Cooks rice longer than a regular rice cooker. However it does have a quick setting on there but it’s still 5-10 min longer. I haven’t tried using any other settings. I didn’t notice anything special or different about the induction. Rice tasted the same and had the same texture as my previous $80 rice cooker. The price tag is too high for what it does. And maybe because I don’t have a use for other settings, this pot didn’t benefit me.

A+ Performance.

In my quest to have all things Zojirushi in my kitchen, bought the 5.5 cup IH rice cooker. This appliance is used everyday and cooks great rice every time. I mix half short grain white with half brown rice and the IH and micom works to cook pillowy soft, fluffy rice. Perfect rice takes time and can't be rushed. The timer is useful for those busy days. This workhorse can cook porridge, rice, and all kinds of deserts as well. The quality and reliability are why you choose this brand. For those who know, choose Zo.

Brilliant Rice Cooker

I now wonder why I waited so long to get this brilliant rice cooker. I have always made rice on top of the stove, but it's fantastic to set up my rice over lunch to be done in time for dinner, or steel cut oats to be done in time for breakfast. It's easy to use and easy to clean. Everything is well thought out. So far, I've made jasmine rice, white rice, rice for sushi, and steel cut oats -- all turned out perfectly. I'm looking forward to trying brown rice in it.

Consistently Perfect

This is not a complex gadget. Usability is intuitive and easy. Rice turns out perfectly, consistently. I use in particular for Gaba brown rice, which is wildly time intensive on its own. This makes it a single button push and it turns out tasting better than white rice.Cleaning is simple. Three parts. Easy.Timer setting is brilliant--you set it to the time you want everything done. This makes it so that I can put in oatmeal in the evening and set it up to be singing its beepy song at 6am on the button--hot and ready.I love this thing. It's the second Zojirushi rice cooker I've owned (had the smaller one before, but the family has grown.) Nothing has ever failed. Both operate the same as the day I got them.

Do you like rice? Do you like music? Buy it!

Like most of the sensible world we have been locked away during the pandemic. So, why not learn how to make our own rice, properly, and make a Curry or something? BAM! One buttery chicken Curry later with a great deal of help from our Zojirushi and we have a new family favorite. Easy to use, easy to clean, a bit expensive but we wanted the induction cooking this model provides. One thing to keep in mind, this bad boy is BIG. Not say Ninja Foodi Big, but it is large and in charge and will need some space on your counter.

Don’t go past recommended cook time

For about half a year everything was fine — this rice cooker was like a miracle and rice would stay great for DAYS! Until it didn’t. Now if we go past 24 hours on normal cook, the pot heats up to a degree that it leeches a certain “baby’s breath” taste in the rice. The workaround is making sure we use extended warm to prevent the pot from overheating — and not allowing normal warm for over the recommended 7-8 hrs. I wish this was just built into the controls! Also — why not have it automatically use extended heating?? Would have been more convenient. Currently searching for a replacement pot. Leeching stuff can’t be good in the long run afterall, eh?

Don’t hesitate, buy this rice cooker

Highly recommend this rice cooker. The induction cooking produces delicious rice every time, regardless of the type of rice. Brown, white, sushi and even wild rice turn out perfectly cooked without any effort beyond selecting the proper cycle. The timed delay works flawlessly, allowing you to set the cooker for a completion time and return home to finished rice kept at the optimal temperature even if you return later than expected. Near silent operation is a bonus. Expensive, but well worth the cost given the quality of the build and the performance.

Newer is moving backwards?

We have an NP-HBC18 from 10 years ago, and it's amazing how wonderful something as basic as a rice cooker can be. However, it's finally ready to go where all good rice cookers eventually go. So we tried a NP-HCC18, and we were not happy. Rice sticks to the container when it did not with the old one. Water droplets remain or form on the container, leading to soggy rice, which did not happen with the old one. The lid does not close as neatly as before, giving the impression that the manufacturing quality has been compromised. We'll try another HCC18, just in case the problem was with the unit rather than the model.

Not just another "Good Rice Cooker"

It’s interesting because most people say a rice cooker is a rice cooker. I cook a lot of rice and this is not your average rice cooker. The taste of the rice is cooked is phenomenal! I really didn’t think a rice cooker could alter the taste or quality of it! I’ve used a lot of rice cookers and this is by far the best! Previously, I used the Insta Pot for cooking rice. While it’s fast at cooking the rice, you must take the lid off a certain way or all the water that’s built up during cooking, goes directly in the pot making the rice very soggy and mushy. I don’t like soggy or mushy rice like the constancy of porridge. They need to come up with a much better design! This rice cooker is great because I can wash it and either cook it right away or set up a time to have ... MoreIt’s interesting because most people say a rice cooker is a rice cooker. I cook a lot of rice and this is not your average rice cooker. The taste of the rice is cooked is phenomenal! I really didn’t think a rice cooker could alter the taste or quality of it! I’ve used a lot of rice cookers and this is by far the best! Previously, I used the Insta Pot for cooking rice. While it’s fast at cooking the rice, you must take the lid off a certain way or all the water that’s built up during cooking, goes directly in the pot making the rice very soggy and mushy. I don’t like soggy or mushy rice like the constancy of porridge. They need to come up with a much better design! This rice cooker is great because I can wash it and either cook it right away or set up a time to have it start cooking. A lot of rice cooker s that have rice still in the pot to keep warm gets crusty and hard on the bottom and it’s hard to wash out. Not this!! The coating in the pot is fantastic because I don’t have to scrub it because I let it stay heated up. The rice paddle that comes with it is fantastic as well! After I’m done with my rice, I sometimes let it sit with water and soap before cleaning it out. However with this coating, you don’t have to soak it and there’s literally no scrubbing needed. I don’t put mine in the dishwasher only because I want to preserve the coating a lot longer so I’m not sure how it fares in the dishwasher. I do know that you can’t use any silverware or metal in the pot because it will scratch the coating. However, even minor abrasions don’t effect the rice sticking inside it. There’s no water container that collects the steam to empty out, which is great. One less thing to clean makes life easier! Yes, I’m lazy! Inside the lid, the thing attached to the top comes off for easy cleaning or throwing in the dishwasher to get rid off the rice residue. The downside is that it does take an hour for the rice to cook. I know that their are other rice cookers that cook much faster however, the taste and quality after the wait is awesome! This rice cooker is nice because it plays a little tune when the rice starts to cook and a tune when it’s done letting you know it’s chow time so you don’t have to keep checking to see if it’s done. I haven’t used the steamer basket that comes with the cooker, so I can’t give it a review. One definite thing that I love bout this rice cooker is that the power cord retracts to your power cord is all jumbled up or bending so it makes it easy and fast to put away and it looks neat and not messy. It’s a bit bulky only because it’s not in a pot shape but more of a rectangle. The other downside is that it’s not cheap for a rice cooker as it’s made in Japan and imported to the US however, the electrical plug is a US based plug, so no power converter is needed. Over all, I’m really glad I bout this rice cooker! The quality of the cooker shows. So if you’re in the market for a really really good rice cooker that taste fantastic and you don’t need to scrub it after it’s done cooking and you can afford it, this is definitely the best rice cooker!

Quality Healthy Addition to our Meals

I grew up eating mashed potatoes with most meals. We never got into rice all that much but since I heard that rice might be healthier for us, I decided to add it to our meal plan. After some bad experiences with cooking rice in a pan on the stove, I decided to buy this cooker and give it a try. It's AMAZING! Even before we sit down for a meal, I have to grab a bowl with a little soy sauce and enjoy it hot and fresh. It's perfectly cooked. I always make extra, put it in the fridge and in the next day or two it's ready to stir-fry. The controls looked complicated to me at first but since I figured out how easy it is, I volunteer to cook the rice for meals.I also like that I can put in the rice and water, set the timer for when we want it to be ready to eat and it ... MoreI grew up eating mashed potatoes with most meals. We never got into rice all that much but since I heard that rice might be healthier for us, I decided to add it to our meal plan. After some bad experiences with cooking rice in a pan on the stove, I decided to buy this cooker and give it a try. It's AMAZING! Even before we sit down for a meal, I have to grab a bowl with a little soy sauce and enjoy it hot and fresh. It's perfectly cooked. I always make extra, put it in the fridge and in the next day or two it's ready to stir-fry. The controls looked complicated to me at first but since I figured out how easy it is, I volunteer to cook the rice for meals.I also like that I can put in the rice and water, set the timer for when we want it to be ready to eat and it will automatically calculate when to start cooking. If for some reason we can't eat at the time we planned, it will keep it hot and fresh for hours till we're ready. It doesn't get mushy.I think we've had mashed potatoes only once or twice in the last couple of months since we got this cooker. No more peeling! We're looking forward to branching out into variety like Spanish Rice, wild rice, rice pudding and hot cereal.If you're uncertain about the expense, I highly recommend making the investment. It's worth it in terms of delicious tasting, perfectly textured rice as well as being so quick and easy to use.