EDITOR'S RAVE
PANASONIC SR-MG182
$199, from major electrical and department stores
PERFORMANCE The jasmine rice turned out fluffy, with grains that were better separated than those cooked in the other pots. The brown rice was nicely moist, and had the best bite because its skin retained the most crunch.
USING IT This cooking pot only has markings for the amount of water needed to cook white rice and porridge; I had to estimate how much to use for brown rice.
COOKING MODES White, brown, and sticky (Japanese) rice, porridge, cake, and steaming.
VERDICT The best cooker for both jasmine and brown rice; it would have been perfect if it had water-level markings for the different types of rice.
RATING:9/10
TIGER JKH-G18S
$399, from Isetan Scotts and Katong, Takashimaya D.S., and Tangs Orchard and Vivocity
PERFORMANCE The jasmine rice was cooked to a soft and slightly sticky but not mushy texture, which I liked. The brown rice, however, turned out too dry.
USING IT What a thoughtful design! The cooking pot is well marked with water-level scales for cooking rice to different textures – soft, regular or firm, and for cooking porridge to firm or soft. It also has markings for brown rice and sweet (glutinous) rice.
COOKING MODES Plain, multigrain, semi-polished and brown rice as well as porridge. It's the only one that doesn't have a cake-baking mode, and doesn't come with a steamer basket.
VERDICT It doesn't do as much as the other rice cookers, but it was a breeze to use and cooked jasmine rice very well.
RATING:8/10
HITACHI RZ-XMC18Y
$299, from major electrical stores
PERFORMANCE The cooked jasmine rice was the stickiest and most moist of the lot. Some of the grains stuck to the pot – something that happened only with this cooker. The brown rice, though, turned out soft and chewy.
USING IT A breeze to use, with water levels for thick and thin porridge, and white, jasmine, brown, and sticky rice indicated on the inside of the pot.
COOKING MODES Jasmine, Japanese, mixed and sticky rice, porridge, cake and bread. It also comes with a steamer basket.
VERDICT Easy to use with myriad functions; great for those who like their rice really soft.
RATING: 8/10
SHARP KS-TH18-RD
$139, from major electrical stores
PERFORMANCE Both jasmine and brown rice grains retained their shape best in this cooker. But rice in the middle of the pot turned out soggier, while the surrounding grains were drier and fluffier.
USING IT The cooking pot is marked with water levels for white rice, mixed rice and congee, but I had to do a little guesswork with the amount of water for brown rice.
COOKING MODES This has the widest range: standard rice (I used this for brown rice as well), claypot rice, congee, soup, steam, cake, and even half-boiled egg. It comes with a steamer basket.
VERDICT It doesn't cook rice evenly, but its extra functions make it a value-for-money buy.
RATING: 7/10
All the rice cookers have a capacity of 1.8 litres.
This article was originally published in Simply Her July 2014.
All product and pricing information was correct at the time of the magazine's publication. We advise readers to check with the stores for the latest availability and pricing information.