As regular readers of this site will know, Zojirushi is one of my favorite rice cooker brands, so when I finally managed to get my hands on the Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB I couldn’t wait to put it through its paces.
The NP-NWC10XB is a relatively high-end pressure induction cooker, but its large 5.5 cup capacity makes it great for cooking both large and small batches of rice, and, as we shall see, its smart technology delivers amazing results – even if you are a complete novice. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and get started with my full review of the Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB.
Heads Up: If you don’t want to read the full review then I can reveal right now that this rice cooker is a great buy. It is suitable for most people but is particularly good for beginners. Its only real drawback is the fact that it’s not very good at steaming so if you want to prepare fish or steamed vegetables then you should probably look to another model. However, if you are after a capable, well-specified, and powerful rice cooker then I fully recommend the NP-NWC10XB.
Table of Contents
Overview and Features
Like all Zojirushi cookers, this model comes with a dazzling array of features such as fuzzy logic, induction heat, an impressive array of one-touch programs and all parts which come into contact with food are certified BPA free which gives great peace of mind. With a mid-range capacity – five cups of uncooked rice – it’s perfect for both large meals or everyday use.
Now, it’s safe to say its main forte is cooking rice – but with the pressure settings, this model is also very good at steaming and slow cooking. Also, it offers a wide range of programmable options that allow you to cook different types of rice ranging from our favorite sticky rice to fried rice and sushi rice.
Preset Options
You can program this model based on the type of rice and the end result that you want and the automatic built-in fuzzy logic does its thing, so you know each batch will be cooked to perfection.
The Preset options include:
- Scorch
- Quick cooking
- Steam reduce
- Rinse-free
- Umami
- Keep warm
Additionally, you have several options for the variety of rice:
- Sticky
- Sweet
- GABA brown
- Mixed
- White
- Porridge
Just so you know, the umami setting works by increasing the steaming and soaking time, which results in better flavor and texture – and yes, it really does work! The steam reduce setting is a great choice for dishes that require less steam time and I was particularly happy to see a dedicated porridge setting in there – and, yes, again, it does a great job.
Now, there’s no doubt that this model’s wide range of settings can be confusing if you aren’t used to using a rice cooker and there are a couple, such as umami and scorch that I haven’t seen anywhere else. The scorch setting works by lightly toasting the bottom of the rice and gives it a great crunchy texture – at least that’s what the manual says. In actual use, I found this setting to be a bit meh! The rise took on a vaguely yellow tinge which wasn’t too pleasant and while there was a slight crunch, it fell short of what I was hoping for. Still, it’s a novel setting and there are lots of others to experiment with so, personally, I don’t feel it’s something that lets this model down too badly. It’s worth noting that it’s a separate setting so can’t be combined with other settings, such as reheat.
Unlike other Zojirushis, this model features a pressurized cooking and steaming mode which means you can cook almost anything in it – and, I can verify that the results are amazing. According to the manufacturers, this mode promotes gelatinization and produces sticky and plump rice, and, again, I can confirm that this certainly seems to work. I cooked several dishes, including sushi rice which I have always found tricky to get right – and, each time, the results were pretty close to perfect. I didn’t steam any foods so I cannot say for certain that this cooker is any better or worse than other Zojirushis but, from what I’ve read online, it seems to do a very good job. Maybe next time I’ll get a proper chance to do a steamed dish.
This clever cooker will automatically select from 3 pressure levels according to the program you have selected and it applies pressure at the end during steaming to burn off excess moisture for the best cooking results
Design
Like all Zojirushi’s this model looks fantastic with a sleek, futuristic design that looks great in any kitchen. The body of the rice cooker is made out of durable stainless steel and, again like most Zojirushis, this model is equipped with an easy-to-read, vivid LCD control panel complete with a delay timer and clock.
The sleek design means it’s easy to clean with no raised buttons or switches on the outside – which is great. Generally, I found it easy to clean but I did find that the internal pan was a bit tougher to get clean under certain settings, such as scorch. Overall, a good, easy-to-maintain device though.
Extras
This model comes with two measuring cups as standard. These can, of course, be used to measure the uncooked rice. The green measuring holds a little over five and a half ounces of rice and is perfect for rinse-free rice whereas the clear measuring cup holds six ounces of uncooked rice.
The user’s manual includes detailed care instructions in Japanese, Korean, English, Chinese, and French.
Control Panel
As I mentioned earlier, this model features a clear and easy-to-read control panel where almost everything is available via a one-touch menu system so it’s very easy to use. As well as the different pre-sets for different types of rice, you’ll also find a handy rinse-free function. One feature that I really like is the cancel button which can be used to cancel a menu selection or halt the cooking process quickly – other manufacturers take note – this is a great feature.
The keep-warm section has several pre-sets:
- Reheat
- Automatic keep warm
- Extended keep warm
Heating Options
Probably the most useful, and certainly as far as I’m concerned, the most used feature is the automatic keep-warm setting. This mode can be used once the rice is cooked and, as you might imagine from the name it helps keep the dish warm without burning or drying the rice out. It works by dropping the temperature and then self-adjusting to maintain a low heat that keeps the rice moist without letting it get cold. Great if you want to pre-cook your rice or if you have a large gathering where people are dipping in and out.
Using this mode, you can keep your rice fresh and warm until you’re ready to serve. Its one-touch setting lasts for 12 hours which should be long enough for most circumstances.
But, if it’s not, then the Zojirushi has you covered with its extended keep warm feature. This can be used in conjunction with the keep warm mode and will enable you to keep the rice warm for more than twenty-four hours. It does this using an even lower temperature than the basic keep warm mode but I found that the rice tended to dry out a bit too much over this period so I wouldn’t recommend using it.
Finally, there’s a reheat mode which can be used with white rice – I don’t recommend this for brown rice or oats as the results aren’t great – they go very dry and hard. It’s great for boosting the temperature and re-activating the dish.
Pros
- Lots of one-touch programs for cooking different kinds of rice
- Three reheating options
- Easy to clean
- Superior build quality
- Finally a steamer option that works!
- Fully Programmable with advanced Fuzzy logic
- Beginner-friendly
Cons
- Relatively expensive
- Capacity Up to 5.5 cups / 1.0 liter
- Pressurized Cooking and Steaming: Promotes gelatinization and produces sticky and plump rice Automatically selects from 3 pressure levels according to the menu selected Utilizes 4 different pressure settings to perfect variety of textures Applies pressure at the end during steaming to burn off excess moisture for best cooking results
- Menu settings include: white (regular, softer or harder), umami, mixed, sushi/sweet, Jasmine, porridge, congee, brown, GABA brown, steel cut oatmeal, rinse-free and quick cooking
- Advanced fuzzy logic technology with AI (Artificial Intelligence): AI technology “learns” and adjusts the cooking cycle to get perfect results
- BPA-free (all areas that come into contact with food or beverage)
- Included components: Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker, Rice Spatula, Spatula Holder, and 2 Measuring Cups (regular and green rinse-free)
- Made in Japan
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