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Buffalo Classic stainless steel and white electric rice cooker, front view

Buffalo Classic Rice Cooker

Recommended

One of the rare electric cookers with both an uncoated clad-stainless inner pot AND a stainless steel inner lid, so neither the rice nor the condensing steam touches plastic or coating.

The verdict: No-contact plastic

The differentiator: not only is the inner pot uncoated multi-layer clad stainless (no PTFE, no ceramic coating), but the detachable inner lid that steam condenses on and drips back from is stainless steel too - the part that is plastic on nearly every other electric cooker. Plastic is limited to the outer housing, control panel, and handles, none of which touch the rice or the steam path. No visible silicone gasket in the food path.

Verification: Community reported

What it's made of

PartMaterialFood contact
inner pot
patented multi-layer clad stainless, no chemical coating; grade unspecified by Buffalo
Stainless Steel
grade unspecified
Yes primary 🔥
inner lid / lid liner
detachable stainless inner lid; steam condenses and drips back off steel, not plastic; grade unspecified
Stainless Steel
grade unspecified
Yes primary 🔥
steam vent
movable stainless steam vent, detachable for cleaning; grade unspecified
Stainless Steel
grade unspecified
Yes incidental 🔥
outer housing / lid shell
exterior body and lid shell; does not contact food or the steam path
Plastic
other / unspecified
No
control panel / handles Plastic
other / unspecified
No

A Taiwanese electric rice cooker with a direct-heat design and auto keep-warm, built around Buffalo's patented multi-layer clad stainless inner pot and a detachable stainless inner lid and steam vent (both lift out for cleaning). It cooks rice and can boil and steam, with simple mechanical controls rather than fuzzy-logic programs. Because the pot is bare steel, rice can stick without a little fat and the right water ratio, and the uncoated surface takes more scrubbing than nonstick.

Pros

  • Uncoated clad-stainless inner pot - no PTFE or ceramic coating
  • Stainless steel inner lid, so condensing steam never touches plastic
  • Detachable stainless steam vent, easy to clean
  • Built to last 10+ years; 3-year inner-pot warranty

Cons

  • Rice sticks more than nonstick; needs correct water ratio / a little oil
  • Basic controls - no fuzzy-logic or induction programs
  • Heavier and pricier than a budget cooker
  • Uncoated steel takes more scrubbing

Categories: Rice Cookers

Sources

Every material claim above is backed by these. This is the scattered info we centralized.

Independent reviews

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