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I recently purchased a Zojirushi NP-GBC05 3 cup rice-cooker. I read through the manual and some instructions online. I have made 3 batches of rice so far and two of them have turned into a disaster.

Batch 1: Jasmine Rice 1 cup rice, washed, 1 cup water (probable Operator error, manual states 1cup to 1.25 cups rice/water) WHITE/MIXED setting result: coagulated mess

Batch 2: Sticky Rice 1 cup rice, not washed, 1 cup water SUSHI setting result: good batch

Batch 3: Basmati Rice 1 cup rice, washed, 1.5 cups water WHITE/MIXED setting result: coagulated mess

Why would both 1 and 3 give me coagulated messes?

Background:

This is my first rice cooker and first time using a rice cooker, it was cleaned after all batches, and no settings were configured besides the rice type. Just pressed the COOKING button.

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    Did the cooker not come with a 3/4C plastic cup for measuring out the rice? My experience with my own Zojirushi is that, if you fill the provided cup and use the lines denoted on the inside of the bowl, it makes perfect rice every time.
    – OmniaFaciat
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 19:58
  • That plastic cup is 180 ml. They call it a cup anyway. You fill the cooker with water to the proper line on the bowl after you put the rice in.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 23:43

1 Answer 1

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Based on your description, you seem to be measuring the rice and water in a measuring cup and adding them to the pan. Having used the same Zojirushi rice maker for 8 years, I can testify that relatively small variations in the water/rice ratio can produce large changes in the final texture of the rice. In your case, it seems to be that you're using too much water. Adjusting the ratio to 1:1 should give you a chewier baseline to work with, and adding water in 1 oz. increments should allow you very fine-grained control (no pun intended) over the texture of the rice.

That said, I believe that the most reliable results come from using the 3/4 C / 180 mL "cup" provided. To use it, you scoop a number of "cups" of rice and add them to the cooking pan, washing in the pan. After pouring off the wash water, fill the pan with water to the line on the inside face corresponding to the type of rice used and the number of "cups" of rice you added to the pan. In my experience, using this method produces essentially perfect results every time. Adjusting the water level to very slightly below the line will yield chewier rice, while adjusting slightly above will yield mushier rice.

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  • I am using the included measuring cup, (the larger one as the smaller one is supposed to be for brown rice) and filling the water to the levels specified on the cooker. Sounds like my cooker is defective...
    – sjakubowski
    Commented Jun 30, 2013 at 20:55
  • The odd part is the fact that I used 1/4 of a cup less then the recommended setting for jasmine rice and got the same result as the basmati rice which was to the proper level as per the manual.
    – sjakubowski
    Commented Jun 30, 2013 at 20:56
  • For cooking jasmine rice in a Zojirushi, do you just use the markings for white rice on the included pan? Mine has brown/white/porridge options.
    – Frank Schwieterman
    Commented Mar 2, 2014 at 1:09
  • (after some experimentation, Zojirushi's white rice settings seem fine for Jasmine rice)
    – Frank Schwieterman
    Commented Mar 3, 2014 at 20:46
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    A year later, it's creating near perfect rice every time. "In your case, it seems to be that you're using too much water" was the cause of the issue.
    – sjakubowski
    Commented Mar 25, 2014 at 12:52

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