CUCKOO CRP-RT0609FB Review: a twin-pressure rice cooker for people who actually eat rice every day

I’ve been using this CUCKOO Twin Pressure 6-cup rice cooker (model CRP-RT0609FB) as my main rice cooker for a while now. I eat rice basically every day, so I wasn’t looking for a cute gadget, I wanted something I could just rely on and not think about. I replaced a cheap basic rice cooker that cost under $40, so yeah, this felt like an upgrade in both price and features right away.

First impression: this thing is clearly made for people who cook a lot of short/medium grain rice, especially Korean-style. The pressure cooking is strong, and the rice comes out plump and a bit firmer than Japanese-style cookers. If you’re used to really fluffy long grain rice from a simple cooker or a pot on the stove, this will feel pretty different at first. Personally, I like that texture, so it worked for me.

The twin pressure system sounded like a gimmick when I read the description, but in practice it actually matters. High pressure for regular white rice, mixed rice, or when I want that slightly chewy bite; non-pressure for stuff like steaming vegetables, reheating, and lighter rice textures. It doesn’t magically cook everything perfectly, but once you understand the modes, it’s pretty solid.

It’s not perfect though. It’s bulky, the voice guidance is borderline annoying until you mute it, and the controls have that typical Korean appliance learning curve. But if you’re okay pressing a few buttons and reading the manual once, you get a cooker that just gets the job done every day without much drama. That’s basically how I’d sum it up: a serious rice cooker for people who actually use it, not just for show.

Price-wise, this CUCKOO sits well above the basic $30–$50 rice cookers, and usually below or around some of the higher-end Japanese brands. So the real question is: does it justify that extra money? If you cook rice once a week, probably not. A cheap cooker will do the job and you can live with the occasional uneven batch. But if rice is on your table daily, the consistency and convenience here start to feel like decent value.

What you’re paying for is mainly: pressure cooking, good inner pot, stable keep-warm, and multiple tuned presets. Compared to my old cheap cooker, I get better texture, less guessing, and zero boil-over mess. I also don’t have to scrape burnt rice off the bottom anymore, which is nice. Add in the auto clean and removable lid parts, and maintenance is easier too. That combination, for me, justifies the price more than the flashy stuff like the voice guide.

If you compare it to something like a Zojirushi non-pressure fuzzy cooker, the CUCKOO tends to give firmer, more Korean-style rice and cooks a bit faster under pressure. If you strongly prefer softer Japanese-style rice, you might feel your money is better spent on a Japanese model instead. This CUCKOO is clearly tuned for a certain style and audience. It’s not bad for long-grain, but it’s not where it really shines.

Overall, I’d call the value good but not mind-blowing. It’s a solid buy for people who eat a lot of short/medium grain rice and want that firmer, plump texture with reliable results. If you’re just curious about pressure rice cookers or don’t cook rice often, it might feel like you overpaid for features you barely use.

Design-wise, this is not a compact, cute little rice cooker. It’s a chunky black unit that looks like a Korean countertop appliance, which is exactly what it is. Dimensions are about 10.4"D x 14"W x 10.6"H, and you feel that width on a small counter. If you’re used to Japanese brands like Zojirushi, this CUCKOO looks bulkier for the same capacity. The reason is the insulation and pressure system, but bottom line: you need a dedicated spot for it; it’s not something you’ll keep moving in and out of a cabinet every day.

The control panel is on the top with touch-style buttons and an LED display. The problem: the text is quite light and not super high contrast. Under dim lighting, you basically have to lean in to see what you’re pressing until you memorize the layout. The voice guidance does help at the start, but it also talks more than needed. Luckily, you can turn the voice off or lower the volume, which I did after a few days because it got on my nerves.

The lid opens with a button and pops up smoothly. Inside, the lid is stainless steel with removable parts for cleaning, and the steam vent is integrated, so you don’t have loose pieces sticking out. The carrying handle on top is handy if you need to shift it around the counter, but again, it’s not exactly light at around 13 pounds. It feels solid though, nothing flimsy or rattling. The whole thing gives more of a "serious appliance" vibe than a gadget.

In daily use, the design is functional: easy lid button, clear click when it locks, good grip on the inner pot handles, and the overall build feels sturdy. On the downside, it does take up visual and physical space, and the interface could be more readable. If you’re okay with something that looks like a proper pressure cooker and not decor, the design is fine. If you’re picky about minimal aesthetics, this might annoy you a bit.

The main part that matters to me in a rice cooker is the inner pot, and here CUCKOO did a good job. The pot has this X-wall diamond nonstick coating, and in practice, rice doesn’t really stick unless you leave it in keep-warm for a very long time. Even scorched rice mode (nurungi) gives you that toasted layer that still peels off pretty easily with the spatula. Cleaning is straightforward: a quick soak and a soft sponge is enough. I’m careful not to use metal utensils on it though; it’s still nonstick, not cast iron.

The inner pot also has side handles, which sounds minor but is actually very handy. You can pull the pot out even when it’s hot without burning your hands or doing weird angle grabs. Compared to my old cheap cooker with a thin, handle-less pot, this feels safer and more practical, especially when serving straight from the pot at the table.

The lid interior is stainless steel with a removable inner cover and gasket. The gasket feels thick and solid, and you can tell it’s made to handle real pressure, not just some light steam. CUCKOO parts like seals are usually easy to find online, which matters because eventually that ring will need replacing. The outer body is plastic, but it doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap. It’s not luxury, but it’s solid enough that I’m not worried about it cracking from normal use.

Overall, materials are good but not luxury-tier. The pot coating seems durable so far, but like all nonstick, it’s something you’ll want to treat gently. The weight of the unit and the way the lid locks give a decent sense of safety. If you’re expecting full stainless steel everywhere, this isn’t that, but for a home rice cooker, the material quality lines up with the price range pretty well.

Durability is always a bit of a guess unless you’ve used the thing for years, but there are some clues. The CUCKOO feels solid when you open and close the lid: the locking mechanism is firm, and there’s no wobble. The pressure release is automatic and controlled, not some sketchy hiss from random spots. That gives me a bit more trust compared to cheaper cookers where the lid feels like it’s barely hanging on.

In terms of cleaning, the nonstick pot and removable inner lid make a big difference. My previous rice cooker had a fixed lid, and cleaning around the steam area was a pain. Here, I pop the inner cover out, rinse it, wipe the gasket, and that’s it. The pot cleans with a quick sponge wash. As long as you don’t scrape it with metal and don’t use harsh abrasives, the coating should hold up for a good while. Nonstick will never last forever, but so far there are no scratches or peeling.

One thing I like is that CUCKOO is a mainstream brand in Korea, so replacement parts like rubber seals are actually findable online. That matters because the gasket is usually the first thing to age on pressure cookers. Knowing I can swap it out instead of trashing the whole unit is a plus. The cooker also doesn’t feel like it’s overheating or struggling; the 880W heating plate seems strong enough for the 6-cup capacity without being pushed to the limit.

Realistically, I expect this to last several years with regular use, especially if I keep up with basic cleaning and don’t abuse the pot. It doesn’t feel indestructible, but it definitely doesn’t feel cheap or disposable either. For the price, I’d say the durability looks pretty solid, assuming normal, non-abusive kitchen use.

Let’s talk about what matters: how it cooks. For short and medium grain white rice, this thing is very consistent. The high-pressure mode gives you plump, slightly chewy grains that hold their shape. It’s that Korean-style texture the Amazon reviewer mentioned: a bit firmer and bouncier than Japanese-style rice. If you like mushy or super fluffy rice, you might need to adjust the water or use non-pressure/softer settings. For me, 1:1 rice-to-water (using the included cup and pot markings) worked well for standard white rice.

Cooking time is quicker than a lot of fuzzy logic non-pressure cookers. For 2–3 cups, you’re looking at roughly 20–30 minutes depending on the mode. Brown rice and GABA rice obviously take longer, but still feel reasonable. The fuzzy logic does its job: you don’t have to babysit it, and it adjusts for small variations. I noticed the rice quality stays pretty similar whether I cook 1 cup or 4 cups, which wasn’t the case with my old cheap cooker that always overcooked small batches.

The keep-warm function is solid. I’ve left rice in there for 6–8 hours and it stayed moist without smelling weird or drying out. It will slowly get a bit firmer around the edges after many hours, but nothing dramatic. If you leave it overnight, you’ll notice more drying, which is normal. You can also adjust keep-warm temperature, but honestly I didn’t feel a strong need to mess with that; the default is already decent for daily use.

Other modes: porridge comes out smooth without burning at the bottom, mixed rice cooks evenly, and steamed veggies on non-pressure mode are fine, though this is not a full-blown multi-cooker. It’s better at rice than anything else, which is what I expected. Overall performance: very good at what it’s mainly built for (Korean-style rice), decent at side tasks. If rice is your main thing, you’ll probably be happy. If you want a do-everything pressure pot, this is not that.

On paper, the CRP-RT0609FB looks like a small spaceship: 6 cups uncooked (about 12 cups cooked), twin pressure, 14 menu options, voice guide in 3 languages, auto clean, nonstick pot, etc. In real life, you mostly end up using 4–5 of those features regularly, and the rest are there for when you feel like experimenting. I mainly used: regular white rice, mixed rice, porridge, steam, and keep warm. The GABA function is cool if you’re into that, but it takes a lot longer, so I only used it a few times.

The capacity is good for a couple or a small family. For me, cooking 2–3 cups uncooked for dinner plus leftovers is perfect. It doesn’t feel huge inside, but the 6-cup size is enough unless you’re cooking for a big family every day. If you’re expecting a tiny cooker for a studio apartment, this will feel big; if you want to batch cook, it’s on the smaller side but workable.

The menu system is very Korean-focused: GABA rice, glutinous rice, mixed rice, scorched rice, baby food, high-pressure steam, non-pressure steam, etc. The machine definitely assumes you’re mostly doing short/medium grain. Long grain (like basmati or jasmine) works, but you have to tweak water and maybe pick non-pressure or a softer setting if you don’t want it too firm. It’s not a one-button miracle for every grain type, but once you dial it in, it’s consistent.

Overall, the presentation is: a pressure rice cooker first, multi-cooker second. If you buy it expecting an Instant Pot replacement, you’ll probably be a bit underwhelmed. If your main goal is good rice with some extra functions on top (porridge, steaming, baby food), it starts to make more sense. That’s how I use it, and for that role, it’s pretty solid.

On the feature side, not everything is equally useful, at least for me. The voice guide in English/Korean/Chinese is helpful the first few days while you’re learning the button layout and modes. After that, it mostly becomes background noise. It announces what mode you’re in, when cooking starts, etc. It’s nice that CUCKOO added it, but I eventually turned the volume way down. Thankfully, the options to mute or reduce volume are easy to access once you read the manual.

The Auto Clean function is more practical. It basically runs a steam cycle inside the cooker to loosen up any residue and help with smells. I used it once a week or so, especially after cooking mixed rice or anything with more starch. It doesn’t replace manual cleaning, but it does make it easier. You still have to remove the inner lid, wipe the gasket, and wash the pot by hand. If you’re lazy about maintenance, this at least keeps things from getting gross too fast.

The 14 menu options sound like a lot, but in daily life you’ll probably rotate between a few: white rice, mixed rice, GABA (if you care), scorched rice, porridge, and steam. The good thing is that the presets are mostly well-tuned, so you don’t have to constantly tweak. The cooking algorithm actually detects the amount and adjusts times, so you’re not guessing. For example, my white rice batch times vary a bit, but the result is consistent enough that I don’t worry about it.

As a whole, the cooker is effective at simplifying rice cooking: no boiling over, no burnt bottom (unless you choose scorched on purpose), and predictable results. Some features feel a bit gimmicky, but they don’t get in the way. I’d say 70% of the features are genuinely useful if you cook rice often, 30% are “nice to have but you’ll forget they exist” type stuff.