Best Rice Cooker and Steamer Combo to Buy

We may receive compensation from the companies whose products we review if you click through our affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tiger 5.5-Cup Micom Rice Cooker with Steamer (JBV-A10U-W)

Tiger Rice Cooker

Best Tiger Rice Cooker and Steamer
  • Syncro-cooking function uses "tacook" cooking plate to cook rice & a main dish at the same time without flavors affecting each other
  • 4 cooking menu settings (Synchro-Cooking, Plain Rice, Brown Rice, Slow Cook/Steam)
  • Easy to clean non-stick coating inner pan
  • NOTE: Please ensure to measure rice in the measuring cup that comes along with the product ONLY
  • USAGE: This product is tested for usage only in North America (120 voltage). We do not provide any service for product usage outside of North America

The  Tiger is also another established Japanese brand. This isn’t just a rice cooker – it’s also a slow cooker, steamer and warmer that can make vegetables and cook protein thanks to its upper tray. It basically allows you to cook an entire meal with this one countertop appliance.

Functionality: It has its own cooking logic system called Micom that helps control the cooking process by adjusting time and temperature in order to adjust for the type of food being cooked.

Design: A white solid body with clear LED screen that allow for push button navigation and operation to choose between cooking plain rice, brown rice, steaming or synchronized cooking. It too has an easy to clean non stick inner pan and detachable steam cap.

This model has a 5.5 cup capacity but there is also a model with a bigger 10 cup capacity for larger families or frequent rice eaters.

Downsides: Unfortunately, theres no notification to let you know when your food is ready, the lid isnt removable for easy cleaning, and most importantly, we found the rice to be good, but not nearly as good as the Zojirushi or Cuckoo rice cookers.

Bottom line: Still, this is an affordable option for many consumers and it has excellent ratings on Amazon. Full review here.Buy on Amazon

Aroma Housewares 8-Cup Digital Rice Cooker & Steamer (ARC-914SBD)

Aroma ARC-914SBD 8 Cup Rice Cooker
Sale
Best Aroma Rice Cooker and Steamer
  • Easy-to-use programmable digital controls complete with an automatic Keep Warm mode after each cycle
  • An array of preset functions for every kind of meal: White Rice, Brown Rice, Steam, Flash Rice
  • Steam meat, vegetables and more with the provided Steam Tray all while rice cooks below
  • Perfectly prepares 2 to 8 cups of any variety of cooked rice or grains
  • Sensor Logic Technology for delicious, fluffy rice and grains every time - automatically controls the internal temperature throughout the cooking cycle for optimal texture and flavor

This is the most popular model with over 10,00 Amazon reviews and a very affordable price point. We love the flexibility of it being both a steamer and a rice cooker, and Aroma is a well-tested brand, too.

Keep Warm Settings: It has a keep warm mode so that you can keep your rice warm before or after serving. Once rice is done cooking, it will automatically shift to keep warm mode.

Steamer: You can use the provided upper tray to steam proteins and vegetables, again, allowing for a complete meal using only one device.

Cleaning: Although it’s dishwasher safe, your best bet is to use soap and sponge to gently clean the inner pot, removable lid, and spatula after use.

If you eat a lot of rice (more than twice a week), have frequent guests, or a family of four, go for the larger capacity unit as you’ll then be able to make more rice in one go. Full review of the Aroma here.

ZOJIRUSHI 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Steamer (NHS-06)

Zojirushi NHS-06 Rice Cooker
Sale
Best Value Zojirushi Rice Cooker and Steamer
  • Easy-to-use single switch control
  • See-through glass lid with stay cool knob
  • Stay cool handles for easy transport
  • Durable nonstick inner cooking pan
  • Every Zojirushi rice cooker comes with a plastic measuring cup. This cup has a capacity of 6-ounces, or about 3/4 of a U.S. measuring cup. The capacity of the rice cooker is counted in these 6-ounce cups of uncooked short grain white rice. One 6-ounce cup of raw rice makes about 2 to 3, 6-ounce cups of cooked rice

Zojirushi is world-famous for making great great rice cookers so it’s no surprise that the NHS is their first on our list. It is extremely popular, likely because it is one of their most affordable and easy to use rice cookers to date.

This particular model is a smaller rice cooker at just over 7 inches tall with a diameter of only 9 inches, with a different design than most Zojirushi models. It has a 3 cup, good for feeding a couple of people at once.

The materials are all high quality, as they feature a stainless steel steaming tray, a non stick cooking pan, measuring cup,serving spatula, and a transparent glass lid, and handles that remain cool so as not to burn you.

This cooker isn’t as fancy as higher end models as it only features a one button operation (on/off). It automatically shuts down and switches to keep warm (up to 5 hours) once your rice has finished cooking, which is certainly convenient.

It offers a steamer as well that is perfect for steaming vegetables or cooking protein so you can have a complete meal all at once.

We recommend this basic cooker for those looking to get the job done on a budget, or for those who don’t have a lot of counter space to devote to kitchen appliances.

Choosing the Best Rice Steamer

There are more people nowadays who eat rice most of the time.  As a result, an increasing number of people want to learn how to cook perfect rice.

You can always cook rice over your stove.  This is the classic and traditional way of cooking rice.  Many people find it tedious and time consuming to cook rice this way, however. 

Moreover, the results are not always consistent. You now have an easier and more convenient way to cook rice and have it turn out perfect every single time. All you have to do is to choose the best rice steamer for you.

When choosing the best rice steamer, also called a rice cooker, there are two main things to consider – size and type.

Choose a rice steamer of the right size.

Consider the number of people that you usually cook rice for. If you use a steamer that is too small, the water is likely to boil over, resulting in a mess of sticky starch on the rim of the steamer. If the steamer is too big, your rice will stick to the bottom of the steamer.

Rice steamers come in different sizes, ranging from 3 cups to 10 cups. Rice grains usually expand to twice its size when cooked; make sure to remember this when choosing your rice steamer.

In general, use the following guide (assuming that each person you are cooking for will be eating about one or a couple cups of cooked rice — a half to a full cup of uncooked grains).

  • 3 cup rice steamer – for one or two individuals
  • 4 cup or 6 cup rice steamer – for three to four individuals
  • 7 cup or 8 cup rice steamer – for five to six individuals
  • 10 cup rice steamer – for seven to eight individuals
rice cookers and steamers

Types of Rice Steamers

Aside from size, there are also different types of rice steamers. You can choose from among these options, depending on your requirements.

The on/off rice steamer is the most basic, having only one button or switch. Pressing down the switch is all it takes for the rice to start to cook.  The switch will automatically turn to the keep-warm mode when the rice is fully cooked.

You will need to correctly measure water and the rice grains if you want perfectly cooked fluffy rice; the steamer does not have state-of-the-art technology to come out with rice cooked to perfection if the measurements are all wrong.

If you need a steamer simply for cooking brown rice or white rice or for steaming fish and vegetables, the on/off steamer may be the right choice for you.

The Fuzzy Logic Rice Steamer is a more technologically advanced type of rice steamer. Even if you make a mistake in measuring your rice and water, you will always get fluffy rice, each and every single time you use the steamer.

You also get to enjoy extra functions which make it easy for you to cook soup, prepare porridge, steam fish, steam vegetables, as well as cook the perfect brown or white rice.

There are even more sophisticated types with a wider variety of features, including cake-making, timer for presetting cooking duration, rice–texture setting, and induction heating.

If you intend to use your rice steamer for more than just cooking plain rice, this type will stand you in good stead.

Leave a Comment