How long can I keep Hotaru on ‘keep warm’?

Hotaru has a unique 24-hour Keep Warm cycle, allowing you to cook a larger batch of rice and keep it ready to serve for longer. This is particularly useful for busy households where everyone may not be eating at the same time, or where you want to prepare rice in advance.

Once the rice has finished cooking, Hotaru's Keep Warm function automatically maintains the rice at a suitable serving temperature, so it is ready whenever you need it. This means you can cook your rice earlier in the day and return to it later without having to immediately transfer it to another container or reheat it.

Know how long your rice has been kept warm

Hotaru also features a convenient count-up timer on the display. This shows you how long the rice has been on Keep Warm, so you can easily see how long it has been stored in the cooker.

Rice can become drier over time

Although Hotaru is designed to keep rice warm for up to 24 hours, you may notice that the rice becomes progressively drier after around 8 hours.

This is a natural consequence of keeping cooked rice at a safe temperature. Over time, moisture gradually evaporates from the rice, particularly from the surface and the rice around the edges of the bowl. The longer rice remains on Keep Warm, the more noticeable this effect can become.

If you need to keep the rice warm for an extended period, you can help maintain its texture by occasionally adding a small amount of water and gently stirring the rice through. Only add a little at a time—you do not want to make the rice excessively wet.

For the best texture and flavour, however, rice is always at its best when freshly cooked, so the Keep Warm function is intended primarily as a convenient way of holding cooked rice when you are not ready to serve it immediately.

Hotaru's 24-hour Keep Warm capability gives you the flexibility to cook once and serve throughout the day, while the built-in timer lets you keep track of exactly how long your rice has been kept warm.