Sylkeweb on Newsmast

This was interesting to me as I own two of the models here, the big Yum Asia one and the small Cuckoo one. My experiences with both of these are quite different. See my comments for explanations.

The best rice cookers in the UK for gloriously fluffy grains at home: nine tried and tested favourites

https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/mar/14/best-rice-cooker

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The best rice cookers in the UK for gloriously fluffy grains at home: nine tried and tested favourites

Serve up perfect rice every time with our expert-tested rice cookers, from space-saving mini appliances to microwave steaming bowls

The Guardian
Aug 1, 2025 at 10:05amWeb
Show threadSylkeweb on NewsmastAug 1, 2025
My Japanese friend gave her big Yumasia one to me as she wasn’t quite happy with how it cooked Japanese style short grain rice and I was simply curious how I would get on with a rice cooker. I had no problem with it for Japanese short grain rice but preferred the “yumami” setting (65 minutes) over the standard one (35 minutes). The rice was always ever so slightly on the dry side but very edible.
Show threadSylkeweb on NewsmastAug 1, 2025
I was not too happy with the long grain rice results and kept using my saucepan for that type as it wasn’t getting fluffy as it should. The tester claims for her the long grain rice was perfect. Maybe this depends on the rice brand used, I’ve got Tilda, which really is high quality, so I don’t know... 🤷🏼
Show threadSylkeweb on NewsmastAug 1, 2025
The Cuckoo one wasn’t on the author’s winners list which really surprised me. My Japanese friend recommended this cooker to me after she had short grain rice from it at another person’s house and they were very happy with it.
Show threadSylkeweb on NewsmastAug 1, 2025
For me the short grain is often a tiny bit too sticky despite washing it well but it is not bad by any means. And this one shines when doing long grain rice, the rice is standing up after cooking which is the best possible result - but the author didn’t like her results. However, I do agree on the badly translated instructions. The German ones were even worse, leaving out whole chunks of information.
Show threadFoodnotesAug 1, 2025

@Sylkeweb interesting (the Guardian piece and your observations)

I own an old Panasonic rice cooker I bought in Thailand in 2009 - no manual, just buttons in Thai (I know what they do) and it was a game changer from cooking rice in a pot. It is perfect for long-grain rice, especially Thai jasmine rice (and needs a different water ratio for basmati, which is still really good). short-grain isn't as perfect.

If this ever dies on me, I would probably shell out the Euros for a Zojirushi.

Show threadSylkeweb on NewsmastAug 1, 2025
@foodnotes @Sylkeweb yup, I keep being told by my friend that Zojirushi is the best choice.
I‘ve just boosted another rice cooker comparison article and there it’s also the Zojirushi ones being loved.
What I really love about having a rice cooker is that I have more space on the hob for other things 😜
Show threadSylkeweb on NewsmastAug 1, 2025
The other thing I noticed is that the big one needs to be cleaned much more due to a lot more steam escaping. The little one has so far always had no condensation making it into the outside collection container and the inside also stays drier.
Show threadSylkeweb on NewsmastAug 1, 2025
Another minus for the big one is that after a year of use in my house a plastic piece holding the inner lid in place came off. The cooker is still usable and I kept it for larger amounts of rice or rice cooked with more ingredients, but it’s a bit more iffy to use now.