All reviews

Jan 3, 2026 6:51 AMI am extremely happy with my Yum Asia Panda Mini Rice cooker (3.5 cup). It is just what I was hoping for--it makes terrific rice, is easy to clean up and is the perfect size for my tiny kitchen. I have already used it to make congee and steam vegetables as well. I am a serious home chef (I used to work as a personal chef for a time) and I researched rice cookers for over 18 months before deciding on my mini panda. I plan to have all kinds of delicious food adventures with it--korean steamed eggs, cajun red beans (and rice), biryani, curry, guisados, soups, etc. I love the keep warm feature and the feature that allows me to preset a cooking time for later in the day so I can come home to a hot meal. When I had a question for the Yum Asia Customer service team they answered my email promptly (so refreshing!) which I greatly appreciate. I anticipate many bowls of perfect rice in my future. I can only think of two improvements that could be made and Yum Asia has already implemented one of them. I plan to buy their newly released stainless steel steamer basket (Yum Asia website only as of 1/3/25) as I prefer not to use plastic in my cooker. (I am currently using a silicone steamer basket that fits, but was not made by Yum Asia.) The other feature that I would love to see implemented into this small, but mighty rice cooker is the tadhig or dosolot rice feature which creates a crispy bottom. A girl can dream, can't she? I would rate the customer service 10/10 and the rice cooker almost perfect, 9.2/10.

I wish I had purchased this sooner!! I was making do with a tiny $15 rice cooker for like 2 years.If you are feeding a family of five, this is WAY too small, but for just me and my son it is perfect. It cooks three cups of rice in about 35 minutes. It's very user friendly and easy to use.The rice is always evenly and well cooked.

We are loving this rice cooker. Wanted one a little smaller and it fit the bill. Been going for months now and working fabulous. Done multiple types of rice and multiple types of beans.

My first rice cooker, and I'm extremely happy with it. It's compact enough for my tiny apartment with little to no counter top space, and it cooks rice extremely well. I use Sekka rice in it, and I had to adjust the water amount a bit because the instructions were confusing on whether to use the cup to measure the amount of water or the lines on the inside pot. I used the lines on the inside pot for the water at first and the rice was too mushy and like rice pudding, so I used the cup it comes with to measure which works out to be less water in the pot, and the rice came out MUCH better, almost perfect.Overall, I'm super impressed, and it works so much better, and is much more convienient than using a stove top pot. I'm sure I'll use this for a very long time. It looks so nice. Overall I'm thrilled. Reason for 4 stars is because of the water amount confusion and having to experiment to get it right. But once you figure that out for whatever rice you are using, it's a 5 star product. Love it.

looks great, works great... I recommend for anyone living in an RV, tow behind trailer, or 5th wheel... it reduces the normal amount of heat put out by cooking rice in a pot on the stove, is compact and super easy to use. Perfect for those of us living the tiny life.

I hope a younger me sees this, because I really needed this sooner.I'm going on to my third year of college now, and I've been using an electric hot pot for the past two years of living in a dorm due to being stuck with bad cafeteria hours and unhealthy options. However, I became frustrated with how annoying it was to wash in a bathroom sink and how much maneuvering it took to avoid submerging the heating element at the bottom of the bulky pot every time I tried to make rice or pasta. It also took up way too much time because I had to keep my eye on it at all times to make sure it wouldn't boil over. This made cooking more than one meal a day pretty difficult.After sifting through tons of options, I went with this one because it is an incredible deal for what it does. After a month of testing it at home, I really recommend it. The 3.5 cup version says it should make enough rice for 1-3 people, and I can confirm this after cooking for my family. Because I will be mainly using it for myself, I have plenty of space to not only make rice, but also steam vegetables, meat, and make other dishes (such as soups, stews, pastas), that may take up more volume. The removable steamer layer makes it easy to adjust the cooking time of side dishes without disturbing the main contents of pot. The fuzzy logic feature has also taken a lot of the unwanted variability out of rice cooking, and has given me perfect rice every time. Of course I have to comment on the fact that you can set your rice cooker to cook up to 24 hours ahead of time (of course, consider how perishable your ingredients are before doing this), and keeps it warm so you can make busy days easier. There is also a quick cook option if you just need to heat things up or make something like eggs; the temperature control is great. And it is incredibly easy to clean because the inner chamber is removable, and it's made so that food residue doesn't typically stick. And finally, it's made of ceramic, so if you are worried abo

Very cute rice cooker, the 3 cup size is just right for my family of 3. We seldom eat more than one cup total. I have cooked basmati rice, calrose, brown basmati and brown nishiki. It all came out good, without burning or overflow, no mushiness or hardness, a good consistency. I chose this cooker for the slow cooker function, which worked well and faster than a crock pot. Also I used the steamer function to saute ingredients before adding rice, no steamer basket. I figured if this function will boil water it is hot enough to saute some onions. Also made chicken curry in 40 minutes with the steam function. Threw in the chicken in the inner pot, no steamer basket. They sweated plenty of liquid, I didn't add water. About 20 minutes later I added the seasonings which I had meanwhile sauteed on the stove. At the end I let it reduce with the lid open. This cooker is really versatile, great for a college dorm or studio with no kitchen. I have a kitchen but I am tired of cooking so with this I can set the timer and go out.Also made a Japanese cheesecake, coconut flour blueberry cake and chocolate flour less cake that came out great albeit small but that is fine for me. Accommodates a 2 egg recipe. I buttered the pan, the cakes came out easily.About rice, soak rice 1/2 hour for best results in any cooking method. I also made rice with gandules. I made sure rice and water were measured to the right line before adding other ingredients. Remember for some meats and veg they will exude additional water so cook them first to know how much water is going in thereOne thing I don't know, is the rest period after cooking rice included in the time or not? I also wish a stainless steel option were available, even at additional cost. The company could make extra cash selling stainless steel inserts. I don't know what ceramic coating is made of after all. But I am enjoying this cooker and I think it is well designed to appeal to both easterner and western cooks.Though, I did notice the d

This cooks rice perfectly with very little effort. It takes all the guess work out of it. I tried several rice cookers but this one is the best. You get fluffy delicious rice at a reasonable price. It work like a charm every time. Make sure you get your measurements right. Use the cup that comes with it. Easy cleaning and looks good on the countertop.