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Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by yutopia on Sunday December 20, 2020 @09:50PM (#25491697)
"Fuzzy" rice cookers have been around for decades, I (and my parents, and pretty much everyone I know) have always regarded it as a marketing slogan.

That's not to say high-end rice cookers aren't worth it, there's a world of difference between a $100 and $500 rice cooker. Not sure how best to explain this, but rice from a cheap cooker looks and feels like a dense, gooey chunk, whereas rice from a high-end cooker forms a complex, airy 3D structure with a distinctive sheen; individual grains still retain their shape, and there's ample space between them resulting in a well-defined but light texture.

Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by tangjurine on Sunday December 20, 2020 @10:19PM (#25491838)
Ummm that just sounds like the wash wasn't washed a lot before cooking in the first case, right?
Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by xnx on Sunday December 20, 2020 @10:36PM (#25491912)
Are there $100 or $500 commercial units? The best reviewed rice cooker by America's Test Kitchen is $30.
Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by yutopia on Sunday December 20, 2020 @11:36PM (#25492164)
Yes! Just checked, and the most popular model on kakaku.com (Japanese price comparison site) right now is around $300. Ours was around $400, maybe not the best but we're pretty satisfied with it.
Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by selimthegrim on Monday December 21, 2020 @01:53AM (#25492685)
I'm pretty happy with the rice from my $140 Aroma multicooker. I can even get away with only one cup min if I need to instead of two but quality suffers a little
Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by eps on Monday December 21, 2020 @04:10AM (#25493296)
There are even $1000 models, pressure-cooking claypot models whereby the pot has a layer of metal sandwiched in clay and is heated up by induction. Good stuff.

Luckily, not sold where I am, so it's not even an option :)

Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by vorpalhex on Monday December 21, 2020 @10:42AM (#25495883)
I have a $200 consumer unit, an upgrade from a $30 unit and it is so much better as to be almost uncomparable. We went from eating rice maybe twice a year to eating it twice a week, just plain old bulk calrose rice and our Zojirushi.
Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by fomine3 on Monday December 21, 2020 @11:09PM (#25502750)
Huge differences between $100 vs $300 (in Japan market) is IH heater and pressure feature, not just controlling.

$200 supports IH heater for efficient heating (Efficiency is important because japanese outlet is max 1500W). $300 supports IH and pressuring.

Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by porknubbins on Monday December 21, 2020 @11:17PM (#25502789)
What are the differences? I have an old Zojirushi without those features and haven’t really been sure what an upgrade could improve.
Re:Fuzzy logic rice cookers (2016) by fomine3 on Tuesday December 22, 2020 @01:09AM (#25503454)
IH = high power and uniform heating, pressuring = makes rices softer and viscous, but still remains somewhat tough.

Generally high power is considered to important for Japanese people to make delicious rice, I highly recommend it if it's affordable.

Pressuring is a bit controversial because some people not like softer rice, so some maker (Mitsubishi) still make high-end rice cooker without pressuring.