The Mr. Bento, Rizo Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer, Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker and Vacuum Electric Hybrid Water Boiler and Warmer by Zojirushi.
It's tough living on a rice diet. But for Zojirushi, a Japanese kitchen-gadget maker, grains have been golden. The company specializes in rice cookers that fetch as much as $1,000. Its high-end devices, which look more like computers than pots, have enticed the class of techie epicures who like $10,000 stoves and fridges. With a series of innovations from induction-heating advances to sleek, vacuum-sealed containers designed to serve rice at its most succulent, Zojirushi has cooked up a following that yields $600 million in annual sales.
Founded in 1918, Zojirushi long relied on Japan for the bulk...
