Zojirushi NS-LGC05XB 3-Cup (Uncooked) Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer - Stainless Black | Perfect for Small Families, Dorms & Office Kitchens | Cooks Fluffy Rice, Stews & More

Pros:SmallPortableRetractable CordLightweightMulti-MenuEasy to OperateCons:Not CheapInternal BatteryWhat I received in the package:1 x ZOJIRUSHI NS-LGC05XB Micom Rice Cooker1 x Internal 3 Cup Cooking Bowl1 x Plastic Spatula1 x Plastic Spatula Holder Accessory1 x Plastic Measuring Cup1 x User ManualThis ZOJIRUSHI NS-LGC05XB Micom Rice Cooker product is an easy to use small rice cooker / warmer is approximately 9 1/8” x 11 7/8” x 7 1/2” and weighs in at roughly 5lbs 13.7oz.Interface is straightforward. You simply depress the [Menu] Button until you reach the type of rice you are cooking and then select [Start]. There are other functions but that is the very basics. It will play a little tune before it gets started the timer will count down until it is ready.This is a small rice cooker for the price but it does seem to cook a perfect pot of rice each time.There are a few features that I think are outstanding with this cooker. First, the 44” power cord is fully retractable. Making cleanup and storage easy. You should be careful not to pull the cord out passed the red sticker or it may not reel back in. Second, the cooker produces very little condensation that you have to clean up. It was easy to wipe down and store. All residual condensation drains directly into the pot, so not extra parts to clean. Third, the cooker is compact and relatively lightweight. The pot has a 3 cup capacity which is small for the price, but quite sufficient.I’ll be honest here, I have never paid this much for a rice cooker. I have gone through phases of using a cooker and then making rice manually in a pot. I decided recently to breakdown and get another cooker. I did a lot of research on models and brands and this one came out on top.This Micom model uses “fuzzy logic” to makes micro changes to your cooking time, etc depending in various variables to ensure your rice is cooked to perfection each time. I am Hawaiian and we are heavy rice eaters. Rice has been a staple on our table since I can remember. I cook rice practically daily depending on my needs. I have yet to be disappointed with this cooker. You just start it and leave it … much like any other rice cooker. The difference is the rice is perfect.It does have a delayed cooking feature if you want to prep it and cook it later. To do this you select the cooking program from the menu and then you select the time you want the rice to be completely cooked and ready. The Micom will process the information and determine when it needs to start to complete it at that time. Nice !!!I have tried cooking the following rice types:WhiteBrownBasmatiJasmineSaffronWhile the unit does not have a specific Basmati, Saffron or Jasmine rice preset. I found that using the Long Grain or White setting with the proper rice to water ratio works just fine.Now to the only feature I don’t care for. This cooker has an internal clock which runs off of a clock battery that is integrated into the circuit board. The only instructions are when the battery goes out to contact the manufacturer for a replacement, which is not free. I am pretty handy and figure that when the time comes I will add a battery slot so you can replace the battery in the future without having to solder again. But that is a consideration you do have to mull over if you are looking at this model. As to replace this battery it “will” be something that the manufacturer will have to do if you don’t want to void your warranty or damage the unit if you are not skilled in soldering. Granted, these batteries typically last roughly 5 years so it should easily outlast your 1-Year Warranty. I feel this a money grab for a unit that is already quite expensive. I considered dropping it a star for making it a requirement to have to have the replaced by the manufacturer. The reason I didn’t is that it will still operate if you plug it in … it just will not retain the clock time and you will have to rest the time each time you plug it in. IF you unplug it. I can live with that.I am also not a huge fan of non-stick surfaces. However, that is common among all rice cooker brands. The unit also has a part, the power cord, that contain BPA. While it is not in direct contact with any cooking surface or food. The possibility does exist that you could cross-contaminate the cooking pot or food by plugging in the cord and not washing your hands before you begin to prepare the rice. Keep that in mind …The manufacturer offers a 1-Year Warranty from the original purchase date on this product.I appreciate you taking the time to read this. All in all, I have had a number of rice cookers in my lifetime … I wish I had known about this brand years ago. Please don’t let the price tag fool you. It is worth every Penney so far and will pay for itself inside a year with the amount of rice my family consumes as well as the time savings. While this is an excellent unit … there is still room for improvement here that would make it a true 5-Star appliance. It is so close to being 5-Star to me and is probably the best cooker I have ever owned. However, for those who don’t prefer Non-stick, the ability to purchase a ceramic pot would be a great option. Removing all BPAs from the product would be another and the ability to change out the battery is something that should be to be done without having to send in the unit. As the world continues to trend toward more healthy and sustainable choices … I hope this is something this manufacturer takes to heart. It must also be noted that all brands I have owned or researched suffer from the same flaws. Hope this information was helpful. [5 Stars]This product is made in China.it has not disappointed. I struggled to spend this much on a rice cooker but I make a ton of rice dishes so I went ahead and got it. (Thanks Uncle Roger for the push!) As a chef of almost two decades, I can confidently say that this thing is not overrated. It does all types of starches incredibly well and allows for adjustments based on needs. You can make it a little more starchy for sticky rice, or a little al dente for fried rice (make sure you refrigerate overnight!) Though they have absolutely no bearing on it's ability to cook rice, the elephant and the little songs it sings are also incredibly delightful.This rice cooker does exactly what it was made for. It cooks rice really well, and the little tune it plays when it finishes is adorable. However, if you are looking to cook rice quickly, or if you're looking to cook a lot of rice at one time this is not the product for you. If you don't mind waiting around an hour for some of the best cooked rice at home, and you only want to make at max 3 measuring cups of rice at a time, this little machine is perfect for that! I have to put measuring cups, as the cup it comes with is a bit less than 1 cup.I've owned this particular rice cooker for a little over half a year now, and it has held up to weekly use just fine. I usually use it for short grain rice as well as long grain white rice, so I can't speak much to the brown and GABA features of the unit. But for what I use it for, it's perfect. I haven't had any issues in consistency or any mechanical issues thus far. As long as you follow the directions for how much water to add, and you wash your rice, you will get consistent results out of it.Pros: It does exactly what it was meant to do.Perfect for small families or single person use.You can set it and forget it when you start cooking a meal, and it will be done before you finish cooking.The tune it plays is adorableCons: It takes an hour to cook, so if you don't have that long you would want to get a different rice cooker.It only has a 3 measuring cup maximum (uncooked) on the rice.As others have stated, this rice cooker makes amazing rice! The brown rice setting is particularly good, producing rice that actually tastes good rather than just being good for you. If you are in a rush, the quick setting finishes in about the same time as a basic rice cooker, but I'm sure that, once you taste rice cooked on the optimized setting, you'll rarely use the quick cycle again! I also like the small but useful size--it is easy to produce rice for two people but, for larger crowds, you can serve a half dozen or more. I am very happy with this purchase!I had been wanting to purchase a rice cooker for some time since I 'suck' at cooking rice. I had not done so since all that I saw had a lower limit of 1 cup. This unit will do as little as 1/2 cup which is perfect for me since I live alone. It has worked great in the time I have owned it and now I have rice at least twice a week. Add the rice, water, close the lid and hit start, once you have selected the correct setting. Once it is done, stir the finished rice to fluff it up, close the lid back and it goes onto warming and will keep for at least 30 minutes, which is as long as I have waited to use it. I should keep the rice warm and nice for even longerr.i’ve had a cheap rice cooker before, and never got the fuss about rice cookers. a lot did just as well, so i didn’t get the point. now i get the point. i’ll never have sub-par rice again. even the quick setting makes rice as good as i ever could with a pot. it’s sooooo good!also the gaba rice setting is amazing; it makes brown rice genuinely taste better!Bae has never been able to cook rice. She loves to eat it, but I always had to cook it for us. Bae's anxiety over rice cooking and frustration with her bad results was shaking her confidence. Even the cheap on-off rice cooker she used to have was a disaster for her. I bought this for her and she was skeptical. "Will it come out mushy? Either it is mushy or burnt. What about the coating inside? Will it peel off the Teflon and stick to the rice?"But that all changed after the first use. Now she is a rice cooking champ. Rice comes out perfect. For every kind of rice the setting is easy to choose and the results are consistently astounding - fluffy white rice, nutty brown rice, chewy sushi rice, even steel cut oats. She has been so happy with the results, I'll need a minivan to hold all the babies we'll be having.For real, we have had rice 90 times since we got this, with consistently spectacular results every time with every variety. The 5 or 6 times I made overnight steel cut oats they were good. Not as good as what I make standing over the stove stirring for half an hour, but for less than 2 minutes of prep the night before the results are darn good.So for any variety of rice (let's pick sushi), all we do is scoop (let's pick 2) cups (you must use the special included cup, not Imperial 8oz/250ml cups) of the chosen variety of uncooked rice (still going with sushi) into the cooker's teflon bowl. Then we give a 2 minute soak in warmish water. Use your fingers to agitate the rice. Starch will come off the rice and the water will turn milky. Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear. Dump the strained rice back in the teflon coated bowl that came with the cooker. There is a line under each variety of rice (yeah, still sushi). Put water into the bowl until the water gets to the number of scoops (in this case we still use 2) mark. Put the bowl in the cooker and close the lid. Press the button to scroll through varieties until you get to the variety of rice you are cooking (sushi... still sushi) and press the start button. Sushi rice is about an hour cooking time.Mostly we have brown rice. It takes 98 minutes cooking time for brown rice. That is enough time to whip up the rest of dinner, and still get in some making out time.Sushi and jasmine rice are quicker, and also taste amazing. Makes enough rice for dinner for 3 or 4 and lunch leftovers the next day.The styling is cool so it looks good on the counter, but the handle and light weight make for easy storage out of sight if your sleek AF Zojirushi is not the star of your kitchen. The retractable cord is nice. Cleaning is easy.Bae is back in the saddle now that her rice cooking is on par with the rest of her dinner making skills!Had to fork out a bunch of money on a converter as i didnt realise it was US running 110 untill i purchased. Other than that pretty goodLove the rice cooker. Glad I took Uncle Roger’s advice. The timer function is great for doing steel cut oatmeal for breakfast or having rice ready for dinner when you arrive home. The operation is simple and clean up is a breeze.My biggest dilemma when deciding to buy this rice cooker was whether the size was too small for our family of 5. I have 3 small kids and we eat rice for lunch and dinner. Finally, I decided to try it and so far I have to say it is enough for us. I cook 3 cups of rice (maximum for this size), and it lasts us 2-4 days. For heavy rice eaters, maybe 1-2 days. I like it because I don't have to store leftover rice for long.I was also able to try steel cut oats, setting it at night, using timer function and it is ready for breakfast. Just add milk and sugar/honey.Design-wise, no complaints, very compact and light. The retractable cord is a plus, less clutter. I like that the plate on the inside is detachable so I am able to wash it easily. The bigger Tiger rice cooker I had before was not detachable.If there is one thing I would ask, is for Zojirushi to come up with a 5 cup version of this. That would be perfect.Highly recommended!I have been wanting one of these machines for some time now and purchased this one because it had the oatmeal cooking button and I wanted a good rice maker. I am training for a bodybuilding competition and have to eat rice almost daily, as well as oatmeal so this is a handy tool to have. It is small which is great. I leave it on the counter and it doesn't take up much space. Easy to clean and use. I love having hot oatmeal ready for me when I wake up. You have to tweak your amounts you put in put there is only a small learning curve. It cooks everything to perfection, even if it is left to stay warm. Just make sure you move around the rice once it's done like they suggest so the rice on the bottom doesn't become compact... not an issue for me because I didn't leave it warming without doing this. As for it only being 3 cups it's definitely enough rice to feed a family of four and there would be plenty left over especially if you are using 1/2 cup as your serving. I would highly recommend this product and will never buy a different brand.