Zojirushi NW-QAC18 10-Cup Capacity Flat-Top Induction Cooker and Warmer with Custom Cooking Pan, Double Nonstick Coating for Easy Clean-Up (Black)

Cooks rice perfectly, easy to use and clean. Looks good design wise, all materials feel hi-end. A trusted brand in Japan. A must buy for rice lovers. It may be more expensive than others out there but it's quality thru and thru.

With the NW-QAC18 Induction Rice Cooker, Zojirushi continues the tradition of making the best rice cooker on the market! I have used Zojirushi rice cookers for the past twenty years and have purchased several for myself, family and friends (see photo below of sample models). Every kernel of rice is perfectly moist and tender. It may take longer to cook than other models, but the results are far superior. This version is a 10 cup cooker and cooks as little as one cup with the same perfect outcome. Pros: 1) Easy to use controls. 2) Intuitive programming. 3) Quality build overall. This housing is new and some type of polycarbonate. My previous cookers came in stainless steel and hard plastic. We will have to report at a future date if this is an improvement. 4) Able to use as a steamer. This is a new option and will need more experimenting. It may be easier and faster to use a steam basket on the stove. 5) Less parts to clean. There is now a built-in vent and comes with a self-clean setting. I used this setting to remove some of the odors of manufacturing. 6) The rice pot has a nonstick coating as before. We will have to see if the “double nonstick coating” performs better and lasts longer than previous models. Cons: 1) There is a detachable cord. I would have preferred a retractable cord. Zojirushi Customer Service responded that an FCC safety requirement does not currently allow for a retractable cord on their IH (induction) or Pressure IH units. 2) This unit is louder than previous models. Not a major factor but surprised by the slight increase in noise. 3) There is a small backup battery that keeps the time and timer settings if unplugged. Older models continued to show the time when unplugged, but that is changed on this newer model. Zojirushi said that this should increase the battery life because a terminal is soldered in place and can only be changed by a factory service representative. If the battery fails, the rice cooker will still perform normally when plugged in. 4) It is expensive. However, the longevity of the units justify the cost. My older units and the ones my family use are still going strong after 10+years! Here are some tips on using your rice cooker: • Wash your rice in a separate bowl to prolong the life of the nonstick rice bowl. Your unit will last much longer and will prevent the lining from scratching. • Use the measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker. This is smaller than a US measuring cup (approx. 7/8 cup) and will provide you with better cooked rice. • Keep your unit unplugged to prolong the life of your backup battery. This is not a major issue but may give you a couple more years before you have to replace a dead battery. • You can use the Warm setting to keep foods warm for family gatherings. We often use the rice cookers to keep mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy or vegetables warm so that everything is ready at the same time. Updated 8/10/24 The Zojirushi still makes the best rice. After one year of regular use, here are my observations: 1) The plastic housing is easy to clean, but scratches easily. This does not impact the performance of the rice cooker. However, it is disappointing aesthetically. Previously owned models were stainless steel (easily dented) and hard white plastic (this housing held up the best over time). 2) The nonstick pan is improved from previous models. It feels thicker and performs well. Older models were more prone to scratching and losing some of the nonstick surface. 3) The steamer basket is meh. It is just as easy to use a steam insert with a small pot and lid. 4) Still recommend that Zojirushi incorporate a retractable power cord. For a premium product at a premium price, it should be included to make it simpler to use. Overall, I would still highly recommend this rice cooker. Zojirushi has proven that it makes great rice. My comments are hoping that they make the minor changes mentioned above to make it even better!

Recently our old Zojirushi rice cooker gave up after 6+ years of almost daily use. This new unit is bigger and even better than the old one. It can do all the things our old one could, plus a few extra features. I like the way it opens up and is space efficient. Rice, oats are always perfect. Nothing sticks and it is easy to clean. While not cheap, this is a very good investment.

I'd seriously give this 10 out of 5 stars... If you've never experienced Zojirushi rice, you are missing out. Somehow this little machine makes perfect quality rice EVERY TIME. And it doesn't require any skill. I never cooked rice myself before this machine and now my mother in-laws are jealous that my rice is better. White rice takes 1 hour to cook, and will stay warm for up to 72 hours. I'd recommend not going more than 48 hours as the rice tends to get dried out after that. Yes this machine is expensive. Yes it is worth the price. I'd get another one if I truly needed one but this machine easily feeds my family. The instruction manual is easily the best written manual I've ever read. It goes into the specifics of how to care for the machine and how to use it. It also has a few recipes to try out. I haven't cooked much beyond rice in this, but it absolutely will. Seriously. Buy this machine. You won't regret it. You'll find yourself having rice with most meals just to be able to eat delicious rice every day.

I love my Zojirushi to the moon and back and, to be honest, I really don’t have any criticisms whatsoever. This thing has cooked every single bath of rice that I’ve thrown at it perfectly. Shout out for the instruction manual as well because it’s so well designed and informative- and I usually don’t even mess around with that haha. Wonderful product and, for me, this is the best rice cooker available in North America and is well worth its price. Even if you don’t eat a lot of rice now, you will once you see how many times of rice (and more) this can cook. It also does quinoa very well!

It's a nice sleek rice cooker, the design is modern and has many great functionalities. The rice came out well, although it wasn't any different or better than my old Zojirushi rice cooker. The one thing that I wasn't certain is the fan noise that it makes when you press start. That's definitely new because my old one is absolutely quiet, not a peep, but this rice cooker is considerably loud in comparison. Not sure if that's how it's built or I just got a lemon. We'll see how long this one lasts, my old one is still going strong after 18 years, just that the inner pot is a bit banged up.

hands down zojirushi never disappoints when it comes to rice cookers. this unit is not a big as i thought. i previously had the 3 cup and was afraid the 5 cup was going to take up too much room...but it's not too big at all. rice comes out perfect. the unit is substantial and the lid pops up nicely without moving the entire unit. easy to clean and lot of different cooking functions. a little pricey but if you cook rice a lot...it's worth it.

I used to have a Breville “Risotto & More” Cooker that I rarely. used because the rice always scorched on the bottom. I did a lot of research and found that this Zojirushi IH Rice Cooker was highly rated and even though it isn’t cheap I wanted to try it. I already have a Zojirushi Bread Maker that I am crazy about, so I anticipated that this would be of the same quality and i was absolutely right. It is very easy to use, the Menu Pad on top is very easy to read and cleanup is a breeze. I have an Induction Range that I love, so i was particularly searching for an Induction Heating (IH) Rice Cooker. I am very glad that I picked this one because the rice comes out perfect every time. Additionally, we were never Brown Rice fans, but we ARE NOW! Our favorite is the GABA Rice (sprouted rice) option. It is even better than white or sushi rice. NOTES/COMMENTS: GABA Rice - If you buy “GABA Rice” you do NOT use the GABA Rice Setting, instead cook it on the “white rice” setting because packaged GABA rice is already sprouted and ready to go which saves A LOT of time and it turns out great. I learned this the hard way! If you want to make your own GABA Rice then buy regular “brown rice” and use the “GABA Rice” setting on the Zojirushi…but be aware that it takes about 3.5 hours to do this setting. SIZE - It is just 2 of us, but I also cook for our 2 dogs and use brown rice. On those days that I need enough for 4 of us, or if we have company, this one is “almost” too small. So….I also invested in the Zojirushi IH/Pressure Rice Cooker. in the LARGE 1.8l capacity….very glad I have both because now I have options based on how much rice I need at any given time. RICE WASHING BOWL: Invest the $8-10 in a Rice Washing Bowl…it is so much easier than using a pot or bowl to wash your rice because it has conveniently located drain holes and you don’t lose your rice all over in your sink. COOKBOOK: There is NO Cookbook in the box with this Rice Cooker which was very disappointing, and those cookbooks that I have found so far that are labeled as “Zojirushi” really aren’t what they say they are.. But, I’ve found several websites that are very helpful to reference for things like types of rice, soy, recipes, etc. Upshot is we LOVE this rice cooker and either use it or it’s bigger brother daily.