11/19/2011

Zojirushi NP-GBC05 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System Review

Zojirushi NP-GBC05 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I've had this rice maker for about 7 months. I vacillated for over a year before making my purchase--not only was the price scaring me off, but this model had been on the market for a while and I wanted to see if anything new and even better came out. However, when I read the mediocre reviews of the newest Zojirushi models--and prices nearing $450!--I thought it was about time I bit the bullet and shelled out for this rice cooker.
This was possibly THE best purchase I've made in the past five years. I ended up getting it for about $30 less via the auction site that everyone's familiar with, but Amazon's price is pretty darn competitive. I opted for the 3-cup model because I'm by myself most of the year and wanted something that could handle smaller batches (as little as 1/2 cup in this case!) for when I'm just cooking for myself, but had the flexibility to handle larger quantities. This size is perfect for a 1-4 person household (3 cups of cooked rice is closer to 6 servings). Ease of use is amazing. I've made short-grain Japanese rice, short-grain brown rice, rice and azuki beans, and mixed-grain rice (a blend of brown and wild rices, in various combinations over the months I've had it). I use it pretty much every night for rice, and almost every morning for my favorite use of this machine: the most perfect steel-cut oatmeal you could possibly ask for. I did get a rice-cooker cookbook to help me fine-tune my ratios, but I find that the best oatmeal is if you use 1.5:1 water/oatmeal ratio, then stir in 1/2 c. whole milk once it's done cooking and let it "warm" for another 5 min. I have had rave reviews about my oatmeal and it's so. darn. easy.
Like another reviewer mentioned, if you add in flavors (in my case, cinnamon/vanilla for the oatmeal, I haven't played around much with savory fare save for plain rice) there's a bit of a ghost of that flavor the next time you make plain rice. I think it might be because of the silicone seal to the steamer lid. I don't mind it much, and I suppose if you're VERY sensitive to any sort of flavor (it only lasts the one batch) you could run a small (1/2 c.) batch first to "steam" out the flavors--this seems wasteful to me, but it's an idea to try if this is an issue for you.
The rice itself comes out absolutely perfect. You'll be amazed at how much flavor this little machine draws out of white rice and brown rice. I was never a huge fan of brown rice (too mealy/chewy) but when I make it in this bad boy, it's so, so good. You'll be a convert!
My favorite part of this machine is the cleanup. If an appliance is too fiddly to clean, I know it'll end up gathering dust--but this machine couldn't be easier. There's a detachable inner lid that catches the splash from the cooking rice that I wash right away, and I remove the steam cover in the back (this sounds arcane, but it's snapping two things off and takes about 3 seconds; the manual is great for explaining it). Then I let the actual nonstick bowl dry out. You heard me--I let it dry on there. Then, it's as easy as wiping out the rice "paper" film you've made with a paper towel. Seriously. Even with oatmeal that would normally cake on there: don't soak, don't scrub, just wait for it to dry. The couple times it's stuck, I just fill it with warm water in the sink for 15min and it washes right off. The nonstick on this bowl is absolutely fantastic. I'm very careful never to bring anything metallic in contact with it, but I hear through the grapevine that Zojirushi is excellent about shipping out replacement parts if you ever need them.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Zojirushi NP-GBC05 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System

Equipped with Induction Heating technology, this 3-cup rice cooker and warmer provides more evenly distributed heat for perfectly cooked rice every time. Great for singles and smaller families, the appliance can cook as little as a 1/2 cup of rice, and it takes up minimal space on the counter. Multiple-menu cooking functions include white/mixed, sushi, porridge, brown rice, GABA Brown, quick, and rinse-free. The appliances comes with a user-friendly LCD control panel with buttons that include "keep warm", "reset", and "cooking" to start the cooking process, as well as up and down arrows to set the clock or timer. Thoughtfully designed, the rice cooker and warmer also offers attractive stainless-steel housing, a steam vent, a carrying handle, and a detachable cord for convenient storage. The thick, black, spherical inner cooking pan, detachable inner lid, and all accessories clean up easily by hand with warm soapy water and a soft sponge. Accessories include a measuring cup, a nonstick rice spatula, and a spatula holder. The 700-watt rice cooker and warmer measures 11-13/16 by 9 by 7-1/2 inches.

Buy NowGet 19% OFF

Click here for more information about Zojirushi NP-GBC05 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer with Induction Heating System

No comments:

Post a Comment