The nonstick coating of my 9 year old Zojirushi rice cooker's pot has started flaking off and a replacement costs $55. Electrically, it still works fine but I'm a little leery about spending 25-30% of a new unit's cost on a pot when this thing could potentially blow up tomorrow. What should I do? I only paid $92 for the cooker back in 2016 and I feel like I've gotten my money's worth out of it.
>>21776622just keep using it. sure you risk the big C with that peeling nonstick stuff but is there really anything out there these days that doesnt carry that risk?
I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago with my mid 2000s zojirushi. I eventually decided I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I tossed it and I got a new bowl for like 80% the cost of a new one. I am happy with my decision and it feels good to keep an old appliance in working condition even if it isn't as shiny as a new one.Out of curiosity why do you think it would blow up?
You can buy a rice cooker, but you'll be paying $150-200+ for a new one. The bowl, as overpriced as it is at $55 is still the cheapest option.
Why not get a stainless steel one?
If its anything like with the cast iron, its just>heat oven to 200C>brush the inside with mineral oil>toss into oven for a little while>repeat until coating is solid
>>21776639it's like teflon. it doesn't withstand high temperatures and i don't think a seasoning layer will stick to it.
>>21776622Just remove all the coating. Nothing bad will happen.
>>21776622replace it you fucking idioti would replace the entire thing with a different brand or at least an expensive zojirushi one made in japanyou don't want to be eating that shit
>>21776637Not OP, but I don't think Zoji makes stainless pots. I'd considered getting one from a third party, but would that fuck with the factory cook programs due to weight or material differences?
>>21776669I mean a new overall rice cooker that comes with stainless steel bowl
>>21776649I'm thinking about buying one of their induction heating models with a heavier duty pot and keeping that one for life instead of replacing my current pot.
>>21776643>and i don't think a seasoning layer will stick to it.???
>>21776688>put a nonstick coating on a non stick surface
>>21776622May I introduce you to something simple?
>>21776689The flaking isn't nonstick anon. Its why OP even made a threadThe options are basically:1. Get a replacement bucket that fits2. Replace the entire tool 3. Remove the scale4. Or Try to add a different coating
>>21776699What are you talking about?Zojirushi inner bowls have used teflon for decades, and that is 100% what is flaking off.
>>21776622I'd replace it honestly. I don't get why people are so cheap when it comes to cookware. You use that stuff almost every day and if chunks are falling off and ending up in your food that's fucking disgusting.That said, the coating appears to be teflon (PTFE). It should be inert and harmless when digested, unless a flake has super sharp edges or something like that. The famous health risks related to Teflon only appear when it is overheated.
>>21776781The real concern from teflon are the chemicals used in the manufacturing process. Though Zojirushi has recently started offering PFAS/PTFE/PFOA free options, but it's only available on the NS-TPC10/18 in the US market at the moment, which is a lower-tier model in the lineup.Presumably, it'll be coming to other models eventually.
>>21776796>lower-tier model>$274.99 USD
>>21776836>>21776842YesIt's solidly lower-midrange feature set in the current lineup.They're charging a premium for the PFAS free bowl.
>>21776693I've been using a pot for 20 years and the first thing I do when I move into a new house next year will be to buy a zojirushi.
>>21776796It's funny that in 2025 you people are now aware of something that hasn't been a problem for at least 15 years. You're all afraid of teflon like you're going to lengthen your lifespan by avoiding it. And they don't even use the same chemicals; and what they do use is not stuck on the pan and able to hurt you.I guess if you just want to buy cookware that didn't use any chemicals to create because you feel strongly about the environment, go ahead. But your eggs are gonna stick. LOL
>not using a stainless steel pressure cooker for riceloel
>>21776622$55÷9 years =6$/yearBuy the fucking pot dude.
>top of the line rice cooker>teflon onlylmao
>>21777236They make a new model just for you
>>21776845can i get a quick rundown on the models and their worth
>>21777240why does it have to be non-stick? you can make rice easily in a stainless steel. and if you say "ease of use" these are nearly $300 rice cookers when the $20 option can get the job done just the same with the same non-stick non-pfas coating comes cheaper in an Aroma pot. either way stainless steel works best if youre not fucking stupid.
>>21776622get a tatung and be done for life
>>21777247old fashioned ricecookers use a simple bimetallic strip to turn off the cooker when it reaches a certain temperature.micom, or microcomputer cookers can vary temperature and cook time, allowing for features like time delay or different settings for different kinds of rice.neuro fuzzy is a brand name for the "fuzzy logic" that a micom performs to compute its cooking parameters.there is some difference between the heating elements and latching mechanisms between the two lines.Induction Heating models have induction coils that go partially up the wall of the pot, as opposed to cheaper models with a simple hot plate on the bottom. the claim is this heats the rice more evenly."umami" is just a setting that soaks rice longer and cooks a little slower, to extract more flavor from rice or to infuse more flavor from broth into rice. i suspect this is a rebranding of the "GABA brown rice" setting that isn't trendy anymore.
>>21777247The lowest tier is their $50-60 units, which are just dumb rice cookers from the 1950s with no logic at all in them, they get hot until the water evaporates, then it turns off and waits for a bit before telling you it's done. It has a glass lid that doesn't seal and is open to the air with a little hole through it to vent steamThe next tier at $150 is the same thing, but with an enclosed/insulated shell that can seal from the air and allow the rice inside to stay warm for extended periods. At its heart, still a basic heating element that turns off once the water has evaporated.Next are the "Micom" and "Neuro Fuzzy" units at $140-275. Differ based on cooking modes offered and sometimes more niche features like the PFAS-free inner bowl model. They're still a basic heating element, but they're now controlled by a "micom" fuzzy logic controller to put SOME level of computerization into the cooking process. "Neuro Fuzzy" is a more advanced version. Then the Induction Heating (IH) units, which range from $330-385. They use induction heating elements at the bottom instead of a resistive heating coil element. The induction heating provides more evenly cooked rice throughout the bowl. These units also all have Fuzzy logic, but it's no longer a mentioned selling point as it's just assumed at that point to be there. After that are the Induction heating + Pressure units which start at $500 and go up to $800. These units seal fully and pressurize themselves like a pressure cooker in order to cook even more thoroughly and evenly. The lowest tier model just does the same fuzzy logic as the regular Induction units. The $800 model uses "AI" assisted fuzzy logic which allows you to tell the rice cooker how good/bad the rice was from the batch it just made so it can adjust for the next time.
>>21777105Faggot
>>21777292>>21777298thanks anon i think i'll buy a NS-TPC10
Get yourself an insta pot and never look back. Comes with a non teflon stainless pot, cooks rice just as well as any jap rice cooker, and you can make other things with it besides rice
>>21777298>Next are the "Micom" and "Neuro Fuzzy" units>"Neuro Fuzzy" is a more advanced version.Slight correction, Neuro Fuzzy was a more advanced version of the original Micom controller, but the newer Micom models, like the NL-EAC10/18 use an even more advanced version of the Micom fuzzy logic, and they just went back to using the Micom name instead of inventing a new term beyond the Neuro Fuzzy one they used for one model.
>>21777326this, 1 cup of rice to 1/8-1/4 cup water, low pressure for three minutes with a full natural release. in a stainless steel with no nonstick coating flaking? this is the way.
>>21776845Why do all of the induction models have an intake fan on the bottom?
>>21777404so the steam can get out?
>>21776693If people want to be autistic about their rice, they should just go all in and get clay donabe pots. No need to worry about cancer shit (unless you get some knock off with lead in the glaze), and it cooks rice perfectly and even lets you do fancy other crap with it like scorching the rice or cooking meats on top of the rice. Plus they even come in single and family sizes, so you can make small portions. That is the main thing that sucks about a sauce pot - too big. The donabe is perfect for 1-2 cups of cooked rice. Just don't drop the thing, they are breakable in that regard. And also a 1/3 the price of a electronic device.
>>21776685I have one of the nice IH/pressure ones. The inner pot is much nicer/thicker than the ≈ 85$ neuro-fuzzy ones I had before.
>>21777326Have an Instant Pot. It does make rice pretty well, but the problem I had with it was that I found that if I cooked only the amount of rice I wanted for a meal for myself, it would burn.So I got a small Zoji. Only thing I'd really like for them to do is make everything dishwasher-safe since I'm lazy that way.
>>21776622Just get the replacement bowl. To prolong the coating, I always wash the rice in a separate bowl and use a silicone rice paddle instead of hard plastic ones they ship with.
>>21777251No one wants to hear us on stainless steel anon, idgi >>21776675
>>21776688seasoning a nonstick surface is some real retard maxxing shit.
>>21776688Retard.
>>21776622Rice cookers are a meme. Just get a pressure cooker. Does everything a rice cooker can faster and better.
>>21776628fpbp. just keep cooking with it like 90% of people do and deal with the repercussions laters
>>21776622See if there's a stainless steel one out that instead of teflon coating so it'll last forever
>>21776622It sounds like you're asking for permission to get a new Zoji. Just do it. You clearly want to. Don't forget to donate the old one to Goodwill.
>>21776622>should I replace the piece of equipment that will give me cancer, or should I just live with it and get cancerFuck, this is a tough one. $55 is a tough call.
>>21776622>sand blast the non stick off>oil before using>better tasting rice>crispy edgesyw op
$55 for a new pot is nothing considering I spent like $600 on my fucking Platinum zojirushi unit. Buy a new pot and keep it going
>>21777412They literally make small pots. It's simple to make 1-2 cups in a quart pot.
My zoji’s bowl is also flaking, only had it for a couple years. Just a little 4mm spot but I’m not taking any chances and got a new bowl. They have a 10% off thing going on
>>21776622strip and season it
>>21776622Here is what I would do...Is the new replacement pot compatible with new machines?? If so, just replace the liner for now.Should you need to replace the machine, yay, you already have a 2nd liner that fits in there, and you have an extra for the dishwasher.If your machine is missing all the fun new features, and ideal size of a new one you covet, ehh, just indulge and upgrade, but you missed the fun black friday sales.
>>21777323>>21777298get the hello kitty one
