How does Panda compare to other rice cooker brands?
Panda wasn't created simply to be another mini rice cooker. We spent years developing a compact rice cooker specifically for people who love Asian food and, above all, want exceptionally good-tasting rice.
Our starting point was simple: the rice had to be excellent.
But we also wanted Panda to offer the level of design, reliability, build quality and attention to detail that customers would normally associate with premium rice cooker brands such as Zojirushi.
Designed From the Ground Up
We wanted Panda to be more than just a smaller version of a conventional rice cooker.
Every aspect of Panda was considered carefully, from the display panel and moulded components to the inner bowl, packaging and user manual. We paid meticulous attention to the details that can make the difference between an ordinary appliance and a genuinely premium product.
Our goal was to create a rice cooker that offered:
Exceptional rice cooking performance
Advanced cooking technology
Premium materials and components
Excellent build quality
Strong long-term reliability
A distinctive and appealing design
Useful multi-cooking functions
Excellent value for money
In short, we wanted Panda to deliver premium rice cooker performance without the premium-brand price tag.
Choosing the Right Manufacturing Partner
Selecting the right manufacturing partner was an important part of the development process.
The factory we selected to manufacture Panda also produces rice cookers for highly regarded brands including Cuckoo, Cuchen and Tiger.
This gave us confidence that Panda would be manufactured in a facility with significant experience in producing sophisticated rice cooking appliances and the quality standards expected of established brands.
However, simply choosing an experienced factory wasn't enough. We specified the design, materials, components, functions and performance requirements for Panda, and then extensively tested the finished product ourselves.
We Put Panda to the Taste Test
We didn't just rely on specifications and laboratory testing to determine whether Panda was good enough.
We extensively tested Panda's cooking performance, including conducting blind taste tests with the Yum Asia team.
The results were extremely encouraging.
When compared with rice cooked in a Zojirushi rice cooker, our team consistently found Panda's rice to be every bit as good – and, in our opinion, potentially even better.
Obviously, taste is subjective, and everyone has their own preferred rice texture and flavour. But for us, this was an important milestone: Panda had achieved the fundamental objective we set when we began developing it – to make outstanding rice.
More Than Just a Rice Cooker
We also wanted Panda to offer functionality that you wouldn't normally expect from a compact or mini rice cooker.
That's why, alongside its dedicated rice programmes, we included additional cooking capabilities such as:
Steaming
Slow cooking
Porridge
Cake baking
Other versatile cooking functions
These features transform Panda from a simple rice cooker into a compact multi-function cooking appliance.
You can use it for everyday rice, but also for preparing complete meals and other dishes when you want a convenient alternative to using multiple kitchen appliances.
Health and Safety Were a Priority
Throughout Panda's development, safety, materials and durability were fundamental considerations.
Panda features our hard-wearing Ninja ceramic-coated inner bowl, providing a durable cooking surface designed for excellent non-stick performance.
We also chose a stainless steel inner lid rather than aluminium, providing a robust and durable component that is easy to remove and clean.
The cooker also uses durable thermo-polymer materials selected for their suitability for use in a high-temperature kitchen appliance.
We didn't want to compromise on the materials simply because Panda is a smaller and more affordable rice cooker.
Premium Doesn't Have to Mean Expensive
The philosophy behind Panda was to take the things we value most from premium rice cookers – excellent rice, intelligent cooking technology, thoughtful design, reliability and quality materials – and put them into a compact, accessible appliance.
We believe Panda demonstrates that a mini rice cooker doesn't have to mean mini performance.
From the cooking technology and ceramic Ninja bowl to the carefully considered materials, manufacturing partner and extensive testing, Panda was developed with one objective in mind:
To create a small rice cooker that could compete with the performance of much larger and more expensive leading-brand rice cookers.
Panda may be compact, but nothing about its design or ambitions is small.