Best Tiger Rice Cookers

Buying guide for Best Tiger rice cookers

Rice is an inexpensive and popular side dish, and lots of people enjoy it every night for dinner. But rice can be tricky to make with standard methods: too mushy if you cook it for too long, too crunchy if you turn the burner off too soon.

A Tiger rice cooker makes the process of preparing rice quick, easy, and hassle-free. Perhaps best of all, these cookers are known to cook rice “to perfection” – or very close. Just be sure you add the correct proportions.

In fact, even if you don’t make rice on a daily basis, this convenient machine is a reward unto itself. Say goodbye to imperfectly cooked rice and hello to many scrumptious entrees and side dishes.

Tiger Rice Cookers are reasonably priced, compact in size, and multifunctional. The number of choices can seem overwhelming at first glance. Important factors to consider include rice cooker capacity, cooking features, and your specific needs.

Many professional chefs and kitchens use rice cookers. Despite the common misconception that chefs are skilled enough not to need them, rice cookers are utilized frequently in their kitchens. Their dependability actually makes them a staple in many professional cooking settings.

Is buying a Tiger rice cooker worth it?

The ideal rice dish has a particular consistency that can be hard to attain with just a simple stovetop pot. A number of factors can affect this process: the size of your pot, the type of rice you’re cooking, and the power of your stovetop. These varying elements can make cooking rice inconsistent, time-consuming, and frustrating. Plus, removing stuck-on rice from a pot requires a little (or a lot) of elbow grease.

Tiger rice cookers offer a seamless cooking process. The device is engineered to pump out perfectly moist yet fluffy rice in just a fraction of the time of standard stovetop methods. Machine materials are easy to clean, and the parts are easy to assemble.

How to buy the best Tiger rice cooker

Consider your family size

Rice cookers are convenient whether you want to prepare large or small amounts of rice. The model you choose should reflect your needs. How often do you make rice? For how many people? Do you have a large family that regularly eats rice-based meals? Consider these things when selecting a Tiger rice cooker.

Evaluate versatility

Do you make a lot of side dishes? Do you like to cook them all at the same time? Many rice cookers offer the ability to prepare more than just rice.

If you find yourself juggling many dishes at once, consider a multifunctional rice cooker. Some Tiger rice cookers can prepare additional foods: porridge, meats, vegetables, and even cake. Many can steam foods as well (while your rice cooks in a separate compartment).

These additional cooking features make the investment in a Tiger rice cooker that much more enticing.

Opening the lid of your rice cooker during the cooking cycle can disrupt the process. Rice cookers are very precise, and the steam that collects in the machine advances the cooking process.

Key features to evaluate in a Tiger rice cooker

Capacity

Common rice cooker capacities are 5, 7, and 10 cups. But what exactly does this mean? Raw, uncooked rice takes up less space than fluffy cooked rice.

Let’s say you buy a rice cooker with a 5-cup capacity. The capacity refers to the amount of raw rice the cooker can hold. Therefore, the cooker should actually be able to hold a lot more than that — roughly twice the amount — since rice grows as it cooks and absorbs moisture.

Tiger rice cookers are only available in two capacities: 5.5 cups and 10 cups. For many families, a 5.5-cup size is more than enough, as this will come out to roughly 10 cups of cooked rice. For extra-large families and those who cater to large groups, a 10-cup capacity cooker may be more suitable.

Nonstick pot

Most Tiger rice cookers are equipped with a nonstick inner pot where the rice is cooked indirectly. These are made from stainless steel with a fluorine coating, designed to keep rice from sticking and to be easy to clean. The nonstick coating is scratch-resistant and rust-resistant, designed to last for years.

The most expensive Tiger Rice Cooker is equipped with an induction heating function that heats the entire inner pot, as opposed to other models that only heat the base. Because of this method, this model comes with a triple-layer ceramic pot with a nonstick coating that is a little more durable than stainless steel.

Display and cooking settings

The majority of mid-priced and high-end Tiger rice cookers feature a large, user-friendly LCD screen from which you can control settings and timers. Timer settings allow for delayed cooking or the timing of various dishes. Tiger rice cookers also include an Automatic Cooking Logic™ system to intelligently monitor cooking times and temperatures.

Tiger rice cookers have buttons for single-touch cooking functions like white or brown rice and the ability to keep prepared rice or dishes warm for up to 12 hours with the warming function.

Other cooking settings can handle various types of rice, such as brown rice, sweet rice, multi-grain rice, quick rice, porridge, and risotto. Some high-end models even offer steam and slow cooking and the ability to cook soups, stews, or cake.

Cooking plate

Many Tiger rice cookers include an additional cooking plate called the Tacook cooking plate. This BPA-free plate works in tandem with rice cooking to prepare meats, dumplings, or vegetables. It is designed to isolate flavors so separate dishes don’t affect each other.

Cooking utensils

All Tiger rice cookers include a plastic spatula, and some have a built-in resting rack on the side or top of the cooker. The spoons are made out of plastic because the material is not only easy to clean, but it is also unlikely to scratch or harm the walls of the inner pot. While this plastic is typically designed to be heat-resistant, you could still accidentally melt or burn the spoon during the cooking process.

An alternative utensil choice for your rice cooker is a bamboo or wooden spoon. These utensils tend to last a number of years, and the wooden material is gentle on the nonstick lining of the inner pot.

Many Tiger rice cooker models also include a small plastic measuring cup for rice and water and a helpful recipe book to educate users about the correct portions for cooking rice.

Tiger rice cooker prices

Inexpensive

The cheapest Tiger rice cookers start at $99 and top off around $130. These models are simple in design but still very capable and popular. The least-expensive Tiger rice cooker still features four cooking functions and a decent capacity of 5.5 cups.

Mid-range

Mid-range Tiger rice cookers range from $130 to $170. The majority of these models feature a useful and user-friendly LCD display, multiple cooking functions, and notable size capacities of 5.5 to 10 cups.

Expensive

The priciest Tiger rice cookers top out around $175 to $290, with their largest and most expensive model costing around $320.

The included measuring cup for your Tiger rice cooker might not be an exact standard 1-cup measurement. These cups tend to be smaller in size than a U.S. metric cup. Keeping this in mind, it’s important to stay consistent with your cups when measuring dry rice and water. Use the same cup for both measurements.

Tips

• Remember that rice expands during the cooking process. As such, the amount of dry rice you use should be about half the amount of cooked rice you desire. A standard rule for cooking white rice: 1 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of dry rice is equal to roughly 2 cups of cooked rice. If you want a single cup of cooked rice, opt to cook just 1/2 cup of dry rice.
• When cleaning your cooker, allow all parts to dry completely before reassembly. This deters mold and rust development, prolonging the overall lifespan of the rice cooker.
• Avoid using sharp metal or abrasive cleaning utensils on your inner pot. This can cause the nonstick coating to peel, decreasing the effectiveness of the inner pot lining. Instead, clean with soft sponges or cloths, and always use plastic or wooden cooking utensils.
• Choose the right rice for your dish. For example, choose short-grained rice for making sushi because it's starchier than other types of rice. 

It’s important to rinse your rice before cooking. Many people don’t know about or skip this step because they feel it’s unnecessary. However, the act of rinsing rice removes surface starches that would otherwise gelatinize during the cooking process, causing the grains to stick together.

FAQ

Q. How long can I expect my Tiger rice cooker to last?

A. If cleaned regularly and well-maintained, your rice cooker could last as long as 10 or 15 years. Some of the first rice cookers, which were introduced in Japan after World War I, were reported to be used for over 30 years.

Q. Are Tiger and Zojirushi the same brand?

A. Tiger and Zojirushi are competing brands that both manufacture rice cookers. They are popular throughout Japan and China and make a lot of their rice cookers in both countries.

Q. Where can I find replacement parts for my Tiger rice cooker?

A. For new batteries, inner pots, and other miscellaneous Tiger rice cooker parts, you can contact the Tiger customer service team to handle replacement. The items typically cost a small amount to replace, although some may be covered under warranty depending on the circumstance.