What to look for when buying a rice cooker?

Look at four things: the capacity in cooked cups, the pot coating and whether the pot lifts out, the control type, and the wattage the maker publishes. Those four decide how much rice you can cook at once, how you clean it, and how much counter space it takes.

The picks in our guide to Best Rice Cookers for Small Kitchens and Families show how far apart those figures run. The smallest footprint on that list is the GreenLife at 7.32 inches wide, and the largest is the Cosori at 12.3 inches wide. Capacity runs from 6 cups cooked to 10 cups cooked. Read the maker’s own numbers before you commit counter space.

Capacity in cooked cups, not raw cups

Rice roughly doubles as it cooks, and makers describe capacity in two different ways. Some publish cooked cups, some publish raw cups, and some publish both. The AROMA ARC-393NG is listed as 3 cups uncooked and 6 cups cooked, and the maker states that rice doubles in size. The CUCKOO CR-0375FW is described the same way, 3 cups uncooked and 6 cups cooked. Compare like with like or you will buy half the cooker you need.

The Cosori is the largest pick in the guide at 10 cups, and its listing does not split that figure into raw and cooked. The BLACK+DECKER is listed at 6 cups cooked, using the included 3/4 cup measuring cup, which the maker says works out to 3 cups uncooked. The GreenLife is listed at 3 cups uncooked and 6 cups cooked. If you cook for two, a 6 cup cooked model covers a batch with leftovers.

Watch the measuring cup. The BLACK+DECKER maker notes that its cup is a 3/4 cup and that standard kitchen cups differ, so portions depend on using the cup in the box. The AROMA pot has measuring lines inside, and the maker says to add rice first and then fill to the water line. Either method works, but the numbers on the pot and the numbers on the box are not the same scale.

The pot coating and whether it lifts out

A removable inner pot is the difference between rinsing a pot in the sink and wiping out a hot appliance. All five picks in the guide have one. The Cosori uses a ceramic coated inner pot and states that all accessories are dishwasher safe. The GreenLife pot is ceramic nonstick and PFAS free, and the maker lists the removable parts as dishwasher safe. The BLACK+DECKER nonstick pot is removable for dishwasher cleanup.

The CUCKOO has a nonstick pot plus a removable lid and a self clean setting. The AROMA pot and lid both come out, and the maker describes the coating as BPA free and nonstick. A coating that releases rice cleanly matters more than any other single feature, because a pot that sticks gets scrubbed, and scrubbing wears the coating.

Check what comes in the box for steaming. The Cosori includes a stainless steel steamer basket, and the maker notes you do not buy it separately. The BLACK+DECKER includes a steaming basket, a measuring cup and a serving spoon. The CUCKOO includes a rice spatula and a measuring cup. If you plan to steam vegetables alongside the rice, that basket is the feature to confirm.

One switch or fuzzy logic

Controls split into two groups. A one switch cooker has a lever or button: you press it, it cooks, and it flips to keep warm when the water is gone. The GreenLife uses a one touch switch with white and brown settings. The AROMA works the same way, one button, then automatic keep warm. The BLACK+DECKER switches to keep warm on its own when cooking finishes. These are the simplest machines to operate.

Fuzzy logic cookers adjust time and temperature across the program instead. The Cosori uses fuzzy logic to adjust a 7 step cooking process and lists 18 functions, including white and brown rice, grains, oats, steamed vegetables, soup and saute. The CUCKOO also uses fuzzy logic and lists settings for glutinous white rice, brown rice, oats and baby food. More settings mean more to learn, and they are worth it only if you will use them.

Timers are the other control to check. The Cosori publishes a 24 hour keep warm and a 24 hour delay timer. The CUCKOO lists a timer setting and a warming mode. The AROMA and the BLACK+DECKER publish automatic keep warm but no delay timer. If you want rice ready at a set time, the delay timer is the feature that does it.

Wattage and the footprint on your counter

Wattage tells you how hard the cooker works, and only two picks publish it. The Cosori lists 1000W, and the maker ties that figure to a Quick Rice feature for white rice. The BLACK+DECKER lists 300W and 120V, and is ETL Listed. The other three makers do not publish wattage in the material this site compared. A lower wattage cooker will take longer, though no maker here publishes cooking times.

Footprint is published for four of the five picks. The Cosori measures 12.3 inches deep, 10.6 inches wide and 9.2 inches high, and weighs 9.26 pounds. The CUCKOO measures 11.5 inches deep, 8.6 inches wide and 7.9 inches high, and weighs 6.39 pounds. The BLACK+DECKER measures 10 inches deep, 9 inches wide and 5.5 inches high, and weighs 2 pounds. The GreenLife measures 9.09 inches deep, 7.32 inches wide and 9.09 inches high, and its maker does not publish a weight.

The AROMA maker publishes a weight of 2.5 pounds and a capacity of 1.5 quarts, but no dimensions. Measure the gap between your counter and your cabinets before you choose. The BLACK+DECKER is the shortest at 5.5 inches high, and its maker notes that a steam vent directs steam away from cabinets. The GreenLife is the narrowest at 7.32 inches wide, which suits a tight strip of counter.

A short checklist before you buy

First, decide cooked cups: 6 cups cooked covers most couples and small families, and 10 cups covers larger batches. Second, confirm the pot lifts out and check what the maker says about the coating and dishwasher cleaning. Third, pick the control type: one switch if you cook white and brown rice, fuzzy logic if you want oats, grains, soup and steaming programs in one machine.

Fourth, check the timer if you want rice waiting at a set hour, and check the wattage if speed matters to you. Fifth, measure the depth, width and height against your counter, and check the weight if you will move the cooker between cupboard and counter. Every figure above comes from the maker’s published listing for that pick, and where a maker publishes nothing, this site has not compared it.