A rice cooker with a delay timer helps to make the process of cooking rice for dinner, or porridge for breakfast, so much easier. A delay timer makes cooking rice much easier. You add the rice and water into the cooking pot and set the timer according to the instructions so that it is finished in time for serving at lunch or dinner. You might even use the timer to cook porridge for breakfast.
We decided to review two rice cookers that have delay timers: a Zojirushi 3-cup rice cooker and an Aroma 4-cup rice cooker. We look at the basic features, delay timer, costs and benefits of each electric rice cooker.
Zojirushi Rice Cooker With Delay Timer
This Zojirushi rice cooker can cook a maximum of 3 cups of uncooked rice to produce approximately 6 cups of cooked rice. Its small rice cooking capacity makes it a great rice cooker for a single person, two people, or a small family.
The Zojirushi NS-LAC05 has a delay timer which can be used to delay the start of a cooking cycle. You can program the rice cooker to cook porridge overnight in time for breakfast or to cook rice in time for dinner.
Check if the clock time being shown in the display is correct before you begin programming the timer function. If not, follow the instructions in the manual to correct the clock time.
Read the Zojirushi NS-LAC05 instruction manual for an explanation of using the timer. You basically use the clock time and program the timer to complete the cooking at a specified time, e.g. 7:30 or 19:30. This is why the clock time needs to be correct.
The delay timer has two settings. Press the timer button once for “timer 1” which starts at 6:00 for cooking during the daylight hours. If you want to program the rice cooker for the evening, then press the timer button again for “timer 2” which starts at 18:00. Use the up or down keys to advance or decrease the cooking completion clock time in 10 minute increments. Press and hold the button down to change the time quickly.
Remember to press the cooking key to set the timer. You can cancel the timer by pressing the reset key. Do not use the timer for cooking mixed rice dishes because some ingredients might go off if it sits for hours in the cooking pot before the cooking starts.
Costs
- It has a high price tag for a 3-cup uncooked rice cooker.
- It has no steaming function or tray: it cannot steam vegetables.
- Maximum uncooked rice capacity of 3 cups: not suitable for large families.
- Nonstick coating of the inner cooking pot might flake off after a few years.
- Small capacity and no menu settings for soup or stew.
Benefits
- Automatic keep warm setting.
- Built-in retractable power cord.
- High quality rice cooker with fuzzy logic microcomputer.
- It has a delay timer for delayed-start cooking.
- Control panel with LCD and settings for white, brown, sushi rice, rice porridge.
- Nonstick inner cooking pot is easy to clean.
Summary
The Zojirushi NS-LAC05 rice cooker seems to be the perfect size for preparing rice for two people. It is too small to make rice for a large family.
The things that some people might dislike is its small rice cooking capacity, its nonstick coated cooking pot, lack of a vegetable steamer and the amount of time it takes to cook rice. The things that people like about the Zojirushi NS-LAC05 are almost too numerous to mention.
You may read our NS-LAC05 review for a full discussion of its features and answers to various questions.
Aroma Rice Cooker With Delay Timer
You can use the popular and affordable Aroma ARC-914SBD electric rice cooker to cook 1 to 4 cups of uncooked rice to make 2 to 8 cups of cooked rice. The size makes it ideal for one person or a small family.
Its control panel has menu buttons for cooking white rice or brown rice. Use the steam setting and the included BPA-free plastic steam tray to steam vegetables. It has a keep warm function to keep the rice and food warm until it can be served.
You can integrate this rice cooker with your planned meal times by using its 15-hour programmable delay timer. Each time you press the delay timer button, the start of the cooking is delayed by one hour. The minimum amount of time is 1 hour, while the maximum is 15 hours.
After setting the delay timer, continue by selecting either the white or the brown rice cooking option. The digital display will now count down the time that remains before the cooking starts.
Costs
- At high water volumes, the steam vent can be messy.
- It is too small for a large family.
- It does not have a retractable power cord.
Benefits
- Programmable 15-hour delay timer.
- Nonstick cooking pot is easy to clean.
- It has a setting for cooking brown rice.
- It is a cheap rice cooker, but it gets good reviews from owners.
- Use the steam function and steamer tray to steam meat or vegetables.
Summary
The Aroma ARC-914SBD electric rice cooker has menu buttons for cooking white rice or brown rice. It cooks the brown rice at a lower temperature for a longer time. The brown rice turns out better this way.
This Aroma digital rice cooker is more affordable than a Zojirushi rice cooker. If rice is not your staple food, then you might be happy with the taste and texture of the rice it prepares. Its 3-cup uncooked size is big enough for a single person or two people.
You may read our Aroma ARC-914SBD review for a complete overview of this popular 4-cup rice cooker.
Conclusion
The biggest difference between the Zojirushi rice cooker and the Aroma rice cooker is the price. The rice cooker you choose might depend on how much money you want to spend and on how serious you are about the taste and texture of the rice. The cheaper Aroma rice cookers can prepare edible rice at an affordable price. You will have to pay an expensive price for the almost perfect rice that the Zojirushi fuzzy logic rice cookers can prepare.
The Zojirushi NS-LAC05 costs more than $100 even though it is only a 3-cup rice cooker. It has a built-in microprocessor chip which can adjust the temperature and cooking times automatically. It cooks rice very well. Its 3-cup uncooked rice cooking capacity might be too small for many people.
To conclude, the Aroma ARC-914SBD is probably one of the best budget rice cookers with a delay timer (buy it on Amazon).
Related Posts
Which rice cooker can you get when you want an inexpensive rice cooker with a delay timer, but need a large rice cooking capacity?
The Aroma ARC-150SB has a 10 cup uncooked rice capacity. It is similar to the Aroma ARC-914SBD, but it can cook more rice for more people. You may read our Aroma ARC-150SB review for more information.
You might also consider the Zojirushi NS-TSC10 5-cup uncooked rice cooker (read review) if you need a little more cooking space for rice.