ZojirushiNS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker and Warmer, Premium White

I have a bad habit of skipping meals to do other things, like sleep in late.I usually don't have much appetite until I'm already in a bad way, then I feel extremely hungry and malaise very suddenly.This is a problem because I am already very thin. If I don't eat on a regular schedule I lose focus and feel off. So it stands to reason that I should make meals as efficient, cost effective and convenient as possible.Begin Operation Breakfast 2.0I wanted to come up with a way to have breakfast ready and waiting when I got out of bed so I could eat quickly and get on with my morning.First I tried protein bars. That worked pretty well, but I had a problem where the chalky taste got really tiresome after a while. They also feel very heavy in my stomach. Then when I got braces I couldn't bite into the protein bars any more. When I got to the point that I was cutting up the protein bars and then sucking on them to soften them, or microwaving them, I decided this was no more convenient than making a regular breakfast and decided to try other things.Next I tried protein shakes. They were disgusting. No matter what I put into them I couldn't find a way to mask the flavor of the protein powder enough that it didn't make me nauseous. I tried several different protein powder sources, all of which were disgusting in their own way.After protein shakes I tried smoothies. This worked okay in the taste department, but they didn't contain enough protein or other ingredients that were good for me. They were essentially fruit (which contains a lot of sugar) and other forms of sugar, which left me needing food way before lunch time and made me sugar crash after 2 or 3 hours.I then tried a combination of fruit and calorie supplements. They didn't taste too bad, but I tried several different substances, all of which had different adverse health effects. Some of them gave me diarrhea, some made me constipated and some of them had the same problems as previous breakfasts I tried.And Now Breakfast 2.0I think I have now finally found a solution that works.Here are the ingredients:A programmable rice cookerI use a Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup Neuro Fuzzy RiceCooker and Warmer that I bought on Amazon back in January. I chose it because it was the rice cooker with the most positive reviews from people who know the most about rice (Japanese, Korean, Chinese folks who consider rice a staple food). It is truly an amazing rice cooker. If you take a modern high efficiency washing machine and apply all the design axioms that make it human compatible to a rice cooker, you get the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10. It does really cool things like let you set multiple timers to start cooking at any time day or night, cancels the timer if you forget to close the cooker; it even plays a different song when it starts, when it's done and when it starts from the timer.Pre-cooked, frozen chicken strips (Fajita style) (1 serving per Nutritional Information on package)I got these in the frozen foods section at the grocery. I probably could buy chicken and grill it myself, then freeze it, but I'm more comfortable using the pre-packaged strips because I am more confident that the conditions under which the meat was prepared and cooked will be sanitary than my own kitchen would be. Besides that, they have a nice smokey grilled flavor that I like.Store brand garden vegetables mix (Half cup serving per Nutritional Information on package)These are generic frozen vegetables, because vegetables are vegetables to me. They don't taste any different to me if they're organic or GMO, but these happen to be organic (or so it says on the label). They consist of corn, carrots, broccoli and some kind of green beans I forget the name of.Regular rice (Half japanese cup)Plain old generic, medium grain rice in the store brand bag.Half a can of cream of mushroom soupThis is purely for flavor. It acts as a base. I might try other soups or different bases as I get bored with cream of mushroom.WaterStraight out of the tap.Putting Together the IngredientsI tested my recipe last night so that I wouldn't wake up groggy in the morning to a disgusting mess if things went wrong.I have experimented with different ingredients before, so I know which ingredients can be safely left overnight without spoiling. I intentionally use frozen chicken and vegetables rather than thawing them because they will keep cool in the closed rice cooker overnight without spoiling.Here's how to put it all together:When measuring your rice, always use a Japanese rice measuring cup (unless the instructions with your rice cooker indicate otherwise), not an American one. Rice cookers are labelled with water levels that assume a Japanese cup. If you use an American cup your rice will not cook properly and your cooker may boil over.First I wash the rice. I don't just give it a quick rinse, I wash it thoroughly. I wash my rice by putting it into a tall plasticware container with a snap-on lid with some water and shaking it. I put in water, shake, drain off the water through a sane and repeat until the water runs clear. This is important because if the rice isn't washed thoroughly the bran powder will act as an emollient, which will mess up the chemical balance when other ingredients are added and could cause the cooker to boil over.I should note here that I've been washing and cooking rice the Japanese traditional way for years, so it's a bit of a ritual for me.Next I fill the rice cooker pan slightly above halfway to the 1 cup water mark. I have experimented with different amounts of water with my cooker, and I have found that this amount of water works well for regular rice when I am using other wet ingredients. YMMV.After adding water I add the half cup of rice. I swish the water around so the rice settles down into the water, then I toss in the frozen vegetables. I follow that by dolloping the mushroom soup onto the vegetables, then I place the chicken strips around the perimeter of the other ingredients.The reason for this order:Water and rice goes in the bottom because it needs the most heat to cook.Frozen veggies go next because they need a medium amount of heat to steam.Soup goes next because it's already cooked and only needs to be warmed up.Chicken goes around the perimeter because it's already cooked. The perimeter is where the least heat goes, so the chicken will heat up without overcooking.Finally I put the cooker pan into the rice cooker, close the lid and set the timer for one hour before I wake.By morning the ingredients are thawed and ready to be cooked and heated up. The rice cooker kicks on an hour before I'm ready for breakfast and I have a warm, delicious meal waiting for me in the rice cooker. The rice cooker will switch from cook to warm automatically when cooking is done and keep the food warm for as long as I want.If I don't feel like cleaning up I can close the lid and leave the rice cooker messy then clean it when I get home. Since it has a very good non-stick surface it is easy to clean off dried-on ingredients.The combination of ingredients represents an ideal set of food groups for breakfast including starch, vegetables, protein and essential vitamins and minerals.This reduces eating breakfast to the simplest of activities: Dumping it into a bowl and stuffing it in my face.As a result I eat breakfast more consistently and I'm more productive and less malaise during the day.As a result, I eat breakfast more consistently and I'm more productive during the day.

I bought this rice cooker in 2020 and it's still chugging along. I'm sure it will for a long time as we've used this brand for decades and the one I gave my mom years ago is still working and being Japanese, she uses it a lot! This rice cooker is easy to use, easy to clean, and I love that the cord retracts.

Purchased in 2008 and still going strong. At the time my girlfriend thought I was nuts for spending so much in a rice cooker - and I kind of did as well. Turns out it has been the best kitchen tool I’ve ever bought. I cook a batch of rice regularly - at least once a week. Machine has obviously been over-engineered to the max. Practically heirloom quality - I full expect to be handing down to my kids some day.

This is a great appliance. I love rice, and this makes it so easy, and virtually foolproof, Fluffy and perfectly done.I really enjoy using it for things like steel cut oats, polenta, risotto, among other things.If you frequently cook rice, don't hesitate on this one.

This is the best rice cooker available. Perfect rice every time. So great, I've bought 2 more for family as gifts.

It is an excellent device. A+

I used lot of different rice cookers but this one was made in JAPAN is the one I look for! Rice comes out right and soft as I want. Love the cooker! thank you Zojirushi so much for the good quality product!

I just bought this older model in 2019. It seems very successful because it's been manufactured for a long time, and still it is listed as a "current" model on Zojirushi's website. I don't regret the purchase because it is probably best for me in the 1 liter (5.5 cup) range (same for 1.8 L), but as I note below, it has some downsides that made me a little disappointed. I was interested in the spherical heating element, the handles on the inner bowl, the extended keep-warm function, the retractable power cord, and the many varieties of rice settings. I would recommend something cheaper and/or newer if you mostly want to use it for white rice. But if you like a variety of rices, including different degrees of "brown-ness" and hardness then this is really one of the best in this price range, I think. That's probably why the model has stuck around for so long. BUT, the newer models have a "steam" function which this does NOT. So, the current description on Amazon's page for the item is WRONG. A similar, newer "Made in Japan" model for roughly same price (with removable cord, and fewer rice varieties, and newer steam vent design) does have "Steam" function and the description for the two is incorrectly duplicated here. I am still glad I got this one.I have a 3 cup Zojirushi, the NS-LAC05 that I bought about 10 years ago, which is very similar to the current NS-LGC05 and NS-LHC05, and I wanted a bigger one. My 3-cup cooker is made in China like most Zojirushi models, and if you want this "Neuro-Fuzzy" because it is "Japanese," then in my experience that's a bad reason to choose a Zojirushi model. (Incidentally, my old cooker also had "Neuro-Fuzzy written on the manual cover, so that is not a tech unique to this model.) They are all Japanese (just like iPhone is not a "Chinese" phone, just expertly assembled there -- so to that extent, yes it is Chinese). You just pay extra for the "Made in Japan" prominently printed on front, for no good reason. Or rather, a very bad reason, because my older cooker seems like more high-quality construction. This one is in some ways less thoughtfully made, to make up for the more expensive cost of labor, is my guess. For example, when you open the door, you can see exposed screws, and exposed inside of the plastic part of the lid, which does not look nice. The Chinese-made models have an extra piece of plastic to cover up the screws and makes the inside look nice. I care about aesthetics and details like that. And I like to leave the lid open much of the time, with inner lid gently placed on the bowl, when the cooker is not in use because it seems better for the gaskets, plus it airs things out. But this model looks too unpleasant that way so I will probably keep it closed. (Not sure whether open or closed is best for the gasket, or if it matters.) Also, my 3-cup model has nice metal parts on the outside, and this one is all plastic, although nice smooth high-quality plastic. And the lid-opening button is nicer and possibly sturdier on the Chinese-made models. But the thing I like the most about my 3-cup one over this model is the steam vent. I think it is an advancement over this older model. It has an upper compartment to collect the extra moisture, so there is an additional cover-piece and gasket on top. And it is easier to wipe the steam vent clean in the inside of the lid for the newer design. Again, more fancy construction with more parts, which may be why the more simple design of the NS-ZCC models is still cost-effective to manufacture in Japan. And the better-constructed lids are almost certainly more resistant to warping from heat.One important thing to note about this model is that it was designed for the Japanese market, where "regular" rice is short or medium grain, not the long-grain I'm used to. I often buy nice quality organic Jasmine or Basmati. On my old cooker, there was a "white/mixed" setting and a separate "sushi" setting, whereas on this one there is "regular/sushi" and a separate "mixed." I think my long grain rice cooks better with the "mixed" setting rather than "regular" on this model. The first time I cooked it with regular setting, it was really disgusting mush, so I tried the "mixed" and then it was nice. But I also took care to rinse the rice super well (at least 4 times rather than 3 like last time) so that may have helped, too. And I used water up to the mark rather than a bit extra (the manual says to use extra water with long grain but says nothing about proper menu selection). The "mixed" setting does not get as hot, to keep it from boiling over. So anyway, this may explain the mixed reviews for this product, with many people loving it and some people having very bad experience. "Regular" in Japan is not really "regular" in most places, because most places tend to use long-grained rice. One downside of using the "mixed" instead of "white/sushi" setting is that extended keep warm is not settable for "mixed" since they want you to keep only white rice for extended time in it. But I don't keep rice for more than ~10 hours and the regular "keep warm" was fine for me for several hours. [UPDATE: The mush on my first try was my fault; the rice I used just needs to be rinsed really well because it has lots of starch. When I rinse really well, it turns out excellent on the "Regular" setting also. And American Long Grain did not have this issue. So it is not a cooker problem at all, and long-grain rice can be cooked on regular setting and used with extended keep-warm.]Two bad things about the Zojirushi models, probably all of them: 1) the irreplaceable battery, which means after a few years you will need to keep it plugged in if you don't want to reset the clock. Yes, you can ship it in for servicing but that's very expensive just for the battery and I did not (and will not) do it for my 3-cup model. One reviewer wrote (I forget for which model) that this is consumer-hostile and I absolutely agree. What kind of clock (or watch) do you have to send in to the manufacturer to replace the battery? It is outrageous and inconsiderate. I might figure out how to solder in a replacement battery myself, before I would spend so much money (and be without my cooker) for replacing. 2) The second bad thing is the super expensive replacement bowls and other parts. All non-stick surfaces will eventually wear out, and Zojirushi replacement is ~$50-70 for the bowls. You can buy a normal (non-fuzzy) rice cooker for under $20! And many nice fancier than bare-bones cookers for under the price of a replacement bowl (the bowls are very nice, though, and high quality). An inner lid replacement (which you may need if the gasket is damaged) is ~$22-28. The tiny spatula holder, which seems like it is worth under a dollar, is nearly $5, though to be fair, all prices on their site include shipping. Plus at least you have the option to order replacements. The spatula holder is not easily removable without damage (because it has plastic hooks that allow it to slide in one direction) and I broke mine when I yanked it out for cleaning. But not worth the cost of replacement. How do the parts prices compare to those for, say, Instant Pot? And expensive cooking equipment really should have replacement parts available for parts that wear out. I would not buy from a company that did not offer that. But the prices are totally unreasonable for the Zoji parts. So as with the battery, this is very consumer-hostile and for this reason I seriously considered shopping for another brand. But the cooker is excellent otherwise, so I stuck with this brand.One last note about the non-stick surface: the important thing for protecting it is not so much the material that comes in contact with it but the smoothness of it. A non-smooth metal utensil is more likely to cause damage than a non-smooth plastic one, but plastic utensils can cause damage, too. The plastic spatula that came with my 3-cup model was not very smooth and that's why my 3-cup bowl got damaged, since I never used other utensils inside the bowl. The new spatula that came with this ZCC model looks almost identical but is slightly softer plastic and also very smooth. So, feel the edge of the utensil that you use inside the bowl, and don't use it if it does not feel smooth, even if it is plastic. And in any case be super gentle even with any plastic or wooden utensil. As far as toxicity, the Teflon coatings manufactured since 2013 should all be safe (and probably most manufacturers phased out the questionable type coating long before then). If you do research from reputable sources on this topic, I think you'll find that there is no evidence that the very inert material in these coatings is harmful. Almost everything is toxic in large-enough quantities, and you are not consuming gobs of coating. So that's something to keep in mind when considering whether or not to replace an old Zoji bowl.