Sanyo Micom ECJ-F50S
Sanyo Micom ECJ-F50S

Best programmable rice cooker

$125
Estimated Price

A mid-priced rice cooker from one of the most recommended brands, the Sanyo Micom ECJ-F50S is less expensive than comparable programmable rice cookers and includes a steaming basket. The Sanyo Micom ECJ-F50S comes with a measuring cup and spatula and can be programmed for rice dishes such as dol sot bi bim bap (a Korean rice dish in which the bottom layer of rice is toasted). Although the more expensive Zojirushi Induction NP-HBC18 rice cooker is better if you are picky about texture, particularly with brown rice, reviewers say the Sanyo performs nearly as well for a much lower price.

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Sanyo ECJ-N55W
Sanyo ECJ-N55W

Best-value multifunction rice cooker

$50
Estimated Price

It's not a programmable rice cooker, but experts say the Sanyo ECJ-N55W, with its multifunctional capabilities, excellent cooking results and affordable price tag, offers the most bang for your buck. It can cook several types of rice, as well as soup and porridge. It also includes a steaming basket for vegetables. Reviewers say the Sanyo ECJ-N55W rice cooker does especially well with brown rice, and that it isn't prone to messy boilovers like glass-lidded models. It also has a keep-warm function, but using this setting for more than a couple of hours can dry out your rice.

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Panasonic SR-G06FG
Panasonic SR-G06FG

Basic cooker for white rice

$30
Estimated Price

Although the compact Panasonic SR-G06FG rice cooker can't really compete with more advanced models, it does have some advantages. In addition to its budget price, reviewers say it cooks white rice quickly and has a small countertop footprint. The Panasonic cooker doesn't do as well with specialty rice types like brown, sushi and sticky rice. Owners say that its small 3-cup capacity makes it a good choice for singles or couples, but some say it can boil over if it's filled to capacity. Panasonic also offers a larger 10-cup rice cooker, the SR-G18FG (*Est. $50), which has the same basic features as the smaller model.

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Zojirushi Induction NP-HBC18
Zojirushi Induction NP-HBC18

Induction rice cooker

$315
Estimated Price

The Zojirushi NP-HBC18 works much like other programmable fuzzy logic rice cookers, but uses induction heating rather than a standard heating plate. Experts say that this creates more accurate temperatures and more evenly cooked rice. Reviewers and users alike say the NP-HBC18 yields perfect results every time, regardless of the type of rice that you use. It's expensive, but users at Amazon.com, who give it a near-perfect rating, say they don't regret their purchase. However, if you don't have complex rice cooking needs, you can probably spend a lot less on one of our other Best Reviewed models and be completely satisfied with your purchase.

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See a side-by-side comparison of key features, product specs, and prices.

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