Zojirushi NS-LAC05XA Micom 3-Cup(Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer

Received this Zojirushi 3-cup Micom as a self-holiday gift a week ago. Since then, I've made sushi rice, basmati, brown & wild medley, along with various types of dal (basmati and red/yellow lentils with curry) and mujadarah (basmati and green lentils with carmelized onions). I've also used the warming part of things to gently steam scallops on top of rice for a New Year's treat. Yum! Soon I'll try veggies and flavored broths.I first put in too much water, since the directions didn't make it clear that the water measures on the cooking bowl include rice at the bottom. But after I got this right, the results were perfect each time. The rice is as good or better than from a restaurant (plus fresher), and much, much cheaper to make at home, particularly if you purchase rice by the pound. I'm working on my sushi technique, but it's already tasting good if looking funky. I do advise rinsing, rinsing, rinsing the rice before cooking. Soaking the grains doesn't really seem necessary, unless you're using the timer, in which case there is no way around it.Speaking of which, the timer works great. It was wonderful to wake up to the aroma of fresh rice. I fixed dal a few times and then left for the gym. When I came home, it was ready, steaming hot, perfectly cooked and the house smelled divine. I think it gently steams, then cooks just at or below a boil, and then steams again. So it really is terrific with beans, such as lentils, that easily fall apart with too much rough treatment, but that benefit from a long slow simmer. And, of course, that's the way to go for rice too.The Zojirushi is easy to use, doesn't take up much countertop space, is attractive and easy to carry around. I took it over to a friend's house for my contribution to a holiday meal. During the car ride, the rice stayed warm in the bowl and helped keep some bread wrapped in foil warm. Actually the warm function keeps rice warm for hours with no diminishment of the quality. The Zojirushi makes cute sounds when it starts up and finishes cooking. Also it's a snap to clean! No nasty white residue and boiled over starch, or scalding steam or water. It truly cleans up in a minute, which is amazing in itself.What's not to like? Well, the price! But Amazon was offering $25 off with a kitchen purchase of over $125. So, although I also considered the 3.5 cup Sanyo (which costs $99) -- which perhaps has a better, thicker bowl -- there wasn't really any savings. Since this is a newer model rice cooker, probably manufactured to compete with the Sanyo, the Zojirushi is what I went with. It's perfect for me. If you make bigger batches of rice at one time, though, I suppose a larger size would be better. Amazon offered the best deal, BTW, including eBay, shopping locally, etc, since there was no tax or S/H.I considered American rice cookers, hot pot styles, etc. They all looked like junk, and I wasn't convinced that they wouldn't turn out messy, glue-like rice. I'm glad I went ahead and got the best for my uses. The quality of rice and beans has been outstanding. Plus I can't get over how much money I'm saving by not buying take-out, and I get to season the food to my liking. There is hardly any food that is cheaper, more comforting or nutritious than rice and beans, and you can keep the oil and butter to a minimum to keep the calories low while not feeling deprived. I'm going to use it to pack lunches too, which means the Zojirushi will pay for itself in one month. Since it arrived, I've hardly used the microwave and hardly have eaten any meat. And, boy, does food taste better! Totally highly recommended.

This little rice cooker works great. It makes some of the best rice I've ever had. I use it to make small amounts of sushi rice daily, as well regular rice and porridge. 1 cup is about the right amount to make 2 sushi rolls, and is more than enough for 1 person. 2 cups is a good amount to feed 3 people. If you need to feed more than 3 people, you can make a 3rd cup and feed 4 or 5 people. The measuring cup has markings for 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of a cup. This product has an excellent design which prevents water from dripping on top of the rice like some rice makers allow. You can really see how well thought out it's design is. It is built from very high quality parts, nothing about it looks cheap, it screams quality. The high quality non-stick bowl is especially nice, as it makes cleanup a breeze, the rice all comes out easily, and wipes clean with almost no effort. The bowl has markings on the side for all the different types of rice you make. This is important because sushi rice, for example, needs less rice than normal rice, because you add vinegar at the end. It also has matching markings on opposing sides of the bowl so you can see if the bowl is level, so you never add too much or too little water on an unlevel counter top. The markings are really visible and are raised up so they wont wear off over time.The rice paddle it comes with is also great. It is non-stick plastic, covered with tiny bumps which help grab the rice, and then let it go. This is a really great design for a rice paddle. Now, for the people who complain it takes too long to make rice. If you start with cold water, it does take a long time to make rice. But if you start with warm water, the rice will be ready much much faster. The same thing applies to boiling water on the stove by the way. It also has a quick cook mode, to make it work more like an automatic rice cooker, and less like the high quality rice cooker it is. If you cook rice everyday, and you make different kinds of rice like sushi rice, this rice maker is a great choice. I was a little hesitant to spend over a hundred dollars on a rice maker, but I'm so glad that I did and I wouldn't want to live without this amazing thing. Several people have commented on how cute it is sitting on my counter top. Personally, I'm not too hung up on the looks of my kitchen appliances, but it is a good looking appliance.Update9 years later, still good as new