Zojirushi NHS-18

In reviews, the 10-cup Zojirushi NHS-18 is a great combination of features and price in a user-friendly package. There is just one button on this machine and reviews say that it makes excellent rice, provided you rinse the rice first. As with other basic machines, the Zojirushi NHS-18 doesn't come with controls that fine-tune cooking for specialty rices such as sushi rice. The Zojirushi NHS-18 has a steamer basket and a large capacity perfect for families. The measuring cup that comes with the machine holds less than a standard cup, though, so the yield is closer to 7.5 cups than ten cups. A warming feature keeps rice hot for up to five hours. If you're willing to sacrifice features, the Panasonic SR-G06FG (*Est. $30) is another good basic option, but it lacks a warming option and has a 3.3-cup capacity.

By and large, professional reviews of rice cookers center on more expensive, fuzzy logic models. We turned to user reviews on Amazon.com and Epinions.com for insights into this Zojirushi rice cooker.