You can cook rice even with a 500W portable power source! ELECOM's "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker" specializes in cooking small amounts of rice (up to 1 cup), making it perfect for car camping and campervan trips

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When traveling in a car, finding an easy way to cook delicious rice is actually a major factor in improving the quality of your trip. ELECOM's 1-cup IH rice cooker, the "LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker," seems to offer such an easy and delicious way to cook rice, and it can be used with a 500W portable power source, so we tried it out

What is ELECOM's "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker"?

The "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker" comes with the main unit and accessories. It includes the lid, inner pot, colander for low-carb mode, measuring cup, and even a rice paddle

An induction rice cooker sold by a computer peripheral manufacturer that is designed for small amounts of rice (up to 1 cup)

When I found it, I wondered why, but the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker" (model number HAC-RCIH01) is a small IH rice cooker that specializes in cooking up to one cup of rice, and is sold by ELECOM, a major computer peripheral manufacturer headquartered in Osaka. The market price is around 12,800 yen

It looks like a kettle with a handle, and measures approximately 169mm wide x 127mm deep x 228mm high, making it hard to believe it's a rice cooker. It weighs just 1.3kg (including the inner pot and power cord). It's available in three colors: blue (as shown in the photo), white, and black

This product is specialized for cooking small amounts of rice (up to one cup), and its narrower and deeper inner pot than that of a typical rice cooker means that the water level can be kept high even when cooking small amounts of rice, preventing uneven heating. Furthermore, the inner pot uses a unique four-layer "composite clad thick pot" made from a combination of aluminum and stainless steel, with the inside of the pot coated with fluororesin and the outside with heat-resistant paint, making it easy to clean and highly durable

The cooking time is about 50 minutes for normal cooking, about 35 minutes for quick cooking, and about 50 minutes for low-carb mode, which cuts up to 20% of carbohydrates per 100g of rice. After cooking, the rice automatically switches to keep-warm mode, allowing it to keep warm for 12 hours

The LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker is designed for people living alone who want to cook small amounts of rice, or as a second rice cooker. However, as someone who enjoys sleeping in cars, traveling in campervans, and camping, the reason I'm so interested in the LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker is that it's also compatible with portable power sources of 500W or more

In short, as long as you have a large-capacity portable power source of 500W or more with you, you can cook delicious rice anywhere with the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker." I believe that if you can cook delicious and easy rice when traveling in a car or camper, most of the food problems will be solved, so I was very interested in the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker," and decided to try cooking rice in a camper

Recommended points

• Perhaps because it's an induction rice cooker, the cooked rice is quite delicious
• It can be used anywhere as long as you have a portable power source of 500W or more
• If you use the quick cook setting, the rice will be cooked in a very short time, about 35 minutes
• Equipped with a 12-hour rice warming function
• The inner pot is removable, making it easy to clean after use

Points of interest

• The actual price is 11,000 yen, which is a bit expensive for a rice cooker for car camping
• I'd be happy if there was a higher-end version of the pressure induction cooker

Main specifications and evaluation

Detailed Review

Very simple cooking procedure, just like cooking rice at home

Placed alongside a portable power source in the camper's cooking space, you can clearly see how small the "LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker" is

The "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker" has finally arrived in my home. Recently, I've been choosing colors for small appliances that I wouldn't normally choose, so I chose the most eye-catching blue. Its size is similar to a slightly longer T-fal kettle

The rice cooking operation is concentrated on the handle, which dramatically increases portability. The basic components are the outer pot, inner pot, lid, and power cord, but a rice paddle and measuring cup are also included

Press the "Select" button several times until the "Rice Cooking" button lights up, then wait a while and the rice will start cooking. There are no special steps or operations required, so it's really easy

The measuring cup is a standard 1-cup measuring cup, so it seems like you could use the rice measuring cup you normally use at home. Measure out the rice with this, put it in the inner pot, wash the rice if necessary, add water according to the lines on the inner pot, put the lid on, and press the "Select" button. The lamps for the selected course will light up in order: "Cook," "Low Carbohydrate," "Quick Cook," and "Keep Warm." When you stop pressing the "Select" button at the desired setting, cooking will begin after 5 seconds

Before you can start cooking, you need to make sure the power cord is plugged in securely, and the lid of the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker" must be rotated and locked securely. While there are a few things to be aware of, if you're using pre-wash rice, all you need to do is put rice and water in the inner pot and select "cook" or "quick cook," so cooking begins with an operation that's simpler than a rice cooker at home

Cooking rice once consumes approximately 23% of the power of a 1,000Wh portable power source

When I cooked rice in the LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker after fully charging it to 100%, the battery was at 77%. Being able to cook rice four times on a single charge is more than I expected

I purchased the LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker with the intention of using it while camping in my car or traveling in a camper, so the most important feature was that it could be used with a portable power source of 500W or more. When camping in my car or traveling in a camper, I use the EBL Portable Power Station 1000W 999Wh. With a rated power output of 1,000W and a capacity of 999Wh, it meets the LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker's requirement of a portable power source of 500W or more, and it also comes equipped with two pure sine wave alternating current (AC) power sources

With the EBL Portable Power Station 1000W 999Wh fully charged, I cooked one cup of rice using the standard 50-minute cooking cycle. I selected the cooking cycle and noticed the portable power station's battery drop by about 3% within a few minutes of cooking, which made me worried that it might be consuming a lot of electricity. However, about 25 minutes after cooking began, the battery was at 83%, and by the time the rice was finished about 50 minutes later, the battery had dropped to 77%. Doing simple math, this means that the LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker requires about 230Wh of battery power to cook one serving of rice

It depends on the battery capacity of each portable power source, but if you have a 500W portable power source, you should keep in mind that cooking rice once may consume about half of the power capacity. With a 1,000W portable power source, it's about a quarter of that, so you may not need to worry too much about it

The cooked rice is quite tasty, but I don't recommend keeping it warm

After stirring the cooked rice with the included rice paddle, the aroma of freshly cooked rice fills the camper van

I cooked rice on the regular "rice cooking" setting for about 50 minutes, lightly stirred it, and steamed it briefly before tasting it. I cooked one cup of rice, so I took out about half a cup to eat, and it was quite delicious, considering it was freshly cooked. It didn't have the same fluffy and chewy texture as when cooked using the pressure induction cooker I usually use at home, but even though I cooked it without allowing it to absorb water, it still turned out perfectly delicious

At this level, it's more than satisfactory for cooking rice when you're away from home, simply by switching it on. The result is excellent. White rice with natto, seaweed, and furikake is enough, and if you add miso soup or something, it can be a complete meal

The freshly cooked rice made with the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker" is very delicious. Since the flavor deteriorates if the rice is kept warm, it can also be said to be a rice cooker that allows you to enjoy freshly cooked rice in small amounts

I left half the rice because I wanted to see the effectiveness of keeping the rice warm, so I intentionally left 0.5 cups of rice and kept it warm for about an hour before eating it. Perhaps because I only left 0.5 cups, but even though it was only kept warm for an hour, the rice seemed to have dried out and lost its flavor compared to freshly cooked rice

Since this is a rice cooker for small amounts, so you can enjoy the amount you can eat freshly cooked, don't expect it to keep warm too much, and it's recommended to eat it all once it's cooked. Incidentally, after one hour of keeping warm, the remaining power dropped by 17%, from 77% to 60%, so it can be said that keeping warm is not recommended in terms of saving power from a portable power source

The battery capacity drops by 17% after just one hour of keeping it warm. This also consumes a lot of power from the portable power source, so keeping it warm is not recommended

I also tried the "quick cook" setting, which cooks rice in about 35 minutes, but as someone who generally likes firm rice, the "quick cook" setting was more than enough in terms of taste. If you prefer softer rice, you may want to let it absorb a little more water

Either way, we recommend eating the rice freshly cooked when using the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker."

Summary: The LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker is easy to clean up and also supports seasoned rice

I'm hoping for a higher-end version of the pressure induction cooker

Freshly cooked rice with furikake is enough for breakfast on a solo photography trip. It's delicious and cost-effective

Learning how to easily cook delicious meals while camping in your car or traveling in a camper van will dramatically improve the quality of your trip. With delicious, freshly cooked rice, rice and instant miso soup will be enough for breakfast, and you can enjoy a pretty luxurious dinner with freshly cooked rice and half-price sashimi and side dishes from your local supermarket

For this reason, I have thought about bringing a household rice cooker into my camper several times, but generally household rice cookers are prohibited from being used with portable power sources, and they consume a lot of electricity, so they are not really suitable for portable power sources. For this reason, many people, including myself, use DC rice cookers such as JPN's "Takeru-kun," a standard for cooking rice in cars, but it has a weakness in that it can only be used when the car is stopped and the engine is running (idling)

The LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker is a bit pricey, costing 11,000 yen, roughly twice the price of the Takeru-kun, but if you use a portable power source of 500W or more that meets the requirements, you can cook rice anywhere, and it even supports a 35-minute "quick cook" setting. The inner pot and lid are detachable from the outer pot, making it easy to wash in places with water, such as auto campsites, and even in places without water, such as roadside stations, you can remove the inner pot and lid and wipe them down with dish tissues for easy post-cleaning. It feels like this could become the new standard for cooking rice while camping

The cooked rice is more than tasty enough, but considering the improvement in cost performance, including frequency of use, I don't mind the price going up, so I'm looking forward to the release of a higher-end pressure IH model that would make me consider replacing my pressure IH rice cooker at home with the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker" series

The LiFERE Compact IH Rice Cooker is a recommended rice cooker not only for those who already own a portable power source with a high capacity of 500W or more, but also for those new to car camping trips who will likely end up purchasing a large capacity portable power source anyway. It's definitely worth considering as a rice cooker for car camping

ELECOM LiFERE IH Rice Cooker, Compact, 1-cup Capacity, Low-Carb Mode, Thick 1-cup Pot, Kettle Size, for Single-Person Living, Black, HAC-RCIH01BK

created by Rinker

ELECOM

¥6,608 (as of 2026/02/03 00:01:45, according to Amazon - details)

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Details and purchase of the "LiFERE Small IH Rice Cooker"

For more product details, please visit the ELECOM official website

Chitose Saito

A former editor of a monthly camera magazine, he became immersed in the outdoor lifestyle of campervans and car camping while pursuing Hokkaido's spectacular scenery and wildlife. He is currently a photographer and writer who travels all over Hokkaido with his wife and two-year-old son, capturing and writing about everything he experiences, from cameras and lenses to outdoor activities, camping, child-rearing, PC gadgets, cooking, and even dieting. For OUTDOOR GEARZINE, he plans to write a variety of articles, primarily for the "QOCL (Quality of camping life) Improvement Committee," which aims to improve the quality of life while camping and in a campervan

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