My husband and I recently decided we wanted to add a rice cooker to our slow cooker fleet. After hunting and pecking all over amazon.com we finally settled on this one. At the time of this writing, it has a hefty 263 reviews, 218 of which are 5 stars! I couldn't argue with the logic there. At the time of writing this, this slow cooker is the HIGHEST RATED slow cooker on amazon.com Wow!
When I received the Zojirushi NS-LAC05 Micom I was thrilled as a child on christmas morning. I've made a myriad of ricing products such as basmati, sushi rice, wild rice medleys, and every other product in between.
Dal? (Basmati / Red / Yellow lentils with Curry) -- No Problem.
Mujadarah? (Basmati / Green Lentils / Caramalized Onions, Yum!) -- Delicious!
I've used it as a warming device to gently steam scallops for a delicious appetizer as well. Let me tell you, veggies and flavored broths test AMAZING out of this machine.
Now -- back to business. When I first received the Zojirushi Rice Slow Cooker, I put in WAY too much water, since the directions were a little unclear. Finally I figured out that water marks on the cooking bowl itself include the rice at the bottom, not the actual level of water. Amateur Mistake!
After I figured out this little mixup the results were perfect each and every time. The rice is as good (okay, much better) than from a restaurant (fresh too!), and I can't ignore the fantastic savings of making your own rice at home. I purchase 10lb bags of rice from costco and it ends up lasting me most of the year. Lately, I've been doing a lot of sushi rice, while it's not quite perfected, this Zojirushi NS-LAC05 Micom Slow Cooker does a fantastic job of churning out delicious tasting sushi rice when you do everything right. Soaking the rice grains hasn't really seemed to change the outcome for me, so hopefully I can nail down this process soon. In this case, the timer really seems to help a ton.
Speaking of which, the timer works great on this slow cooker. I LOVE waking up to the fresh smell of rice in the morning. A few times this week I prepared the ingredients for fresh Dal and then left the house to go work out. When I came home, it was wonderful.. I cracked the lid to find some steaming hot, perfectly cooked dal and the aroma wafted through the house leaving an absolutely divine sensation for the rest of the day. I am pretty sure it gently steams, then cooks at or below a soft boil, and then steams again. This really does fantastic work with any kind of lentil or bean that requires more attention than others. No falling apart from rough treatment here, the long slow simmer of this cooker makes sure you get a great tasting lentil every time, and I think it really contributes to the greatness of the rice too.
This Rice Cooker is easy to use, has a small profile for the counter top, and is an attractive yet portable slow cooker that you can take with you anywhere. Last week I took it to a friends house for a pot lock holiday meal. During the ride over, the rice stayed warm and steamy and even kept a foil wrapped loaf warm and toasty. Speaking of which, the warm function on this slow cooker keeps rice, casseroles, anything you put in it warm for hours with no quality problems.
My favorite part of the day of course, is when the Zojirushi makes cute sounds when it starts up and finishes off it's cooking, and let me tell you it is a dream to clean! There is no disgusting white residue or starch all over the device, and no scalding steam or water to deal with. Just a quick wipe down with a damp rag and it's ready for the next time. It almost seams to clean itself up from regular use, which is amazing in and of itself.
So, what's not to like? Understandably the price is a little expensive. I purchased mine for $144 on amazon.com which was the best price I could find on it anywhere online. I had considered a few others, but in the end the reviews and great things everyone had to say really won me over. This is a newer model rice cooker and really competes with other slow cookers on the market.
It's perfect for me, makes large batches of rice every time, and with the free shipping you can't really go wrong. I considered some other American Rice cookers, hot pots, etc. They were all junkers and I wasn't too sure that the results wouldn't turn out messy clumps of rice similar to elmers glue. I am SO glad that I went ahead and stuck with a trusted name like Zojirushi for my slow cooking needs. The quality of beans, rice, lentils, stews, broths, have all been nothing short of outstanding. And I can't forget how much cash I save by not buying carry-out and seasoning foods just to my liking.
There is no food cheaper, more comforting, or nutritious than rice and lentils, and you can keep the butters and oily fats to a minimum and keep the caloric count low all while not feeling too deprived of humane desires. I think I will start using it to prep lunches too, which means this Zojirushi NS-LAC05 Micim Slow Cooker will pay for itself in just one short month.
Since it's arrival I have hardly even touched the microwave, and oh man does my food taste better. If I had anything to say about this product in one sentence it would be: You gotta buy this man, highly recommended, I can't live without it!
