11 Best Non Toxic Rice Cookers Completely Safe To Use
Many conventional rice cookers are made with toxic chemicals that are not good for your health. As someone who eats rice almost with every meal, you can say I know a thing or two about rice cookers. I put together this ultimate buying guide of the best non toxic rice cookers!
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What To Look For In A Rice Cooker
- Type Of Rice Cooker: Depending on your preference for cooking rice, you might want a standalone rice cooker or a multi-cooker that can be pre-programmed with a rice cooking setting. A multi-purpose cooker is a great choice if you want to save space and you often use slow cooking, pressure cooking, and rice cooking settings. If you only plan to use it to cook rice, it’s best to get one that just cooks rice.
- Cooked Rice Capacity: Rice cookers come in many different sizes and can make between 3-20 cups of rice in one go. In the description, rice cookers usually mention 2 numbers – cooked capacity and uncooked capacity. The cooked capacity is the bigger number since rice expands when cooked. If you are cooking for just 2 people, a 3 or 4-cup cooked capacity should be enough. And if you’re cooking for a big crowd of 10+ people, choose a 10-20 cooked cup capacity.
- Coating Materials: This is the part we need to pay close attention to. Many toxic rice cookers are made with toxic materials like PFOAs, lead, cadmium, and BPA. We want to avoid these toxic materials. The non-toxic rice cookers listed below are all free from these chemicals.
- Keep Warm and Quick Cook Settings: Some rice cookers have a keep warm and quick cook settings which are two settings you’ll likely find the most useful. Keep warm allows your cooked rice to stay warm until it’s ready to be served. Quick cook allows your rice to be cooked very quickly.
- Pre-Programmed Settings: Besides quick cook, some rice cookers have pre-programmed settings like settings for brown rice, sweet rice, softer texture, and harder texture. Usually, all you need to do is click the setting, click start, and it’ll start cooking.
- Care and Maintenance: Since most rice grain cookers have a non-stick coating, it’s easy to clean up and care for. Some are even dishwasher-safe but make sure to check the product instructions.
Best Non Toxic Rice Cookers
1. Best Overall: GreenLife Ceramic Rice Cooker 4 Cups
This GreenLife non toxic ceramic rice cooker is my top pick because it’s just the right size for 1-4 people. And because it’s so compact, it can save a ton of counter space.
The nonstick coating is PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium free. There’s even fuzzy logic technology so it adjusts to your temperature to cook your rice better.
This ceramic rice cooking pot also has pre-programmed settings for white cooking rice, brown rice, quinoa, and steel cut oats. And there’s a delay timer and adjustable timing settings so you can cook your rice to perfection.
2. Best Stainless Steel Rice Cooker: Aroma Housewares Stainless Steel Rice Cooker
This Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker is one of the best stainless steel rice cookers because it’s made with a food-grade 304 stainless steel pot and is BPA-free. It’s also a no teflon rice cooker.
This Simply Stainless rice cooker automatically detects when your rice is ready so it’s easy to use. All you need to do is add your water and rice and then push down on the lever to start. There’s even a keep warm function. These non-teflon rice cookers make 6 cups of cooked rice.
If you want more pre-programmed settings, this wouldn’t be a great choice because of its limited settings. The Greenpan one will be a better choice if you want more settings.
3. Best Budget Rice Cooker: Aroma Housewares Select Stainless Steel Rice Cooker 3-Cup
This Aroma Houseware is the same model as the previous one but in a black color. It’s not only one of the best stainless steel rice cookers, but it’s also a good affordable rice cooker.
It has a 3 cup uncooked rice capacity which cooks 6 cups of cooked rice. Plus, it’s very easy to use because you just need to press a button and it automatically starts cooking and stops cooking when done. It’s also teflon-free.
Not only can this make rice but it also can cook soups, oatmeal, pasta, and more.
4. Best Teflon-Free Rice Cooker: Tatung Stainless Steel Rice Cooker
Tatung is a high-quality and popular Taiwanese brand that is a Teflon-free rice cooker. It creates incredibly fluffy rice and you can also use it as a food steamer to steam veggies.
The inner and outer pot is both a food grade 304 stainless steel cooking pot so the rice is cooked evenly.
This makes it simple with a keep warm on/off switch. You can also braise, steam, and stew with it as well.
5. Best Mini Rice Cooker: Zojirushi Rice Cooker 3 Cups
For the perfect non toxic mini rice cooker, this Zojirushi one is one of the best because it produces consistent quality rich each time without the chemicals.
The Zojirushi rice cooker brand is known worldwide to be one of the most high quality Japanese rice cooker brands. And with over 10,000 reviews and a 4.6/5 star rating, it’s definitely loved by many.
This small non-toxic cooker fits 3 cups of uncooked rice. It comes with a glass lid so you can see the inside. To start cooking, you just need to press the single switch control. It’s free of PFOAs.
6. Best Japanese Rice Cooker: Zojirushi 5.5 Cup Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker
This Zojirushi 5.5 cup rice cooker is great if you want a non-toxic Japanese rice cooker that comes with easy-to-use pre-programmed settings. This also has over 10,000 reviews and a 4.8/5 star rating.
There are settings for automatic keep warm, extended keep warm, reheat, white rice, softer or harder rice, porridge, mixed rice, sweet rice, brown rice, and quick cooking.
It also has advanced neuro fuzzy logic technology so it automatically adjusts the cooking time. This is a PFOA free rice cooker.
7. Best Rice Cooker Design: Cuckoo 3 Cup Rice Cooker
Cuckoo is a Korean rice cooker brand that makes very aesthetic pieces with rounded shapes and a minimal look. This comes in 2 sizes – 3 cups uncooked and 6 cups uncooked.
There are 13 menu options so you can quickly cook quinoa, oatmeal, white rice, GABA rice, porridge, scorched rice, sticky rice, baby food, and more.
The nonstick inner pot has a non-toxic coating that is PFOA-free, PFOS-free, and PFAS-free.
8. Best Korean Rice Cooker: Cuckoo Rice Cooker 6 Cups
This is another digital rice cooker from the Cuckoo brand and it’s one of the most popular Korean rice cookers. It’s free of PFOAs, PFOS, and PFAS.
Like the Zojirushi one, it comes with all the pre-set buttons to cook porridge, brown rice, white rice, glutinous rice, and more with just one click.
The inside is detachable so it’s easy to clean by hand. The device can cook 12 cups of cooked rice which can easily feed up to 10-12 people.
9. Best Instant Pot + Rice Cooker Pot Duo: Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Rice Cooker and Slow Cooker, 8 Quart
This Instant Pot Pro one is the best one if a cooker that is versatile and can do everything. This is a 10-in-1 cooking pot so it can also be an electric pressure cooker, slow cooker, and sous vide. It can also saute, sterilize, cook rice, make yogurt, warm up food, bake cake, and steam. The options are endless.
To prevent this Instant Pot Duo from overheating, this pressure cooker also has a safe locking lid and a steam release switch. This cooker is great for large families and can cook for up to 8 people.
10. Best Healthy Rice Cooker: Instant Pot Carb Reducing Rice Cooker
This Instant Pot cooker is one of the healthiest rice cookers because it has a special feature that reduces carbs and sugars of your rice by up to 40% without changing the taste and texture much.
How it works is the cooking pot separates the carbs and sugars from the rice and drains it to the bottom of the pot. This is amazing if you want to eat fewer carbs but don’t want to completely cut it out of your diet.
Not only can this pot cook rice but also cook grains, quinoa, mixed grains, sauté, steam, and keep warm. It’s also PTFE, PFOA, and BPA free.
11. Best Clay Pot: Japanese Hana Mishima Donabe Ceramic Clay Pot
Using a donabe ceramic pot like this Japanese clay pot is the best way to cook rice on the stove. This earthen clay pot is crafted by an artisan in Japan. It can also cook rice for up to 2-3 people.
Not only can you cook rice with this ceramic rice cooker pot, but also make shabu shabu (Japanese hot pot), soup, and casseroles. The pot is lead free.
FAQs
What is the safest material for rice cooker?
The safest material for rice cooker is stainless steel and ceramic. Stainless steel is a great material because it’s resistant to corrosion and doesn’t leach harmful chemicals into the food. Healthy ceramic nonstick rice cookers are resistant to scratches and if it’s not made with harmful glazes, the material won’t release toxins in food.
Is non stick rice cooker safe?
If the non stick rice cookers are made with PFOA-free, lead-free, BPA-free, and cadmium-free coatings, it’s likely safe to use.
Why does my rice cooker have a p65 warning?
A Proposition 65 warning label is required by California law to indicate that a product contains chemicals that may cause health risks. The P65 warning does not necessarily mean the product is unsafe to use.
Even if there are small traces of chemicals, the Proposition 65 label still needs to be attached. Small trace amounts do not pose a large risk to humans. Instead, it’s important to look at the ingredients and ensure that it’s labeled as PFOA-free, lead-free, cadmium-free, and BPA-free.
What is the best alternative to a rice cooker?
The best alternative to a rice cooker is to cook rice on a stovetop. You can use a cooking pot you already have at home or a clay pot if you want your rice extra fluffy. To do this, first rinse the rice and then add the rice to the pot along with water in a 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water ratio.
Do professional chefs use rice cookers?
Yes, professional chefs use rice cookers because it saves time and is more convenient than cooking on the stove.
Why is Zojirushi rice cooker so expensive?
Zojirushi rice cooker is more expensive than most others because it is known to produce high-quality rice with top notch performance. They usually have very precise heat distribution and temperature control. These non toxic rice cookers are also built to last.
They also have a strong reputation for using advanced technology in their rice cookers. Many of their models use a Zojirushi neuro fuzzy logic technology which accurately makes adjustments to the cooking time and temperature.
Do Japanese restaurants use rice cookers?
Many Japanese restaurants do use rice cookers but some high-end Japanese restaurants use a traditional donabe rice cooker which is essentially like a clay pot.
That’s a wrap on the best non toxic rice cookers!
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