Zojirushi Ns TSC10 5.5 Cup Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer, 1.0l

Why it's worth it

The Zojirushi NS-TSC10 trades a little rice refinement for a tacook cooking plate that steams a main dish above the rice. If you want one appliance to make a weeknight dinner, it's the practical Zojirushi.

The tacook plate is the whole argument for this one. It sits above the rice and steams chicken, fish, or vegetables while the rice cooks below, timed to finish together. On a Tuesday when you don't want to run two burners, that's a real convenience. The steam menu setting also lets you use it as a straightforward steamer.

You're still getting Zojirushi's fuzzy logic, just a slightly less refined version. Micom handles white, sushi, mixed, sweet, brown, and porridge, and the results are dependable. Owners moving up from a basic cooker describe the same jump in quality you'd get from the NS-ZCC10. Side by side on plain white rice, the NS-ZCC10 has the edge — but you'd have to be looking for it.

From our review of 9 fuzzy logic rice cookers, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +The tacook plate is the whole argument for this one
• +You're still getting Zojirushi's fuzzy logic, just a slightly less refined version
• +The build is nicer than the NS-ZCC10's in one respect: the exterior is clear-coated stainless steel rather than plastic, so it…

What to know

• –Using the tacook plate cuts into your rice capacity, so a 5.5-cup cooker becomes something less when you're cooking a full meal
• –It's a conventional heating element, and it costs about as much as the NS-ZCC10 without matching it on pure rice quality