This rice cooker says goodbye to the old way of cooking rice (resistive heating element) and employs the newest revolution in rice cooking: pressure inductive heating! Overall, this rice cooker is indeed the best available on US market, but Zojirushi holds back many of their even better models to the domestic Japanese market.
What is Pressure IH?
Briefly, without getting too much into the details of the technology, Pressure IH uses inductive magnetic coils in the walls of the cooker that induce eddy currents in the rice pot and cook your rice (same as an inductive coil stove). Pressure allows for higher temperatures to be used, beyond the normal boiling point to drive moisture in to rice. Pressure is felt uniformly everywhere within the pot and the rice cooks faster. As a result, pressure IH creates a much more even cooking process. With traditional cookers, there is one resistive heating element on the bottom of the pot. As a result of a single source of heat, the rice is subject to differences in both moisture and heat. The bottom may end up burnt/mushy, the middle just right and the top slightly dry and undercooked. In pressure IH, with multiple inductive rings surrounding the pot, there is far greater evenness in cooking and with that control comes better taste and texture! Once you try pressure IH, there really is no going back. If you look at the Japanese market, it is now hard to find a traditional rice cooker that still remains popular in the US.
Japan versus US market
I've been spoiled by having lived in Japan and seeing the selection of rice cookers available there and the results. I will say that this is THE BEST rice cooker available in the US market currently. It is one of the few Pressure and IH(inductive heating) systems (compare with plain IH or conventional resistive heating element) which is a major plus. Hands down Pressure IH is the way to go with cooking rice and the quality and durability of this rice cooker is second to none.
However, I'm disappointed in the cooking pot that Zojirushi ships with the NP-NVC10 for the price. In Japan, a similarly priced cooker would have a much thicker pot (see my review on the Zojirushi NP-BS10-WB Pressure IH model, this also has a discussion on the various forms of rice cookers which I briefly outlined above Zojirushi NP-BS10-WB IH 5-cup Pressure Rice Cooker and Warmer | AC100V 50/60Hz (Japan Model)). Pot quality is the mark of a top of the line cooker, and it's construction makes a significant difference in the cooking of rice. A thicker pot improves the evenness of heat transfer, reduces deformation under pressure, and has increased thermal mass which allows rice to stay warm longer in the cooker.
That said, you won't be disappointed in the results of this rice cooker. You are as I said, getting the best you can get in the US without the hassle of importing your own and dealing with transformer/voltage issues.
4 Stars on Global Standard (sorry to be a rice snob!)
5 Stars on US Standard
Zojirushi NP-NVC10 Induction Heating 5-1/2-Cup (Uncooked) Pressure Rice Cooker and Warmer
The NP-NVC10 5-1/2-cup Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker and Warmer is the most intelligent rice cooker ever made. Advanced fuzzy logic technology with AI (Artificial Intelligence) "learns" and adjusts the cooking cycle to get perfect results every time. This rice cooker will automatically select from 3 pressure settings according to the menu selected for the best cooking results. The platinum infused nonstick inner cooking pan changes the water quality and allows rice to absorb water easily for better tasting rice. NP-NVC10 also includes superior induction heating technology, multiple cooking functions, an interchangeable melody and beep signal to indicate the end of the cooking cycle, automatic keep warm, and a detachable stainless-steel inner lid. For safety, the appliance provides a pressure-control valve, a back-up safety valve, an inner lid filter, and a pressure indicator on the control panel, which locks the lid during pressure-cooking. Accessories include a rice spatula, a spatula holder, and two measuring cups (for regular rice and rinse-free rice).
Make Every Rice Type Imaginable
Brown Rice
This is a menu setting designed to cook delicious brown rice. In order to cook hard rice bran and the rice inside, preheating time is extended for better absorption of water, and is cooked at a lower temperature to allow the rice to cook longer without becoming mushy.
Sushi Rice
Because sushi rice will be processed after it's cooked, it's easier to handle when it is a little firmer. This menu setting is very similar to regular white rice, but uses less water (adjusted by the water fill lines) for a firm finish.
Mixed Rice
Mixed rice is rice cooked with additional ingredients and seasonings. This setting extends preheating for better absorption of seasoning. Also, the cooking temperature is slightly lower than regular white rice, to avoid ingredients from boiling over.
Porridge
Instead of cooking rice in larger amounts of water and risk making it sloppy, use the porridge setting to cook fluffy porridge. Cooking temperature is slightly lower than regular white rice, to be cooked longer for soft texture.
GABA Brown Rice
A newly discovered way of cooking brown rice to "activate" it and increase natural occurring gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid in brown rice believed to have health giving properties such as lowering blood pressure, improving kidney function and relieving stress. The brown rice is "activated" by soaking it at 104 degrees F for 2 hours before the actual cooking begins.
About AI Fuzzy Logic Technology
The AI (Artificial Intelligence) allows the rice cooker to "learn" from past cooking experiences and adjust the cooking "flow" to cook ideal rice. NP-NVC10 cooks rice to the same consistency in summer or winter, when water and room temperatures may be drastically different. With AI technology, the rice cooker remembers the capacity you cook most often, and selects the ideal cooking "flow" from the very first stage of the cooking process. Basically, the microchip does all the thinking for you to adjust cooking times and temperatures, sets the precise amount of pre-soaking time of the raw grains, and the time for the final "wait" period during steaming.
What is Induction Heating (IH)
Induction Heating took rice cooking to another level by literally introducing another dimension to the heating process. Where the heating element would normally be located at the bottom of the cooker, IH transforms the entire inner cooking pan into a heat conductor, allowing for higher, more precise and more uniform cooking temperatures.
IH Pressure System
Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure resulting in even higher temperatures. Rice cooked with pressure has been found to stay soft for longer periods of time when compared to regular cooked rice. As pressure builds inside while the rice cooks, the boiling point of the water increases beyond the normal 212 degrees F. Once the water is allowed to boil, it cannot be heated further; but inside a sealed environment under pressure, higher temperatures can be reached, which penetrates everything in the cooker from the surface of the food to its center.
Platinum Infused Nonstick Inner Cooking Pan
The nonstick coating on the inner cooking pan is infused with platinum particles. Through research, we discovered that platinum alkalizes water, which breaks down the protein on the surface of the rice grain, and makes it easier for water to penetrate the rice grain. Enhanced gelatinization brings out the sweetness of rice ultimately making better tasting rice. The water is alkalized when poured into the inner cooking pan and comes into contact with the platinum particles.
Umami Setting
Umami is considered the 5th flavor, along with sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It is also described as savoriness, and comes from the Japanese word meaning "good flavor" or "deliciousness". The Umami setting soaks the rice before cooking longer than the regular white setting. During this extended soaking time, the sugar contained within the rice is slowly released out into the water. Once the rice cooker begins to cook the rice, the sugar that was released into the water reattaches itself onto the surface of the rice, making the cooked rice taste sweeter. The Umami setting also extends the steaming time at the end of the cooking cycle.
Steam-Reduce Setting:
Reduces steam to 50% of the Regular Setting. The Rinse-Free setting can be used together with Steam-Reduce, but it is a separate course from other courses, and cannot be combined (e.g., you cannot cook choose Steam-Reduce when cooking sweet or mixed rice). The rice texture may be slightly harder than Regular.
Scorched Setting:
Lightly toasts the bottom of the rice for a crispy texture. This is also a separate setting, and cannot be combined with other settings. It is recommended that the rice be consumed immediately.
Automatic Keep Warm:
The rice cooker automatically switches to Regular Keep Warm when cooking completes. It will keep cooked rice at the optimal serving temperature for up to 12 hours.
Extended Keep Warm:
Keeps cooked rice warm at a lower temperature than Regular Keep Warm to minimize drying and yellowing of rice. It is ideal to switch to Extended Keep Warm when keeping rice warm for a longer period of time.
Reheat Function:
Taking about 5-8 minutes, it can be used to reheat rice kept warm under Regular or Extended Keep Warm to bring the temperature closer to immediately after cooking.
Keep Warm Monitor
The lid sensor detects how many times the lid has been opened and for how long, and calculates the amount of rice left inside the inner cooking pan. The rice cooker then calculates how much heat is needed to keep the rice at the ideal keep warm temperature. The keep warm monitor alerts you by beeping four times, at 10, 40 or 70 minutes after cooking completes if the lid has not been opened, to encourage you to fluff the rice to release excessive moisture. The rice cooker will also beep four times if the lid is left open for over 5 minutes to remind you to close the lid. If unclosed, the rice cooker will beep every 3 minutes thereafter for up to 3 times. Both beeps will not sound if the rice cooker is set to "Silent" mode.
LCD Control Panel
Easy-to-read LCD control panel with clock and timer features.
Detachable Inner Lid
The inner lid is detachable and washable for easy cleaning.
- Enter your model number above to make sure this fits.
- Multi-menu cooking functions include settings for white, mixed, sushi/sweet rice, porridge, brown, GABA brown and quick cooking
- Umami setting extends soaking and steaming time for better rice
- Steam-reduce setting reduces steam to 50-percent of regular setting
- Scorch setting toasts rice to a crispy golden brown, ideal for special dishes
- Easy to ready colored LCD control panel with clock and delay timer
