Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB Rice Cooker: Full Review

The Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB is a 3-cup rice cooker that offers basic functionality for cooking rice along with steaming and slow cooking options. This compact unit has a simple, no-frills design aimed at home cooks who want a dedicated machine for cooking rice that doesn't take up much counter space. With its purple exterior and black accents, it has a sleek look that suits any kitchen decor. The Aroma rice cooker uses a single switch to operate the cooking functions, making it easy for anyone to use. This introductory model focuses on the core function of cooking fluffy, delicious rice of all types while also providing some versatility for other simple one-pot meals. For its modest price point, the Aroma rice cooker delivers reliable performance that makes it a great choice for singles, couples and small families looking for an affordable rice cooking appliance.

Design

The Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB rice cooker has a compact and streamlined design that doesn't take up much counter space. It measures 9.1 x 8.9 x 9.1 inches and weighs about 5 pounds, making it easy to move and store.

The cooker has a sleek black exterior made of metal and plastic. The control panel on the front has an LCD screen and simple one-touch buttons. There's a tempered glass lid that allows you to monitor the cooking process without losing heat or moisture.

The inner cooking pot is made of durable, nonstick aluminum with a capacity of 1.2L/1.3L uncooked/cooked. It has a convenient handle and detachable steam tray for easy serving.

Overall, the rice cooker has a minimalist, user-friendly design well-suited for any modern kitchen. The compact footprint doesn't sacrifice cooking capacity or useful features.

Another excellent option worth considering is the CUCKOO CR-0675F, which combines advanced technology with an eye-catching design. This rice cooker features a sleek stainless steel finish and a user-friendly digital display. With its high capacity and versatile cooking functions, including multiple rice settings, it caters to a variety of cooking needs. Additionally, it is equipped with a pressure cooking feature that enhances the flavor and texture of your rice, soups, and stews while ensuring a quick cooking time. Its smart design includes a detachable lid for easy cleaning and maintenance, making it a great addition to any kitchen.

Capacity

The Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB rice cooker has a generous 6-cup cooked capacity. This allows you to cook anywhere from 2 to 6 cups of raw rice, yielding 6 to 12 cups of cooked rice. With this size capacity, the rice cooker can easily feed a medium or large family in one batch.

Whether you need to prepare a rice side dish or the main starch for a multi-course meal, the 6 cooked cup capacity enables you to cook enough rice for 4-6 adults. You can also cook 3 cups of raw rice and have delicious leftovers for fried rice or rice pudding the next day. The rice cooker’s capacity makes it a versatile appliance that can meet all your rice cooking needs for family dinners, parties, potlucks and other gatherings.

For those seeking even more capacity and features, consider the AROMA Professional ARC-994SG, which offers an impressive 20-cup cooked rice capacity. This model is perfect for larger families or gatherings, allowing you to prepare substantial meals with ease. It features multiple cooking functions, including steam and sauté options, giving you the flexibility to cook a variety of dishes beyond just rice. With its sleek design and advanced technology, the ARC-994SG is designed to simplify your cooking experience while ensuring delicious results every time.

Features

The Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB rice cooker comes equipped with a variety of useful features that make cooking rice simple and convenient.

Buttons & Settings

This cooker has easy-to-use digital controls with function buttons for options like regular rice, brown rice, steam, slow cook, cake, and keep warm. There are also buttons for delay timer and to adjust cooking time. The digital display lets you view the current setting.

Cooking Modes

With this multicooker, you can make a range of dishes beyond just rice. It has dedicated modes for cooking regular rice, brown rice, steamed foods, slow cooked meals, and cakes. The keep warm function automatically switches on after cooking to keep your food at an ideal serving temperature.

Included Accessories

The Aroma rice cooker comes with a steam tray, rice measuring cup, and serving spatula. The included accessories make it easy to steam vegetables, fish, or meat while rice cooks below. And the measuring cup takes the guesswork out of getting the perfect rice-to-water ratio.

Ease of Use

The Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB rice cooker is designed to be exceptionally easy to use. The instructions are clear and intuitive, walking users through the simple steps to cook perfect rice every time. The control panel is straightforward, with options for white rice, brown rice, steam, slow cook, and keep warm. Users simply add rice and water to the inner pot, select the appropriate setting, and let the rice cooker do the rest.

One of the highlights of this model is how easy it is to clean. The inner cooking pot and steam tray are removable and dishwasher safe. The lid and exterior simply need to be wiped down. There are no complicated parts or scrubbing required. Reviewers comment on how quick and painless it is to clean this rice cooker after each use.

Overall, the intuitive controls, clear instructions, and easy cleaning make this an extremely user-friendly rice cooker suitable for beginners and experienced cooks alike. The simplicity of use and cleanup is a major plus for this Aroma model.

Cooking Performance

The Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB rice cooker does an excellent job cooking rice. It cooks rice quickly and efficiently, with most types of rice like white, brown, basmati, etc. being fully cooked in around 30 minutes.

The rice comes out with a perfectly tender, fluffy texture every time. The cooker heats the rice evenly and steams it perfectly during the cooking process. It does not over or undercook the rice, so you get tasty grains with the right level of stickiness and separation.

The cooker also features settings to keep cooked rice warm for extended periods. The warm function holds the temperature precisely to keep rice fresh and hot for serving over several hours after cooking completes. Even long grain rice varieties stay fluffy and moist for a long time in the warming mode.

Overall, the cooking performance is exceptional. The Aroma rice cooker delivers delicious, restaurant-quality rice in your home kitchen. It's reliable, fast, and produces consistently great results batch after batch.

Versatility

The Aroma Rice Cooker is not just limited to cooking rice. It can cook a variety of healthy grains like quinoa, couscous, and oatmeal with ease. The machine's cook settings are optimized for cooking rice, but work well for other grains too. Just add the grains and water, select the appropriate cook setting, and let the cooker do the work.

In addition to grains, the Aroma can steam vegetables. There's a steaming tray included to hold veggies above the water line. Put chopped veggies like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower or green beans in the tray, add water to the pot, and turn on the steam function. The veggies will cook to tender perfection using the steam from the heating element. Steaming retains more nutrients than boiling or sautéing. It's a healthy hands-off cooking method.

So don't limit this cooker's use to just rice. It's built to handle all kinds of grains, provides a steaming tray, and has the versatility to cook a wide variety of your favorite healthy dishes.

Durability

The Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB rice cooker is built to last thanks to its quality construction. The outer housing is made from brushed stainless steel, which is rust-resistant and will maintain its sleek appearance over many years of regular use. The inner cooking pot is durable but nonstick, ensuring your rice doesn't burn or stick, and allowing for easy cleanup.

According to reviews from owners who have used this Aroma model for several years, the rice cooker still looks and performs like new. The buttons, lid, and other components remain sturdy and functional over time. Many owners mention this rice cooker lasting significantly longer than cheaper models they had previously purchased.

The durability and longevity of the materials make the Aroma a worthwhile investment. With its solid construction, this rice cooker can be expected to provide many years of reliable performance. You won't have to replace it anytime soon thanks to its quality engineering and components.

A Great Value for the Money

The Aroma Housewares 6-Cup Rice Cooker offers excellent value for the price. At around $30 on Amazon, it costs significantly less than many comparable rice cookers from brands like Zojirushi and Tiger, which can run $100 and up. Despite the lower price point, the Aroma still delivers excellent performance and includes useful features like delay timer and keep warm functions.

For a basic rice cooker under $50, you'd be hard-pressed to find one with better owner ratings and reviews than the Aroma Housewares model. It consistently earns high marks for reliability from hundreds of buyers.

The 1-year limited warranty provides added peace of mind. While not as long as some pricier brands offer, 1 year is pretty standard for affordable cookers in this class. And given the proven durability and reliability of the Aroma, the warranty is less crucial than it would be for some competitors' products.

Overall, if you want a solid, no-frills rice cooker that gets the job done without breaking the bank, the Aroma Housewares 6-Cup is an exceptional value. It delivers on the core function of perfectly cooked rice while still including handy extras like the delay timer. For budget-focused shoppers, it hits a sweet spot of quality and affordability.

Summary

Overall, the Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB rice cooker is a solid performer that offers good value for the price.

Pros:

• Large 3-cup cooked capacity
• 15-hour delay timer for flexibility
• Automatically switches to keep warm when done
• Nonstick inner pot for easy cleanup
• Steam tray, rice measuring cup, and serving spatula included

Cons:

• Lid doesn't seal tightly so some steam escapes
• Exterior gets hot to the touch while cooking
• No digital display or advanced features

For those seeking a basic rice cooker that gets the job done, the Aroma Housewares model is a good choice. It cooks rice well, includes handy accessories, and has useful functions like the delay timer. The design is fairly compact, though not as small as some mini cookers.

While it lacks some convenience factors of pricier cookers, such as a tightly-sealed lid or more cooking modes, it performs its main function reliably. For an affordable appliance focused on no-fuss rice cooking, the Aroma Housewares ARC-363-1NGB is recommended.