Zojirushi rice cooker models compared
More useful comparison information
We have put more information
here about how the 180ml cup size relates to cooked rice and about the sizes of the different rice cooker models.
The LAQ05 is a 3 cup model suitable for 1-3 people;
The TGQ10, ZAQ10 and YSQ10 are 5.5 cup models suitable for 1-5 people; and,
the TGQ18, ZAQ18 and YSQ18 are 10 cup models suitable for 1-10 people.
The LAQ05 is a
very small capacity rice cooker and therefore has slightly less functions than the other models - for instance it has combined menu features for some of the settings (like for mixed rice where you cook vegetables/meat at the same time as the rice). We usually only recommend the LAQ05 to couples who will not ever cook for anyone other than themselves.
As an example, we own a 5.5 cup model and we are only a couple, this gives us the flexibility to cook for other people as well as ourselves. There isn't any problem cooking one or two cups of rice in a bigger capacity rice cooker, in fact, Zojirushi's are the only brand of rice cooker which can do this successfully - one cup of rice comes out as perfectly as when you cook the full capacity of rice.
Although the capacities of these rice cookers almost double between models (i.e. from 3 cup to 5.5 cup to 10cup), the actual physical sizes do not differ that much. The physical footprints of the models are:
LAQ05 - 23cm width - 30cm depth - 19cm height
TGQ10/ZAQ10 - 25.5cm width - 33cm depth - 20.5cm height
YSQ10 - 25.5cm width - 38cm depth - 23.5cm height
TGQ18/ZAQ18 - 28cm width - 35cm depth - 24cm height
YSQ18 - 28cm width - 40.5cm depth - 27cm height
Differences between the TGQ10/18 and ZAQ10/18 models of rice cookers
The main differences between the TGQ10/18 and ZAQ10/18 models of rice cooker is that the ZAQ10/18's have a feature where you can change the texture of cooked white rice to regular, softer or harder. Some customers find this feature useful, but you can control this in the TGQ10/18's (if you really needed to) by adjusting the amount of water you add to the inner bowl before starting the cooking cycle. The other main differences is that the ZAQ10/18 has a feature for semi-brown rice, a reheat function (for when the rice has been kept warm for a while) and has stay cool handles on the inner pan. The other differences are that the ZAQ10/18 is white, the TGQ10/18 is a stainless steel/off-white finish and the TGQ10/18 also has a cake baking function which makes a fantastic cheesecake.
It's always a personal preference whether customers prefer the TGQ10/18's cake baking or the ZAQ10/18's texture feature - we will say though that most people can't tell the difference between harder and regular cooked rice! The TGQ10/18 is the best selling model in the UK/Europe and the ZAQ10/18 is the best selling in Asia. The last difference to mention is that the ZAQ10/18 is made in Japan (hence the higher price due to the strength of the Japanese Yen) and the TGQ10/18 is made in dedicated Zojirushi factories in China to the same quality control standards as the Japanese factories.
What new features do the YSQ10 and YSQ18 models of rice cookers have?
The YSQ10 and YSQ18 models of rice cookers are the latest released by Zojirushi for the UK and Europe. As well as having all the features you have come to expect from the Zojirushi brand like white, mixed, brown, sweet, sushi rice, a timer function and automatic keep warm, there are several new features which only appear on these new models.
New features include short grain rice setting, thicker/thinner congee (porridge) setting, slow cook setting,
premium 'taste' setting (the rice is cooked for longer to release a better flavour, also known as 'Umami') and a
GABA Brown rice setting.
