The Xiaomi smart multifunctional rice cooker is quite the name but is self explanatory. It is a smart WiFi connected appliance that offers high-power precision cooking.
It pairs with the Mi Home app for both Android and iOS, which, like the Xiaomi Smart Air Fryer 6.5L I just reviewed, would appeal to anyone who is on the Mi ecosystem. You can manage all smart appliances from one interface.
Xiaomi Smart Rice Cooker Quick Look
- The Rice Cooker offers 8 functions
- 1L capacity of rice with 3L of water
- Uses 595-710W of power
- Dimensions of 325x244x202mm
- Requires Android 8.0 or iOS 12.0 and above
What’s inside the box
The Xiaomi smart rice cooker comes with two power cables (3 pin and 2 pin), a rice paddle, a ladle, a steamer basket, and a measuring cup. I like the inclusion of the two cables, the 3 pin is ideal so you don’t need an adapter.
I find the measuring cup way too small, I use my own 250ml cup size. The paddle is nice to fluff up the rice when it’s done cooking. I’ve not used the steamer basket yet.
The rice cooker does take a fair amount of space on your counter and you may need to pack it away if not in use or something to be aware of if you have limited space, assuming you already own an air fryer or pressure cooker.
It is white and has a minimalistic design, which looks neat on a countertop.
It was easy enough to setup on the Mi Home app. You need to switch it on and get it to pairing mode. All the instructions are given on the app. The app will be the main interface but you don’t need it to actually use. You can press the buttons on the cooker to get going.
Getting started
I did read some reviews of this product and found that it was very highly rated. At the time when I looked, it was rated 4.9 stars on Takealot and it is still is at the time of publishing.
My experience at first was that it was not obvious what the ratios were but after googling, I saw it was on 1:1 – easy. I used my own measuring cup to cook different types of rice.
There are some markings on the inside pot but I don’t use them. I have strictly been using my own measuring cup, which I think would be best because I also couldn’t understand the markings on the pot and small cup provided. The main pot provided is where you cook the rice.
The settings for the rice cooker are on it, and as mentioned, you can use it without the app. It has buttons for a timer, start, cancel and select. Using select, you can rotate between rice, brown rice, congee, soup, steam, reheat and keep warm. I don’t use keep warm because I find it wasteful of electricity.
I’ve not had the opportunity to test the soup function because of the current weather and I don’t really know what congee is until I got the product to test. It’s an Asian porridge, as per google.
Cooking rice
I tested normal white rice, basmati rice and brown rice. Now, here is what I found surprising – it takes minimum one hour to cook rice. So the white rice, and basmati rice cooked in an hour. You can do either one cup rice with one cup water or two cups of each and start cooking.
It takes a whole hour. I was so baffled by why it takes so long. I understand it says “high power precision cooking” so I get it that it’s all controlled. Which means consistent results. And likely why it is so highly rated.
Brown rice takes even longer, I cooked one cup and it took 1 hour and 45 minutes. I kid you not. For me as a person who uses an airfryer and pressure cooker to cook quickly, this was way too long for my style of cooking. I cook fresh at the end of the day before eating. I don’t cook in advance.
I think the results were good, the rice felt very cooked, even though I once chose a soft result on the app. When it is done, I open the lid immediately to fluff it about. The first time I made rice, I opened it about two minutes later and felt the rice was getting stuck to the bottom.
It also supports a 24 hour delayed timer, which I guess is great if you’re not going to be home in time to start cooking. And that it would appeal to anyone who does struggle to make rice. If you want those consistent results.
Final thoughts
Like with the Xiaomi Air Fryer, it makes sense to stick to one ecosystem if you already have other Mi Home app linked on the app. You can control everything from one interface.
With the rice cooker, you don’t necessarily need to use with the app unless you want to customise the settings, like use the delayed start feature, or keep warm.
I think it’s a great tool for those who genuinely don’t know how to make rice and struggle with consistent results, which this will fix, or those who do meal prep and cook in bulk to freeze. But for those like me who make rice using my pressure cooker or the gas stove, it does not do it better based on time alone, provided you know how to cook rice.
I can cook rice in my pressure cooker in about 10 minutes, versus an hour in the Xiaomi rice cooker, which is a lot of time for me, not to mention efficiency and electricity. I cooked a meal on the pressure cooker and it took longer for the rice to cook than my curry.
The Xiaomi multifunctional rice cooker costs R1 399. At the time of publishing on Friday, 15 November, it is listed on sale at Yuppiechef for R999.
7.5 Score
Pros
- Cooks rice evenly and consistently
- Features delayed start and keep warm
- Ties into Mi Home ecosystem
Cons
- Minimum one hour cooking time
- Uses more electricity than other methods
Final Verdict
The Xiaomi Rice Cooker ties into the Mi Home ecosystem and is aimed at those who don't know how to cook rice who want consistent results, those who meal prep and cook in bulk to freeze or want to leverage the delayed start time. It takes a minimum of one hour to cook rice and 1 hour 45 minutes to cook brown rice, which may be off-putting.