Tiger JNP-0550-FL 3-Cup (Uncooked) Rice Cooker and Warmer, Floral White

Easy to use and clean. Makes perfect pot of rice every time. Great for family of 4.

This is the best rice cooker I’ve ever owned. If I had only known how good this brand is, I shouldn’t have settled for the first 4 rice cookers I bought before this. They were ALL JUNK, claiming they were made in Japan, turned out to be made in China. This last one is the real deal. Made in Japan and the best. I’d say this is the VOLVO of RICE COOKERS. Reliable, well-made, and strong. All the prvious ones I bought were all LEMONS.

Perfect size for 2-4 people or even 1 person (it makes a small enough batch). I love the retractable cord and handle which makes storing so convenient. Easy to clean and the aluminum pot inside is of good quality, some reviewers have mentioned its light weight and wondered if it affects the quality but I assure you it doesn't. In fact, aluminum with non stick coating is a the ideal pot to use for cooking rice because of even heat distribution. Depending on your rice, you do need time to figure out the amount of water. The line is a good indicator but again, it depends on your rice and getting to know how much water it needs. Maybe I'm just really meticulous with my rice, I eat it almost every day and I like a certain fluffiness to it. If you don't care about tending to fluffiness, then just get a smart rice cooker that takes all the guess work and learning out of the equation. Tiger products are very popular in Asia and I would highly recommend this perfect little cooker (just make sure it's made in Japan and not China, where some of the models are).

The rice cooker said it is 700W but turns out to be 505W, and it says 5.5 cups but at that much it spills over so less must be used.

I got my first rice cooker/warmer 27 years ago, and have used Tiger and Zojirushi brands with good results. However, I had problems with this particular Tiger rice cooker/warmer. The first one had to be returned (thank you, Amazon, for a pain-free return system!), because it gave off an unpleasant odor during the cooking of the rice, and this smell was infused into the rice. The only way I can describe the odor is that it is like the smell of the old-fashioned "transistor" radios when they were brand new and turned on for the first time. All of the circuitry and components would heat up, and give off a very distinct odor during the "breaking in" process. I could not get rid of that odor from the rice cooker/warmer, and after several days of cleaning and several batches of ruined rice, I gave up and returned it for a replacement. The second cooker/warmer did not have that "transistor radio" odor, but it did give off an odor similar to the smell of new plastic/rubber, like an inflatable beach ball when it is first taken out of its packaging. I was able to get rid of the odor, but it did take some effort and a few days, including a thorough cleaning, and boiling about half a dozen batches of water. Eventually, the odor went away, and we were able to cook a batch of rice, with good results. The cooker/warmer kept the rice warm and in good condition for 48 hours, which is about what we have come to expect from rice cooker/warmers now days. I gave this rice cooker/warmer 4 stars because it eventually met our expectations, and we are now happy with our purchase. This is, however, the very first cooker/warmer that I have had to "break in" before making my first batch of rice. I did not find any mention about a "break in" process in the instruction manual. If you purchase this rice cooker/warmer, I would suggest testing the cooker by washing the removable rice pot and inner lid thoroughly, and then boiling some water. We just filled the inner pot with water, up to the 4-cup line, and turned the cooker/warmer to the "Rice Cooking" setting. After about 10 to 15 minutes, there will be a steady stream of steam coming from the vent on the lid. If the steam smells clean, you're good to go. If you get the "transistor radio" odor, my experience is that this won't go away. More importantly, the facts that the odor persisted, and that the second rice cooker/warmer did not have this odor, suggest that the "transistor radio" odor may be due to a more serious problem, even though I didn't see any smoke or signs of a fire hazard. If you get the "new beach ball" odor: We cleaned everything thoroughly, including the removable rice pot and the inner lid (the part attached to the handled lid). We also wiped down all internal surface areas exposed when the rice pot and inner lid were removed. We were careful to wipe with a cloth dampened only with water, and with excess water wrung out. We then filled the rice pot with water up to the 4-cup line, turned the cooker/warmer to the "Rice Cooking" setting, and set a timer for 30 minutes. We changed the water after that, and repeated this procedure until the smell was gone. Then we removed and washed the pot and inner lid, and allowed the unit to "air out" as it cooled The next day, the odor was back, but significantly less, so we repeated the procedures again. The following day, the odor was finally gone. Based on our past experience with Tiger rice cooker/warmers, we fully expect that this particular cooker/warmer will last us for years to come.