The Best 6-Cup Rice Cooker Reviews -2023

Are you on the lookout for a 6-cup rice cooker? Want to cook enough rice at a time to make a sushi course for the whole family? You have sought out the right place. Welcome to our best 6-cup rice cooker reviews list, where we have compiled the names of some of the finest 6-cup rice cookers on the market.

So whether you are intent on buying a cooker for yourself or are merely just interested in knowing about these cookers, we tried to make our article inclusive yet straight to the point. So sit back, grab some grub, and have a read.

Editor’s Recommendation: Top 5 6-Cup Rice Cooker

How we know?

Rice is a blank canvas with limitless potential. Cooking perfect rice that is fluffy, delicate, and retains individual grains can be difficult. More than half of the world’s population eats rice as a staple diet.

A rice cooker is a must-have device if you enjoy rice and prepare it regularly. There’s no need to glance beneath the top to ensure the heat isn’t too high or low.

There’s no need to worry about monitoring a pot to keep the rice from burning at the bottom. It’ll even keep your rice warm after it’s finished cooking for hours.

Rice cookers have an effortless operation. The heating element warms the cooking bowl to boiling temperature, then automatically turns down or off when the rice is done cooking. So you don’t need to spend a lot of money to make rice.

Having a rice cooker on your counter is like having a little sous chef. The rice cooker isn’t just a one-hit-wonder, either.

Yes, it makes perfect rice every time, but it can also prepare different other foods. Rice cookers are inexpensive, simple to use, and spare you from mop-up burned rice again.

How we tested our Best 6-Cup Rice Cookers?

How do you pick a rice cooker that will last a lifetime? You’ll need to figure out what your cooking habits and preferences are. Our experts put the top 5 rice cookers through their paces and determined which one was the finest.

First, we must determine how many cups of rice (the standardized cup that comes with rice cookers) we will cook daily, rather than only when we have visitors. Because rice cookers exist in a variety of sizes, this is crucial.

The type of rice you generally cook and the features you require in your rice cooker is a second cooking practice to be mindful of.

A timer is included with all computerized rice cookers, allowing you to specify a cooking time when you want your rice to be cooked and ready.

Your rice cooker’s inner pot determines the fluffiness and flavor of your rice and the speed at which it cooks.

 Best 6-Cup Rice Cooker Reviews

So, we took a liberal approach to this review, sorting through the main differentiating factors that make these units stand out from the rest and categorizing them accordingly. Have a read.

1. Oster 6-Cup Rice Cooker with Steamer

We are going to start off our best rice cooker reviews with this unit from Oster. This is one of the more highly rated ones on offer. Best for small families, this unit can cook up to 6-cups of rice at a time, with ease. Let us take a peek.

This unit has all the basic features you would expect out of a rice cooker, plus some additional ones to help make some truly customized meals and unique side dishes. The controls; are very straightforward. You would have no trouble finding your way around this unit.

So, what do we get for our money? For starters, the convenience of a rice cooker. Essentially, just put in the rice and the water, push the button, and forget. The unit will automatically cook the rice. The unit will never burn or over boil the rice. We also get a stir fry option.

The unit can also double up as a steamer, where you can steam your vegetables or buns. It comes equipped with a ladle and a handy measuring cup for the rice and a steaming tray for you to steam all those goodies. Though, it is pretty much the norm for all the rice cookers at this price range.

And the steamer bit is a bonus if you love making soup and fondue. The only disadvantage we could find regarding this Oster cooker is that you have five items that need washing up after you are done cooking. The recommendation does not get any higher for this cooker in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

2. Zojirushi NHS-10 6-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker

Zojirushi is the go-to household brand for appliances for most of us, so it would not do to not have their NHS-10 6-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker on our list of the best. Spoiler alert: it is brilliant.

Before we begin, we have to get one of the main deterrents out of the way. And that would be the price. We end up paying quite the premium for these goodies from Zojirushi. But if you ask us, they are worth the premium. We get an unparalleled level of performance across the entire lifetime of the unit.

Let us talk features; it has everything you would expect of a rice cooker commanding a premium. You can make everything from grits to polenta. And you can also make cakes. Did not expect that, did you? We could not believe it either. Now to the construction, the steamer itself is made out of stainless steel.

It is pretty durable, and it should see quite a few years of making rice and steaming those dumplings. Also, it is food-safe, and we can also use it to reheat a variety of dishes.

And the over cover is made of glass, really adding to that premium aesthetic. You can observe the rice as it cooks. After it is done, the rice cooker also has a feature to keep it nice and warm until you can dish up some of that fluffy rice.

The unit comes with a detachable cable, which you can unplug and stow away when the unit is not in use—no more messy cables lying around.

3. Cuckoo CRP-N0681F 6-cups Electric Rice Cooker

Are you still reeling from gazing at the list price of the Zojirushi? We feel you. Thus we have included a more competitively priced 6-cups rice cooker. You ought to be able to pick this up at half the price of the Zojirushi if you are smart.

Do not get us wrong. There is some degree of cost-cutting in several places. But the base features are the same. For example, we get the same outer coating in the steaming or cooking pan. But unlike the Zojirushi, the Cuckoo does not make use of induction heating.

The colors may not be to everyone’s taste. The unit comes in either white or red. Most of the competition comes in black or exposed stainless steel. There is no glass lid through which you can view the rice as it is cooked. There is no frying or steaming option, though the steaming can potentially be carried out using some aftermarket extras.

So, with the cost-cutting cleared up, what are we left with? A brilliant rice cooker that also doubles up as a pressure cooker at a very competitive price. So, this Cuckoo rice cooker is our entry for the best competitively priced 6-cup rice cooker.

4. BLACK+DECKER RC506 6-Cup Cooked/3-Cup Uncooked Rice Cooker and Food Steamer

Next up, we will take a peek at the RC506 6-Cup rice cooker from BLACK+DECKER, a fully-featured and all-in-one rice cooker at a price that will not place a dent in your wallet.

So, what do we expect from this rice cooker? Fluffy rice every time? Check. Proper steam vest? Double-check. Nonstick cooker? Goes without saying. This is basically a generic rice cooker, but what gets it a top spot on our review list is the fact that it performs these expected functions flawlessly.

The cooking pot itself is a nonstick one—no more hustling and bustling in getting your rice out of the pot. And the pot is also rated safe for dishwashers, saving us the effort of cleaning it out manually.

Moreover, the lid handles are heat-free. That is to say, the heat generated during the cooker’s operation time does not reach the cooker. So, you can handle the cooker with ease without worrying about burning yourself.

5. Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NGR 6-Cup

Rice cookers that are durable have become quite challenging to find these days. But not to worry, Aroma Housewares has got your back.

This aluminum-built rice cooker will easily last you a couple of years. Even with regular use and washing, the exterior and the building material will stay strong.

This rice cooker will be a great choice if you’ve got a large family to feed. The Aroma Housewares rice cooker can cook up to 6 cups of rice at one go.

You can use this rice cooker for cooking rice, but you can also use the tool as a steamer. Because of the cooker’s large capacity, you won’t have to steam your vegetables, meat, or fish one batch after the other.

The steamer is on top of the rice cooker, so you can cook both the rice and your veggies simultaneously.

Just touch one button, and this thing will start cooking the rice for you. After the rice is done cooking, the device automatically shifts to “keep warm” mode so that the food doesn’t burn.

Added tempered glass lid lets you observe the food without having to take the lid off. This way, you can keep all the steam inside of the cooker.

Top 6-Cup Rice Cooker Comparison Table

Features to Look for Before Buying Rice Cooker

So, what are the features we should watch when getting one of these 6-cup rice cookers for ourselves? There are quite a few, but we filtered them into essential clusters.

• Inner Coating

Would you be surprised if we were to tell you that most users or potential buyers completely forego checking the inner coating? Well, they do. Granted, it is not something we would consider all that often, and it is not something we have access to after all. But that is where we come in.

So, let’s talk about the inner coating. Unless you go to a physical outlet, it can be tricky to figure out what is being used yourself. But luckily for us, most manufacturers state what goes into their pots for the inner coating. We recommend not going for a product if the inner coating is not specified.

Look for an inner coating that would not peel off easily. We want a durable coating that would not separate from the pot as easily.

• Cleaning

It kind of does goes without saying. Any rice cooker we buy has to be easy to clean. Cooked rice can either be sticky or fluffy. There is no in-between. So you can guess that there would often be a tedious cleanup routine afterward.

And to make that quite a bit easier, we recommend looking into a rice cooker with a detachable lid. Why should you? It makes it very easy to clean out the cooker’s inside with a damp kitchen towel.

Plus, the odds are, an appliance with such an amenity is probably purpose-built to cook rice, and is not just basic metal kitchenware with a built-in heating element, with the terms ‘rice cooker’ pasted on the side of the package.

• Domestic Market Products

Unless you have been under a rock for a good part of this decade and the last, you probably know that the Japanese and the Koreans are pretty much the experts in cooking rice. And these rice cookers, much like their other components, were initially manufactured to serve the domestic market, not the international one.

And as such, they usually have two lines for the same product, at two different price points. The unit made in Korea or Japan are made to serve the domestic markets whist, and if there is a demand for those units internationally, they are made in places like Thailand, China, etc.

Coming to the point, the products made in Thailand, and China are made at a lower cost than the ones made in the home country, and there could be potential quality issues. These do not reflect the performance of their domestic counterparts, nor should you make the judgment call based on that.

Trust us when we say this, the Japanese or the Korean domestic market goods are absolutely stellar. Try and procure one made for their market. It would be slightly expensive, but it would be worth the cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here we have the most commonly asked queries regarding the best 6-cup rice cookers:

1. How long does a rice cooker take to cook rice?

No definitive answer, as it is likely to differ from model to model, but from our experience, it takes about 10 mins to cook per cup of uncooked white rice. For 2 cups, it should take about 20 mins. The number can rise significantly for brown rice. It can take up to 20 mins for one cup of uncooked brown rice.

2. Can we leave the rice cooker unattended?

Well, it goes without saying. Switch off your appliance when it is not in use. Some rice cookers have a “stay warm” feature, where the appliance keeps the rice all nice and warm for hours after cooking. You could leave the cooker unattended while you are at home. But do not leave home without unplugging the cooker.

3. How long can I leave the rice out?

Not over 2 hours. Refrigerated rice can last up to six days. Cool your rice before putting it in the refrigerator.

4. Is there any known ratio of water to rice?

There is no such fixed ratio for this, and it totally depends on your rice cooker’s model. You can consult the user guide or the manufacturer’s site for the ratio of your specific model.

5. Which is preferable, boiled rice or steamed?

It is entirely dependent on you. If you are concerned about calorie intake, then boiled rice is the way to go. And if you are making sushi or rice cakes, steamed rice is ideal.

Final Words

And that is a wrap. We are done with our best 6-cup rice cooker reviews. And we covered almost all that is there to it. We hope we helped instill some knowledge about these rice cookers. We hope to see you in the following article. Good luck!