Zojirushi Rice Cooker--You won't believe how easy it can be

My family eats rice with every dinner--it's part of our culture. My son, age 11, is shocked if we don't have rice on the table, which is why that is now part of his evening chores. [Spoiler: What might this mean if a 11 year old can make rice with this machine?]

For years and years I struggled with the combinations of oil, water, and rice. I watched carefully as the water reached a boil and gently added the rice and oil, returned the water to boil, and covered the pot at the right moment. I consulted my Persian friends as to the method and technique. Needless to way, cooking rice in traditional methods requires careful timing and measurements.

My friends, those days are over. And don't think it's easy with just any rice cooker. I've owned 2 or 3, and the Zojirushi NS-PC10 5-Cup Rice Cooker takes the cake, hands down.

I can't take complete credit for this find, though. I dropped $100 on the Zojirushi NS-PC10 5-Cup Rice Cooker as a last-minute 'suggestion' for my wife for mother's day 3 years ago. I admit, I was thinking "Man, I'll get her a $30 cooker from Costco or WalMart." Thank goodness I didn't.

The real magic of this unit is the simplicity. Most rice recipes call for equal parts rice and water. With this rice cooker, you can have any amount of water equal to or greater than that of your rice.

Now think about that a minute; one cup of rice and a measure of water; a few handfuls of rice and a fill the pot with a good portion of water. The wonders continue...

Once you set the button to 'cook', you'll know its complete when it switches to 'warm'. That's it. Once you turn it on, you don't have to do one thing to get excellent rice. And for those of you who cook, you know there is plenty to do to prepare the rest of the meal.

If you have leftovers, cover the removeable pot and put it in the fridge. Pull it out tomorrow, add a cup of water and cook again--it comes out great.

The internal lid is fixed inside, so cleaning it is a bit awkward. You have to place the entire unit in the sink. Be careful, though, not to swipe the tiny plastic nozzle down the drain; that is the real brains to the unit. This little piece of genius is the valve that manages steam outflow, which you may know is the key to producing excellent rice.

The base has built-in space to manually coil the power cord, which is a good start. A better design, which I'm sure they've considered, is one that automatically winds in the cord like many irons you find today.

My Zojirushi NS-PC10 5-Cup Rice Cooker also comes with an external spoon holder (and spoon) and removable moisture cap, which are nice. The moisture cap is another thing you want to be careful with--it's small and can also get misplaced easily. It sits inside the unit and catches the dripping moisture from the unit so you can easily dispose of it without having to wipe down your countertop.

Conclusion: Most rice cookers have a relatively short lifespan--and their quality shows it. Spend the money on the Zojirushi NS-PC10 5-Cup Rice Cooker and never worry about your rice again. If you care for it, you'll have a 5 to 10 year investment in time and performance.