How Much Power (Watts) Does a Rice Cooker Use?
Rice cookers are a type of household appliance that originated in Japan and then moved to the Western market. As many housewives know, rice is sometimes difficult to prepare, since it requires careful supervision during cooking so that it does not burn and turn out to be sticky. But these devices use electricity and therefore the question arises how much do they actually consume? In this article, we’ll talk about the power consumption of a rice cooker and what affects it.
Table of Contents
How Much Power (Watts) Does a Rice Cooker Use?
So How Much Power (Watts) Does a Rice Cooker Use? Typically, a standard rice cooker consumes between 400 to 1000 watts of energy in cook mode, and it uses around 30 to 50 watts in the warm mode. Therefore, every time you use the rice cooker it will consume around 0.7 kW and it will cost you $0.043 per use.
A typical rice cooker uses approximately 0.5 kWh of energy per hour, which costs you 0.048 cents per usage. Factors that depend on how much electricity does your rice cooker consumes is due to the size of the rice cooker, the model and how often do you use it. Every rice cooker comes with two working modes; cooking and warm mode. Each mode consumes a different amount of energy.
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There are 2 modes on rice cooker:
- Cooking mode: 500 to 1000 Watts per Cook
- Warm mode: 30 to 50 Watts per Cook
| Model: | Power (Watts) | Cooking Time | Cost per Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dash Mini Rice Cooker | 200 Watts | 35 minutes | $0.014 |
| Cuckoo CR-0655F Rice Cooker | 580 Watts | 30 minutes | $0.037 |
| Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker | 450 Watts | 30 minutes | $0.029 |
| Instant Pot Duo Rice Cooker | 1000 Watts | 25 minutes | $0.058 |
| Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker | 820 Watts | 25 minutes | $0.047 |
A rice cooker usually doesn’t consume a lot of power. Just like any electrical appliance, it uses only a bit of power to run. The rice cooker that I have at home consumes 900 W at peak, while for rice cooking it uses about 700 W which is typical for this device. For my rice cooker to cook rice it takes about 30 minutes, which is around 350 Wh. It costs me $ .045 cents to cook rice in my rice cooker.
If you are interested on How Much Electricity (Power) Does A Toaster Use, read the following article.
Calculate Energy Consumption Of Rice Cooker
To calculate how much energy does a rice cooker consumes, you’ll first need to know how much power (watts) does your rice cooker has. There are different types of models on the market, and they differ in power. There are two ways how you can calculate and get the real power consumption of your rice cooker.
The first way is by using the simple data from the label of the rice cooker and calculating it. The second and better way is to use a measuring device Kill A Watt Meter. Therefore, let us explain each of these methods.
Method 1: Calculating the Power Cost of Rice Cooker
Let’s use an example. We’ll use a Black + Decker Rice Cooker model that consumes 700 watts (0.7 kW) and has a capacity of 1.8 liters (0.47 gallons). To cook a rice with rice cooker it takes between 25 and 35 minutes. We will take an average time of 30 minutes into our calculation.
Note! If you find volts and amps on your label, you can use this simple formula to convert them into watts: Watts (W) = Volts (V) x Amps (A)
Now that we have all the necessary data, we can calculate the power consumption of our rice cooker and how much it will cost us per use. The formula is the following:
- Total = P(W) x T(h) x 0.13 (1kWh)
- Total = 0.7 (kW) x 0.5 (h) x 0.13 = $0.045
To cook rice in a rice cooker will cost us $0.045 cents per use. If we do this every day, it will cost us $1.36 per month or $16.38 per year. We took the average price of electricity of 13 cents per kWh.
Method 2: Measuring The Power Cost of Rice Cooker
Every electrician will tell you that the best and most accurate way you can get the actual power consumption of any electric appliance is by using a measuring device. By using a Kill A Watt Meter, you can measure the power consumption of the rice cooker and any other appliance in your home. You just need to put Kill A Watt meter into an outlet and connect your rice cooker to this device.
All the electricity that goes true the outlet will be measured. These measurement devices are very affordable and can be found on Amazon. My advice is to definitely get one device like this to have on hand.
Rice Cooker Vs Stovetop: Which One Is Cheaper To Use?
You must have wondered which method of making rice is better, faster, and more efficient for cooking rice? Stovetop or rice cooker? Well, the rice cooker is obviously the better solution. For a rice cooker to cook rice it consumes 0.5 units of electricity per hour while the stovetop consumes up to 3 units of electricity per hour.
So, cooking rice in a rice cooker will be more cost-effective than cooking it on a stovetop. Therefore, to save money on your electricity bill, a rice cooker will do the job. Although, if we look for the best solution possible, then buying a multi-cooker is the best way. This cooker can be used for any type of cooking and save electricity.
Does Warm Mode Consume Less Electricity On A Rice Cooker?
Everyone who owns a rice cooker wants to know does a rice cooker in a warm mode consumes less electricity than in the cooking mode? Generally YES, the rice cooker consumes less electricity in warm mode, but it mostly depends on the model of the rice cooker and its specifications. The power consumption in the warm mode of a rice cooker is between 30 to 50 watts depending on the model and size.
Some newer models come with a complex circuit mechanism that has multiple cooking options. These types of rice cookers have a built-in timer and a ‘Sleep mode’ option which allows for the rice cooker to consume less electricity.
The rice cookers that have these options are able to consume less electricity in warm mode than during the cook mode. But most rice cookers have a simple circuit mechanism. These types of rice cookers work on the principle of supplying a constant amount of energy from the time you started using it to the end. By that, the Cook mode and the Warm mode are consuming an equal amount of energy.
Does The Electricity Consumption Of A Rice Cooker Depend On The Amount Of Rice?
Another most common question about a rice cooker is does it consume the same amount of energy regardless of the amount of rice that is being used? The Rice cooker doesn’t consume more electricity depending on the amount of rice but on the time that the device spends to cook the rice. If there is a smaller amount of rice in the rice cooker, a smaller amount of water is needed, and therefore the rice cooker will need much less time to bring the water to a boil.
Therefore, if a rice cooker has a large amount of rice, it will require more water, which will take a longer time to bring to a boil. On the other hand, it will take much less time for a smaller amount of rice to cook, because less water is used that needs to bring down to a boil.
For those who want to make fluffy rice, they will need to dry all the water from a rice cooker, which will take a longer time for the rice cooker to cook it and that will lead to more energy consumption.
What Affect The Power Of Rice Cooker
Today you can find different rice cooker models that range in power from 500 W or 1000 W. But in that power range, which is not negligible, what exactly can affect the power of the rice cooker? Here are the main things:
- Design features
- The number of programs available
- The selected mode (temperature and program)
- Bowl volume
If you choose a rice cooker with a lower power it will consume less energy. But it’s not that simple! Yes, a rice cooker with a higher power, on the one hand, will consume more energy, but it will take him to cook rice in a shorter period of time, and as a result, electricity consumption will be lower unlike rice cooker with lower power, but a longer operating time.
How Much Does Rice Cooker Cost Per Usage?
A typical rice cooker consumes anywhere between 0.4 to 1 kW of energy per usage which means it will cost you 0.048 cents to cook rice. The power consumption mostly depends on the model of the rice cooker and other features that it has.
It should also be noted that the rice cooker has two modes; cooking mode and warm mode. After the cooking mode is done, if you leave your rice inside it will activate the warm mode which will also consume power and can affect your cost per usage. Therefore, the cost per usage for a rice cooker is around 0.048 cents and it will cost you around $1-2 per month to run it.
If you are one of the people who uses a lot of kitchen appliances, then you will surely be interested in How Much Power (kWh) Does a Blender Use.
How To Choose An Energy Efficient Rice Cooker?
A wide range of rice cookers are available on the market today and finding the right model is not always easy. The newer models of rice cookers come with a built-in thermostat, that is able to save energy when a certain temperature is reached, reduces the heating intensity, or turns off. Therefore, when buying it is necessary to pay attention to the following criteria:
- The Power And The Capacity
As with most cooking appliances, wattage is a feature to consider when purchasing a rice cooker. Note that the higher the wattage is, the faster the cooking time. Another essential criterion, the tank capacity generally varies from 0.5 to 5 liters depending on the model. An appliance with a capacity of 0.5 to 0.8 L should be suitable for a single person or a couple while a rice cooker of 1 liter to 3 liters is necessary for a family.
- Easy To Use
A good rice cooker is above all a pleasant device to use. It is therefore important to check certain elements. First, prefer models that have non-slip feet to limit accidents. Try to buy easy-to-use rice cookers that are equipped with a opening button and that have an on-off switch.
- Additional Features
When buying a rice cooker it is important to look for a device that comes with more options. You will also find that there are 2 in 1 and 3 in 1 model that comes with additional accessories, such as the steam basket. These types of rice cookers will allow you to cook carrots, meat, and even fish. Also, the best appliances are usually equipped with an LED display as well as an automatic keep-warm function and a reheat mode.
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Final Thoughts
As we could read in this article, rice cookers are not big consumers of electricity and they will not impact your energy bill. These devices are very convenient and easy to use, and more and more people have them in their households. Therefore, it was important to know what is their power consumption and how they work.
Rice cookers use less than 1% of total electricity in your house, and they would cost you between $30 to $50 annually to run it. If you often prepare rice, then this is the house appliance that you must have. I hope I helped you and that you got the answer you came for.
