As we all know, rice is one of – if not the most – consumed food in the world. And most people don’t want to make mistakes when cooking rice. Well, with the help of a mini rice cooker you can put the mistakes to rest. Because we have come up with the best rice cooker options for you to cook rice easily.
If you are looking to prepare a delicious meal just for yourself or maybe your friend came to visit. And you decide to make lunch for both of you. Then this is the best small rice cooking appliance for you. As your meal could be ready in just a matter of minutes.
The mini rice cooker is smaller in size in contrast to the standard rice cooker, it is very easy to use and still offers a variety of cooking options that are available in the standard cookers. So, smaller in size and capacity does not necessarily mean more limitations in productivity.
With its small size and lesser capacity, one may be wondering, why exactly should I risk getting the mini rice cooker? Well, no worries because it is certainly a home improvement appliance and there are numerous benefits attached to using the mini rice cooker; we will talk about every one of them today.
While the small rice cooker will help you cook rice easily with you can consider a cute kitchen timer to track down other tasks in your kitchen easily.
Click here to find out the cute kitchen timers.
The Benefits of Using a Mini Rice Cooker
Mini Size
With the mini rice cooker being smaller in size and more portable, it means it is not going to take up a lot of space where ever it is placed on in the kitchen. With its sleek and cute design, the mini rice cooker doubles as a decoration in the kitchen. Its portability also means that you can decide to travel and not want to miss out on all your family recipes or personal cooking, simply take your mini rice cooker with you on the trip.
Different Cooking Option:
Do not think that just because it is called a ‘rice cooker’, it is limited to just cooking rice. Oh no, it has a variety of meals you can prepare with it. If you the type that loves soups, you can easily make any soup of your choice in a rice cooker.
You can also steam vegetables like broccoli to eat with your rice. Also, you can make quinoa, a polenta, oatmeals, chicken soup and surprisingly even a porridge. The mini rice cooker is multi-purpose and can be used to steam food or keep your meal warm.
Less Monitoring Hassle:
With the mini rice cooker, you do not have to monitor your cooking now and then because it has a thermostat that regulates the temperature of cooking. This means your cooker would not exceed the required temperature and also it automatically shuts down or switches to warming mode to keep your food hot.
Simply measure the amount of rice you want to cook, equally with the amount of water you put in, then there is no need to monitor anymore, just sit back relax and let the cooker do its job.
Cooks Perfectly:
Most people often crave to cook their rice perfectly and the mini rice cooker is the perfect appliance so satiate such cravings. The mini rice cooker automates the process by mechanically or electronically controlling heat and timing to make sure that your meal is perfectly cooked provided you get your measurement rightly.
Not Messy:
The mini rice cooker is easy to clean up after use and isn’t like an oven or a microwave that gets messy after usage. It comes with a hinged lid that snaps shut, thereby cutting off any air from escaping through, and it also has vents where air passes out without leaving any mess.
Easy to Clean:
Cleaning up the mini rice cooker is one of the easiest things and it is advisable to clean up your cooker after use. Do not forget food inside for weeks because it could develop mold and may be damaging to the cooker.
To clean the cooker after use, wait for a little for the cooker to be cool. Simply take out the inner bowl/pot from the cooker and wash thoroughly depending on what you cooked. If the food is sticky, then soak the pot in water and detergent to ease the cleaning process, then wipe the inside of the rice cooker clean with a towel and also the outer part. Wait for all components to get properly dry before inserting back the components into the rice cooker.
Easy to Operate:
The mini rice cooker is easy to operate and use, simply follow the instructions in the user manual. For a simple explanation, Get your desired quantity of rice and put in the bowl, add the required quantity of water in the bowl, insert the bowl into the cooker and turn on, then wait till the rice is cooked.
Comes With Useful Kits:
Isn’t it exciting to know that you are getting more than what you bargained for? Oh yes, it is. Mini rice cookers come with some useful kits to assist you in your cooking.
Some models may offer kits like a mini grill for your meats or fish, sushi making kit, a spatula, an extra bowl, cooking gloves, and even an iron stand for eggs.
Top 10 Best Mini Rice Cookers Highly Rated and Well-Priced
Best Design
1. Dash DRCM200GBPK04 Mini Rice Cooker Steamer
This incredibly functional cooker comprises of a range of abilities. It’s a rice cooker alright, but its functions are in no way limited to just rice. It can be used to prepare pasta, stew, soup, steamed vegetables, and oatmeal. It’s the smallest capacity cooker on the list (in terms of size) as it only has room enough for 2 cups at a time.
But its small size can be used to your advantage if you need a quick fix in a new apartment, you live in a dorm room, or you are going to be on the road for a while in an RV. It can be a particularly fun travel pack as it comes in a range of pretty colors.
Dash mini rice cooker is the perfect choice for couples who live alone as it will cook an adequate portion for two and won’t encourage overeating due to the limited quantity it can take at a time. One of the best factors about this cooker that has many customers applauding is how cute it is and how easy it is to use.
If you’re on a limited budget and want something you can easily pack away without having to consider extensive storage ideas, then this Dash mini rice cooker is for you.
Pros:
- This rice cooker comes in many colors which is an advantage because you can choose the best color to suit the style and design of your kitchen. It also means its eye-catchy enough to attract applause for your high taste.
- You can use it to help you get used to living on smaller rations of food, which can help you maintain your shape.
- Due to its very easy portable feature, it won’t occupy much space.
- It comes with a nice recipe booklet containing ideas on other foods you can use it for
- It’s the ideal cooker for making side dishes and small soups.
Cons:
- It can be a disadvantage when you intend to make rice for more than two people.
- This cooker can take quite a while to get used to the appropriate ratio of water to rice, to avoid ending up with mushy rice.
- Although it’s tiny, it won’t be the easiest item to pack up and take around because of its shape. It also doesn’t come with an overhead handle or strap to encourage mobility.
- It can take too long to cook.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
Best Multi-Cooker
2. Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot Duo Mini is a dream come through for lovers of utility products. As the name implies, it has a 7-in-1 capacity and can be used as a rice cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, slow cooker, warmer, sauté, and yogurt maker. What this means for you is a home improvement where seven appliances are replaced by one, which makes for more room in your kitchen.
Instant Pot Duo also boasts of 14 different preset functions that allow you to carry out specific activities with one touch. Unlike most other small rice cookers, this comes with a stainless steel lid. Other accessories include measuring cup, steam rack, serving spoon, and soup spoon.
This cooker excels above others in its league by comprising the ability to adjust the heating intensity, keep time, and monitor pressure and temperature. It also prepares food at a rate that’s about 70% faster than the average cooker, while its stainless steel lid is a fingerprint-resistant and dishwasher safe component.
Furthermore, this cooker can cook 6 cups of uncooked rice or about 12 cups of cooked rice, regardless of the type of rice involved. Its capacity and versatility make it one of the best rice cookers available.
Pros:
- Easily one of the best small rice cookers anywhere. By design and capacity, it can rival any other cooker of its size and come out on top
- It can be incredibly fast and easy to operate. Its speed – especially when the pressure is turned on can be unrivaled.
- It’s a life-changing device as it helps you to rely on just one appliance rather than several at the same time.
Cons:
- It seems to develop some electrical faults after a while. There have been complaints of burnt circuit boards and even reports that it tends to catch fire.
- Instant Pot seems to have a poor customer support system. Customers have complained of being unable to reach them with their concerns about the product.
- The pressure and steam capacity reduce over time so you may be disappointed in that.
- It lacks durability. There have been complaints of Instant pot not last much longer than a year. Despite its one year warranty, it seems a risky purchase if you don’t buy from a platform like Amazon with a good refund policy.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
Best Overall Rice Cooker
3. Aroma Housewares 6-Cup (Cooked) (3-Cup UNCOOKED) Pot Style Rice Cooker
Equipped with the capacity to cook and steam simultaneously, Aroma Housewares Pot Style Rice Cooker is an all in one food device. This pot-shaped cooker can cook rice while steaming vegetables or meat, significantly cutting the activities involved and the time for meal preparation. Although, as this is a small rice cooker, if you decide to use all its functions at once, don’t expect to cook large portions.
Apart from rice preparation, this cooker is exceptional for preparing jambalaya, chili, and soups. One happy customer even mentioned how she uses chicken broth instead of water to prepare her meals with this cooker. This cooker is not just versatile, it’s also durable meaning you get good value for your money.
This cooker is fully automatic so you can prepare anything at the push of a button and no supervision, while you handle other businesses. It features a steam tray to cook fish and vegetables, a fully tempered see-through glass lid, and an automatic keep-warm system.
Pros:
- You have the opportunity to use all its features at the same time. That’s more than what you get with other appliances in its league.
- This is a very durable cooker that can last for years and continue to function properly as long as you do your best to ensure it’s in good shape always.
- Easy to use, just press a button and forget about it.
Cons:
- Using this appliance can get your rice burnt more often than not. Even if you set it on warm, it could warm indefinitely and burn your rice. In other words, you have to keep a close eye on it and monitor the water level.
- The choice of controls is questionable. There is no off button, which means to switch it off you have to manually unplug the cooker. It also lacks both timer and temperature regulation.
- Its rating is 240V so you may need to buy a transformer to downgrade the voltage to 120V.
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4. BLACK+DECKER RC506 6-Cup Cooked/3-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker
This cooker resembles a giant bowl in design and can prepare from 1 to 6 cups of cooked rice. It comes equipped for the dual functions of cooking and steaming food. It has a food steaming basket that allows you to steam food items like fish and vegetables effortlessly. It’s vital to note that the measurement of rice to be cooked should be done with the measuring cup that was provided by the company and not an actual cup.
Other features of the Black & Decker RC506 rice cooker and food steamer are its tempered glass lid that lets you see what is happening in it, it’s warm and indicator lights that signal that the food is ready, and the cool-touch handle that allows you to transport it immediately after use. Additionally, it possesses a plastic spoon that is safe to use considering the nonstick nature of the inner pot.
This portable rice cooker is also versatile and can be used to prepare oatmeal, stews, and soups. Furthermore, its removable nonstick bowl is dishwasher friendly which is cause for even fewer concerns.
Pros:
- One of the cheapest nonstick cookers you will find on the net.
- It’s more than a cooker, it can be used to prepare a variety of meals.
- It needs no supervision and is very user friendly
- It’s cute and small, very easy to store away.
Cons:
- Steam escapes through the steam hole when the water boils and this can create a mess. To avoid this though, cover the steam hole with a lightweight cotton towel to solve the problem.
- This cooker may not be the most durable choice.
- Poor product quality which makes it prone to burning itself out.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
5. Berryku YF223 1.2L De-Sugar Mini Rice Cooker
Okay, here’s a company that put healthy living into consideration while making this rice cooker. The Berryku YF223 1.2L bestselling feature comprises of its ability to reduce up to 50% of the starch and sugar content of the rice at the single push of a button. As a consequence of its health-focused design, all the food touching components of this device are FDA certified.
Berryku YF223 is great news for diabetic, hypertensive, and obese people as they can now have – within their power – the ability to reduce the sugar level of regular rice with little or no physical effort. For such people, and for others who are looking for ways to make healthier diets to complement their fitness goals, this is the best rice cooker, and it’s tailored to their needs.
Berryku rice cooker has a modern and functional design that includes a touchpad control panel and a handle for carrying it about. So if you’re a rice lover and still concerned about your sugar and carbs intake, you can have this mobile rice cooker with you whenever possible – even when traveling. Who says you can’t keep fit on the road?
Pros:
- By far the most health-conscious device on the list. This company invested in a unique product that solves a genuine problem in humanity.
- Berryku YF223 rice cooker is one of the most affordable ways to cut down on your carbs and starch intake. Do you love rice but still want to maintain your shape? This is possibly your one-stop-shop.
- This is a lightweight cooker that comes in white color which would sit pretty in a white kitchen as is the trend now.
- It de-sugars your rice without taking away any of the things you love about rice. You get to still enjoy the rice taste and aroma.
- This is a very user-friendly cooker.
Cons:
- This is a pretty new item on the market and so it has no negative reviews. However, it’s pertinent to point out that this in no way means it is a piece of perfect equipment. For now, its records show it might be the best choice for you.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
6. Cuckoo CR-0351F Electric Heating Rice Cooker (Red)
Cuckoo CR-0351F is a stylishly finished electric rice cooker that can accommodate as much as three cups of uncooked white or brown rice with measurements imprinted on the insides of the cooking pan. Its specifications and attractive appearance make it the quintessential choice for singles with small kitchens.
The CR-0351F model of the Cuckoo brand is built for five cooking functions which are: glutinous rice, porridge, mixed/brown rice, steam, and turbo glutinous rice. The instructions and directions on this device allow you to select the type of grain you would be cooking, and selecting the right one at any time will ensure your rice is cooked to perfection.
This egg-shaped cooking device has unique functions such as its LCD fuzzy display, an auto steam cleaning system, and a turbo cooking feature that ensures your rice is ready in as quick as 12 minutes. More features include its preset cooking and reheat function, warm control function, a measuring cup, and a plastic dishing spoon.
If one the most essential things you’re looking out for in a cooker is aesthetics, we suggest you go with this Cuckoo-0351F.
Pros:
- It is gorgeous! We’ve seen the red and green colors and we can attest to its beauty. Color aside, the concept of the shape of this cuckoo cooker is remarkable as it is built in an egg shape that is pleasing to see.
- This cooks rice very fast. One customer mentioned how it cooked a cup of rice for about 10 – 15 minutes. Another customer observed that it takes about 40 minutes to cook 2 cups of white rice.
- This device makes dishwashing a simple and fun task because of its nonstick pan, in which the rice is cooked.
- It poses of a programmable warmer function. This allows you to decide how long you want to warm your dish.
Cons:
- Depending on your taste buds and rice preferences, you may not like the outcome you get with the cuckoo cooker.
- The display is dim and it may require effort to read what is on display.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
7. DCIGNA 1.2L Mini Rice Cooker
Talk about a rice cooker that is not only meant for cooking rice, but can also cook pasta, oatmeal, quinoa, steamed vegetables, and soup. Yes, that’s exactly the kind of cooker this is. DCIGNA mini rice cooker also doubles as a cooler or electric lunchbox with its compact and packable design. It comes equipped with a handle that makes it convenient for travel and mobility.
What’s more? The rice cooker is inexpensive and goes for just $29.99 which makes it one of the best affordable rice cookers. DCIGNA 1.2L is geared towards reducing human effort and attention so the cooker is optimized in such a way that cooking with it – in most cases – only requires putting the ingredients in and allowing it to cook.
DCIGNA 1.2L is fully automated and automatically switches gears from cooking to keep warm once the cooking cycle is exhausted. Is the kitchen in your home small? If so then you may want to get this product because it is ideal for smaller kitchens and makeshift kitchens such as the mobile kitchens of an RV.
Looking for a safety net? Good, because DCIGNA 1.2L comes with a 30 days manufacturer’s warranty amongst other benefits.
Pros:
- This is great equipment for campers and frequent travelers. If you drive a truck on interstate journeys, or you live in a van or RV, then DCIGNA will be a delightful addition to your artillery.
- When you consider the affordable price tag, you realize that this cooker is a good value for money.
- DCIGNA is easy to use, clean and was even described as a reliable kitchen helper by a happy customer.
Cons:
- This cooker has no shut off button. Although it automatically changes from cooking to warming when the rice is done, it will perpetually remain in this warming state until you unplug it.
- The steam tray on this device is not deep enough and there you may experience a lot of steam leakage through the steam hole of the lid if you take no precautionary steps, like blocking the hole for example.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
8. WHITE TIGER 1.0L Mini Rice Cooker Portable Travel Steamer Small
Making rice and grain-based dishes has never been as easy as using this perfect rice cooker. All you need to do is place your ingredients in the bowl and turn it on.
With its automatic warm function, there’s no need to worry about boiling water, adjusting the temperature or even setting a timer, it will automatically shift to warm once the cook cycle is complete. Clean up is a snap with the dishwasher safe nonstick cooking bowl and rice rinser/steam basket. The lid liner can also be removed for quick cleaning. Its compact size makes for easy storage.
Its product features include a 1.0L mini rice cooker capacity, suitable for 1 or 2 people, a family of two, and busy office workers, which can save time for you. It’s updated with a keep-warm function and indicator light, this mini rice cooker is designed to make sure you never overheat or overcook ingredients again, making for a healthy, perfect meal every time. It takes 15 minutes to finish cooking.
The bottom of the rice cooker has a heat dissipation port, to prevent the damage of the machine caused by the excessive temperature so that the rice cooker has a longer service life; the inside of the rice cooker is a pot with non-stick coating, easy clean.
Clueless in the kitchen?
No problem. With this all-in-1 smart electric cooker, everyone can choose the most desired way to cook a big meal easily. Rice, soup, oatmeal, cake, yogurt, pasta or dessert, just find your recipe, put in your ingredients and cook way.
Pros:
- This cooker is extremely easy to use.
- Extremely easy to clean.
- Saves time as you can cook rice and do something else with the assurance that it’ll not burn
- It’s multi-functional; can be used to make different things
- Pocket friendly, and it’s affordable for the low price.
- Makes evenly cooked and fluffy rice.
- Perfect meal maker for two.
- It’s small and weighs next to nothing making it perfect for travel.
Cons:
While there are not a lot of drawbacks with using this cooker, it is important to note that
- It cannot manage too much water and so your rice ratio must be right
- It will burn if the quantity of rice is too little; less than a cup
- Although it’s easy to clean because of its non-sticking coating, it does not have an automatic rinse function and still requires you to manually wash it.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
9. CMDREAM 1.2L Mini Rice Cooker
The CMDREAM Rice cooker is a Portable Rice Cooker, size: 7.9″H x 6.3″W, with a capacity of 1.2L, suitable for 1-2 people, Cooking Rice Time of About 30mins, color; white, control method; mechanical and power consumption of 200W, and 110V.
Multifunctional, this mini electric rice cooker can not only cook delicious, fluffy rice, but oatmeal, Stew, Soup, quinoa, pasta, and even steamed veggies.
It is also one out of the few mini rice cookers that have been updated with a keep-warm function and indicator light, ensuring that you do not overheat or overcook ingredients ever again, making for a healthy, perfect meal every time, as well saving time and resources.
The CMDREAM mini rice cooker is also very easy to clean as the lid liner removes easily, to enable you to clean efficiently; its rice measuring cup and rice paddle are both dishwasher-safe.
Standing out from the crowd with its portable & Compact Design this portable rice cooker has a comfortable handle, suitable for you to take it everywhere. It’s indeed a must-have for that first apartment, smaller kitchen, college dorm life, or camper/RV traveling, etc.
This 200-watt mini rice cooker is backed by a 30 Days manufacturer warranty and includes a rice paddle, steaming pan, measuring cup, removable pot with PFOA-free nonstick coating.
Pros:
- It’s cost-effective, and quite pocket friendly.
- This cooker backed by a 30-day manufacturer warranty.
- This cooker is easy to use; all you have to do is put in your ingredients, connect it to electricity and switch it on.
- It has a steamer, that enables you to prepare other parts of your meal while cooking rice.
- 25 minutes to finish cooking.
- You can easily carry because it’s portable and compact design.
- Its instructions are pretty much self- explanatory.
- Easy to clean
- Suitable for any kitchen, big or small.
Cons:
- It may have a hotwire which could lead to a fire outbreak; hence you may need to check in with your electrician to see.
- This cooker does not have a non-sticking coating which might decrease its durability
- Liquid overflow may result in severe damage
- It doesn’t possess the brown rice function and although it can still cook it with the right directions, it could reduce its durability.
- Although it has two indicators that show light when the rice cooked, there’s no inbuilt alarm to alert you when the rice has finished cooking.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
10. Zojirushi NHS-06 3-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker
This is a product of Zojirushi Cooperation, a Japanese company with over a century of experience in the production of consumer electronics like electric kettles, hot water dispensers, and of course rice cookers. NHS-06 is a standard rice cooking machine that automatically regulates itself by tripping off when the rice cooking complete.
Zojirushi NHS-06 comes with a 6-ounce plastic measuring cup, which is about ¾ of the measuring cup capacity used in the United States. The NHS-06 rice cooker has room enough to contain three 6 ounce cup fulls of raw short-grain white rice – one of these cups of uncooked rice is equivalent to 2 to 3 cups of cooked rice.
Apart from the measuring cup, this rice cooker equipped with a non-stick spatula meant for serving. The features in this device include a non-stick removable pan in which the rice will steam, a footed pot to house the pan. And a transparent glass lid that in turn features a stay-cool knob. It has an automatic keep-warm system that keeps rice warm and fresh for up to five hours.
NHS-06 has the smallest capacity of the Zojirushi brand and also doubles as one of the best small rice cookers.
Pros:
- It has a portable and super cute design which means you can store it away without having much room.
- Unlike some other cookers, it does not spill so much steam all over the place.
- This machine is very easy to clean and also use.
- It can produce great quality rice for 1 to 2 people.
- It cooks rice with good speed.
Cons:
- It can splash and spill foamy steam all over the place if you don’t watch the quantity of water you put.
- Some customers have noticed that when cooking brown rice, it tends to spill more steam.
Check Reviews and Latest Price Here
Mini Rice Cooker Buying Guide
Things to Look Before You Buy:
Look for the Capacity:
Mini rice cookers capacity range anywhere from 4 to 1.5 cup capacity, with each cup of rice yielding two cups of cooked rice. That 4 cups = 8 cooked cups, 1.5 cups=3 cooked cups
The decision on the best rice cooker to purchase should depend on how much rice you will need to cook in a day or at a particular time?
Easy to Handle:
Easy to handle another important thing to keep in mind when you purchase a mini rice cooker. You can easily operate and understand. It’s frustrating when you feel hungry and trying to whip up a meal.
Delay Start Function:
The delay start function is a feature in the rice cooker that allows you to delay the start of the cooking of the rice by either an hour or 30 minutes depending on the settings.
Before you purchase a rice cooker, you should check if it has the delay start feature. You can check for this on the packaging of the rice cooker at the product description column. If you purchasing from a physical store or on the product description column contained beside or beneath the product on the website if you order online.
Look for the Cooking Mechanism:
When searching for the best affordable rice cooker you should choose only rice cookers that use cooking methods that you can easily understand, otherwise rather than make life easier, your rice cooker could be frustrating.
Automatic Keep-Warm Function:
The best small rice cooker to purchase is the one that has an automatic keep-warm function. The automatic keep-warm function feature on a rice cooker enables it to turn off the heat when the rice completely cooked whilst still keeping it hot and ready to serve
Check for the Detachable Power Cord:
Before you make your purchase, check to see if the rice cooker has a detachable power cord, as a rice cooker that has one is safer to use. A detachable power cord consisting of a male electric connector on one end. And a female electric connector on the other has a molded receptacle. It meant to prevent the possibility of having an exposed live prong or pin that could cause an electric shock
Cook & Serve Design:
Mini Rice cookers with a cook and serve design enable you to cook and serve in the same dish as all you need to do is unplug the power cord and carry the appliance to the table and serve. This keeps the food hot for longer because you don’t have to move the food to a serving dish.
Easy to Clean Feature:
Some of the best affordable mini rice cookers made with a non-sticking coating to make it easier to clean than others. And you should keep this in mind when purchasing. Because nobody wants to spent time, to clean the rice cooker than they spent eating rice or cooking it.
To avoid this check to see if the rice cooker you’re purchasing has a Teflon or ceramic pot coating as either of the two makes it easier to clean out your rice cooker.
Outward Design
If you are very particular about the look of your kitchen, then you may want to consider the design of the rice cooker you choose to purchase.
For white kitchens, a black or dark brown furniture color rice boiler would fit in perfectly and for nude or brown themed kitchens a light brown or white kitchen would look splendid.
Check for the warranty period:
The best bargain is the one that comes with a warranty because even you purchase the best cheap rice cooker in the market you still want to be able to return it if it doesn’t function right or isn’t durable. Hence, before paying for that new beautiful rice cooker you’ve been eyeing at the counter or whipping out your credit card to complete the purchase, check the warranty period and decide if it’s long enough time for you. A mini cooker with a warranty of 1 year or 2 should be fine.
Why the Mini Rice Cooker is Best For You?
Perfect for making a one-time meal. The mini rice cooker is an excellent addition to your kitchen appliance. That doesn’t break the bank or tear your pocket with some retailing for as low as $30. What’s more? You don’t have to worry about it taking up a huge amount of space in your kitchen. As they are relatively small size and so if you have limited kitchen space or just live in a small apartment. A mini rice cooker is a really wise decision.
In addition to being cost-effective, the best small or mini rice cooker is multi-functional with the capacity to cook different kinds of rice such as; white rice, jasmine rice, brown rice, long-grain rice or basmati rice, etc. You can also use it to prepare other types of food, like; soup, oatmeal, etc.
Moreso, many mini rice cookers come with steamers as well, the best rice cooker steamer combo would give you the luxury of an easy complete meal in as low 30 minutes.
Lastly, if you are living alone, this is a very good option compare to the main size rice cooker, as it cooks just enough for you to eat without having some go to waste.
Few Common FAQ’s About The Mini Rice Cooker
How to Use a Rice Cooker?
The steps to using a rice cooker are mostly the same for any rice cooker. So if you have used one before you’re already one step ahead of the game. Whereas if you haven’t used a rice cooker before this is all new to you, but don’t panic we will help you get through this.
You can use a rice cooker by following these easy steps:
One: Rinse the desired amount of rice (should not exceed its capacity) into a strainer for about one to minutes and no more to avoid losing way too many nutrients from your rice
Two: Pour the rice into the inner pot of the Aroma rice cooker using the measuring cup that came with it. At first, make sure the rice cooker not plugged into the electricity to prevent getting a shock.
Three: Add as much water as it contains in the instruction manual on the package. Keep in mind that some aroma rice cookers have fill-level marks on the inside of the pot and so it’ll be wise to follow that. At this point, you can also add any desired vegetables or spices.
Four: Place the inner pot back into the rice cooker, cover with the lid and turn the cooker on.
Five: Allow the rice to cook. The aroma rice will switch to automatic warming mode when the rice cooked and usually, a light will alert you that the cooker has switched to warming mode.
Six: Open the lid and serve. Please avoid staring directly into the cooker as the steam could occasion a burn.
What You Can Cook in Rice Cooker Except for Rice?
A rice cooker is any kitchens asset as it is versatile and you can use it to cook a variety of meals, such as:
Porridge, Oatmeal, Soup, Poach fruit, Tofu and asparagus, pancakes, eggs, applesauce, cakes (cheesecakes, carrot cake, etc.), whole chicken, potatoes, yogurt, steam vegetables, quinoa, barley, pizza, rice pudding, vegetable and egg frittata, mac and cheese, bibimbap, chicken chili or meatless chili, steam fresh or frozen dumplings, cinnamon apples, chocolate scone, banana bread, basket shrimp and broccoli, spaghetti, sausage jambalaya, Honey Nut steel-cut oats.
Is One Cup of Rice Enough for One Person?
Rice rises when cooked and so a cup of rice would result in two servings of rice which would be enough for some but not everybody. The reason is that everybody is not alike and as a result, we do not all have the same food preferences. Some people like rice and tend to eat it more, in which case one cup of rice would not be enough, others don’t fancy it as much and so tend to eat less. People also prefer one type of rice to another and so this could also lead to a variation of the rice intake.
Simply, put, people eat rice according to their appetite and preferences so one cup of rice may or may not be enough for one person.
What is the Ratio of Water and Rice in a Rice Cooker?
As has been stated more than once different kinds of rice can be cooked using a mini rice cooker with all of them having varying water to rice ratios:
- White short-grained rice: 1 cup of rice: 1 cup of water
- White medium-grained rice: 1 cup rice: 11/2 cups of water
- Brown long grain rice: 21/4 cups of water: 1 cup of rice.
Is Mini Rice Cooker a Good Option While Traveling?
Absolutely! Mini rice cookers are perfect for traveling because of their portable nature. Weighing next to nothing, they can be taken on a flight or train, depending on your means of transportation.
Choosing to travel with your mini rice cooker will save you a lot of money. As you wouldn’t always have to eat out on arriving at your desired destination. It also means that you can maintain your diet. And also avoid falling ill on your trip as sometimes a sudden change in diet could lead to health problems. Taking your rice cooker with you means you’ll be able to make your meals that your body is familiar with.
How is Rice Measured?
Measuring rice to be cooked in a pot. And rice to cooked using a rice cooker requires two slightly different methods.
Measuring for example white long grain to be cooked in a pot. You can measure the rice and water using the same standard cup with a 2 cup of rice to 21/2 cup of water ratio.
In contrast, when measuring rice to be cooked in a rice cooker, it is advisable to:
- Use the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker
- Follow the directions on the package as to the rice to water ratio
- Follow strictly your recipe
What Does The Capacity Mean?
Rice cooker capacity refers to how many cups of rice the cooker can hold at once.
Can You Make Brown Rice With This Unit?
Yes, you absolutely can and here some steps to help you do so. The best small rice cookers have the brown rice option and so if yours does then all you have to do is hit the brown rice switch and follow the instructions, if not follow the steps below:
- Measure your rice, preferably with the measuring cup that came with the cooker, using the water to rice ratio of 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water, 2 cups of rice to 3cups of water, etc.
- Add salt- adding a bit of salt can give the taste of brown rice a hint of flavor and additional taste.
- Cook- prepare other parts of your meal, go watch TV, do your laundry or a few squats while you let the rice cook.
- Fluff – your rice cooker might have already done this but there’s no harm in taking the spatula that came with the cooker or your fork and fluffing it up some more.
- Serve and enjoy.
Bonus tip: Ensure you wash your rice using cool clear water before cooking it.
What’s the Average Power Consumption of a Rice Cooker in Watts?
The standard rice cookers draw a relatively low amount of voltage and amperage. Consuming anywhere from 620 watts to 700 watts of power when it’s cooking. This drops even further when it switches to its warm setting. After it’s done cooking to anywhere between 30-40 watts of power. Its energy consumption rates are arguably lower than most, if not all other kitchen appliances
A rice cooker has an electric heater, thermostat and timing mechanism. It most likely doesn’t use up 627 or 700 watts during the whole cooking process. But it uses during the peak phases of cooking.
How to Take Care of a Rice Cooker to Increase Durability?
The rice cooker is a very valuable kitchen appliance that, if well taken care of, can last well into years. Here are a few tips to increase your rice cooker durability:
- Don’t keep rice warm in there for too long. When is “too long”? 24 hours, so anywhere from 2-6 hours is enough. This helps to preserve the warm-heat coating, especially if it’s an older style cooker.
- Cook a good amount of rice to make sure there’s a thick enough layer of rice when cooking. Use at least 2 cups of rice for a 5 cup capacity rice cooker. And at least 4 cups of rice for a ten cup capacity rice cooker. Do this even you use a modern rice cooker with non-sticking coating.
- Don’t scrape it with anything other than the spatula that came with it. As other things could damage the inner pot surface causing it to wear out.
- Don’t recook to reheat, use a microwave or any other heating methods instead
- If you are going to experiment cooking other things with a rice cooker. Strictly follow a recipe and experiment with little quantities at times. So as not to spill liquid into the cooker’s element.
- Soak the brown rice first before cooking it, if your rice cooker doesn’t specifically cook brown like. Soaking it will soften the shell of the rice whilst also avoiding potential overflow or better still just purchase.
- Never put in the inner pot without wiping it first to prevent it from damaging the rice cookers cooking element.
