Best Cheap Rice Cookers in 2021
Depending on your rice cooking needs you can find the best cheap rice cookers here. However, you need to pay attention to your requirements. By purchasing, one of these appliances is an excellent investment, and you will not regret it. The only problem compared to higher-priced machines you may only get up to four settings without programming functions.
The equipment on the list provides you with additional accessories to make preparing food a breeze. Further, you may even find a suitable model at an affordable price that does more than making rice. So check them out and decide for yourself if they are worth the buy. Start preparing fluffy rice in no time and serve a healthy dish for the whole family to enjoy.
Also see: Top 10 Best Brown Rice Cookers in 2021
10. Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker
The affordable rice cooker from Aroma offers you a digital display with a cool-touch cooker and steamer. The appliance you can buy in two colors white and black/stainless steel. The item holds up to eight cups of cooked rice, and you can use it to steam meat and veg.
9. Aroma Rice Cooker
You thought you could not get a cheap rice cooker. Look again at the six-cup cooked rice cooker from Aroma. You can prepare a variety of rice dishes in the appliance with the simple touch operation. The machine keeps food warm after cooking providing you with steamed rice in seconds.
8. Zojirushi Rice Cooker
Zojirushi is one of the best rice cookers you can buy on the market at an affordable price. With the single switch control, the appliance is easy to use. The glass lid has a cool stay knob, and the sides have stayed cool handles for transporting. The cup capacity is 3-cups uncooked rice.
7. Hamilton Beach Steam and Rice Cooker
The Hamilton Beach rice cooker is an affordable model offering you a 14 cup cooked rice capacity. You can use the included basket to boil and steam different foods. The appliance is pre-programmed and has a delayed start with keep warm function.
6. Hamilton Beach 37508 Rice Cooker
Here we have another cheap rice cooker from Hamilton Beach. The appliance offers you a 4 cup uncooked capacity and comes with a rice rinse/steam basket. The simple one-touch button saves you time in guessing the cooking method and switches over to keep warm automatically. The inner pot you can remove for cleaning.
5. Oster Rice Cooker
Pick your favorite color to fit in with your kitchen décor when buying the cheap rice cooker from Oster. The appliances hold up to three cups of uncooked rice and make six cups of cooked rice. The compact size fits in anywhere and has an easy to use one-touch control.
4. Black & Decker Rice Cooker
With the cheap rice cooker from Black & Decker, you can get up to six cups of cooked rice. The appliance keeps food warm and ready to serve. The nonstick pot prevents the food from burning, and you can remove it for cleaning in the dishwasher. Included is a food steaming basket to prepare healthy meals.
3. Dash Mini Rice Cooker
The Dash is a cheap rice cooker that fits in with any décor in your kitchen available in wide selection of colors. You can use it to make porridge, soup, rice, stew, steamed vegetables and more. The two-cup capacity is suitable for small to medium-sized families. Using the appliance is super easy by pressing the cook button.
2. Cuisinart CRC-400 Rice Cooker
The next rice cooker from Cuisinart has a stainless steel structure sold at an affordable price. For the fantastic price tag, you get an appliance that can cook and steam ingredients. The modern square shape looks great, and it has a brushed finish that fits in with any décor. Another important thing that is very beneficial is the warm auto function that keeps food ready to serve anytime.
1. YAMA Rice Cooker
Do you have a huge family who enjoys eating rice? You need the cheap rice cooker from YAMA with a 16 cup cooked rice capacity. The cooking pot has stainless steel construction, and the steamer tray is made of the same material. The glass lid provides you a see-through structure for viewing the cooking process. The appliance is easy to use with the simple one-touch use.
How Do I Choose the Correct Rice Cooker
Do you want to buy a cheap rice cooker that will last you a lifetime? First, how do I choose the right rice cooker needs no magic staff, but how you cook does?
It all comes down to how many cups of rice you prepare daily, and we are referring to the standard cup that you get with the appliance. Why? As the kitchen appliance, you can buy in different sizes.
The smallest model offers you a three cup capacity and goes up to eight cups in size. So before you answer the question, let us look closer at this piece of equipment.
How Does the Rice Cooker Work?
Using the rice cooker helps you to make perfect rice, and all you do is to place a measured ratio of water (stock) with the rice into the bowl.
You flick the button on, and the appliance takes care of the rest. Once the cooking time is over, and the liquids absorbed, it switches off to the warm mode until served.
So how do you choose the right cheap rice cooker? You can do this with the following tips here.
The Capacity
When you browse through different models, the measurement provided is the max number of cups of rice uncooked. You can find models that can cook up to ten cups of rice while the smaller cooker only cooks five cups. Now do not think of your standard cup in the home as it is smaller at about 160ml. Furthermore, you never find information about the minimum cups you can cook at a time but is about two cups and be more in larger models.
The Type of Lid
You will find the cheap rice cookers with unsealed lids, making it easy to use and clean. Furthermore, you can keep an eye on the cooking through the cover. The downside is that these types of rice cookers spatter water and rattles.
Then you get a sealed model that prevents a mess and only has a small rattle when boiling. Cleaning the rice cooker becomes a bit more difficult. You can find the appliance with removable inner lids, and cleaning the vent is complicated at times.
How easy is the rice cooker to use?
Look for a rice cooker that has a non-stick bowl; it makes cleaning easier. You can pick one with large handles making it comfortable to lift when full. Another helpful thing is if you can remove the cord, making it easier to carry and store. Furthermore, look for a model where the controls labeled, making it easy to understand and use.
Other Features:
- Automatic shut-off – the majority of the cheap rice cookers have this function to shut-off and switch over to the keep warm features. However, the length of time varies for keeping warm from one model to another.
- Accessories – you will get a cup measure to put in the correct amount of water and rice. However, it is not your standard measuring size and differs from one model to another. Some other accessories you can get are spoon or spatula for serving with a steam basket or tray to use with other foodstuffs.
- Fuzzy logic – with the function, you can use different timings for making a wide selection of foods.
- Multigrain – here, you need to be careful as the word does not always mean the same for all brands. Sometimes it can mean you can cook rice and other grains. Or it can only prepare a graded mix of rice.
Tips for Choosing the Right Rice Cooker
As the appliance, whether it is a cheap rice cooker or an expensive one, it has different capacities. So which one will work for you? Here is how you can buy the right one.
- A commonly used rice cooker in the home is a three to six-cup model.
- If you plan to use it commercially, then it helps to have one with a ten or twenty-cup capacity.
The cup included measuring the rice offers you a standard measurement and can contain from six to eight ounces of rice. Furthermore, it depends on the model you buy.
When you use one cup of uncooked rice, you can make up to two and a half cups of steamed rice. Therefore, it is crucial to keep this in mind when selecting your cheap rice cooker.
On the other hand, it depends on the quantity of water and the type of rice you cook. So if you choose:
- A three-cup rice cooker can cook up to three cups of raw rice to make six cups of steamed rice that is suitable for up to five people to eat.
- For a family of five to seven people, the six-cup rice cooker is perfect. You can prepare up to six cups of raw rice to give you up to ten cups of cooked or steamed rice. So you can cook rice for up to two meals saving you money on the power bill.
- Now, if you have a large family or need a cheap rice cooker for commercial use, the ten to twenty cup appliance is ideal. You can provide from fifteen to forty people with cooked or steamed rice.
As you can see, finding a cheap rice cooker is not that difficult, but you need to know how many people you want to feed. If you cook daily about two cups of rice, you can get away using a three-cup rice cooker. Now, if you prepare more than two cups of rice, we recommend the six-cup rice cooker instead. However, if you regularly entertain, selecting a ten-cup rice cooker is better.
The other concern is the type of rice you cook and the features you need. You can find a traditional, micro-computerized to jar-o-mat model. Using the standard and jar-o-mat types offer you one-touch use to prepare white rice. The only difference between the two is that the traditional one has one heating element while the jar-o-mat has the heating element at the bottom and the side.
While the micro-computerized model has fuzzy logic to warm the rice before you cook it, you get fluffier rice but take longer to prepare. What makes this rice cooker so great is that you can use it for preparing brown rice, porridge, and steam.
So which one is made for you? With the information, we are positive you will find a cheap rice cooker that is right for you.
Buying an appliance to make rice and other foods do not have to be expensive. Pick a cheap rice cooker reviewed here and start preparing healthy dishes for the family to enjoy. Each brand offers you affordability, durability, versatility, and ease of use. The appliances might not have all the frills, but for the price, you can enjoy fluffy cooked rice and steamed food.
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