glen22's Full Review: Zojirushi NHS-10 6-Cup Rice Cooker
While scrubbing a skillet free of rice grains awhile back I decided to investigate the option of using an electric rice cooker. Using a separate electrical appliance with rapid cleanup would speed meal prep while taking up one less burner surface in my small kitchen. I have cooked rice in stovetop pots, woks, or skillets for years. But I admit there were times when I guessed wrong on the remaining liquid and left the rice simmering too long. It would also be useful to get something with a steamer tray for vegetables. In the end, I elected to go with a standard pot-type electric rice cooker made and used for years in Japan, China, and other Asian countries.
To be sure, one can get much more complicated rice cookers these days. The newer computer-controlled rice cookers do much of the thinking for you in predetermining proper cook times, while even more advanced induction heating cookers provide not only pre-programmed cooking profiles, but more even and controlled heating. However, I believed that with a little experimentation, I could determinate proper rice/water proportions and soak times on my own. If anything, I wanted to speed up meal preparation time, and I wasn't impressed by reports of very slow rice cooking times and more complicated cleanup (slimy gaskets, crudded vents, non-removable lids) for some of the computer-controlled models. I’m also a bit worried that a device with touchpad membranes and fragile circuit boards would not be as durable, especially given an environment of steam, condensation, and the occasional power spike from the electric circuit. Plus, I didn't want to have to keep the appliance plugged in at all times just to keep the battery alive that powers the computer 'brain'.
After speaking with several people who’d owned these machines for years, I decided to get a Japanese brand of good repute. Zojirushi makes a 6-cup model, the NHS-10, which fitted my needs perfectly.
Basic Operation and Features The NHS-10 is Zojirushi’s medium-size pot-type electric rice cooker, along with the smaller NHS-06 and the larger NHS-18. These particular Zojirushi rice cookers are of a popular and standardized design, which has remained in production ever since Toshiba originated the type back in 1956. As a result older, similar discontinued models abound. Reviews are frequently found in which the various machines are confused with one another - even with other brands. To prevent this, we’ll note that the Zojirushi NHS-10 as manufactured today has a white body, gray handles, a stainless-rimmed glass lid with a single vent hole, and is stamped “NHS-10” and “Made in Thailand” on the bottom of the appliance. If it does not fit these parameters, you don’t own a current NHS-10.
Those not enamored with appliances built in the People’s Republic of China will be pleased to hear that along with some other Zojirushi rice cookers, the NHS-10 is made in Thailand. While production in Japan increasingly becomes less than cost-effective for many manufactured items, a few Japanese brand manufacturers (Nikon, Sharp, Panasonic, Zojirushi) discovered some time ago that they could achieve better quality control in countries such as Thailand in exchange for higher wage rates and better working conditions. Good quality control and proven design is a definite advantage for electrical products intended for daily use. Knowing this, the Japanese have preferred name brand rice cookers designed by domestic companies to those of other nations for years. What makes this preference unusual is that it extends well beyond that of Japanese consumers. Even buyers in mainland China who can afford one insist on a Japanese-brand electric rice cooker.
The NHS-10 consists of a body, an inner cooking pot, an electric heating plate, a spring-loaded thermal sensor (thermometer) and 'Cooking' and 'Keep Warm' lights. The cooking pot is made of lightweight aluminum, though all cooking surfaces of the pot are completely lined with an FDA-approved nonstick coating.
When water and rice are deposited in the cooking pot, their weight depresses the spring-loaded thermal sensor. When switched on, the heating element quickly brings the water in the pot to a boil; this process is made more rapid by the conductivity of the aluminum. The built-in thermometer measures the temperature of the pan's contents. Since water boils at 212 degrees F, once it reaches a steady boil, it won't get hotter. This temperature remains stable as long as there is liquid remaining in the pot. When all liquid evaporates, the temperature of the pot rises. This temperature rise is detected by the thermal sensor, which switches the cooker to its warming cycle.
Usage Using the NHS-10 is deceptively simple. The raw rice, having been thoroughly soaked and rinsed, is placed into the pot with a measured quantity of water and perhaps salt, and turned to ‘Cooking’.
Some confusion may be encountered with the "6-cup" capacity of the NHS-10. This is the capacity of the cooker in terms of the maximum amount of raw, uncooked rice that can be placed into the appliance. However, Zojirushi uses a 'cup' size of only 180cc (approximately 6 fl. oz.). This means that this 6-cup rice cooker would only be a 4.6-cup cooker using our standard U.S. definition of an 8-oz. cup (level measure, dry). We really should move to a standard of weighing all dry food measurements rather than attempt to measure them by (liquid) volume! In any case, the NHS-10 will produce plenty of cooked rice for a family of three or four.
When done, the ‘Cooking’ light will switch over to ‘Keep Warm’, keeping the rice hot until ready to be served. When using the optional stainless tray, vegetables or meats placed in the tray will steam along with the cooking rice. When cooking four cups or less of rice, I always install the stainless tray - even when only cooking rice - as it acts as an effective interior baffle to prevent liquid splattering on the lid and vent hole in the early stages of cooking.
Like many cookers, the NHS-10 has no power switch; one simply unplugs the cord from the outlet when the Keep Warm function is no longer needed. This is a holdover from the early days of these types of rice cookers, which date back to the mid-1950s (our coffeemakers of old also had no power switch) but in reality, this is not a negative attribute. Reading the reviews of those owning rice cookers who must wrestle with jammed, cheaply-made power switches, one realizes that simplicity is much, much better.
The NHS-10 comes with a soft plastic serving spatula or spoon, a stainless steaming tray, and an instruction manual. To ensure the durability of the nonstick surface, only a soft plastic spoon should be used to remove the cooked rice from the pot. I won’t get into the political dynamics of the nonstick coating debate here, except to state that millions of Japanese and Asian consumers prefer using nonstick rice pots and have suffered no discernible short or long-term adverse health effects. To put any fears in proper context, remember that the rice is being cooked at a maximum temperature that doesn't exceed the boiling point - let alone 500 degrees F. But if you prefer digging scorched rice off the bottom of a stainless pot after soaking it all night long, have at it.
The secret to the successful preparation of rice in a pot-type cooker such as the NHS-10 is to master three variables: amount of pre-soak (or rinse), rice/liquid proportion, and steaming time (rice left to steam in the ‘Keep Warm’ mode once the liquid has been absorbed). Once this is done, standard (not precooked) rice will be prepared remarkably consistently in such a cooker.
Soaking and rinsing the rice comes first. Virtually all white rice needs to be soaked and rinsed of its starchy residue; if not, liquid splattering out from the vent hole and lid will be a regular feature of your rice cooking experience. We are speaking here of well rinsed and soaked rice, until little or no cloudy residue remains. Soaking is also a prerequisite to the successful cooking of brown rice (rice with only the outer hull removed). Now, I will admit right off that I do not eat or prepare a lot of brown rice, because I don’t care for it, and so my experience preparing it in the NHS-10 is quite limited. If you are a true brown rice ‘enthusiast’, you may want to invest in a more sophisticated cooker that can maximize the nutritional benefits of this type of rice.
From the start, I ignored the rice instructions on the cooker itself. No four-page manual can hope to list all the water/rice proportions and soak/steam times necessary to cook the amazing variety of rice available in this country. For all except precooked or prepared rice, simply follow the rice package directions. This has worked for me in preparing all types of white short, medium, and long-grain rice, and as a good starting point for cooking more exotic varieties of red and wild rice. The latter two varieties have become a regular addition to my diet, thanks primarily to this rice cooker.
When used with properly prepared rice, the NHS-10 does its job without fanfare. The vent hole regulates escape of excess steam, and the glass lid permits observation of the contents once most of the water has been absorbed. Simply unplug the device once you are ready to remove the rice from the cooker. You can spoon rice from the cooker, or remove the entire pot (the pot has a curled edge to assist removal (remember the rice pot is very hot at first - a cooking glove or hotpad is needed to lift the hot pot from the cooker). Cleanup is easy with a little soap, hot water and a swipe of a soft towel or sponge (you don’t need, and shouldn’t use, stiff bristle brushes). The separate, non-attached glass lid (combined with the removable rice pot) significantly aids cleanup. The lid is fairly thick, but I always use an excess of caution with such items to prevent possible breakage from thermal shock or a drop to the floor.
Like the slow cooker, a simple electric rice cooker enables you to explore a new world of recipes you might not have been willing to prepare at home in the past, if only for fear of scorching or burning the result. Risotto, bean dishes, Korean kimchee – a lot of possibilities come to mind. With its stainless steamer tray, the NHS-10 becomes quite a versatile appliance.
In contrast, the NHS-10 is less adept at preparing precooked or prepared packaged rice or rice dinners. This is the stuff you see packaged with spices at the supermarket – ‘Spanish Rice’, ‘Yellow Rice with Peppers, cook in 10 minutes’, etc. In this case, following the package directions will usually result in either a soggy or undercooked mess, since the directions are invariably designed for stovetop or microwave use. Getting around this problem is simple - just don’t buy it. No package of precooked rice with dried up vegetables and glutamates can ever equal the delicious yellow, Spanish, or other complex rice dishes you can now make in your NHS-10 with quality long-grain rice, fresh peppers, spices - and perhaps a rich chicken, shrimp, or vegetable broth substituted as cooking liquid.
To save time and experimentation, I highly recommend a book such as The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. I have no connection with these ladies, but would only point out that they’ve determined dozens of rice cooker recipes for all kinds of rice and grains: white, brown, red, wild, etc., including all-important water proportions, presoak, and steaming (post-cook) times (where applicable). Particularly useful is the fact that their rice/water/salt directions are designed for a medium-size rice cooker - like this one.
Conclusion I have used the NHS-10 almost daily for two years now. It is relatively simple, easy to use, durable, and takes up a relatively small amount of counter space for its capacity. I highly recommend it.
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