Instant Pot 8Cup Zest Rice Cooker SS Rice Cooker: Full Review

The Instant Pot Zest 8-Cup Rice Cooker is an electric multi-cooker designed to make cooking rice simple and convenient. This rice cooker features 14 smart programs for cooking all types of rice as well as oatmeal, chili, soup, steam, slow cook, sauté, cake, and more.

With a capacity of 8 cups (cooked) or 16 cups (uncooked), this cooker is well-suited for individuals or families with 2-6 people. The inner cooking pot and accessories are food-grade 304 18/8 stainless steel for durability. The Instant Pot Zest Rice Cooker currently retails for $129.95 USD.

This versatile rice cooker aims to provide an all-in-one cooking solution for rice dishes, one-pot meals, porridge, steamed vegetables, and more. The intuitive controls and pre-programmed settings allow both beginners and experienced cookers to prepare a variety of dishes by simply pressing a button.

Design & Build Quality

The Zest Rice Cooker has a simple but elegant design made primarily of stainless steel for the outer housing and nonstick aluminum for the inner pot. This combination of materials makes it fairly lightweight yet sturdy enough for regular use.

At about 12 x 12 x 9 inches, it has a compact footprint that doesn't take up too much counter space. The stainless steel exterior gives it a sleek, modern look that would fit well in most kitchen decors. The outer housing feels solidly constructed and the inner pot has a good heft to it without being overly heavy.

The inner pot has a measurement line inside to easily gauge water amounts. It appears to be a single layer of durable nonstick coating. While most aluminum pots have a darker speckled finish, this one has a smooth silver color that matches nicely with the stainless exterior.

Overall, the materials and construction give an impression of good quality and durability. The size is ideal for most households, and the aesthetics are clean and contemporary. It seems well-built to withstand daily cooking demands.

Settings & Programs

The Zest Rice Cooker comes with several handy settings and programs to cook rice and other foods perfectly every time.

It offers white rice, brown rice, quick rice, porridge, stew, soup, slow cook, pasta, steam, keep warm, and cake programs. Each program is optimized with precise timing and heating to ensure the best results.

The white rice program lets you choose different texture options like soft, standard, or hard. The brown rice setting has options for regular or softer textures since brown rice takes longer to cook. The quick rice mode reduces cooking time by using more heat and pressure.

You can customize programs by adjusting cooking time, temperature/pressure, and aroma settings. It remembers your customizations for each program, so you can fine-tune them to suit your tastes. The keep warm function kicks in after cooking finishes to hold your food at an ideal serving temperature.

The intuitive control panel makes selecting programs, settings, and adjustments very straightforward. The digital display clearly shows information and countdown timers.

Cooking Performance

The Instant Pot 8 Cup Zest Rice Cooker delivers excellent cooking performance for all varieties of rice. Its specialized programming allows it to cook white rice, brown rice, basmati rice, and more to fluffy, tender perfection every time.

The rice cooker can make up to 8 cups of cooked rice, enough to serve 6-8 people. Thanks to its advanced heating technology, it cooks rice quickly at just the push of a button. White rice takes only 12-15 minutes while brown rice is ready in 30-35 minutes. Once done, the rice cooker automatically switches to keep warm mode which will hold the rice at an ideal serving temperature for up to 12 hours without burning or drying it out.

The cooking results are consistently delicious - rice grains come out separate and tender with a pleasing texture, never mushy or undercooked. The flavor is enhanced as the lid seals in steam to help the rice absorb seasonings. Many owners comment that rice made in this cooker tastes better than rice cooked through traditional methods.

Overall, the Zest delivers excellent cooking performance to rival much pricier rice cookers. It's able to cook all varieties of rice to fluffy perfection with the touch of a button, making it a foolproof yet powerful appliance.

Ease of Use

The Zest Rice Cooker features an intuitive control panel with simple buttons for selecting cooking programs and adjusting time and temperature settings. The LCD display clearly shows which program is selected and the cooking status.

Operating the rice cooker is straightforward. Simply add rice and water in the inner pot, select the appropriate program depending on the type of rice being cooked, and press start. The cooker automatically cooks the rice and switches to keep warm mode when done. The non-stick inner pot is easy to clean by hand with warm water and a soft sponge. For more stubborn residues, a non-abrasive cleanser can be used. The detachable lid, lid holder, and steam vent are similarly easy to wipe down after cooking.

Overall, the Zest Rice Cooker makes it simple for anyone to cook restaurant-quality rice at home with minimal effort. The intuitive controls and easy-clean inner pot allow users of all experience levels to enjoy freshly cooked rice any day of the week.

Safety Features

The Instant Pot 8-cup Zest Rice Cooker has some excellent safety features built-in so you can have peace of mind while cooking.

One key feature is the auto shut off which will automatically turn the rice cooker off if it detects the internal cooking temperature is too high. This prevents the cooker from overheating and damaging the internal components.

The rice cooker also has overheating protection. If the internal temperature rises above the safe threshold, the heating element will automatically turn off to prevent any potential fire hazard or damage to the cooker.

Both of these features work together to provide multiple layers of protection and safety while using the appliance. You can rest easy knowing the rice cooker will shut itself off before any dangerous overheating can occur.

Overall the safety technology in the Instant Pot Zest Rice Cooker makes it a smart and reliable appliance you can trust to cook rice unattended.

Accessories

The Instant Pot Zest 8-Cup Rice Cooker comes with a few handy accessories to help you get started.

• It includes a measuring cup, nonstick rice spoon/scooper, and soup spoon. The measuring cup makes it easy to get the rice-to-water ratio right. The rice spoon is useful for stirring and scooping out rice nicely. And the soup spoon can help spoon out soups, stews, and porridge.

• Some useful add-ons you may want to buy include:

  • Glass lid - This lets you monitor the cooking process without releasing heat/steam.

  • Steamer basket - This stainless steel basket fits nicely in the inner pot so you can steam veggies, seafood etc. above the rice.

  • Extra inner pots - It's handy to have a spare inner pot so you can quickly cook another batch of rice or a different recipe without having to wash the pot.

The included accessories cover the basics, but having a few extras makes this rice cooker even more versatile. The available accessories allow you to expand its capabilities beyond just simple rice cooking.

Pros

• The Zest 8-Cup Rice Cooker has a triple heater that allows the inner cooking pan to be heated from the bottom and sides simultaneously. This leads to fast, even cooking of rice.

• There are 12 preset cooking functions like white rice, brown rice, oatmeal, slow cook etc. This makes the cooker very versatile for preparing a variety of dishes beyond just rice.

• The stainless steel inner pot has a non-stick coating that prevents rice from sticking. Clean up is easy since food doesn't burn at the bottom.

• The cooker features several safety mechanisms like automatic shut off and keep warm functions. There are also lid locks to prevent the lid from opening when the cooker is pressurized. This provides great peace of mind.

Cons

• The inner pot is not non-stick so rice can stick to the bottom if not careful. This makes cleanup more difficult.

• There are some reports of the rice cooker failing after 6 months - 1 year of frequent use. Durability may be lacking.

• The exterior gets very hot while cooking. You need oven mitts to handle it and need to be cautious of burns if children are around.

• The steam vent on the lid tends to clog up with mineral deposits over time. This requires regular cleaning to keep it working properly.

Conclusion

The Instant Pot 8 Cup Zest Rice Cooker is a solid mid-range appliance that performs well for basic rice cooking needs. The stainless steel build and digital controls make it easy to use, while the dedicated white rice and brown rice settings take the guesswork out of getting perfect rice every time.

The large 8 cup capacity can feed medium-sized families, though the compact size still fits well on countertops. Safety features like auto warm and auto shut-off provide peace of mind. Accessories like the steam tray expand the functionality beyond just rice.

Overall, this is an excellent rice cooker for anyone looking for a simple, no-frills appliance that cooks rice perfectly. The reasonable price tag makes it a great value for daily home rice cooking. Its basic settings may be limiting for cooks who want more versatility, but it excels at the core function of fluffy, delicious rice every time. For most households' rice needs, the Zest delivers quality and reliability.