Is the KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker Worth It?
Based on tests by America's Test Kitchen (Oct 2025). How we score
Save $100Depends. Toshiba for most people.
Amazon prices as of Sep 29, 9:38 PM EDT (details)
Why
Rated Highly Recommended by America's Test Kitchen: it "turned out perfectly cooked brown and white rice every time," and its built-in scale and water tank measure for you, which ATK says "many cooks may find the added convenience of the scale and reservoir worth the hefty upcharge." But it makes less rice (8 cups vs 11 for ATK's winner) and the tank is one more part to clean. If you mostly make plain rice, ATK's Budget Winner, the Toshiba 6-Cup, rated as well and costs much less.
Cheaper alternatives, scored against the KitchenAid
6-Cup Rice Cooker with Fuzzy Logic
From 1 tester: America's Test Kitchen
From 1 tester: America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen's Budget Winner "made delicious, evenly cooked rice in all our tests," with the same performance and ease-of-use stars as the KitchenAid and a higher cleanup score. You measure rice and water yourself, but it holds more (12 cups cooked vs 8) and has 7 presets instead of 21. ATK didn't test long-term durability, and neither listing states a warranty.
| Criterion | KitchenAid | Toshiba |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| Ease of use | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| Cleanup | 2.5/3 | 3/3 |
From America's Test Kitchen: The Best Rice Cookers (updated Oct. 23, 2025)
Sources: America's Test Kitchen: The Best Rice Cookers (updated Oct. 23, 2025)
Common questions
KitchenAid Grain and Rice Cooker or Zojirushi?
Both are Highly Recommended by America's Test Kitchen. The Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy is ATK's winner and makes more rice (up to 11 cups vs 8); the KitchenAid weighs the grain and doses the water for you.
What does the KitchenAid rice cooker scale do?
You pick the grain and texture, then add grain until the built-in scale reads the amount; the machine dispenses the matching water from its tank, so you don't fill to a line.
Sources: America's Test Kitchen: The Best Rice Cookers (updated Oct. 23, 2025), Manufacturer specs via Amazon listing
