The best rice cooker for 2026

Capacity (cups): 6 cups (uncooked) / 12 cups (cooked) | Features: Double pressure cooking (high and low); 14 menu options including GABA rice, porridge and burnt rice; non-stick inner pot; automatic cleaning function; voice navigation in English, Korean and Chinese | Guarantee: Limited 1 year | Weight: 12.6 pounds

This high-end Cuckoo model delivered the best batches for all three grains of rice. Not only did it make very good rice, but it delivered it in record time thanks to its pressure cooking option. The Japanese-style white rice only took 29 minutes. The brown rice had a perfectly firm texture, a wonderful nutty flavor and no hint of stickiness, all cooked in just 43 minutes. I used the non-pressurized mode for the basmati round and it still only took 37 minutes. And those were just the presets; you can also customize it according to your taste.

But I’ll be honest, I have some reservations about recommending this model. Both white rice and brown rice had a crispy bottom in my testing. It is not clear whether this is the “melanoizing” effect described in the manual, or simply a factor of the high pressure mode. For a half hour cooking time I can skip this. For a price of $260, I’m forgiving less.

I also encountered some practical problems. Like the red Cuckoo Micom model, the lid opens hard enough to tip the entire unit over, and this one was also the hardest to clean. There are additional rubber seals in the lid which should be thoroughly cleaned and dried before the next use. And the rubber handle to detach the main surface of the lid was unnecessary; I had to pull the thing out by the edges. I wouldn’t mind this with a cheaper device, but for something this high-end, these little touches make a difference.

Finally, I don’t suggest this model to an average cook because this appliance is downright intimidating. Cuckoo had the most difficult manuals to parse, with some details possibly lost in translation, and its menu settings were strangely convoluted. For example, I managed to switch the voice alerts to English (yes, there are some very punchy and slightly obnoxious voice alerts), but I had to watch a YouTube video to figure out how to turn them off completely.

So while this is undoubtedly my best performing model in purely dietary terms, it demands a lot from its owner. Unless you have serious expectations about your rice, expect to use the machine almost daily, and are willing to tackle the learning curve, this device probably isn’t worth the price. But if you are that person, you will be delighted with your investment.