The usual way to cook rice is to have a pot with rice and water to be cooked over a fire or over a stove but nowadays – thanks to high technology rice cookers, we cook the rice through Induction Heating. That is a process wherein electricity is used to introduce heat into the utensil and speaking of cooking through induction heating, Zojirushi has been creating some pretty great rice cookers that utilize said method of heating.
One of the rice cookers that we’ll cover at the moment is their Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating Rice Cooker and Warmer.
In this article, we’ll get to familiarize ourselves with the key features of the NP-HCC10XH and what are the notable assets and flaws of the said rice cooker, how to maintain it, and whether it is a great addition to your home’s kitchen. Let’s proceed first to the key features, shall we?
Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Key Features:
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1. Two sizes (1.1/1.8 L)
- The Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH is available in two size variants – the large 1.8L version and a smaller 1.1L variant, this provides consumers two options to consider which will fit well in their home or which can entertain their rice needs better.
2. Multi-menu cooking functions
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A variety of cooking functions opens a plethora of cooking options for the rice grains of your choice. The NP-HCC10XH can entertain a vast variety of rice grains such as Jasmine Rice, Brown Rice, and many more. Speaking of brown rice, it also has healthy-eating options in order for the said rice to come out magnificently from the rice cooker. In fact, you can even cook sushi with this rice cooker.
3. Has automated keep warm and extended keep warm features
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A recurring feature among the Zojirushi Rice Cookers is their capability to maintain the heat in the rice that’s stored within the rice cooker. On average, the rice cookers can retain the heat in the rice for up to 12 hours and if ever the rice goes cold after that, you have the extended keep warm features to ensure that the rice will have the same quality when it was just cooked.
4. Triple heater
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The NP-HCC10XH has a Triple Heater (found on the bottom, side, and lid) which allows even distribution of heat so that the rice will come out magnificently once it is done cooking.
5. Non-stick cooking pan
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Another recurring feature for the Zojirushi Rice Cookers is their use of Non-stick cooking pots/pans. This is a great asset to consider as most conventional rice cookers tend to suffer from the drawback of leftover rice sticking to the walls of the cooking pot making them harder to clean. The result here is that the Zojirushi Rice Cookers are easier to clean when needed as rice won’t stick on their surfaces.
6. Easy to use and read LCD control panel
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The rice cooker uses an LCD Control Panel that is fortunately easy to use and read. It shows not only indicators and time, but also is host to some of the functions of the rice cooker. There’s nothing too complicated to use on the control panel, a simple press of the button of the desired option is all it takes to get the rice cooker to do its work.
7. Beep or melody signal
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Zojirushi rice cookers utilize a beep or melody signal which is interchangeable. This is how the rice cooker signals the user that the rice is ready. This eliminates the need to constantly checking the rice cooker from time to time as the rice cooker will let you know when it is done cooking the rice.
8. Additional accessories
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Every purchase of the NP-HCC10XH Rice Cooker will include a plastic spatula and a measuring cup for your use. Keep in mind that the measuring cup uses the Japanese standards for a cup of rice which is 2/3’s of a US-standard cup of rice and the plastic spatula is what you’ll only need for serving the rice, don’t use any metal utensils (we’ll cover that later on at the Maintenance section).
With the key features covered, let’s head over to the next section of the article which covers the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Rice Cooker’s strong and weak points.
NP-HCC10XH Pros and Cons
While the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Rice Cooker is a potent rice cooker, we might need to dissect its stronger points and weaker points, and here’s what we got according to the many owners of this rice cooker:
Pros:
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Easy to maintain
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Cooks very well, the rice that comes out from the NP-HCC10XH has a quality that can rival that of rice served in restaurants.
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Easy to utilize – while it has a plethora of flashy and high-tech features, operating those features aren’t as difficult as you think at first. All it takes is a push of a button and you’re good to go!
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Keep warm features that ensure that the rice will keep the same quality back when it was just cooked. If ever it goes cold, the extended keep warm setting shall keep it well-heated for an additional amount of time.
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A lot of cooking options making this suitable for a wide variety of rice grain types
Cons:
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It might take a while before the rice is cooked. Zojirushi Rice Cookers usually have a soaking and cooking phase but this is just a minor nitpick since the rice comes out great anyway.
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Expensive, can be a bit of an investment to purchase.
Now that we’ve covered the many Pros and Cons of the NP-HCC10XH Rice Cooker, let’s proceed to the penultimate section of the article which is the Maintenance section in which we’ll get to know how to take care of the rice cooker to ensure that it will run for a long time.
Maintenance of the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Rice Cooker
Keeping your Zojirushi Rice Cooker well-maintained is an easy task and won’t take much of your time. Just make sure that you would do this from time to time so that the rice cooker will work at its best quality and at the same time, serve you well for a long period of time.
Now let’s get to see the steps on how to maintain the rice cooker.
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Remove the cooking pot after use. Utilize a combination of warm water and dishwasher soap to clean it. Wash it thoroughly and rinse. Repeat washing and rinsing until it is well-cleaned.
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When scooping rice from the rice cooker, only use the plastic spatula/scooper that comes in with the rice cooker. This is to keep the non-stick lining intact and to prevent any leftover rice from sticking on the walls of the pot in the future.
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After cooking, remove the stainless upper lid and rinse it well until it is thoroughly cleaned. Dry it with the use of a damp cloth.
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Before putting back the cooking pot, make sure that the heating element is free of water or leftover rice grains. If any of the two are present there, then clean it off with the use of a damp cloth.
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Use a damp cloth and wipe the exterior of the rice cooker.
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If the gasket shows signs of discoloration somewhere down the line, contact customer support to purchase a replacement.
With the maintenance section covered, we shall now proceed to the final remarks about the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer.
Final Remarks
Zojirushi’s NP-HCC10XH Rice Cooker is a pretty good contender for a rice cooker to be added to your home kitchen. With a variety of features at its disposal, you can cook a wide variety of rice grains (and the added option of healthy-eating cooking function means that brown rice will come out great from the rice cooker too!).
Speaking of a variety of features, one must never worry or be shy to use them as despite how flashy the functions can be – they are surprisingly easy to use, making them an attractive choice too for first-time Rice Cooker users. With a triple-heater installed within the rice cooker, it is assumed that heat will be evenly distributed throughout the rice cooker resulting in high-quality cooked rice that can rival those served in fancy restaurants.
While those are indeed some of its greatest assets, it does come in with a couple of minor flaws. First off, the NP-HCC10XH shares the recurring trait of a fairly long cooking time as the rice enters both soaking and cooking phases while it is inside the rice cooker. It is just a minor nitpick since the end product is magnificent anyways. It is fairly expensive by the way, so be prepared to shell out a hefty amount of money when you do intend to buy it.
Despite that, as said earlier it is a very solid addition to the home kitchen due to excellent rice quality and a vast number of features that make rice cooking very easy and convenient. That is if you are willing to invest a good amount of money for it.
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