My friend Carol has been using her cheap Zojirushi NS-TGC10 for a few years now. It has proven to be a dependable rice cooker for her family. It has many of the features of more expensive models and there are only a few areas where it is not quite so impressive. That said, she picked it up for a pretty low price. So overall, she got a really good value product.

Unlike the Zojirushi NP-HBC10, it does not have Zojirushi’s Induction Heating system so it does not have a GABA brown rice setting. When compared to the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10, the NS-TGC10 has less rice cooking settings.

Many of the features are very similar though. All of these high quality cookers have non-stick cooking bowls and their inner lids come out easily to make cleaning them really simple. This is definitely one improvement that I’ve witnessed in recent years.

One thing that the NS-TGC10 offers that neither of the two more expensive units have is its special cake cooking setting. Carol uses this occasionally and her cakes come out really well. It certainly adds another dimension to cooking with a rice cooker.

The outside of Carol’s rice cooker is stainless steel. It’s easy to clean and looks nice too

We’re all getting really excited actually coz Charlotte just ordered one of the new Zojirushi NS-YAC10 cookers. She’s already told us that we have to go round to her house to try it out. I’ll be sure to let you all know if the new Umami feature makes much of a difference.

With so many Zojirushi models available, I’m only going to write about the ones that me and my friends are using. Between us we have about 10 different versions. We sometimes argue about who has the best rice cooker. But guess what? We all agree that Zojirushi is the best brand!

Pretty soon I’ll have reviews of the following models ready:

Zojirushi NS-PC10

Zojirushi NS-RNC10

Zojirushi NS-WAC10

Zojirushi NS-LAC05

Zojirushi NS-TGC10

Zojirushi NP-HBC10

Zojirushi NP-HBC18

I’ve already talked about the Zojirushi NP-GBC05 and the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10.

There are other websites that offer a wider range of rice cooker reviews than I have here. As you know though, I’m a Zojirushi girl

Don’t you think internet shopping is really great? What surprises me are the prices. You can get a cheap Zojirushi rice cooker from Amazon. The picture that you can see is for their brand new Umami style rice cooker, the Zojirushi NS-YAC10. I have not tried this one myself yet. But what I like about it is that it is cheaper than some of their models with Induction Heating. I wonder how much better the new Umami function makes the rice taste? From what I can tell, this model looks like it is the replacement for the NS-ZCC10.

What I love the most about Zojirushi are is the choice that they offer us.

This time I want to say a word or two about a family sized rice cooker from Zojirushi. My site is mostly about what you can make in these great machines. But I want to help you find a great rice machine. That is my goal today. Do you know just how many Zojirushi models are on sale in the States? Well, I don’t either. But I do know that there are quite a lot. You can get different sizes too. So thinking about different models AND different sizes there is probably between 20 – 30. Don’t you think this is a lot? I don’t think I can review all of them. You know what I am going to do? I think I will only talk about the ones that I have seen.

Of course I don’t own all of them myself. But most of my friends are rice freaks too. We love cooking! So I know some of these Zojirushi rice cookers intimately. Take the NS-ZCC10 for example. This is one my friend Annabelle has. She has three kids, a husband and a dog to feed. So the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 is great for her family. One of the neatest things this one has going for it is the “stay cool” handles. You know what they do? They stay cool of course! They are a safetly feature. You can use them to easily remove the cooking bowl from the rice cooker when it is full of rice and also very hot. I’ll tell you something else, this is the only Zojirushi rice cooker (apart from the larger NS-ZCC18) that has them. I wonder why? They are so handy.

This cooker is Micom and Neuro Fuzzy. I don’t really know what this is. But it makes nice rice. Maybe the rice makes you smarter? Or does it make my brain Fuzzy? Try eating rice every day…maybe you will go crazy too! Well, like I said, the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 is a good family rice cooker. You can feed your dog too!

Have you seen the Zojirushi NP-GBC05? It is the smartest 3 cup rice cooker. I love this little cooker but I don’t love the price. It is pretty expensive I just noticed a Youtube video about this Zojirushi rice cooker which you might enjoy

Zojirushi make lots of different rice cookers which they sell in the States. They have even more models in Japan. Oh yeah, in case you don’t know, Zojirushi are from Japan. Do you know what Zojirushi means? Zo in Japanese means elephant and jirushi is the word from brand. So Zojirushi = Elephant Brand.

Like I said, there are loads of these funky Zojirushi rice cookers for us to get. This is so cool. Cooking rice without a rice cooker is one option but it’s much easier if we just get with the program and buy ourselves a neat little machine. It makes things so much easier on ourselves!

If you look at the Zojirushi product info they talk about all the technology. This compact rice cooker has Micom and Induction Heating. But as you know, I am mostly interested in recipes. I can eat rice every day but there has to be some variety. So this NP-GBC05 is pretty neat coz it comes with some recipes in the manual. There are not many but it is good to get an idea of what you can do. If you want more ideas for your Zojirushi NP-GBC05 you can find lots of suggestions on my site. Hint, hint! There are books too. One that I am going to add a review for soon is The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. There are hundreds of yummy things this book tells you about. It is much cheaper than a rice cooker too!

What else does the Zojirushi NP-GBC05 have? Oh yeah, non-stick cooking pan, this is standard. The pot has markings on the sides for how much water to add, this is standard too. The inner lid un-clips. This is good for cleaning and you can let it soak if you cook with smelly things like garlic, onions and stock cubes. Lots of programmable cooking options. Yeah, if you are a health freak…or just want to be healthy, you can use the GABA brown rice program. This is super healthy brown rice. Try it, yummy! Haha, I forgot to say, this size is best for loners. If you have a family you gotta get a bigger rice cooker!

Rice makes the world go round, here are some recipes for rice dishes. I even added a sweet rice pudding to check out. Good luck with your bulking up.

Yum-Yum Casserole

Ingredients:

1 box (6 ounces) long grain or wild rice, cooked
1 pound broccoli, steamed
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken or ham
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of celery soup
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup crushed croutons, mixed with 2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°F. Evenly coat 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread rice evenly in pan. Layer on broccoli, chicken, cheddar cheese and mushrooms.

Combine mayonnaise, soup, mustard and curry powder; mix well and pour over layers in pan. Sprinkle buttered croutons and Parmesan cheese over top.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until casserole is heated through, cheese is melted and croutons are golden brown.

Savory Nut Loaf

This nut loaf is a loose recipe because I never make it the same way twice. It depends on what I have on hand. If you are vegan, you do not have to use the eggs or cheese, or you could use soy cheese; add a little more veggie stock to make it moist enough. Leftover slices are great in a sandwich the following day.

Ingredients:

About 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced
About 1 cup sliced mushrooms, optional
About 1 cup any leftover chopped vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, squash, etc. (optional)
4 to 5 cups coarsely chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews; use a couple of kinds, perhaps some sunflower or pumpkin seeds, too)
About 2 cups of cooked grains (rice, wheat, bulgur, quinoa, millet)
About 1 cup soft whole-wheat bread crumbs
2 to 3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato or V-8 juice
1/2 to 1 cup vegetable broth, divided
2 to 3 teaspoons tamari soy sauce or Braggs’ Aminos
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme or marjoram
1/2 cup fresh minced parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°F. Line loaf pan with foil and oil or butter it; set aside.
In medium sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add celery and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and other vegetables, if you are using them, and sauté for another 2 minutes or so.

In large bowl, combine nuts, grains and bread crumbs. Transfer sautéed vegetables to nut mixture. Add eggs, tomato juice, half the vegetable broth, tamari and herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to blend. If mixture seems dry, add remaining broth.

Transfer mixture to loaf pan and pat smooth. Bake about 45 minutes, until firm and golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on serving plate. Slice and serve. Yields 1 loaf.

Paella Valenciana

Ingredients:

4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 lb. sliced andouille sausage
2 fresh thinly-sliced serrano chilies
1 T. oregano
1 T. Spanish paprika (not smoked)
1 minced onion
1 t. saffron
16 oz. canned, chopped tomatoes
3 qt. homemade shellfish or chicken stock
3 c. Spanish paella rice (La Bomba) or arborio rice
36 manila, cherrystone, or littleneck clams
1 c. frozen spinach, gently squeezed dry
1 lb. cleaned shrimp (16–20 size works great) or crayfish tails
1 c. frozen peas

Preparation:

Place oil into a large paella pan, or 12- or 14-inch-wide casserole pot. Add garlic, sausage, chili, oregano, paprika, onion, saffron, and tomatoes. Saute a few minutes. Add stock and simmer gently 15–20 minutes, uncovered. Add rice. Stir once. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes at a simmer. Don’t stir. Add clams and spinach; simmer 10 minutes more. Stir in shrimp (or crayfish), and season. Cook a few moments only to cook shrimp through. Add peas and cover. Let rest 10 minutes off heat. Serve. Serves 8.

Custard Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

2/3 cup white medium grain rice
1 cup sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 T. butter
1 tsp vanilla
8 cups milk
2 eggs
1 cup whipping cream

Preparation:

In a 4 quart saucepan cook all except eggs and cream for about 1 hour over medium low heat, stirring frequently. Beat eggs to blend. When rice is almost tender, remove from heat and whisk about 1 cup of the rice mixture into the eggs. Add the rice-egg mixture to the rest and stir in the cream. Over low heat return mixture to at least 135 degrees. Remove from heat pour into a glass bowl and refrigerate covered at least 12 hours. Serves about 16.

This is the way to make Spanish rice just like from a Mexican restaurant. I got this recipe from my latin friend after helping with countless barbecues and parties. This is the way her family has made it for years.

Heat the butter or oil in a skillet on medium heat. When hot, add rice to skillet and let get nice and toasty not burnt, have water ready and just as the rice starts giving off a toasted smell add the water to the pan.

It will sizzle; as it’s sizzling, add the tablespoon of tomato bouillon to the skillet and stir. Cover with a lid and let cook just like you would normally, (about 20 minutes).

That is all there is to it, very simple and very easy. You could also add about a 1/4 cup of diced up carrots, corn or green beans if you choose to do so, while the rice is cooking.

*Tomato bouillon can sometimes be found in the ethnic aisle of your local supermarket. If you can’t find it there, then try a Mexican market and they should have it.

Yes a good electric rice cooker will cook your brown rice just fine. It will need a little more water then the 2 to 1 ratio and it will take a few minutes longer. My rice cooker will turn off when it’s done cooking and with brown rice I allow it to rest for several minutes before opening the cooker.

My question is how can I keep the rice fresh? When I put the rice in my fridge it becomes pretty hard again and tastes almost uncooked.

Should I freeze it then microwave it or wat?

For preserving the cooked rice, vacuum seal it in a container. That way it stays fresher longer in either the fridge or freezer. When you re-heat it, add just a little bit of water, put a loose cover on it, then microwave til hot. Fluff it with a fork after heating. Now it’s just like it was when it first came out of the rice cooker! YUM!

FYI: Try cooking your brown rice in low sodium chicken broth. Very Yummy!

For brown rice, put 2.5 cups water for every 1 cup rice in pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

For wild rice put 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice in pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes or just until kernels puff open. Fluff with fork and simmer for 5 additional minutes. Drain excess liquid.

Or you could just use a top quality rice cooker like the Zojirushi NP-HBC10 which has a brown rice and also a GABA brown rice setting.