I was researching whether I need a rice cooker like Zojirushi when I already have a pressure cooker with a “rice” mode. I’ve come to some conclusions (see below). I think I should share it with Facebook since I have it. I’d appreciate any links that could provide details that weren’t covered in my findings and thoughts.
So, what are we comparing. There are specialized rice cookers (rice cooker). Among the decent ones are Zojirushi, Cuchen, Cookoo. All three brands make very good (and expensive), good, and so-so (inexpensive) versions. All three brands are from Asia, where they definitely understand rice better than we do. Expensive ones are all above 400 dollars for a rice cooker. Inexpensive ones are all under 120.
Pressure cookers (pressure cooker) mostly cost between 150 and 250 dollars. Popular in the USA are Instant Pod, Quick Power Pot, Ninja. There are interesting options like the Breville BPR700BSS.
Thus, the cheapest decent rice cooker is definitely more expensive than a similar class pressure cooker. And if you consider the good and very good ones, the gap is pretty significant.
Rice cookers not only cook rice but are specifically marketed as rice cookers. It’s implied that everything else is a bonus. Pressure cookers are marketed for all-around use, and they can also cook rice.
Frankly speaking, if you cook everything together, odors will transfer from dish to dish because a typical pressure cooker cannot be perfectly cleaned. There will be nooks where odors gather. For rice connoisseurs, this may be important.
We are currently discussing only rice. Because otherwise, there’s no need to choose—just get a pressure cooker.
Rice cookers usually have a smaller pot. Pressure cookers can have a huge one. Rice cookers might cook rice longer than pressure cookers. Why are they more expensive then? Let’s figure it out.
What’s the classic rice recipe? Rinse, soak, bring to a boil, remove heat, don’t let the steam escape, and after about 18 minutes, turn off the heat, stir, rice is ready. Seems simple. Rice cookers of course don’t rinse the rice and don’t stir. Neither do pressure cookers. Then why are rice cookers more expensive?
There’s what’s visible to the naked eye—their pot is better quality and smaller-sized. Why is this important? Rice absorbs water 1:1. So, one cup of rice absorbs one cup of water. If you pour exactly 1:1, the rice will definitely burn because absorption is uneven, and the surface will become dry. Therefore, it’s necessary for the rice to be in saturated steam. That requires excess water. How much water is needed? That depends on how big the pot is and how much rice is in it. In other words, if the classic ratio is one cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water, then increasing the rice threefold with the same pot means you need less than 3*1.5=4.5 cups of water. It becomes mushy. You need less, but by how much depends on how much space the steam needs to fill. Also, on how sealed it is. If the lid is not tightly closed, steam escapes faster, and more water is needed.
Accordingly, the first reason a rice cooker makes tastier rice is due to the limitation of rice volume in a relatively small pot compared to a pressure cooker. You technically can’t cram a lot in there. Or for example, put a small amount of rice in a pot where 60% will remain empty. This space must be filled with steam, prolonging the boiling, all of which affects the taste.
There are good rice cookers with larger pots. But classic models from the good ones have small pots.
Both rice cookers and pressure cookers have very tightly sealed lids, and steam only escapes when the pressure exceeds a certain threshold. The pressure rises then all the water turns into steam, which then starts to overheat. Once a certain pressure is reached, the device automatically regulates the temperature to keep the pressure stable. The temperature sensor is located at the bottom, near the heating plate. The pressure sensor is located in the lid.
Pressure cookers first heat the pot, creating superheated steam, then depending on the program, it cuts off by temperature. For example, when cooking meat, the temperature can reach 120 degrees Celsius, which is 20 degrees above the boiling point of water. However, because there is high pressure, the water does not boil.
In the case of cooking rice, depending on the recipe, it may not be necessary to bring it up to 120 degrees Celsius. It needs to be heated, wait for pressure to build up. But it should heat up evenly and quickly.
Pressure cookers are “dumb” in design. They usually don’t have a microprocessor; there’s essentially a chip with a program laid out “hardware-wise”. They are made as cheap as possible to sell millions.
However, rice cookers have a microprocessor, for which more complex algorithms are developed. Marketers call this Fuzzy Logic. Generally, no one stops them from making cheap electronics, but manufacturers limit demand with the price, and the money goes into better quality “hardware”. For example, induction heating.
=Pressure cookers usually heat the pot from below=. After reaching pressure, the pressure cooker immediately indicates how much time is left until the end. Most likely, it turns off the heating and just waits, maintaining a temperature around X. What that value is for rice I do not understand, but it is some value.
=A good rice cooker heats the pot from all sides=. The pot itself is made of material that evenly distributes heat. This provides even heat distribution and prevents rice from burning. Some rice cooker models use induction heating, which allows for more precise temperature control and quick response to changes – for example, to turn off the heating very quickly. Pressure cookers don’t have this; they use a regular heating element.
Additionally, in pressure cookers, temperature control is usually less precise compared to rice cookers. Together with the heating technology (only the bottom), this is a downside.
Furthermore. There are many varieties of rice, and for instance, Zojirushi went the extra mile, making different programs for different types of rice so that the result would be very good. Since the Japanese understand rice much better than we do, it makes sense to trust them. Pressure cookers generally know two kinds of rice – white and brown.
Also, rice cookers have pots of the right shape. Their bottoms are closer to a sphere than those of pressure cookers, which have an angle. Plus, rice cookers have non-stick coating. All this, besides the flavor of the rice, makes the cookware very easy to maintain after cooking.
Honestly, these are the biggest pluses, the rest are marketing tricks and all kinds of subtleties, which to understand, you need to eat this rice every day since infancy. For instance, you can extend the soaking time and the finishing time (when the rice waits after cooking), there are GABA modes for brown rice,
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 