absorbed by the rice, the temperature in the pan will rise. When this happens, the rice cooker will either turn off or switch to a warming cycle. It is now time for the rice to rest after it has finished cooking.
Below are the 6 top rice cooker picks!
Breville The Set & Serve Rice Cooker
Overall rating – 5 out of 5 
Specifications
- Type: Rice Cooker & Steamer
- Model: BRC310BSS
- Colour: Silver
- Power: 500 W
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Capacity: 7 Cups
- Voltage: 220 V – 240 V
- Components Included: Measuring Cup
- Components Included: Steam Tray
- Components Included: Spoon
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
- Manufacturer Colour: Silver
- Item Height: 24.3 cm
- Item Weight: N/A
- Item Width: 30.3 cm
- Item Depth: 25 cm
- Bundle Description: Breville Set & Serve 7 Cup Rice Cooker/SteamerCooking Method: Steam
- Product Id: 5455610
Description
If you’re looking for fluffy, perfect rice every time, then Breville’s set & serve stainless steel rice cooker is the appliance for you. This smart cooker controls the temperature and senses as soon as the water has evaporated to switch to its ‘keep warm’ setting.
Rice cooks light and fluffy, never burnt or gluggy, with just one touch of a button – no need to hover over it while waiting for it to finish! Plus, it can make up to 17 cups of cooked rice in a single go – making entertaining and meal prep effortless. Breville’s set & serve stainless steel rice cooker will make all your rice dreams come true!
Pros:
- Simple operation with cook and keep warm functions
- Non-stick steaming tray
- Cooks 17 cups of cooked rice
Cons:
- Expensive
Healthy Choice 5L Programme Automatic Electric Congee/Soup Rice Cooker 900W
Overall rating – 4 out of 5 
Specifications
- Power: 900 watts
- Capacity: 5L
- Type: Electric Rice Cooker
- Model: RC510
- Colour: Multicoloured
- Power: 900 W
- Material: Aluminium
- Capacity: 5 L
- Voltage: 220 V
- Components Included: Spatula
- Components Included: Measuring Cup
- Components Included: Steam Tray
- Components Included: Pot
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
- Item Height: 42.5cm
- Item Weight: 3.57 kg
- Item Width: 29.5cm
- Item Depth: 29.5cm
- Number of Settings/Programs: 4
- Maximum Timer Setting: 24-hour
Description
With a 5L bowl and “fuzzy technology”, this Healthy Choice Rice cooker provides you with intelligent sensors that correct cooking time and automatic adjustments to create the perfect rice with each cook. A Rice VS water guide is provided to ensure you get perfectly cooked rice each time. This 2 choice comes with a 4-LED digital display and a 24-hour delay function, making cooking in advance easy. Cooking programs keep warm functions as part of this rice cooker, making it a great convenience for a slightly higher price.
Pros:
- Automatic 60°- 80°C keep warm mod
- Detachable steam vent and inner lid
Cons:
- Expensive
Sunbeam Rice Cooker + Saute 10
Overall rating – 4 out of 5 
Specifications
- Capacity bowl: 4 L
- Cord length: 1 m
- Frequency: 50/60 Hz
- Voltage: 220-240 V
- Power: 790-940 W
- Product features: Cancel button, LED display, On/ off switch, preset cooking function, ready signal
- Keep warm function: 12 hour(s)
Description
At number 3, we have this grain master rice cooker that comes with easy-to-control cooking options and eight multifunctional programs you can use on various dishes.
This Philips HD4514 rice cooker automatically controls rice cooking temperature at each stage to ensure perfectly cooked rice. With an anti-scratch non-stick pot and eight menus, including Standard cook, Quick cook, Brown rice, Multi-Grain, Lentils, Quinoa, and Porridge.
A reheat and 12 hours keep-warm function makes this an easy choice when searching for your perfect rice cooker. As a bonus, you receive a booklet of 12 innovative rice recipes.
Pros:
- Free recipe booklet
- Easy to control
- Automatic 12 hours keep warm
- Multifunction programs
- 24-Hour preset time
Cons:
- No carry handle
Hi Mart 10 cups IH High-Pressure rice cooker CRP-HN1054F
Overall rating – 4 out of 5 
Specifications
- Capacity: 10 cup
- Turbo cooking
- Triple dimple
- Diamond coating + Titan inner pot
Description
The Hi Mart rice cooker offers you modern elegance combined with home-cooked delicious rice. Induction heating and a durable inner bowl deliver you with unbeatable durability. In addition, the Hi Mart rice cooker blows us away with its intelligent automatic steaming functions, ensuring your cooker stays clean and sanitized.
A 10 cup rice capacity and turbo cooker allow you to batch cook or indulge a large number of quests with perfectly cooked rice. However, a good feature is not all it offers. This rice cooker is sleek and sexy, adding elegance to your kitchen. The look alone can justify its price point.
Pros:
- Keep warm function
- Soft steam cap: silent & safe
- Sleep function
Cons:
- Expensive
Hi Mart 6 cups Smart IH High-Pressure rice cooker CRP-DHSR0609F
Overall rating – 4 out of 5 
Specifications
- Feeds up to 6 people/ 1.08L
- Double layered rubber packing
- Customisable temperature & time setting
- Non-stop steam emission
- Auto steam cleaning
- Sensor for 3d warming
- Pressure control device
- Lid lock child-safe
Description
We have the Hi Mart 6 cup at a slightly higher price point. It offers you a smaller amount of rice cooked at a time. Still, it has a sleek and alluring exterior. Outstanding technology includes:
- A touch screen
- Programs for different features
- An overheating alarm
- Energy-saving function
- Tri-lingual voice control
The Hi Mart Smart can cook 6 cups of rice per cook and provides you with a child lock safety feature. Number #5 provides you with auto steam clean. This makes it a brilliant option for a family looking for elegance and safety.
Pros:
- Overheating alarm
- Energy saving
- Auto steam cleaning
Cons:
- Expensive
- Feed up to 6 people
Hi Mart 10 cups IH Twin Pressure rice cooker CRP-JHT1010F
Overall rating – 4 out of 5 
Specifications
- Feeds up to 10 people/ 1.8L
- Full stainless steel exterior with detachable cover
- Washable cover & auto steam cleaning
- Double layered rubber packing
- Eco-stainless wall coating
- Wide & flat inner pot
- Button lock function
- Double soft steam cap
Description
Hi Mart, IH Twin comes in at number 6. Besides providing you with a sleek design that looks as expensive as it is, it features:
- A twin cook (Pressure or no pressure cook) has tri-lingual voice control.
- The 3D warming system allows all of your rice to be cooked and kept warm evenly.
- Offering you a multiple-choice food function is not your average rice-only cooker.
The Hi Mart IH Twin can feed up to 10 people, making it a good option for big family events by having a child lock feature. We can see why this is at the top of the price range with a washable cover and auto steaming cleaner.
Pros:
- Twin cooking function
- Energy save function
- Various food function
- Feeds up to 10 people
Cons:
- Expensive
Frequently asked questions
- 1:1 – but each rice cooker is different, so ensure you read the booklet that comes with the rice cooker you have bought.
The temperature will drop if you open a rice cooker that is still busy with a cycle, resulting in undercooked rice at the bottom.
On average, one cup of rice will take 26 minutes, but if you have a turbo rice cooker, it could be much quicker; ensure you check your rice cookers leaflet.
This is most likely due to a large amount of starch in your rice. Try to rinse off your rice before putting it in your rice cooker, and allow your rice to rest before opening the lid.
Make sure you never use any steel wool when cleaning your rice cooker pot, as this will remove the non-stick. Try spraying the pot with cooking spray or smear it with butter if your rice sticks.
There are many types of rice for rice cookers, including white, brown, long-grains, short-grains, jasmine, basmati, and wild rice among others. Other grains, such as quinoa and oatmeal, can also be made using them.
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