Cooking rice is something people have been doing for thousands of years, and in modern times, rice cookers like the JS Oryza rice cooker and steamer have become a popular way to accomplish the task. They are simple to use and deliver flawless results every time.
As someone who still cooks rice the old-fashioned way in a pot on the stove, I was eager to try this model. I have friends and family members who swear by their rice cookers. But I have never felt I needed one. With that said, I will admit that there are times when my rice doesn’t come out exactly as I want it. Either the heat is too high or there isn’t enough water and it burns and sticks to the bottom. Sometimes, the water or broth is absorbed but the rice is still undercooked. Can the JS Oryza eliminate the chances of that happening?
JS Oryza rice cooker design and functions
The JS Oryza rice cooker from JS Innovation is a cylindrical-shaped rice cooker and steamer. It fits nicely on the countertop but can also tuck away in the cupboard when not in use. It’s smaller than a traditional rice cooker at 22 x 24 x 21.5 cm and weighs 4.6 lbs.
It has a simple, one-click cook function. This is for not only plain and mixed rice but also soup, porridge, congee, and other similar dishes. It also has a special function for cooking low sugar rice, extracting the starch for a healthier option. This is something diabetics and others might especially appreciate.
The two-litre volume can accommodate up to four cups of rice for feeding up to four people (or 5-6 portions). Once done, the machine switches to auto-warm to keep the rice warm until it’s ready to eat.
You can also add the water and rice and preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance. This means the rice is ready for you when you get home from work. There’s also an auto shut-off feature.
Offering 350 watts of power and with built-in digital control and LED display, the unit comes with a manual, starch remover, and power cable.
How to use the JS Oryza rice cooker
The first thing I did after unboxing the JS Oryza rice cooker was wash the stainless steel inner pot, starch remover, and measuring cup. The appliance is much smaller than I expected, which is nice since it doesn’t take up much room on a countertop.
Measure your rice in the measuring cup and place it inside the inner pot. It’s advised to wash the rice first to remove dust, debris, and residual starch. The measuring markings on the cup are very faint and difficult to see. I wish they were black or made easier to read.
Add twice the amount of water as the rice. I added one cup of rice and thus poured in two cups of water. (Note that if you’re making porridge, the ratio would be higher). The manual suggests giving the inner pot a little shake to make sure all the rice is submerged. Don’t forget to add salt! You can add other seasoning to the rice before cooking as well.
Place the inner pot into the cooker and plug it in. Close the lid and select which option you want from Rice, Low Sugar Rice, and Mixed Rice.
Making rice in the JS Oryza rice cooker
I first tried standard rice. The manual says it will begin cooking after about five seconds and you’ll see a countdown timer when there is 10 minutes left. When you press Rice, you see three lines moving up and down on the screen, so you know it’s doing something. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to press the “Cooking/Cancel” button as well, or if pressing that would cancel the cook. I left it to see what would happen. Indeed, the 10-minute timer eventually popped up.
For what it’s worth, the instructions for other types of rice note that you can press the Cooking button right away or wait the five seconds for auto-cook to kick in. I suspect this is the case with regular rice as well. However, I wish there was a countdown timer for the entire duration.
The entire cook took 30 – 35 minutes, which is longer than the usual 18-minute cook time on a pot on the stove, so keep this in mind when timing your meals.
Once your rice is ready, the machine will beep. The function light will also turn off. But the best part is that the Keep Warm mode kicks in. This means you can cook your rice in advance and have it kept warm while you work on the protein. It’s suggested that you at least fluff the rice within 30 minutes, even if you’re going to leave it in there for longer. The default Keep Warm function is for up to 12 hours. Once you’re ready to eat, press the Keep Warm button again to turn it off. You can scoop out the rice using the included rice paddle. If you can’t find it, look on the side of the Styrofoam packaging: it’s hidden in a groove there, so it’s easy to miss!
You can also make low sugar rice and mixed rice in this small appliance. There are different ratios of rice to water depending on what you are using, ranging anywhere from 1:1.5 to 1:3. Check the manual or go by the instructions on the package of rice and do a test batch first. (I was not able to find low-sugar rice in my local grocery store to test this option.) For soup or porridge, it will take about an hour to cook.
There’s also a preset button if you want to prep the rice and water (or porridge or soup) ahead. The default time is four hours but you can change this by pressing the button to increase in 30 minute intervals. It’s a useful feature if you’re entertaining, for example. You can get the rice prepped ahead before you get involved with more laborious tasks and forget to do it.
Experimenting with different rice dishes
The rice looked great when I opened the lid. It fluffed beautifully when I scooped it out to plate. But my favourite part? It lifted nicely from the non-stick inner pot, not leaving any residue behind. Clean-up truly is a breeze!
The first time, I left the rice to keep warm for a few hours until my son got home from school. The next time, I fluffed it immediately then let it sit for about 40 minutes until dinner—salmon with rice and broccoli—was ready. The rice was still hot, with the inside steaming as soon as I opened it. The third time, I added butter, cumin, turmeric, and a few bay leaves before the cook. The rice came out perfectly both in taste and texture, with my son requesting a second helping.
For a curry dish, I made coconut rice with half coconut milk and half water with a pinch of salt and it was to die for.
Making porridge/oatmeal
Next, I tried porridge and the results were not so great. I thought the recommended 8:1 ratio of water to oats was a bit much and I was right. I end up with a soupy mess after an hour of cooking rolled oats with water. Plus, some of it leaked out of the steam vents onto the top of the pot. The manual does suggest that overflow can happen if the voltage is not stable. But I did not have any indication that this is the case in my kitchen where it was plugged in.
I tried again using a 2.5:1 ratio of oat milk to oats this time, similar to when cooking rice. This would be the typical ratio I use when making oats on the stove, in the microwave, or even in my Instant Pot. It came out OK though the texture was slightly gummy.
Bottom line: this rice cooker is great for rice. But depending on the type of oats you use and how you like your oatmeal/porridge, there’s some trial and error to get it right. For traditional oatmeal, stick to the stovetop or microwave, or consider using denser oats, like steel cut oats, in this machine.
Is the JS Oryza rice cooker and steamer for you?
If you make rice dishes at least once a week, the JS Oryza rice cooker and steamer is a good investment. You can truly “set and forget.” Add the water and rice and leave it for hours. It will be ready for dinner time once you make your protein. I love that I can cook the rice with my favourite seasoning as well. It’s simple to use and easy to clean. Plus, it doesn’t take up much room on the counter.
It’s smaller than other rice cookers so you’re limited in how much you can make. But for a family of 2-4 people, and even small gatherings, it’s a handy small appliance for the kitchen.
Find the JS Oryza rice cooker and steamer at bestbuy.ca
I like the low sugar rice / starch reducer option as I want to try healthier options
I think greatest feature would be Keep Warm function, my current rice cooker doesn’t have that option so this’ll be an upgrade for sure!
I like the long preset option times available on the JS Oryza rice cooker and steamer. Set and forget type cooking devices are most convenient for busy souls.
I really like the non-stick feature of this rice cooker & steamer – sometimes when I make rice in my usual device, it’s a pain to clean because of the rice being stuck onto the pot.
The preset button to prep the rice and water (or porridge or soup) ahead.
I like the steamer function on this rice cooker. It has never occurred to me before to use a ricer cooker as a steamer.
The keep warm feature seems good because we eat in waves.
Keep warm feature as I always have bad timing with the rest of the meal.
I love that you can set the rice and forget it. You don’t have to constantly babysit and stir it.
i’m looking to reduce carbs so that starch remover is an excellent feature for me
The keep warm feature would be awesome because my current rice cooker does not have that feature she we are constantly re-warming the rice
Keep warm feature sounds super useful!
JS Oryza rice cooker’s feature that will be most useful to me would be the auto warm feature 🙂
I can usually get good results stovetop or steamer, so would try this to see if it can beat that. My experience with rice cookers never seem to get it right, and leave a leathery crust on the bottom (apparently some people like that but not me). 6 cups dry of rice is a lot of rice, I usually cook no more than 1 cup but this unit should handle that easily. I was interested in the porridge feature but the author had little success with that setting, I guess I will stick to the stovetop or microwave.
I love the keep warm function goes up to 12 hours!
I like the keep warm feature so that I can make my rice before dinner and it will stay warm until we are ready to eat.
The simple one click only feature
I like the keep warm function. 12 hours may be a little much, but always nice to know there’s more warm rice! (PS. Christine: Why are you using a metal fork in a non-stick pot???)
one-click cook function
You can truly “set and forget.” Add the water and rice and leave it for hours.
I have the best intentions but sometimes I forget what I started so this is a great feature for forgetful me.
The preset cook time feature is clutch
Well people have been cooking it for thousands of years I hope they do a better job then me as it’s eith mushy, over cooked, dry, burnt the list goes on. So I really like the simple, one-click cook function and keep warm.
I like the keep warm function. Sometimes the rest of our meal is complete way later then the rice.
special function that extract starch
It has a simple, one-click cook function which is great since I’m busy and don’t know what I’m doing. LOL
I like the keep warm mode
one click feature
Preset feature
One click feature
Preset a cooking time
One click feature
The preset is amazing
Love the preset function
Preset button
I like the preset cooking time, so I can ensure the rice is ready for when I need it.
Most useful feature to me would be the simple, one-click cook function.
simple, one-click cook function. Perfect for me
Being able to pre-set a cook time up to 24 hours in advance is the feature that I think would be most useful to me!
I like that the rice cooker can be “set and forget”, easy to use.
The preset function is a game changer, I’d love to come home from the office to a freshly cooked dinner with minimal effort!
The mixed rice option would be handy
I like the simple, one-click cook function.
I like the auto warm feature
I would love the keep warm feature
I like the simple, one-click cook function. It would be the most useful feature to me.
I love that you can preset the rice cooker so your rice is ready when you get home from work instead of having to start it when you get home. What a great timesaver! The best feature in my opinion.
I love that this cooker is so easy to use.
The special function for cooking low sugar rice, extracting the starch for a healthier option. This is something I would use being that I am pre diabetic
The most useful feature for me would be the auto-warm feature, as everything isn’t always ready at the same time.
I like the preset function as I have a busy life, and I love the look of this aesthetically. My rice cooker just broke so it would be a wonderful upgrade. Thank you!
I like the 2L volume so I can cook enough rice for a group of people.
I think that the one button cook button is best feature for me. The less complicated the better.
i like the one button operation; not complicated to use !
I like the 24hr pre set function since we all live crazy busy lives
I would look forward to the sleek and attractive design of the cooker, but also the ability to cook more than 2 cups of rice at a time! Steaming is great feature and I would use this for sure for veggies. The 24 timer option is also a nice-to-have because you can set it to go off in the morning which I would do.
Love that I can steam too!
A preset node AND a keep warm feature? Wow! How many times have I made rice and then get distracted or have something come up that delays setting out dinner only to have to try and reheat rice? Too many times. This feature, plus its compact size makes this a kitchen gadget “must-have.”
I love the preset mode, this would be awesome for when you are having company and you have so much to think about, this function would make life easier for entertaining!
I like that you can cook a small portion of rice
The small size is much appreciated since we’re limited in storage space.
I like the preset button so I dont get busy and forget to put it on soon enough for the rest of the meal.
The feature that is most appealing to me is the starch remover because I try to eat little starch in my diet
The scheduled cooking time feature sounds interesting.
My favourite feature is the starch remover, okay it is an accessory MORe than it is a feature, but we can say it is a feature right?! Yes M
The feature that is most appealing to me is the low sugar option because I try to eat little sugar in my diet
JS Oryza rice cooker’s features that will be most useful to me is the low sugar rice feature as I have family members who are diabetic.
Love the high tech features makes it very modern and easy to use. Love the warming feature
Great feature is the preset that allows you to set a cook time up to 24 hours in advance
The most exciting feature was that it has a special function for cooking low sugar rice, extracting the starch for a healthier option. My husband is diabetic and this would be a function that we would use often.
I think the soup feature on the JS Oryza rice cooker would be SO good for chilly winters! lovely review!
I like the one click functionality on the rice cooker. No chance for screw-ups! Thanks for the opportunity.
The feature I would find most useful is the non-stick inner pot. This will make clean-up very easy and fast.
simple, one-click cook function.
I like the auto-warm feature, so that everything is ready at the same time.
I like that I am able to add the water and rice and preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance. That is so convenient on busy work days.
The special function for cooking low sugar rice, extracting the starch for a healthier option is a VERY cool option! i never heard of this!! As a family who closely watches our sugar and starch intake this would be amazing!!
Being able to preset a cook time up tp 24 hours in advance is a very useful feature for meal prep
I like the preset button feature so you can prep the rice and water ahead.
I think the1 -click cook function is the best feature. Cooking up a delicious and healthy meal has never been easier with the JS Oryza; with its 1-Click cook function, even a novice can cook perfect rice.
The soup or porridge feature
The preset cooking time, up to 24 hours in advance, is my favourite function.
It’s Multi-functional Cooker and Steamer function gives me more cooking options!
I like the Keep Warm Function as timing all the parts of a meal to be ready at same time for serving can be tricky!
The preset cook time is a time saver – nothing sweeter than a long day at work and to come home and smell that dinner is ready !
The one-click cook function is most useful for me because you can either cook soup, porridge and plain or mixed rice with one click.
I like the special function for cooking low sugar rice, extracting the starch for a healthier option.
The preset function is the most useful
The size of this rice cooker is great for either the countertop or cupboard storage. It’s nice to have and use great appliances, but sometimes it’s nice to tuck them away.
I love the ease of using this appliance. The one-click cook function is key, followed by the keep warm function. Our extended family can’t live without rice and right now I don’t have a rice cooker so I do it the old fashioned way!
The preset function is important in a busy family. Set and forget !
the most useful feature in our household is the the Keep Warm mode
I like that when the rice is ready, the machine will beep, it would remind me a lot !
I like the simplicity of the one-click cook function feature.
The non-stick pot would be my favourite feature – cleaning stuck on rice is always a challenge.
The preset cook time function is what I like! That would be great for meal planning.
The keep-warm mode is the most useful feature to me.
The rice cooker has a simple one-click cook function
The non-stick pot would be my favourite feature – cleaning stuck on rice is always a challenge.
The Keep Warm mode is the best. Then everyone gets hot rice even when eating at different times!
The keep-warm mode is the most useful feature to me.
the low sugar rice options as it is good for those in my family that are diabete
The preset function is important in a busy family. Set and forget !
The non-stick pot would be my favourite feature – cleaning stuck on rice is a nightmare!
I love the easy clean up!
I love the set & forget feature so I can put the rice on any time of the day & go about my business, knowing that it will be perfect whenever we want to eat it. A very useful function in busy households.
I would find the preset option most useful so I can set and forget the rice cooker while I work on the rest of dinner and it will be ready when the rest of dinner is ready.
I like the simple one click cook function – the easier the process of cooking for me the better.
most useful feature in our household is the the Keep Warm mode
The preset button so it’s ready and waiting for me!
I like the preset button if you want to prep the rice and water for over night
It’s simple but I love having the measurements inside so you can make the right amount
Love that it has a special function for cooking low sugar rice, extracting the starch for a healthier option
I like the simplicity of the one-click cook function feature.
The low sugar rice option is the best!
I love that it is non-stick
I like the auto-warm feature – sometimes my rice is done but the main dish needs more time. This would solve the problem.
gotta love two-litre volume, invite family over
The low sugar rice option is the best!
Low sugar rice option.
The preset and auto shut off are key features for me!
Love that it has a special function for cooking low sugar rice, extracting the starch for a healthier option
I like the simplicity of the one-click cook function feature.
I love that it is non-stick
The rice cooker has a simple one-click cook function
My favourite feature of the JS Oryza Rice Cooker and Steamer is the ability to preset the time!
I like the stainless steel interior, so many great features though I could list a lot!
I like how you can preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance. I could pre-time a sheet pan dinner in the oven & set the rice and have dinner ready when home from work.
Love the ability to set timer
I love the keep warm feature!
I love that the JS Oryza rice cooker has a non-stick inner pot,and that clean-up would be a breeze
I like the simple one click cook function most
I like that I can set and forget
Living in a condo, space is limited, so I love how compact this is!
Presetting a cook time in advance is my favourite feature
The most useful feature to me will be the ability to preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance.
I’m thinking my favorite feature would be the Keep Warm function that would surely come in handy cause let’s face it, we sometimes get busy or distracted leading to meal time not always on time and the rice dish is usually always the first one to get cold. Plus this feature is for up to 12 hours incase you really get busy lol. I also really love the idea of a breezy clean-up thanks to the the non-stick inner pot.
I like that this rice cooker has the option for low sugar rice so it is a healthier way to eat rice
I like how compact it is since I don’t have a ton of counter space
I like the timer countdown feature the most.
I love the preset cook time function! That would be great for meal planning.
The JS Oryza rice cooker feature that will be most useful to me is how the default Keep Warm function is for up to 12 hours! That is so useful because of the long time duration available.
i like the one click cook function but also the compact size for the kitchen counter
most useful feature is that i can preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance.
Being able to preset a cook time 24 hours in advance!
I like the simple one-click cook function
It lifted nicely from the non-stick inner pot
preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance.
I like the compact 2 litre volume.
I like the keep warm option and the look is really nice.
Trying the “low sugar” rice option would be most useful to me, as I have not seen or tried this before in a rice cooker.
The countdown timer is my favourite feature, I’ve always had to do my best to predict when the rice cookers would finish!
The small size is ideal for me and my family. This is efficient to use
I like the one click cook function
Just the standard rice cooking for me
The most useful feature to me will be the ability to preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance.
I like the compact 2 litre volume.
I like the fact that the Keep Warm automatically comes on and stays on for up to 12 hours
I like the fact that you can just add water and rice and leave it for hours & it will be ready for meal.
I like the simple one click cook function
preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance.
I like the fact that you can just add water and rice and leave it for hours & it will be ready for meal.
The delay start function is great for people like me who work long days and have less time at night to cool.
cooking low sugar rice
The size is good – useful as there are often only 2 or 3 of us
I like the simple one click cook function
I like the size and the settings for ease of use
I like the fact that the Keep Warm automatically comes on and stays on for up to 12 hours
I like the simple one click cook function
I like the keep warm option and the look is really nice.
I like that you can preset the time!
the low sugar rice setting would really help my family, as they are diabetic
The settings for sure for the specific rice dish from soup or porridge, Low Sugar rice, preset, mixed rice, keep warm, or just a simple bowl of rice. This would be very convenient and help make the specific dish just right.
I like the small size
The two-litre volume
preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance
It lifted nicely from the non-stick inner pot
I like that you can use it for porridge
I like the small size because my kitchen doesn’t have much counter tops.
preset a cook time up to 24 hours in advance.