Zojirushi Rice Cooker NS-YSQ18 Stainless Steel Brown

1. BHP – November 30, -0001:

   I’ve been cooking various kinds of rice (Indica, Japonica) on the stove with a heavy pot for years and was happy with the results (I steamed the rice at the end, never scorched it, used just the right amount of water so that the grains were separate and fluffy, etc). After reading raving reviews of the Zojirushi cookers on the US Amazon website I decided to try one (from Yumasia.co.uk), namely the NS-YQS10 (the same as the one depicted and commented upon here even though the ref is different). I was more than ready to be sceptical but after just one try on the ‘Umami’ setting with Thai rice my husband and I were blown over. It seriously puts to shame all my previous attempts at rice cooking. It’s the difference between merely competent and expert cooking. The grains are tighter, more fragrant, drier, and this without being hard or unpleasantly separate. The rice is just PERFECT. After that I tried Nishiki rice and Akitakomachi, this time using the Sushi measurements but still the Umami programme (more on this below), and the results were equally out of this world. I also make sushi and I have NEVER succeeded in cooking Japonica rice like this: perfectly plump, just sticky enough, and yet holding its shape without a hint of a trouble. And the taste on the Umami setting! I have done three comparisons (with Nishiki, Akitakomachi and Koshihikari) and the difference is really palpable. Koshihikari turns out wonderful as well (and Tamanishiki turns out great too, but see my PS below). Yumenishiki Brown is plump and incredibly tender without being mushy. I haven’t tried the GABA function yet but I’d be really surprised if the results were not equally good.A few more remarks: using it couldn’t be easier. Measure rice, wash gently and carefully in sieve until water runs clear, fill bowl to just touching under the appropriate line, press ‘start’. It has two timers (one for lunch one for the evening?!) so you can just prepare everything and come back to a pot of perfectly cooked rice. It will cook even 1 Japanese cup (ie 6oz) to perfection so now instead of cooking bulk I cook a different rice every day. It will keep the rice warm the whole day without drying it. Cleaning is a breeze, there is not even the need to wash the inner lid, just the pot. The paddle is non stick (some people say it’s not) so long as you remember to dip it in water prior to use. The machine emits almost no steam, which is essential for me as I hate steamy kitchens and it sits under a cupboard anyway. It is totally silent. It’s hard to imagine how to improve on this model I must say. And the ‘Umami’ (premium) setting is not a gimmick, the rice has more depth of flavour and a more pronounced, pleasantly savoury and lingering aftertaste (up to 15mn, I’m not joking).One important thing I have discovered: do not measure the water with the bowl in the machine. Take it out, put it flat on your counter, prepare the rice as above, pour water in, swirl to settle the rice level in the water, put the bowl back on the counter. Then you’ll discover that you have in fact MORE water than you thought. For perfectly cooked rice I always fill to under the relevant line, just touching it, rather than in the middle, let alone to the top of the line. When I pour the water in the first time, I think that it’s OK. After swirling, I usually have to tip out about 3 tbsp because now the water is at the middle of the line. And these 3 tbsp make a very significant difference. It took me a while to realise this but once I did it improved the quality of the cooked rice even more.So from a potential sceptic I’ve become a convert! Apart from my Kenwood Cooking Chef I can’t imagine another appliance in my kitchen which would get more use. The Zojirushi YSQ10 is worth every penny. And for Europeans, get it from Yumasia.co.uk. The prices are better than on Amazon, delivery is the next day and the team there is both very efficient and incredibly nice.In short: if you like rice, get this model. If you don’t, get it anyway, after trying rice cooked in the Zojirushi you WILL like rice… And if you’re health conscious, then use brown and the GABA function, or Koshihikari which has a low glycemic index (48), perhaps the lowest of all rices.PS: one possibly useful note: there really is a major difference when using the ‘Umami’/’Premium’ setting. It is possible to use it for short grain rice (all the Sushi rices I mentioned above, in my experience), but you must use the ‘Sushi’ water line level, NOT ‘white’. You also need to fill the bowl to just touching under the line, not in the middle of the line, as otherwise the rice could be soggy. But if you do that then the result is EVEN BETTER than the ‘Sushi’ setting.

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