Panasonic Rice Cooker, Steamer & Multi-Cooker, 3-Cups (Cooked), 1.5-Cups (Uncooked), SR-3NAL – Silver

I have a larger version of this cookpot, bought about 10 or so years ago. I still use it to this day. This smaller cookpot is as good quality and so handy to use for cooking 1lb. of carrots or other smaller amounts of veggies. I recommend either size of this Panasonic cookpot.

I'm Asian American, and my family has been using Panasonic rice cookers since as far back as I can remember. The SR3-NAL is the perfect size for me, living alone. I actually own two of them, one for home, and one for the office.As with all rice cookers, its capacity is stated based on the Japanese gō, a 180 mL equivalent measuring cup that is the standard serving size. So, this "1.5 cup" rice cooker is designed to make up to 270 mL of uncooked rice in a single batch, but I find that for middle-aged me, 120 mL is a more reasonable serving size, so I can get two full servings if I make 240 mL rice. I normally use Japanese "Japonica" medium grain rice, because I got tired of stocking so many different kinds of rice in my house (long grain, medium grain, Jasmine, Basmati, etc, etc).I have heard this model is very popular with Japanese flight crews, since it can fit easily in a suitcase and be used to make fresh rice when overnighting overseas in places where Japanese food might not be easily available.Perhaps someday, I will invest in a fuzzy logic rice cooker, but the simplicity and much lower cost of the basic type of rice cooker is very appealing, and has been used successfully by Asian families since it was invented in the mid-1950s.I actually own two of these, the newer one is now over 7 years old and still working fine. I keep one at home and one at the office, so I can make fresh rice for lunch. If you have the time, your rice will cook best if you allow it to soak for 30 minutes before draining and rinsing until the water is more or less clear, before adding your cooking water and cooking. With japonica medium grain rice, this is really easy, as the ratio is 1:1 rice to water. Measure your rice, soak it, rinse it, drain all water, then add as much water as your original rice measurement, and cook.If you are careful, you do all this right in the pot. You can drain all the water (or enough not to make a difference) from the pot without needing a colander or strainer, and without accidentally dumping the soaked rice out. Just go slowly.

I was skeptical this rice cooker would work as well as it did, but I followed the directions exactly to make the "M" brand extra long grain white rice. I put in the rice using two full cups of the supplied measuring cup. I rinsed the rice 5 times until the water was clear. I then added water to the 2 line exactly and let it sit for 30 minutes. Once time was reached, I pressed the cook button and in 21 minutes it turned off. Resisting the urge to lift the top and stir to prevent browning on the bottom layer of rice, I unplugged the power cord and let it sit for 15 minutes.Wow.....Perfect rice, no browning, on the bottom layer of rice, not dry or under cooked, just totally surprised it came out perfect. This is the perfect quantity of rice for my wife and I to create a meal by adding veggies and shrimp, or chicken, or sausage....etc. and following the instruction manual worked perfectly for me!

has measuring cup-keeps rice warm--easy to clean--easy to operate--excellent product!

Panasonic is one of the manufacturers with the highest market share for rice cookers in Japan. That's why I chose this brand. I cook 3 cups of rice each time. It cooks nice rice for about 30 minutes. If you divide the leftover rice into portions, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze it, it can be stored for a long time. You can enjoy freshly cooked rice in about 2 minutes in the microwave.

I like it because it's easy to use and cooks rice well. Perfect for 2 people.

We adore our little rice cooker. There are 3 keys to making successful brown rice and oatmeal. #1: Add more water than stove-top cooking. #2: Stir in a bit of olive oil to the mix beforehand, and #3. When the rice cooker shuts off with a click, IMMEDIATELY remove the insert pan and stir. You can cover it again and it will stay hot for a while. I'd guess I use no more than 1/4 tsp of olive oil, which we can't taste at all.We use regular measuring cups, not the cup that came with the cooker. BROWN RICE (2 servings): 3/4 cup pre-rinsed brown rice, and 2 cups water. About 42-48 minutes. OATMEAL (1 large or 2 small servings): 2/3 cup oatmeal and 1-1/2 cups water, about 14-16 minutes. (We use Old Fashioned oats.) Measure how long yours takes so you know when to get back in the kitchen!Just push the ON button down to turn it on. We bring it forward so it's not underneath the cabinet as it does steam just a little. When done, the cooker shuts off with a click. That's all. So you need to stay in the kitchen near the end. One time I ignored it for 5 minutes and the bottom 1/6"-1/8" of brown rice got crunchy. I minced it with the plastic spoon and stirred it in and it was OK, but I prefer not.The cooker comes with the inner pot, a measuring cup, a plastic spoon, instruction booklet, and recipe booklet. The recipe booklet probably assumes you're using their measuring cup, but all of the recipes reference a "warm" mode which this economy cooker doesn't have ... We only use the plastic spoon to make sure we don't scrape the pan's non-stick coating. Washing is a breeze if you fill the inner pot with soapy water after emptying it. I noticed a couple drops of water in the glass lid after washing, but I shook it around and looked the next morning and it was gone, but I wouldn't immerse the glass lid because of this. We use the cooker 4-6 times a week, so hope it lasts a while. But so far, so good!