Commercial rice and soup cookers handle batch cooking of rice, soups, stews, broths and sauces - reducing chef supervision, maintaining precise temperature control and freeing labour for other prep. Hospitality Connect supplies electric and gas units from Roband, Anvil, Apuro and Imperial - in 6-50L capacities with 240V single-phase and 415V three-phase configurations for cafés, restaurants, canteens, food courts and Asian-cuisine venues.
Types of rice and soup cooker
- Electric rice cookers (6-30 cup): 240V tabletop units; 6 cup serves 30 portions, 30 cup serves 150 portions. Standard for sushi bars and Asian restaurants.
- Gas rice cookers (30-50 cup): High-volume gas-fired units with thermostat control. For canteens and high-throughput Asian venues.
- Soup kettles (6-15L): Round insulated electric kettles with hinged lid; bain marie style for self-service soup display.
- Steam-jacketed kettles: 25-100L tilt-and-pour kettles for stock, sauce and large-batch soup production. 415V three-phase typical.
- Tilting bratt pans: Multi-function gas or electric pans for stews, braises, sauces and risotto.
Sizing and throughput
For rice service, calculate cups per cover and target peak service: a Japanese restaurant serving 80 covers needs 10-15 cups uncooked (yields 25-37 cups cooked); a Chinese restaurant serving 150 covers needs 25-30 cups. Soup operations: a self-service café running soup-of-the-day at 50 portions per service needs a 10L kettle; a hospital or aged-care kitchen at 200+ portions needs steam-jacketed kettle 50L+. Confirm power: 240V 10A for tabletop rice cookers; 240V 15A or 415V three-phase for soup kettles and steam-jacketed equipment.
Operating notes
- Pre-soak rice for consistency: 30 minutes pre-soak gives even cooking; some commercial cookers have built-in soak cycles.
- Insulated lid: Most rice cookers hold cooked rice at 65 degrees C+ for 4-6 hours; verify with a probe thermometer.
- Soup kettle stir cycle: Manual stir every 30 minutes to prevent bottom-burn; some models have integrated paddle.
- Steam-jacket water levels: Steam-jacket kettles need water level checked weekly; running dry damages elements.
- Daily strip-down: Inner pots, lids and gaskets need daily clean - residual rice and stock are HACCP risk.
For high-volume Asian operations, dedicate one rice cooker per rice type - white, brown, sushi, jasmine - to maintain product consistency and avoid cross-contamination. Soup operations benefit from two kettles in rotation: one in service, one being cleaned and prepped for next batch. Steam-jacketed kettles save kitchen labour by 30-50% over stockpot-on-burner methods because they don't need constant stirring; the tilting pour-out also reduces transfer-spillage. Plan a dedicated kettle station with floor waste, water inlet and ventilation hood overhead.
Pair with
Combine with noodles pasta cookers, induction cooktops and wok cookers stock pot for full Asian and stock-line setups.