First of all, let me concede this right away, they make a really good pot of rice. That they are able to monitor the internal cooking temperature is a huge advantage and even mediocre cookers can churn out solid rice. And if you are someone that eats a lot of rice, then by all means, it’s a good investment.

But for the average American, I would say, nay, you do not need yet another space taker in your kitchen! And no, this does not mean that you have to make rice the traditional way in a pot with all the stirring and then the clumpiness and the hard to clean. No, unlearned masses, there is a better way. You can, are you ready for this?, bake your rice. No, really. I’m serious, bak— will you let me explain? SHUT UP! Thanks. Now then, simply get an oven safe dish and throw in the following ingredients. 1.5C rice, 2.5C water with 1T of butter melted into it and 1t of salt added. Cover it medium-tight with aluminum foil and put into a 350 oven for 35 minutes if you are cooking white rice and 60 minutes if you are cooking brown rice. The rice will emerge cooked, tender and fluffy! And clean up’s a breeze.

Now then, if you insist on a rice cooker and one from Zojirushi, the first consideration is size. How much rice do you want to cook? Standard sizes are 3 or 5.5/10 cup units. Be aware that even three cups of rice is a lot. You are going to want a cooker with a non-stick interior of course and look for exterior materials that will stay cool to the touch. Wouldn’t want to burn yourself! Aside from that, note the stay warm options and the different rice cooking settings available. In the 3 cup size, I like the NS-LAC05 model because it comes with a retractable cord that helps reduce counter clutter. In the 5.5/10 cup size, go with the NP-HTC 10/18, it has three settings for white rice alone, plus brown and sushi rices. It also has an extended keep warm option.