Product Review...Zojirushi Rice Cooker(Model-NS-VGC05)

Product Review...Zojirushi Rice Cooker(Model-NS-VGC05)

My first product review! I was so excited when the generous folks at Zojirushi America Corporation sent me a rice cooker to test and share my review with you. I received the Zojirushi Rice Cooker(Model-NS-VGC05). The ZOJIRUSHI company has quite a few products and many rice cookers of various capacities, but it was the NS-VGC05 Model that I tested.

Now for the review...

This specific rice cooker has a 3 cup rice capacity. It is one of the smaller versions, but is quite ideal for college students or couples. Actually, even a couple with smaller children can effectively use this.

First of all, I was impressed with the design of the rice cooker. It is sleek and attractive. The control panel is easy to read and simple to use. The inner cooking pan is well marked for proper measurements. Very well designed. The rice cooker also has a built in digital clock that stays on all the time, even when unplugged. It plays a nice little melody for you when it starts the cooking process and when it is finished. You can change the melody to make a "beep" sound instead. But I liked the little melody...it was cheerful and pleasant. The rice takes about 45 minutes to cook, but it is well worth the wait. While the rice cooker is super simple to use, it also cooks the rice perfectly. The rice does not stick on the bottom, neither does it form a brown crust. Actually, the rice doesn't dry out, but stays quite moist. I really liked that.

This rice cooker is no ordinary rice cooker. It can make porridge, sushi rice, a quick rice version, and even rinse-free rice. It has the ability to keep the rice warm until you need it without drying it out. Plus, it has a timer that allows you to preset your rice to cook at a specific time. But among all those features, the rice cooker can also bake a cake. Yes, that's right....it bakes cakes! Incredible! So, you guessed it. I took the challenge to see for myself how well a rice cooker can bake a cake. Since the rice cooker comes with a sponge cake recipe, I followed the directions as written.

I was blown away with the final cake product! The rice cooker produced a wonderful sponge cake with a fluffy, tender, and perfect crumb texture.

The cake takes the form of the inside container and comes out in a dome shape.

Perfect for pouring a chocolate ganache over the cake. I really, really liked the size of the cake. Not too big and neither was it too small. It will probably give you about 6 decent sized slices. This cake was so simple to make and who would have thought it could be made in a rice cooker! It would be wonderful for college students who want to bake a cake but don't have an oven. But the home cook can use it as well, especially during the warmer summer months when you want to limit the oven usage.

Overall, a great little rice cooker that cooks rice perfectly and bakes cakes! Ideal.

By the way, the rice cooker is really easy to clean and maintain.

Would I recommend this rice cooker? Wholeheartedly....5*****!