In Depth Comparison of Zojirushi vs Tiger Rice Cooker

For the lovers of Asian or Sushi rice, two brands of rice cookers which attract your attraction the most are Zojirushi and Tiger brand. If you are weighing between these two options, and making a decision has been a hassle, then you need not to worry about it anymore because this article explores all the essential things that you need to know.

It begins with an overview of the histories, and who is behind these two leading brands of rice cookers. It also compares the two cookers in terms of capacity, dimensions, technology, functions, and setting for cooking.

Furthermore, it gives you an in-depth analysis of their various features and finally, ends with the verdicts. Without further ado, let’s explore Zojirushi vs Tiger rice cookers:

What Do You Know About Zojirushi and Tiger

We believe that you are all know that Zojirushi and Tiger are good rice cookers but if you bother to ask them about them, and who’s behind these brands, the chances are that they won’t have any information related to this.

Knowing their history not only helps in making a choice but also gives you reasons why these brands are leading in the market. Also, knowing who is behind these brands will help you in making comparisons between the two, and even with other brands not explored here.

Who Owns Zojirushi Corporation?

Founded in 1918, Zojirushi Corporation has evolved to its current status. At its early stage of operation, it was known as Ichikawa BrothersTrading Company, and it operated for a couple of decades.

It was then branded as Kyowa Manufacturing Company Limited in 1961 and later to its current name, Zojirushi Corporation. Overall the years it has been in existence, the company has not only widened its range of products but has also opened stores in other countries other than Japan where it started.

At the moment, Zojirushi Corporation is a manufacturer and marketer of rice cookers, electric kettles, bread machines, beverage dispensers, vacuum flasks, electric water boilers, and hot water dispensers. Although it is headquartered in Japan, it also enjoys a presence in other countries including the United States, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Its consistency in manufacturing top-quality products has made it renowned Japanese Company. Specifically, the attractive and innovative technology employed in the manufacture of Zojirushi rice cooker has earned its reputation among all other manufacturers of rice cookers.

Who Owns Tiger Corporation?

Tiger Majic-jar Corporation has been operating for many decades too just like Zojirushi Corporation. It was initially known as Kikuchi Manufacturing Company when it was founded in 1923, but it has to go through rebranding cycles to its current name.

The changes that have happened over the years have seen the company diversified to the manufacture of a wide range of products. It has also managed to open subsidiaries in other countries. At the moment, it operates in the U.S., Taiwan, Vietnam, Shangai and also in Hong Kong.

Rice cookers, electric water boilers, electronic water dispensers, and kettles are some of the consumer electronics that Tiger Corporation sells in Japan and other countries where it has subsidiaries. Its ability to move to the top and remain a reputable company in the manufacture of rice cookers is attributable to its consistent delivery of quality products.

Features Comparison Zojirushi vs Tiger

As already hinted, Tiger and Zojirushi are among the leading brands that most consumers prefer when looking for rice cookers. These models are popular for a couple of reasons one of them being the fact that they have multiple settings that allow users to cook many types of rice they love. You can, for instance, use any of these two brands of rice cookers to cook, steam fish, bake bread, soups, stew and, of course, the various types of rice.

So which among these two types of rice cookers will you buy? Well, you need to consider a couple of features. Here are the most important ones to check when weighing between Tiger and Zojirushi:

Versatility

If you are not in low carb diet program and follow these recipes, then this rice cooker will be a good deal for you. A versatile one allows you to use it for many functions other than just cooking rice. It is, therefore, vital to check whether the cooker you are considering buying has this essential feature. You, of course, won’t be cooking sushi rice only.

There might come a time when you also want to prepare brown rice. So will you buy many rice cookers when you can buy one that can do all the types of cooking you want? Now you know. Get something that has multiple functions.

Zojirushi rice cooker models are versatile, and you can use them for many functions other than using them to cook your favourite rice dish. For instance, if you love fish, you can use the cooker to steam fish as well since it doubles up as a steamer. You can, therefore, use it to steam a couple of other foods.

For an addition, some models of Zojirushi have baking feature as already hinted before, and you can thus bake as you cook your rice.

Like Zojirushi, Tiger rice cookers also have multiple functions other than being known as used to cook rice. In fact, the latest models have slow cooker settings that allow you users to prepare stews and soups. You can also these days acquire one that has baking function unlike in the past when they could only be used as rice cookers.

Key Point: Both Tiger and Zojirushi rice cookers have features and functions that allow you to cook various types of rice and other foods. It is, therefore, good to have as look at the features keenly before choosing any of these brands.

Type of Rice that Can Be Made

While both Tiger and Zojirushi are rice cookers, there is a slight difference in the types of rice that you can cook with each of these brands. Any potential buyer should note this and be keen when making their purchase decision. Don’t end up buying a product only to realize that it cannot cook your favorite dish bearing in mind that there are different types of rice.

Tiger has a couple of innovative features that provide a wide range of cooking options such as cooking of jasmine rice, white rice, and brown rice. If these are your favorite types of rice, then Tiger is the rice cooker that you need to consider. It also cooks other types of cook such as curry, stew, chili , soups and your favorite seasonal recipes.

Zojirushi comes with cooking functions that allow you to cook many varieties of rice or types. These types include sushi, white rice, brown rice, mixed and jasmine. You are not limited to any specific type if you finally settle on Zojirushi as the type of rice cooker that you want for your kitchen.

Key Point: Both Tiger and Zojirushi are almost the same when it comes to the types of rice that you can cook using them. If you, however, want something that will also bake or cook other types of food, Then Tiger can be the rice cooker you need. But with rice, you can pick on any of them, and you will cook different types of rice.

Technology

When it comes to cooking technology, Zojirushi is a bit better than Tiger. It recently added new technology to its line. According to the company, their newly released Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer can control cooking temperatures.

For instance, it can raise the temperatures depending on the nature of rice/food being cooked to levels that will make it softer. It is, therefore, great to use Zojirushi if you would like to prepare food at the right temperatures and not the guesswork that many people do when they use other brands of rice cookers.

Tiger, on the other hand, is not yet at the level of Zojirushi but it, however, uses the fuzzy technology and has majored on it. The fuzzy technology allows the cooker to automatically sense temperatures and adjust it to the best levels that will result in better quality of food. It, therefore, remains a good rice cooker worth considering.

One thing you must note is that not all Tiger brands make use of this technology and those that use it are a little bit more expensive than the others.

Zojirushi beats Tiger when they are compared in terms of their cooking technologies. So if this is the most important parameter to you, then you now know which one to go for when making your purchase decision.

Where It’s Made

When it comes to the manufacture of any product, most consumers often check where it’s made. For rice cookers too the same situation applies. However, it is a bit difficult to say which between these two brands of rice cookers wins depending on where it originates. It is just a matter of personal preference.

Tiger is made in Japan while Zojirushi is also made in China. That means if you love Japanese rice cookers go for any between Tiger. For China, it is a Zojirushi rice cooker. No brand beats the other based on where they are made

Menu Setting

Tiger has eleven cooking settings while Zojirushi has three. That means if you love trying out different menus, you may need to go for Tiger. If you, however, want a rice cooker that has between one and three menu settings, then Zojirushi will be the best bet for you.

Zojirushi’s menu settings are specifically for cooking soft rice or regular rice as most people would call it and hard rice or sushi. You can comfortably cook these two and keep them warm using the auto-keep warm feature. 

Tiger’s eleven settings include jasmine, slow cooking, plain, ultra, oatmeal, porridge, brown, mixed and bread making among others. It, indeed, gives a wide range of things to do with cooker and it is best if you are looking for a multiple use rice cooker.

Take-Home Point: Tiger is better than Zojirushi when compared in terms of their menu settings. If this feature is all you are looking at, then Tiger might be the rice cooker you have been looking for in the market.

Performance

Both Tiger and Zojirushi rice cookers perform nicely when compared in terms of food quality. It is, however, recommendable that buyers go an extra mile to check the overall performance from a wide perspective. For instance, you can check the durability and ease of use as ways of determining the performance of these cookers.

They are both top-notch rice cookers; hence when compared in terms of performance they somehow fall in the same level. Each of them does well when it comes to how they function. There are no significant complaints by customers against any of these two leading rice cookers. You can, therefore, choose any of them and rest assured of excellent performance once you start using them to cook your favorite foods.

Warranty and Repair

They both give buyers a guarantee of 1 year. That means the length of time you will enjoy free repairs or replacement are the same for these two rice cookers.

However, a closer look at the terms and conditions that each brand has reveals that there is a difference worth knowing for buyers. Also, it is imperative for buyers to note that what is vital is not the period but what one is required to do to enjoy the warranty. When we get this deeper and compare the two, Zojirushi offer better warranty than Tiger.

With Zojirushi, you do not need to register your cooker after purchase to enjoy the warranty. Moreover, the warranty covers all defects in workmanship and materials that may be there in the product you buy.

For Tiger, its case is a little bit different. You need to register the product after purchasing it if you want to enjoy the 1 year warranty period that is provided. Also, the warranty covers the repair of electrical components only.

Bottom Line: Zojirushi’s terms and conditions give it a winning edge when compared with Tiger’s terms and conditions regarding their one year warranty. If you do not want to register, Zojirushi is the best option.

The Verdicts

As illustrated above, you can’t go wrong when choosing between Tiger and Zojirushi rice cooker. These two top-notch rice cookers seem to have a meeting point. There are, however, notable differences as shown that can help you give more weight to each of them depending on what you need.

If you take the time to understand each of them especially the features, you will no doubt get the best. Never let price difference alone be the only parameter to use in making your decision. There is a lot to consider other than just looking at their prices. Use their cooking features and functions plus the other parameters discussed in this article.