Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG Rice Cooker: Full Review

The Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG is a versatile digital rice cooker that can make a variety of one-pot meals beyond just rice. This review will provide an overview of the design, features, performance, accessories, and pros and cons of this Aroma rice cooker model. With its built-in steamer, this cooker allows you to prepare healthy steamed meals and has specialized functions for cooking specific types of rice. Its inner cooking pot is non-stick and easy to clean. Overall, the ARC-743-1NG is an affordable rice cooker that offers flexibility and reliable performance for individuals or families looking to prepare meals with the convenience of "set it and forget it" one-pot cooking.

Design

The Aroma ARC-743-1NG rice cooker has a sleek and modern design perfect for any kitchen. It has a rounded rectangular shape with curved edges that give it a smooth, contemporary look.

The rice cooker is made primarily of stainless steel on the outer housing, with a nonstick cooking pot on the inside. The stainless steel exterior has a brushed metal finish in silver and black tones that resist fingerprints and scratches. The control panel on the front has an easy-to-read LCD display with push buttons, all finished in black.

In terms of size, the Aroma rice cooker measures approximately 14.25 x 11.5 x 10 inches (WxLxH). It has a 6-cup uncooked capacity, making it a great compact size for individuals or smaller families. The nonstick inner cooking pot removes for easy cleaning and holds up to 12 cups of cooked rice.

Despite its medium 6-cup capacity, the rice cooker maintains a sleek footprint and won't take up too much counter space. Overall, the modern and minimalist design makes this an attractive rice cooker for any contemporary kitchen.

The BLACK+DECKER RC506 rice cooker is another excellent option for those looking for simplicity and efficiency. It has a 6-cup uncooked rice capacity, similar to the Aroma ARC-743-1NG, and is also perfect for smaller households. The BLACK+DECKER RC506 comes with a built-in steaming basket that allows you to prepare vegetables, seafood, and other foods simultaneously. With just one touch, it's easy to start the cooking process, and the automatic "keep warm" function ensures your food stays ready until you are. Its compact and sleek design ensures it doesn't take up much space on your counter.

Features

The Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG rice cooker has several useful features that make cooking rice simple and convenient.

• Cooking capacity: This rice cooker has a 6-cup cooked capacity, meaning it can cook 3 cups of uncooked rice resulting in 6 cups of cooked rice. This is enough to feed about 6 people.

• Cooking functions: There are 4 main cooking functions - white rice, brown rice, steam cook, and keep warm. The white rice setting cooks fluffy, restaurant-quality rice, while the brown rice function adjusts cooking time and temperature for optimal brown rice texture.

• Steamer: The rice cooker has a steam tray that sits on top of the rice as it cooks. You can steam vegetables, fish, or other foods simultaneously with the rice.

• Timer: There is no programmable timer, but the cooker automatically switches to keep warm mode when done cooking.

• Keep warm: This function keeps rice warm and ready to serve for up to 12 hours after cooking is finished. The keep warm light indicates when this mode is active.

The Aroma Housewares ARC-302NG is another versatile rice cooker with a slightly larger cooking capacity. It features a user-friendly interface and includes functions for both white and brown rice, as well as a steamer option. One notable advantage is its programmable 15-hour delay timer, which allows you to plan your meals in advance. Additionally, the ARC-302NG includes a non-stick inner pot for easy cleaning and a keep-warm feature to ensure your rice stays at the perfect serving temperature.

Ease of Use

The Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker has an intuitive and easy to use control panel. There are only two main buttons - Cook and Keep Warm.

• The Cook button starts the cooking process. Once the rice is finished cooking, it will automatically switch to the Keep Warm mode.

• The Keep Warm button can also be pressed manually to switch to Keep Warm at any time. This keeps the rice heated and ready to serve for hours.

• There are no complicated settings or modes to worry about. Just add rice and water, press Cook, and let the rice cooker do the rest.

• The rice cooker comes with a manual that provides cooking time guides for different types of rice. The manual also includes some basic recipes to get you started.

• Overall, the simplicity of the two-button design makes this an extremely easy to use rice cooker. Just about anyone can make perfect rice by following the basic instructions.

Performance

The Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG rice cooker delivers excellent performance when it comes to cooking rice. It cooks rice evenly and thoroughly, resulting in fluffy, moist grains with no burnt spots.

The rice cooker cooks relatively quickly, with white rice taking around 20-30 minutes. Brown rice and other grains take a little longer, but the cooking time is still reasonable. Once the rice is done, the cooker automatically switches to keep warm mode which will hold the rice at an ideal serving temperature for many hours.

This rice cooker is very reliable at producing consistent results. As long as you use the included measuring cup and follow the water lines, it will cook the rice perfectly every time. The cooker seems quite durable as well, made from stainless steel with a tempered glass lid. The non-stick inner cooking pot further adds to the performance and convenience.

Overall, the Aroma Housewares rice cooker delivers excellent cooking performance. It cooks rice and other grains thoroughly and evenly, at a quick pace. The automatic keep warm function maintains ideal serving temperature for hours after cooking is complete.

Accessories

The Aroma ARC-743-1NG comes with all the cooking accessories you need to get started right out of the box. This rice cooker includes a rice paddle for easy serving, a steam tray for steaming meats and vegetables simultaneously with rice cooking, and a trio of cooking pots.

The main cooking pot is an aluminum non-stick pot that can hold up to 12 cups of cooked rice. This allows you to cook rice for the whole family in one batch. The aluminum material heats evenly to ensure properly cooked rice with no burnt spots.

For steaming, there is a stainless steel steam tray that sits above the rice as it cooks. You can steam vegetables, fish, chicken, and more while your rice cooks below. The steam vents on the lid ensure efficient and gentle steaming.

Finally, there is a soup ladle for conveniently serving soups and stews you can cook in the third included pot. With all the key accessories included, the Aroma rice cooker provides everything you need to unlock its full potential right away.

Cleaning

The Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker is designed for easy cleaning. Many of the parts are dishwasher safe, including the steam tray, rice measuring cup, and serving spatula. This makes cleanup a breeze after cooking.

The nonstick cooking pot can be easily washed by hand with warm soapy water and a soft sponge or cloth. Avoid using harsh abrasive cleaners or scouring pads, as this can damage the nonstick coating over time. The lid and body of the rice cooker can be wiped down as needed with a damp cloth.

One handy feature is that the inner cooking pot is removable. This allows you to lift it out after cooking to empty rice and clean the pot separately from the base.

Overall, owners report very easy cleanup with this rice cooker model. The dishwasher safe accessories and nonstick pot minimize the effort needed to clean this appliance after use. Just be sure to avoid abrasive scouring or cleaners when washing the pot by hand. With simple cleaning habits, the Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker should maintain its shine and performance.

Price

The Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG retails for around $30-40 USD, making it very affordable compared to other rice cookers on the market. This is an excellent value for the features and performance it provides.

The low price point makes it accessible to most households and budgets. Given its ability to cook up to 8 cups of any variety of rice as well as steam vegetables, fish, and meat all in one pot, it delivers outstanding versatility and convenience that goes well beyond basic rice cooking.

While there are cheaper rice cookers available, they are often smaller or lack the other cooking functions. For a 6-8 cup capacity rice cooker with multi-cooking features, this model from Aroma Housewares offers an unmatched combination of quality, performance and price. It's an affordable way to add rice cooking and steaming convenience to your kitchen.

Considering the brand reputation, construction quality, cooking technology, and multi-functionality, the ARC-743-1NG gives you excellent value for your dollar. The price fits right in line with what most consumers expect to pay for a mid-sized, feature-packed rice cooker. Overall, it provides impressive capabilities and reliability that outperforms other appliances in this price range.

Pros & Cons

The Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG rice cooker has several notable pros and cons to consider:

Pros

• Large capacity - Can cook up to 6 cups of rice, good for families
• Versatile - Can steam vegetables, meat, fish etc. along with rice
• Easy to use control panel - With options for white and brown rice, steam, delay timer and keep warm
• BPA free - Constructed with food grade 304 stainless steel inner pot
• Automatically switches to keep warm - Keeps rice fresh and warm after cooking
• Comes with steam tray, rice measuring cup and serving spatula - Helpful accessories included

Cons

• Lid doesn't seal tightly - Can allow steam and moisture to escape
• Timer functionality is basic - Has delay timer but no other programmable options
• No dedicated setting for cooking porridge/congee
• Inner pot not removable or nonstick - So rice sticking can be an issue
• Exterior gets hot to touch - Has no cool touch handle or sides

Conclusion

The Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG rice cooker is an excellent option for anyone looking for an affordable and easy-to-use appliance to help them prepare perfect rice every time. This 3-cup cooker features a simple one-button operation that makes cooking rice simple and convenient.

The ARC-743-1NG delivers consistent, delicious results by using specialized technology to adjust temperature and cooking time. This allows the rice to come out tender with individual grains intact. The steam tray insert doubles as a vegetable steamer, allowing healthy side dishes to be prepared simultaneously.

Cleaning up after use is straightforward with the nonstick inner pot and included spatula. The exterior surfaces wipe down easily, maintaining the cooker's sleek and modern look.

For home cooks seeking an uncomplicated way to cook fluffy, restaurant-quality rice at a reasonable price point, the Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG is an excellent choice worth considering. It takes the guesswork and hassle out of cooking rice, so you can focus on creating tasty meals for yourself or your family.