| Q1. |
Where
can I order replacement parts for my rice cooker?
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| Q2. |
Where is my nearest Service Center?
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| Q3. |
Why
should I use a rice cooker to cook rice?
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| Q4. |
Why are there so many different types of rice cookers?
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| Q5. |
Which
is the right rice cooker for me?
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| Q6. |
Why do I have to wash the rice?
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| Q7. |
How do I wash rice?
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| Q8. |
Can I cook other types of rice in Zojirushi rice cookers?
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| Q9. |
What other use is there to a rice cooker?
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| Q10. |
Do
you have rice recipes?
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| Q11. |
How is rice measured? What does the capacity mean?
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| Q12. |
How
does the rice cooker know when the rice is ready?
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| Q13. |
What
does Neuro Fuzzy® and Micom mean? |
| Q14. |
How long does it take to cook rice?
|
| Q15. |
What is brown rice or genmai? How can I cook brown rice?
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| Q16. |
What
is GABA brown rice?
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| Q17. |
What is rinse-free (pre-washed) rice or musenmai?
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| Q18. |
How do I make sushi rice?
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| Q19. |
Can I bake cakes in Zojirushi rice cookers?
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| Q1. |
Where
can I order replacement parts for my rice cooker? |
| A1. |
Replacement
parts including replacement inner cooking pans, measuring cups and
spatulas may be ordered from our online Zojirushi
Store or from our Customer Service Department
by calling 800-733-6270, M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST. Please
have the model number ready when calling. |
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| Q2. |
Where is my nearest Service Center? |
| A2. |
Please see a list of our
Authorized Service
Centers to find your nearest Service Center.
Please have the model number ready when calling. |
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| Q3. |
Why should
I use a rice cooker to cook rice? |
| A3. |
The rice cooker is an
efficient and time-saving kitchen appliance that cooks perfect rice
every time. Many people have difficulty cooking rice on the stove
because the burner cannot be turned down to a low enough simmer
for the steaming portion of cooking rice. The result is rice that
is scorched or burned. With a Zojirushi rice cooker, rice will never
overcook or burn. All Zojirushi rice cookers have durable nonstick
inner cooking pans for fast and easy cleaning. They are also convenient
because you can cook foods in places where a stove may not be readily
available (like dorm rooms). |
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| Q4. |
Why are
there so many different types of rice cookers? |
| A4. |
Since Zojirushi has been making rice cookers for over 30 years, we offer different types of rice cookers to suit everyone’s needs. The basic models of electric rice cookers are the NHS and NS-PC-series “Conventional” rice cookers. These cook the rice and keep it warm. The next family of rice cookers is the computerized rice cookers. They are the Micom (which stands for Micro Computerized), Micom Fuzzy, and Neuro Fuzzy® rice cookers. These rice cookers include micro computer chip technology and are programmed to adjust the heat and cooking time to the type and style of rice being cooked. Because of the microcomputer chip, it cooks brown rice and rice porridge without overflowing or overcooking. The next family of rice cookers is the IH (Induction Heating) rice cookers, which utilize advanced induction heating technology to heat the entire inner cooking pan, in effect making the cooking pan itself the heating element. IH rice cookers are also Micom (microcomputerized) rice cookers. Some of the IH rice cookers also have a special function for cooking GABA brown rice. (Please see Question 16 for more information.) The newest and most advanced Zojirushi rice cooker is the Pressure rice cooker. What’s different about the Pressure rice cooker is that it applies pressure to elevate cooking temperatures to higher levels and by doing so, alters the structure of starch within each grain of rice, making it softer and easier to digest. Please see How
to Choose and Compare to compare our many models of rice cookers. Also see Questions 5 and 16, “Which is the right rice cooker for me?” and “What is GABA brown rice?” |
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| Q5. |
Which
is the right rice cooker for me? |
| A5. |
It depends on what you’re looking for in a rice cooker. Will you be cooking brown rice? Porridge? Do you need a timer function to ensure your rice is ready when you get home from work or wake up in the morning? If you don’t need all those features, a non-micom electric rice cooker is the right one for you. If you are looking for something more sophisticated, micom or even an IH rice cooker would be the smart choice with its brown rice and porridge functions, reheating cycle, timer and other features. If you want the most advanced features and the best tasting rice in town, we recommend the Pressure rice cooker. See How
to Choose and Compare to compare the features available with our many models of rice cookers. |
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| Q6. |
Why do
I have to wash the rice? |
| A6. |
Present rice milling machines
cannot completely polish away bran and residues from the surface
of the rice. Washing the rice with water before cooking helps remove
excess starch, making the rice fluffier, whiter, more fragrant and
tastier. It also helps prevent paper-thin layers of starch from
forming inside the pan after the rice is cooked. Also see Questions
7 and 17, “How do I wash rice?” and “What is rinse-free
rice?” |
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| Q7. |
How do
I wash rice? |
| A7. |
Measure the rice accurately
using the plastic measuring cup that comes with every Zojirushi
rice cooker and add to the inner cooking pan. Wash the rice right
in the inner cooking pan with plenty of cold water. Rub the grains
of rice gently between the palms of your hands. Tip the pan to drain
as much water as possible without spilling the rice. There is no
need to use a colander. Repeat 3 or 4 times. Washing off the excess
starch will result in lighter, fluffier rice. Visit our Recipes
Page to see this instruction with images. |
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| Q8. |
Can I
cook other types of rice in Zojirushi rice cookers? |
| A8. |
Of course you can! However,
every type of rice requires different amounts of water. All Zojirushi
rice cookers have water measure lines for cooking short grain white
rice. To cook brown rice, it is recommended to use 1.5 to 2 times
the amount of water to rice, unless your rice cooker includes a
brown rice function. (NOTE: Please always use the rice cooker’s
plastic measuring cup for measuring both the raw rice and the water.)
For those models without a brown rice function, if you use 2 cups
(measured in the rice cooker’s measuring cup) of raw brown
rice, fill the pan with 3 to 4 cups (using the rice cooker’s
measuring cup) of water. The larger quantity of water to rice will
give you softer textured cooked rice. We also recommend soaking
brown rice for 30 minutes in the measured cooking water before cooking.
You can also cook wild rice, basmati rice, long grain rice, and
other types of rice, but you may need to adjust the amount of water
you use to cook them. The rice cooker can also prepare store-bought
rice mixes. Just follow the directions on the rice mix package.
Please refer to your instruction (recipe) book or visit our Recipes
Page for further information. |
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| Q9. |
What other
use is there to a rice cooker? |
| A9. |
Some of our rice cookers are also steamers (Rizo® and NHS-series), and many of our rice cookers have multiple settings for different types of rice, such as mixed, sweet, and porridge. Most of our rice cookers are also rice warmers. They keep your rice hot and tasty for many hours (we recommend a maximum of 13 hours). Rice cookers are also excellent for cooking vegetables, soups, desserts and even fish! Please visit our Recipes
Page to see how versatile our rice cookers are. |
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| Q10. |
Do you
have rice recipes? |
| A10. |
Yes! We have recipes for
cooking different types of rice and other menus. Please visit our
Recipes
Page. |
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| Q11. |
How is
rice measured? What does the capacity mean? |
| A11. |
Every Zojirushi rice cooker
comes with a plastic measuring cup. This cup has a capacity of 6-ounces,
or about 3/4 of a U.S. measuring cup. The capacity of the rice cooker
is counted in these 6-ounce cups of uncooked rice. One 6-ounce cup
of raw rice makes about 2 to 3, 6-ounce cups of cooked rice. Do
not confuse the rice cooker measuring cup with U.S. measuring cups;
they are different. All Zojirushi rice cookers come with a special
measuring cup and nonstick rice spatula for serving. The capacity
of a rice cooker is stated in the numbers of 6-ounce cups of raw
rice. |
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| Q12. |
How does
the rice cooker know when the rice is ready? |
| A12. |
This is how a basic rice
cooker works. At sea level, the boiling temperature for water is
212 degrees F or 100 degrees C. As soon as all the water is absorbed
by the rice, the temperature inside the cooker immediately rises.
The appliance has a thermostat that detects when the temperature
rises above 212 degrees F inside, and turns the heater off. More
advanced rice cookers have micro computers to automatically adjust
the cooking temperature and cooking time depending on the amount
of rice cooked, the type of rice being cooked, and many other factors.
For more detailed information on how electric rice cookers work,
please see How
an Electric Rice Cooker Works. |
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| Q13. |
What does
Neuro Fuzzy® and Micom mean? |
| A13. |
Fuzzy set theory, or fuzzy
logic, originally introduced by Lotfi Zadeh in the 1960’s,
mimics human reasoning. Zojirushi coined the trademark Neuro
Fuzzy® to designate their advanced micro computerized rice
cookers. Micom means Micro Computerized. The temperature and cooking
time are controlled by a micro computer chip. Neuro Fuzzy®
is a registered trademark of Zojirushi. |
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| Q14. |
How long
does it take to cook rice? |
| A14. |
It depends on how much
and what type of rice you cook in which model rice cooker. Please
refer to the Cooking
Time Comparison Chart for more information.
The more advanced rice cookers have QUICK cooking cycles that reduce
cooking time by up to 20 minutes! |
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| Q15. |
What is
brown rice or genmai? How can I cook brown rice? |
| A15. |
Genmai
is the Japanese word for brown rice, the unpolished whole grain
rice that is the result of removing only the husk and leaving the
embryo and bran intact. Brown rice becomes white rice when the outer
bran layer is stripped off in the milling or “whitening”
process. Since the embryo and bran contain fiber and high amounts
of nutrients, eating brown rice is considered healthier than white
rice. Brown rice requires more water and a longer cooking time,
but perfect brown rice is made easy with Zojirushi rice cookers.
Visit our Recipes
Page to learn how to cook
brown rice and other types of rice. |
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| Q16. |
What is
GABA brown rice? |
| A16. |
This is not a new variety
of brown rice, but 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 the rice at 104 degrees
F for 2 hours before the actual cooking begins. This feature is
available in select Induction Heating Rice Cookers ( See How
to Choose and Compare). |
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| Q17. |
What is
rinse-free (pre-washed) rice or musenmai? |
| A17. |
Rinse-free
rice is a new type of rice that does not require washing. A new
milling technology was recently developed in Japan, which eliminates
the bran, excess surface starch and residues from the rice without
sacrificing the quality of the rice. It is energy saving and friendly
to the environment since washing is not required. All Zojirushi
rice cookers will cook rinse-free rice. However, some Zojirushi
rice cookers have “Rinse-Free Rice” functions that automatically
adjust cooking time and temperature ( See How
to Choose and Compare). These models also come with a special green rinse-free
rice measuring cup. With those rice cookers that do not have rinse-free
rice functions, remove 1 heaping teaspoon of rice for each 6-ounce
cup of rice you plan to cook. Due to this new milling technology,
the grains of rinse-free rice are smoother and more slippery so
more rinse-free rice fit in one cup than regular rice. If this small
adjustment is not made, your rinse-free rice may cook up too hard.
Also see Question 6, “Why do I have to wash the rice?” |
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| Q18. |
How do
I make sushi rice? |
| A18. |
The best sushi rice is
cooked in a rice cooker. Visit our Recipes
Page to learn how to cook sushi rice and
other types of rice in Zojirushi rice cookers. |
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| Q19. |
Can I bake cakes in Zojirushi rice cookers? |
| A19. |
Yes, the Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer (NS-VGC05 and NS-TGC10/18 models) have Cake functions that bake cakes. Once you have the batter, the rice cooker will bake it for you without heating up the oven. To prevent the batter from overflowing, please follow these guidelines:
• Limit the amount of flour to 2 oz. for the 3 cup model, 4-1/4 oz. for the 5.5 cup model, and 6-1/3 oz. for the 10 cup model
• Avoid using leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda
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If none of these answered
your questions, please contact our Customer Service Department at
800-733-6270, M-F 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST or by e-mail
here.
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