See some of the best commercial electric rice cookers & warmers for cooking rice in large quantities
Commercial rice cookers are great for cooking fluffy rice in large quantities and are a mainstay, not only for mobile caterers and restaurants but also for cooking for large family gatherings.
However, there are a few things to look out for when choosing the best commercial rice cooker. Things like choosing the right size capacity for the number of people you intend to cater for and having an automatic warmer feature where the unit switches to keeping the rice warm once it is cooked.
So to help you along the way I have put together 3 of the best electric commercial rice cookers and warmers.
Buyers Guide
Capacity
One of the first things to look out for when buying a commercial rice cooker is its capacity. It’s a good idea to go for a rice cooker which has a larger capacity than you think you need. That way if the amount you need to cook increases you won’t need to rush out and buy another one.
In this article, I’ve included commercial rice cookers from 6 litres all the way up to 23 litres.
Features
Another thing to look out for when buying a commercial rice cooker is what features it has. A “warmer” function, where the unit switches to keeping the rice warm once it’s cooked is a must really.
Commercial rice cookers with non-stick bowls are also a useful feature to make it easier to clean after a day of cooking rice.
Additional uses
Some commercial rice cookers are designed to be used to steam other types of food, such as fresh fish, meat, and fresh vegetables, as well as other staples like egg noodles.
This can be useful if you intend to cook other types of food as you can add them in with the rice or steam them as a stand-alone dish.
However, I wouldn’t say it is one of the main features to look out for when making a purchase.
Wattage
If you are a mobile caterer then power will often be limited and commercial rice cookers tend to be relatively power-hungry pieces of equipment. The lowest capacity cooker on the list requires 1.95kw of power.
It’s, therefore, a good idea to check the wattage of the unit and factor it into how much power you have available, either from a generator or portable hook-up.
1. Buffalo Electric Rice Cooker
- Capacity: 6-litre dry rice/13-litre cooked rice
- Wattage: 1.95kw
- Brand: Buffalo
- Features: Automatic switch from cooking to warm / Easy clean
Pros
- Best value model
- Automatically switches from cooking to warming
Cons
- Relatively small cooking capacity
If you are on a budget or you intend to make rice in relatively low quantities then I recommend the Buffalo J300 Electric Rice Cooker.
It automatically switches to warming once your rice is done and is easy to clean, which saves time on the washing up. It’s also pretty compact and at the lower end of the commercial rice cooker price budget.
The main drawback with this model is it has a relatively low cooking capacity of 13 litres of cooked rice, which is about 40-45 250ml servings. If you are looking to cook rice in larger quantities I recommend looking at the next two rice cookers below.
You can buy this commercial rice cooker and warmer on Amazon at the latest price
2. Buffalo Electric CK698 Commercial Rice Cooker
- Capacity: 9 litres dry rice / 20 litres cooked rice
- Wattage: 2.85kW
- Brand: Buffalo
- Features: Auto switch from cook to warm / Extra heavy-duty non-stick inner pot
Next up is the Buffalo CK698 Jumbo Rice Cooker. This model is a step up in terms of rice cooking capacity and offers a pretty generous 20 litres of cooked rice, which is equivalent to around 85-90 250ml portions.
Just like the previous commercial rice cooker this model also has an auto switch function from cooking to warming and an extra heavy-duty non-stick inner pot, which is removable making it easier to clean.
The main negative of this model for me is it’s more costly than similar Buffalo models with higher cooking capacity (like the one below) but without any additional features.
The added cost for this unit seems to be for the Heavy-duty non-stick removable inner pot, which does make it easier to clean but doesn’t really justify the additional price in my opinion.
Pros
- Heavy-duty non-stick removable inner pot
- High cooking capacity
Cons
- High power consumption
- More costly without additional features
You can buy this commercial rice cooker and warmer on Amazon at the latest price
3. Buffalo CB944 Rice Cooker
- Capacity: 10 litres dry rice / 23 litres cooked rice
- Wattage: 2.95 kW
- Brand: Buffalo
- Features: Multi-purpose cooking / Auto switch from cook to warm / Extra heavy-duty non-stick inner pot
Last on the list and my personal favourite is the Buffalo CB944 Rice Cooker.
It has a high cooking capacity of 23 litres of cooked rice, which is equivalent to around 92-100 250ml servings, which means this is suitable for medium-large sized events where you will be serving a lot of people.
And aside from the auto-switch feature from cooking to warming (which you should expect as standard), It’s also priced lower, with higher cooking capacity, than the previous Buffalo CK698 Jumbo Rice Cooker.
The only drawback with this rice cooker that I can see is it has a relatively high power consumption of 2.95 kW, which may be an issue for mobile caterers if power is at a premium.
Pros
- High cooking capacity
Cons
- High power consumption
You can buy this commercial rice cooker and warmer on Amazon at the latest price
Related articles:
- How To Cook Food In Large Quantities
- Where Do Food Trucks Prepare Their Food?
- 5 Best Silent Generators for food trucks 2023
- What Equipment Do I Need For A Food Stall?
Key takeaways
If you want to keep the budget low and intend to cook for a relatively small amount of people (under 50 at a time) I recommend the best value Buffalo Electric Commercial Rice Cooker. It has a 13-litre cooking capacity and is under £160 (at the time of writing).
If on the other hand, you want a commercial rice cooker and warmer with a little more capacity I suggest skipping Buffalo CK698 Jumbo Rice Cooker (no.2 on the list) and going straight for the Buffalo CB944 Rice Cooker (no. 3).
Not only does It have a larger cooking capacity of 23 litres (compared to Buffalo CK698 Jumbo Rice Cooker 20 litres) but it’s also cheaper.
It’s worth bearing in mind, however, it is a power-hungry unit at 2.95 kW so this will be a consideration if you are a mobile caterer.
Gavin D is the founder of Street Food Central and Tru Foo Juice Bar Co. and has worked in the mobile catering industry for over 7 years.