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
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.
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