The question that this article is going to address is whether the Zojirushi NP-HTC10 is the best rice cooker that is on sale in the North American market. At first glance the answer is yes. This is because it has the most technological features packed in and it comes at the highest price. So it all depends on what we mean by best. It is the top of the range Zojirushi rice cooker and as they are the market leaders, this in effect makes it the top of the range rice cooker. So in this respect it is the best. But if we are looking for best value then we may come to a different conclusion. This machine has a price tag of over four hundred dollars. This is quite a lot of money to pay for an appliance that makes rice. But, let’s face it, the rice that it produces is going to taste amazing. I shall now talk a bit more about the various features of the NP-HTC10.
The Zojirushi NP-HTC10 is one of the few Zojirushi machines that has a variable pressure control. This works automatically and depends upon the cooking cycle that you select. It also includes an induction heating system that adds quite a bit to the price. And of course it has a Micom controller too. You can find plain Micom machines for about $100-$200. Then the induction heating machines are between $250-$300. Then if you want to get the pressure cooking feature you have to spend about $400 to get a unit like this one. It is very high quality but it is also very expensive. Can you really afford to spend this much on a rice cooker?
I like the design of this unit too. There are no other rice cookers that I am aware of that look like this. The body is metallic and looks like a golden brown. It is very shiny and will fit in with most types of kitchen designs. At the same time it will of course stand out. But if I was going to spend this much on a rice cooker, I would want it to be noticed.