Whether you buy a Zojirushi Micom rice cooker on Amazon or from somewhere else does not really matter too much. What is important is that you find the best price, if you decide that this is the machine for you. They are a great blend of top quality Zojirushi Micom technology (Micom stands for Micro Computerized) and a reasonable price. Some of their more expensive models use their Fuzzy Logic or Induction Heating systems. These may make a slight difference in the quality of the final product but you have to pay quite a bit more to get it.

If you check out the 3 cup NS-LAC05 or the 5 1/2 cup NS-TGC10 you will find that they are decent rice cooker but at a low price. They have most of the features of their more expensive counterparts such as a detachable inner lid which makes for easier cleaning and a retractable power cord. They can both cook a wide range of rices too. Find out more about these cheap rice cookers before you decide whether or not to buy one.

The 10 in NS-ZCC10 implies it can cook enough rice for up to ten people at once. Its maximum capacity 5 1/2 cups of un-cooked rice so feeding ten people would mean that the portion size would not be all that big. However it should be able to feed nine people without a problem.

This Zojirushi rice cooker is not cheap. At the same time it is not one of the most expensive models either. So it is a good compromise between low cost and high quality. Some of the features of this machine that make it attractive are:

• stay cool handles
• color LCD display
• easy wipe hard white plastic outer body
• able to cook a huge range of rices

The NS-ZCC10 rice cooker is one of the few Zojirushi appliances to feature stay cool handles. These make it easy to take out the inner cooking bowl soon after the rice has finished cooking. This can then be taken to the kitchen table for the rice to be served up.

Surprisingly, this machine can actually cook more different kinds of rice than some of the more expensive models. It can make plain white rice (either hard, medium or soft), brown rice, sushi rice, rice porridge, quick cooking rice, mixed rice, sweet rice, semi-brown rice and rinse free rice too. This is surely one of the reasons why this Zojirushi device is so popular across kitchen in the U.S. and Canada.

• price
• size
• features
• brand

It is important that you think carefully about how much you want to spend on a machine. If you want the best rice cooker then you have to expect that you are going to have to pay a reasonable amount for it. At the same time it is wise to have a maximum amount you are willing to spend and then try to find the best within that price range.

What size cooker do you need? There are typically three you can choose from: small, medium and large. These can feed up to five, eight and eighteen people respectively. There is no point buying one that is either too large or too small for your needs. Smaller sizes are typically slightly cheaper rice cookers but the features have a bigger bearing on the overall cost than the capacity.

The options and technology that your rice cooking machine has are the main factor in the cost and quality of rice that it can produce. Some of the most expensive machines have a pressure cooking component that is supposed to help make the rice an even better texture than when cooked without added pressure. There are microchips that make the machines smart and able to adjust the temperature within the cooking bowl in real time to help ensure the best tasting rice.

There are a host of different rice cooker manufacturers. Many of them are Japanese companies while others are U.S. based. You can choose from brands such as Zojirushi, Tiger, Sanyo and Aroma.