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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1364 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: White
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: SR-DE103
• Platform: Windows
• Format: CD-ROM
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 8.25" h x 13.00" w x 10.00" l, .0 pounds

Features

• Micro-computer "Fuzzy Logic" controlled adjusts power depending on how much rice is being cooked for precise cooking and more consistent results
• Black pan with white anodizing for better tasting rice
• 12-Hour keep warm, 24-hour clock, large orange LCD read-out
• Menu includes white/brown/sticky rice, porridges, steam, slow cook, 15-minute cook and cake
• Measures 13-1/8-inch (L) by 9-7/8-inch (W) by 8-1/4-inch (H), 7.3-pound, White Chrome finish

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

121 of 126 people found the following review helpful.
Fuzzy logic Panasonic rice cooker vs. old school Aroma rice cooker
By B. Willis
My original review can be found below beginning with "The bad news is...". However, after writing the review I did a head-to-head comparison with my old school, non-fuzzy logic Aroma ARC-820SW rice cooker (see customer photo). I began cooking at the exact same time with the exact same quantities of Calrose rice (2 cups) and water. I wanted to see if the fuzzy logic machines cooked any better than the old school rice cookers that most of us have used.

The rice was finished cooking in the Aroma cooker probably 15 minutes before the Panasonic finished cooking. You could hear the Panasonic's fuzzy logic constantly cycling the heat on and off during the cooking cycle.

The differences between the two were dramatic. The rice cooked in the Aroma was somewhat dry, very unevenly cooked and somewhat burnt and crispy on the bottom. It was still edible and even enjoyable in a way, but crispy on the bottom nonetheless. The rice cooked in the Panasonic was m oist, plump, fluffy and uniformly cooked throughout. I had thought that the differences would probably be subtle. That was not the case. The Panasonic fuzzy logic rice cooker did a much better job than the Aroma without any question. The differences were substantial. Now on to the original review...

The bad news is that the operating instructions manual isn't super clear if you are an English speaker. There's an awful lot of Japanese text and other languages jumbled about and you really have to pick through the mess to find the English and even when you find it, it's mixed in with other languages. Confusing and unclear.

I was also somewhat confused by some of the listed water levels. While white rice cooking instructions were quite clear (ex: fill to the #1 water level for 1 cup of rice), things like sticky rice are a bit, well, stickier. For example, it lists the water level for one cup of sticky rice at 180ml. What is 180ml? Certainly that' s not marked on the water scale and I can barely understand ounces! Then, it shows the water level for 2 cups of sticky rice at water level 1 and then in parenthesis (+90ml). What does that mean? Anyway, it's somewhat confusing.

Now the good news. This is an outstanding rice cooker that is generally very easy to use, confusing instructions or not. When I opened the box, I was surprised to see that the time was already set, albeit 2 hours ahead of my west coast time. Apparently, a lithium battery keeps track of the time for about 5 years. That's a nice feature.

But we're most interested in how the thing cooks rice. The answer is, quite nicely. My rice came out absolutely perfect. Not too moist and not too dry. Each grain was absolutely perfect and uniform. Nothing was burnt and no part of the rice was overcooked or undercooked. It also seemed to be more flavorful than what I was previously used to.

The settings are easy to understa nd, especially if you don't read the manual. You can choose between brown rice, white rice or sticky rice. Just set what you want on the LCD display and press start. Once cooking is complete, a gentle and somewhat soft alarm sounds a few times and the unit goes into the keep warm mode.

There are also modes for porridge, cake (yes cake), steam, quick cook, and slow cook. You can also set the timer to cook for a specific time. You can cook quickly or very slowly over a period of multiple hours.

Inside of the confusing owner's manual are a few recipes with funky and/or somewhat alien ingredients, as least to my American tastes. For example, there is a recipe for spaghetti made with ketchup and another for chicken soup made with sliced green gourd and pickled lemon juice. If you don't care for either of those recipes, you could try cooking the cereal porridge made with boiled Job's tears and boiled Lotus seed. Good luck finding those ingredients.

But the cool thing is that you can actually make things like soup, curry, porridge, spaghetti and cake in this rice cooker. Clearly, it offers a lot of versatility.

You might wonder what's up with its fuzzy logic programming. I too wondered about this and I discovered that most cookers of this type are either on or off. This machine can understand terms like "almost" or "close" and make continual adjustments to make sure that the product comes out just right.

Out of the box, no assembly is required. Just plug the cord into the side of the unit and you're good to go. The only other supplied accessories are a textured rice spoon thingy (I'm sure there's a Japanese name for it), a rice measuring cup and a steamer insert just in case you prefer your Job's tears or green pickled gourd steamed instead of boiled.

But it's a great rice cooker for sure. Panasonic makes fantastic products. I can't tell you how many of their electronic i tems I've owned over the years. This machine is no exception and the quality of the cooker is quite evident. Makes my simple "on and off" rice cooker look like it's from the stone age. The price is very reasonable as well. You can certainly compare it quite favorably to much more expensive rice cookers.

I wouldn't think to rate it less than 5 stars. If you're looking for a very high-quality rice cooker that can also do much more at a reasonable price, this is an excellent option for you.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful.
Best Rice Cooker!
By Steph
Out of the four rice cookers I've owned (Wolf Gang Puck, an "cheap" model of Zojirushi and two Aromas) this has to be my favorite. I've used it at least a dozen times now to cook rice and every time each grain comes out perfect. The taste of the rice compared to a non fuzzy-logic rice cooker is something you would have to try for yourself to believe. There is absolutely no comparison. I mostly cook sticky rice, as I just generally enjoy the texture of it, and it has come out perfect every time. With the Wolf Gang Puck and Aroma cookers, there would always be random hard grains and a dark brown crust stuck to the bottom of the pan. That does not happen with his cooker.

I know the cake function seems a bit silly, but it's not! I just tried it for the first time, baking a cake from a Vitamuffin mix and the thing cooked to absolute perfection. I baked it for 40 minutes on the cake setting. After about ten minutes of cooling, I fliped the cake upside down on a plate to release it and it came right out - with no residue. So, not only is this an excellent rice cooker, but it bakes great cakes. I'm so amazed, in fact, I'm going to bake my brother-in-law a layer cake in this thing. Just divide the cake batter in two batches and bake the layers separately.

Sure, I could pull out my two Wilton pans and save cooking time, but you know what? I've never had a cake come out of a pan this clean and perfect, so I'd much rather use this cooker. Not only that, but its also convenient! No pre-heating or timing required on my part as the cooker just shuts off when it's finished!

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful.
Its A Keeper
By JDP
I didn't really have it in mind to retire our old banged up rice cooker. After all it still worked to some degree. However, when given the opportunity to take the Panasonic Microcomputer SR-DE103 Fuzzy Logic model for a test drive, things changed. After a little over three weeks use these are my thoughts.

Out of the box, this white finished model comes with a steaming basket, measuring cup, rice scoop, instructions, recipes and warranty. After going over the instructions I was ready to begin. Right off the bat, I knew this was no ordinary rice cooker. The programmable menu options allows for making not only rice, but soups, cakes, oatmeal and etc;. The Advanced Fuzzy Logic Technology is not rocket science by any means. Pure and simple it refers to the automatic adjustment of power and cooking time. It easily cooks up to 10 cups of rice.

Some of the features that makes this a keeper besides the programmable menu are the carrying handle, the push butto n lid release, and the easy on the eyes LCD Control Panel. I like the Dual Cooking and Warming Indicators. The unit automatically switches to the Keep Warm Mode after cooking is complete. I like that this cooker will automatically turn off after cycling through the 12 hour warm mode. The timer works like a charm. I can preset it up to 24 hours.

Someone in the lab was really thinking when they designed this unit. The domed lid design helps prevent water droplets from falling on to the cooked product. Cleanup is a breeze. The power cord is detachable. The pan is aluminum and coated with a black non stick surface. Power wise, cooking rings up about 750 watts. In warm mode, its 52 watts of juice. So far we've made dumplings, soups, vegetables and cakes with great success. It works great at steaming fresh vegetables. Surprisingly the devils food cake that we cooked came out extremely moist.

Overall I found that my older unit did cook rice faster then this Pa nasonic model. However, my older cooker also required constant monitoring because it usually overcooked and burned food. Time wise, the Panasonic SR-DE103 Fuzzy Logic model is slower then my older unit. I can live with that because the Panasonic model delivers on perfectly cooked food each and every time. Without a doubt, it works as advertised. Its a keeper.