The Zojirushi NP-HCC rice cookers use induction heating to cook rice better than most other rice cookers. This review of the Zojirushi NP-HCC induction heating rice cookers begins with a look at its controls, cooking pot and rice cooking process. We then provide answers to common questions about its warmer function, accessories, power use and country of origin. These answers might give you a general overview of the controls, parts, settings and requirements of the NP-HCC10/18 induction rice cookers. We end the review with a few comments and conclusions.
What are the control buttons of the Zojirushi NP-HCC?
The LCD is flanked by a few buttons. There are the “Start” and “Cancel” buttons for starting or stopping the induction cooking process.
On the left of the display are the “Menu”, “Keep Warm” and “Extended Keep Warm” buttons.
On the right of the display are the “Timer” and time setting (up and down) buttons for setting the clock or the time delay function.
How do you cook rice with the Zojirushi NP-HCC?
Start by measuring the amount of rice you want to cook with the included 6.1-ounce (180mL) rice measuring cup. Overfill it slightly and then level it off with a kitchen knife.
Clean the rice by washing and rinsing it with water in a rice washing bowl to remove excess starch and particles (buy a bowl on Amazon). Put the rice into the nonstick cooking pot and add the right amount of water according to the water measure lines. Put the cooking pot into the rice cooker. Attach the inner lid and steam vent and close the lid.
Right, now you may choose the setting with the menu button. The Zojirushi NP-HCC10/18 offers the following rice cooking menu settings:
- White rice (regular, soft or hard)
- Quick
- Mixed
- Jasmine
- Sushi
- Porridge
- Sweet
- Brown
- GABA brown
Press the start button to start the cooking process. A melody or beep sound will play to announce the start of the cooking. The tiny “start” light will also shine. The LCD shows the estimated time until the cooking is done.
The NP-HCC induction rice cooker will play a melody or beep sound to indicate it has finished cooking. It then switches to keep warm mode. It is recommended that you open the lid and stir the rice to release excess moisture and to make it more fluffy.
If you are not going to keep the rice warm, then you can press the cancel button, unplug the rice cooker and serve the cooked rice.
How does the keep warm function work?
The rice cooker switches into regular keep warm mode after the rice is done cooking. Leftover rice can be kept warm in the rice cooker for up to 12 hours.
Use the extended keep warm mode if you are keeping the rice warm for longer than 12 hours, but no longer than 24 hours. The NP-HCC rice cooker seems to automatically switch back to regular keep warm mode after 24 hours has elapsed.
The keep warm function is not recommended for keeping a small amount of rice warm. Do not use it to reheat cold rice from the table or refrigerator. It is best not to keep mixed rice dishes or other food dishes warm. Just use it for rice.
What material is the inner pot?
The inner cooking pot is made from a magnetic material (probably iron) which is covered with a nonstick coating. It is definitely not made from aluminum because aluminum is not magnetic and might not heat up through induction.
Be careful not to damage the nonstick coating. Never use metal utensils, scrubbing brushes or abrasive chemicals. Use the included spatula (or a silicone spatula would be even better) to stir the cooked rice. You may use a soft sponge when wiping it clean. The nonstick coating will eventually wear out, but replacements pans are available.
What accessories are included?
The Zojirushi NP-HCC10/18 is shipped with three accessories: a spatula, a spatula holder and a 6-ounce (180mL) rice measuring cup. An instruction manual is also included. The nonstick inner cooking pot is obviously part of the deal.
What are the rice cooking capacities of the Zojirushi NP-HCC?
The uncooked rice cooking capacity is influenced by the size of the cooker, the menu setting and the type of rice. The 1-liter model can cook from a 1/2 cup to 5.5 cups of uncooked white rice. The 1.8-liter model can cook from 1 cup up to 10 cups of raw white rice.
Uncooked brown rice has slightly different capacity requirements. The NP-HCC10 cooks from 1 to 4 cups, while the NP-HCC18 cooks from 2 to 8 cups.
What is GABA brown rice?
The amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid that is available in brown rice can be increased by soaking it for 2 hours at 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The amino acid, shortened to GABA, has healthy effects such as lowering blood pressure.
Soaking brown rice at the correct temperature “activates” the amino acid so that it is up to 150% more available when compared to non-activated brown rice. The Zojirushi NP-HCC has a menu setting for cooking GABA brown rice, but it takes more than three hours to finish cooking.
Does it cook jasmine rice well?
The “Jasmine” menu setting might cook jasmine white rice slightly harder when compared to cooking it on the stove. You might add a small amount of extra water to let the jasmine rice cook a little softer, but be careful not to add too much.
The NP-HCC10 can cook from 1/2 cup up to 5.5 cups of raw jasmine white rice. The NP-HCC18 can cook 1 to 10 measuring cups of uncooked jasmine white rice. The estimated cooking time for the “Jasmine” setting is about one hour from start to finish.
Is the porridge setting for steel cut oats?
The “Porridge” menu setting is primarily used for cooking rice porridge recipes. The Zojirushi NP-HCC10/18 instruction manual has one recipe for a rice porridge with seven herbs. Nonetheless, Zojirushi provides a rice cooker recipe for steel cut oats on their website.
Can the Zojirushi NP-HCC be used as a slow cooker?
It cannot be used as a slow cooker for cooking stews or making soup. The NP-HCC is only for cooking rice. It does not even have a vegetable steamer basket. You therefore cannot use it to steam vegetables.
What is the maximum delay timer setting?
Zojirushi recommends that you do not set the timer for longer than 13 hours. This is especially important during the warm summer months, when uncooked rice might start to spoil if left in the rice cooker for longer than 12 hours before cooking starts.
The minimum length you can set the timer for is influenced by the menu settings. You cannot set the timer for less than the rice menu cooking time. White rice needs approximately one hour to cook, so setting the timer for less than one hour is unreasonable.
How much power does it use?
The Zojirushi NP-HCC10 uses 1230 watts during cooking and 29 watts during keep warm mode. The NP-HCC18 uses slightly more: 1350W.
Its electricity rating is 120 volts, 60Hz, AC power. Plug it into a 15-amp electrical outlet or higher. Remove the plug from the outlet when the rice cooker is not in use.
This Zojirushi rice cooker is not compatible with 220V. Using a converter is not recommended.
Does it have a retractable power cord?
It does not have a retractable power cord. It has an ordinary power cord that is about 3 feet long (1 meter). Remove the twist tie from around the power cord before you use the rice cooker for the first time.
Is the Zojirushi NP-HCC made in Japan or China?
The Zojirushi NP-HCC10/18 induction heating rice cookers are made in Japan. The words “Made in Japan” are printed right above the start button on the control panel.
Conclusion
The Zojirushi NP-HCC does not cook rice faster than other electric rice cookers. This might be a problem for a few people that are used to cooking rice quickly on the stove or with a cheaper on/off rice cooker. You could always use the “Quick” setting if you are in a hurry to cook and serve white rice within 25 to 40 minutes.
A problem that some owners experience with the warmer function is that the rice develops an odor or yellow color if kept warm for long. It seems the warmer function is not so good at keeping cooked rice warm for longer than 12 to 24 hours.
It prepares tasty and fluffy white rice, but it is the other rice cooking menu options that make it worth the money. You can prepare sushi rice, or you can cook jasmine rice just right. It does brown rice the best: the cooked grains are not too soft and not too crunchy either.
We think that few people will use the “Porridge” setting for making rice porridge. Still, it might be used to cook steel cut oats for breakfast. The amount you can cook is limited to one or two cups, so you might want to buy the 1.8-liter NP-HCC18 to provide the maximum cooking capacity.
You could spend extra money and buy a Zojirushi NP-NWC induction heating pressure rice cooker (read our review of the NP-NWC), but we do not think it is absolutely necessary. The combination of microcomputer and induction heating systems make the Zojirushi NP-HCC10/18 cookers very good at cooking rice.
The Zojirushi NP-HCC induction heating rice cookers are expensive and usually take longer to cook rice than cheaper rice cookers. However, the end result is very tasty rice, probably better than you could cook it yourself (check price on Amazon).
Thank you for reading our Zojirushi NP-HCC10/18 induction heating rice cooker and warmer review.