The Best Rice Cookers So You Can Make the Fluffiest Rice With Ease

We have to say it – don’t bother cooking rice on your bench top. It’s time-consuming and it requires far too much focus, where it’s all too easy to end up with gluggy or even burnt rice. Instead, invest your money in a solid rice cooker and all your problems will be solved.

Rice is a delicious, yet humble dish that goes with just about anything. If you travel around the world, you’ll find that rice can be incorporated into almost any meal of the day, from breakfast to dessert.

Admittedly, cooking it on the stove is a tough skill to master. While you can always use the “finger method” to add the right amount of water, cooking it too long or too less can really ruin a good hour’s worth of meal prep. After all, nobody wants a mouthful of chewy, hard rice.

So if you’re looking for a way to cook up some fluffy rice, here are a few rice cooker that we think deserve a spot on your kitchen counter.

How do rice cookers work? 

While this may sound like the most obvious question in the world, if you’re anything like us (A.K.A will burn water if we tried), it’s a fair thing to ask. Thankfully, these little cookers make it easy. All you have to do is just add in your rice with some water, cover it with the lid and switch it on. The appliance will work its magic before eventually switching itself to a warming mode once your rice is fluffy and ready to eat.

Even if you’re a master chef, having one of these appliances means you’ll have one less thing that needs to be constantly checked, allowing you to better focus on other parts of your meal prep.

You can even grab multi-cookers that have rice settings so you can use it to create stews and casseroles in addition to a bowl of boiled rice from time to time.

The best rice cookers to buy in Australia

Best overall: Breville Smart Rice Cooker

As far as kitchen appliances go, Breville is one of the most trusted and reliable brands out there.

This Breville Smart Rice Cooker comes with preset settings for a variety of rice types – white, brown or even sticky sushi rice – making preparation as easy as pushing a button. It even has an LED display to let you know how long you’ll need to wait.

This cooker will automatically adjust its temperature during the cooking process. This will help to ensure the best results possible, regardless of what kind of rice you’re preparing. This appliance can also double as a steamer, making it a handy way to prepare some veggies.

Where to buy: Amazon Australia ($174) | Appliances Online ($191) | eBay ($191) | Myer ($199)

Best large-capacity: Philips Daily Collection Grain Master Rice Cooker

If you’ve got a large family to feed or you’re big on entertaining, this 3L Philips Rice Cooker makes up to 20 cups of rice. That’s enough for a feast and a half, plus leftovers!

It also boasts eight different cooking options, including standard cook, quick cook, brown rice, multi-grain, lentils, quinoa, porridge, and reheat, to cater for whatever it is you feel like eating.

Where to buy: Appliances Online ($152) | eBay ($139)

Best small-capacity: Panasonic Rice Cooker

This Panasonic cooker comes with four auto-cook programs, which will let you prepare white rice, brown rice and even porridge at the simple push of a button. It can also keep your rice warm for up to five hours, and its domed lid design will stop any accumulated water from dripping back into the rice. Win-win.

Where to buy: Amazon Australia ($98.10) | Bing Lee ($109) | eBay ($122) | The Good Guys ($139)

Keep in mind that if you want to save on your next rice cooker, make sure you stop by our The Good Guys promo codes page for unique discounts on a range of tech and home appliances.

Fastest rice cooker: Russell Hobbs Turbo Cooker

This non-stick and dishwasher safe rice cooker includes an inner pot that is long-lasting and easy to clean.

But the star of the show lies in its “30 per cent faster Cooking Technology” which regulates the cooking temperature automatically, so you’ll be able to get dinner on the table faster.

Where to buy: Amazon Australia ($50) | Catch ($47.20) | eBay ($79.95) | The Good Guys ($69)

Best value: Kambrook Rice Master

This simple, one-touch cooker from Kambrook is an affordable way to get perfectly fluffy rice.

This appliance can hold up to five cups of uncooked rice, which will then become 10 cups once fully prepared. Once the rice is ready, it will automatically switch into a warming mode to avoid overcooking it. It can also be used as a vegetable steamer.

Where to buy: Amazon Australia ($54) | Bing Lee ($54) | Catch ($76) | eBay ($54)

Best multi-tasker: Tefal Slow Cooker

This Tefal cooker is fairly easy to use. Just select from one of the presets on the front of the appliance, and it’ll take care of the rest. It will also automatically adjust its temperature and cooking time to avoid overcooking or undercooking your food.

If you’re someone who particularly enjoys a hearty stew, it also doubles as a slow cooker too.

Where to buy: Amazon Australia ($99) | Catch ($125) | eBay ($150)

Best Microwave: Décor Rice Cooker

If you’re a bit tight on kitchen space and can’t fit in another big appliance, a microwave rice cooker is a cheap and convenient alternative. Unless you don’t own a microwave, that is.

All you need to do is fill this plastic rice cooker with your rice of choice, add in the necessary ratio of water and then pop it in the microwave. It couldn’t be easier. With a microwave rice cooker, it’s important to note that it’s not as “set and forget” as its electric counterparts. So, be prepared to check on your rice every six to eight minutes.

Where to buy: Amazon Australia ($10.40) | Big W ($10.40) | eBay ($13.49)

Try some of these easy rice cooker meals

• 15 Surprising Things You Can Make In A Rice Cooker
• Chuck a Whole Tomato in Your Rice Cooker and Upgrade Your Dinner
• Rice Cooking Showdown: Stovetop Vs. A Cooker
• Make A Giant Pancake In Your Rice Cooker
• Steam Eggs in a Cooker for the Easiest-to-Peel Eggs Ever
• Cook Rice In Beer For A Flavourful, Non-Lumpy Dinner Dish
• Make Chipotle-Style Rice With Coriander Stems

Looking to make some stews with your freshly-cooked rice? Here are our fave slow cookers and slow cooker recipes.