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Rice cooker Finder

What you need to know to choose the best rice cooker for your kitchen.

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Best Rice Cooker

Best Rated Rice Cooker Brand: Tefal

Beating out the competition across the board, the Tefal rice cooker is easy to use, has great features and is excellent value for money.

Key facts about rice cooker:

  • Rice cooker prices range from $20 up to $300.
  • They automate the cooking process so you get soft, fluffy rice every time.
  • Prices depend on the brand and range of features.

Compare some of the best rice cookers

Name Product Average Price (AUD) Capacity (cups) Colour Settings Construction Materials Purchase Today
Kambrook KRC5WHT
Kambrook KRC5WHT
$39
5
White
Cook, Keep Warm
Non-stick removable rice bowl, Glass lid
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Buy at Ebay
The Kambrook KRC5WHT comes with a glass lid and a non-stick removable bowl.
Sunbeam RC5600 Rice Perfect Deluxe 7 and Steamer
Sunbeam RC5600 Rice Perfect Deluxe 7 and Steamer
$47
14
Stainless steel
Rice, Steamer
Non Stick Pan
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Buy at Bing Lee
The Sunbeam RC5600 Rice Perfect Deluxe 7 and Steamer has a steaming tray for fish, poultry and vegetables.
Breville BRC310BSS Set and Serve
Breville BRC310BSS Set and Serve
$59
7
Brushed stainless steel
Cook, Keep Warm
Brushed stainless steel housing, Toughened glass lid with steam vent, Aluminium non-stick bowl
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Buy at Ebay
The Breville BRC310BSS Set and Serve has a warming function and comes in brushed stainless steel.
Kambrook KRC410BSS
Kambrook KRC410BSS
$65
10
Stainless steel
Cook, Keep Warm
Stainless steel, Non-stick aluminium removable cooking bowl
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Buy at Ebay
The Kambrook KRC410BSS is simple to use and has a steaming tray for fish and vegetables.
Breville Rice Box BRC460WHT
Breville Rice Box BRC460WHT
$95
10
White
Steamed rice, Congee, Crispy rice, Sushi, Porridge and soup, Fast cook, Reheat
Tempered glass lid, Brushed stainless steel housing, Non stick coated cooking bowl
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Buy at Appliances Online
The Breville Rice Box BRC460 can steam vegetables, cook porridge and make soups.
Panasonic SR-ZE105WSTM
Panasonic SR-ZE105WSTM
$159
5
White
White Rice, Jasmine Rice, Multi Grain, Clay Pot Rice, Quick Cook, Brown Rice, Sticky Rice, Porridge, Slow Cook, Steam Function
6-Layer Diamond Inner Pan
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Buy at Appliances Online
The Panasonic SR-ZE105WSTM is fitted with 10 functions and a warming setting.
Philips Grain Master HD4514/72
Philips Grain Master HD4514/72
$159
8
White
Standard cook, Quick cook, Brown rice, Multi-Grain, Lentils, Quinoa, Porridge, Reheat
Plastic main body, Non-stick and anti-scratch coating pot
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Buy at Appliances Online
The Philips Grain Master HD4514/72 can be preset with a 24-hour timer and comes with a recipe book.
Tefal RK705
Tefal RK705
$159
10
Black and white
Rice/Cereals, Pilaf/Risotto, Reheat, Milk Porridge, Slow Cook, Steam/Soup, Yoghurt, Baking, Crust/Fry, Keep Warm
Non-stick removable bowl
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Buy at Appliances Online
The Tefal RK705 is a 10-in-1 multi-cooker that offers slow cooking and reheating functions.
Buffalo Enco 2.0
Buffalo Enco 2.0
$160.65
6
White and silver
Cook, Keep Warm
Stainless steel bowl
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Buy at Ebay
The Buffalo Enco 2.0 is scratch resistant and comes with an easy-to-clean bowl.
Panasonic SR-ZE185WSTM
Panasonic SR-ZE185WSTM
$161
10
White
White Rice, Jasmine Rice, Multi Grain, Clay Pot Rice, Quick Cook, Brown Rice, Sticky Rice, Porridge, Slow Cook, Steam Function
6-Layer Diamond Inner Pan
">
Buy at Appliances Online
The Panasonic SR-ZE185WSTM includes a large LCD display panel and 10 menu settings.
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What is a rice cooker?

A rice cooker is an appliance designed to automatically cook rice. It usually features a heating element, a bowl and a thermostat. To use a rice cooker, all you have to do is pour a specific ratio of water and uncooked rice into the bowl, turn it on and let the rice cooker do the rest.

These appliances then heat the rice and water to boiling point. Once the rice has been cooked, the cooker switches to "keep warm" mode to ensure that your rice is ready to serve whenever you're ready to eat.

Why should I consider a rice cooker?

Why bother buying a rice cooker when you can do the same job using nothing more than a humble saucepan? Rice cookers offer a few key advantages:

  • Why shouldn't I get a rice cooker?

If you're a whiz in the kitchen and you don't have any trouble cooking perfect rice the old-fashioned way, you may decide that you don't need a rice cooker. Similarly, if you and your family simply don't cook rice all that often, a rice cooker may be a poor investment.

Another issue to be aware of is the fact that some models can be quite large in size. If you have limited bench or cupboard space in your kitchen, you may be better off sticking with cooking rice in a pot.

If you're looking for a different cooking appliance for your kitchen, check out our guides to the best slow cookers and the best pressure cookers.

What types are available?

There are a couple of different ways to distinguish between the different types of rice cookers available, and the first is to consider whether the product has a sealed or unsealed lid.

  • Unsealed lid. Models with an unsealed lid are typically cheaper and extremely straightforward to use. They're easy to clean and make it easy to monitor the progress of your rice if needed, but they can tend to rattle and even spit water onto your bench.
  • Sealed lid. Sealed-lid rice cookers remove the risk of any rattling or water spatter, but they're usually more expensive and can be a hassle to clean.

The second factor you can consider when comparing types of rice cookers is to look at the cooking settings they offer. Basic, cheaper models tend to feature just two cooking modes – "cook" and "keep warm". However, advanced models towards the top end of the price range use fuzzy logic technology and include multiple settings, not only for cooking rice but also for cooking a variety of other dishes.

Recent years have also seen the emergence of induction rice cookers, which create heat using a magnetic field. They're theoretically designed to cook rice more evenly than conventional rice cookers, but their high price point means they're a little excessive for most buyers.

How to compare rice cookers

If you're buying a rice cooker, you'll need to compare several models and consider their capacity, cooking modes, cooking time and cost to find one that's right for your needs. Make sure you take the following into account:

Which rice cooker is best for me?

The best rice cooker for you will depend on how much money you have to spend and how you plan on using this handy kitchen appliance.

You'll need to compare the price and features of a range of rice cookers to determine which one is the best fit for your needs. To help make this process easier, compare the pros and cons of five popular rice cookers in the table below:

The goodThe bad
Breville Rice Box BRC460
  • 10-cup capacity
  • Multiple cooking settings
  • Some reliability problems
  • Some users report issues with the non-stick layer coming off
Kambrook KRC410BSS
  • Cheap
  • 10-cup capacity
  • Lacks advanced settings and features
  • Water spitting problems
Panasonic SR-ZE185WSTM
  • 10-cup capacity
  • 10 menu settings
  • Fuzzy logic technology
  • Expensive
  • A little slow to cook
Sunbeam RC5600 Rice Perfect Deluxe 7 and Steamer
  • Locking lid
  • Includes a steam tray for fish, poultry and vegetables
  • Some negative reviews
  • Problems with rice sticking to bowl
Philips Grain Master HD4514/72
  • Multiple cooking settings
  • Fuzzy logic technology
  • Not the cheapest
  • Hard to clean

Best rated rice cooker award breakdown

Total Score Overall rating Value for Money Cooking performance Ease of use Features
Tefal 8.32 4.47 4.47 4.63 4.58 4.42
Panasonic 7.92 4.27 4.22 4.39 4.39 4.24
Kambrook 7.89 4.32 4.32 4.30 4.26 4.12
Other 7.87 4.26 4.30 4.48 4.50 4.10
Philips 7.79 4.25 4.25 4.24 4.00 4.29
Breville 7.71 4.26 4.14 4.16 4.14 3.96
Big W 7.66 4.12 4.24 4.04 4.28 3.96
Sunbeam 7.66 4.18 4.12 4.20 4.26 4.02
Target 7.61 4.08 4.14 4.36 4.26 4.02
Data: Finder Retail Brand Survey, 2020, Kantar. Metric out of 5 stars unless indicated. Methodology and more info. Kantar logo

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