Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB Rice Cooker: Full Review

The Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB is a 8-cup digital rice cooker that aims to provide restaurant-quality rice at home with advanced technology and useful features. This versatile appliance can cook all varieties of rice to fluffy perfection as well as steam vegetables, meats, fish and more all in one pot.

With its stainless steel exterior and easy-to-use digital controls, the Aroma Housewares rice cooker is designed to be durable and simple to operate. It offers options to cook white and brown rice at regular or quick cooking speeds, allowing you to customize the texture. The synchronized cooking function ensures perfect fluffy rice without sticking or burning at the bottom of the pot.

This review will provide an in-depth look at the design, settings, capacity, ease of use, cooking performance, safety features, maintenance, accessories and pros and cons of the Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB rice cooker. Read on to see if this appliance can provide restaurant-worthy rice and meals conveniently at home.

Design and Appearance

The Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB rice cooker has a sleek and modern design perfect for any kitchen. It features a black stainless steel exterior that is both stylish and durable, with a silver titanium-finished top.

The rice cooker has a rounded square shape that takes up minimal counter space, with dimensions of 9L x 9W x 10H inches and weighing in at just over 7 pounds. It has a capacity of up to 8 cups of uncooked rice, making it a good size for families or meal prepping.

The black stainless steel exterior gives it a modern look, while also being easy to keep clean and resistant to fingerprints. The titanium-colored top provides an attractive accent. Its compact yet powerful design allows you to easily store the cooker away when not in use.

Overall, the rice cooker has an aesthetically pleasing appearance combining stainless steel and titanium accents for a sleek, contemporary style. The rounded square shape and modest footprint make it conveniently sized for any kitchen.

Settings and Programs

The Aroma ARC-753SGB rice cooker has several different settings and cooking programs to accommodate different types of rice and grains.

The main settings are white rice, brown rice, quick rice, steam, and slow cook. The white rice setting cooks regular white rice, while the brown rice setting is optimized for nuttier, chewier brown rice by using a longer cooking time and more water. The quick rice setting speeds up cooking time by using more water and higher heat. The steam setting can be used to steam vegetables, seafood, and other foods. Finally, the slow cook setting cooks food at a low temperature over a longer period of time.

In addition to the basic settings, there are also specialty programs for cooking specific types of rice. There is a setting for cooking sweet or sticky rice, which requires a longer absorb time for the grains to become soft and sticky. There is also a porridge setting for cooking rice porridges and congees by using more water and prolonging the cooking time. Finally, there is a soup setting that slowly simmers soup ingredients without scorching.

The variety of settings and programs allow the Aroma rice cooker to handle all different kinds of rice, grains, and even soups or stews. The specialty rice programs ensure properly cooked rice like sweet rice or porridge, while the steam and slow cook functions transform the appliance into more than just a rice cooker.

Capacity

The Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB rice cooker has a generous 3-cup capacity, which is suitable for individuals or couples with small families. It can cook up to 6 cups of cooked rice (using 2 cups of uncooked rice).

The 6-cup capacity allows you to make enough rice for 2-3 adults in one batch. If you need to cook rice for a larger gathering or meal prep multiple meals at once, this model may not be the right size for your needs. Consider a larger 10+ cup capacity model instead.

With the provided steaming tray, you can also steam vegetables, fish, or meat while the rice cooks below. The steaming tray sits above the rice, letting you prepare a complete meal simultaneously. Just be mindful of overfilling when layering ingredients.

Overall, the 3-cup raw rice capacity strikes a good balance between size and convenience for everyday home cooking. It’s an appropriate amount for quick weeknight dinners or easy sides to pair with main dishes. The steaming function boosts the utility further without requiring a separate appliance.

Ease of Use

The Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB rice cooker has a simple and intuitive control panel with easy to use buttons and display. The control panel is located on the front of the cooker and features buttons for Cook, Warm, Delay Timer, and Settings.

The Cook button starts the cooking process. When rice is done, it automatically switches to Warm mode to keep rice fresh and warm. The Warm button can also be pressed manually to switch to Warm mode.

The Delay Timer button allows you to program the cooker to start cooking at a later time, up to 15 hours in advance. This is great for scheduling rice to be ready when you want it.

The Settings button allows you to customize cooking settings like rice texture and dryness level. There are options for white rice, brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, and more.

The digital display clearly shows which program is selected and the time remaining. An indicator light shows when the cooker is heating up and when it switches to keep warm mode.

Overall, the intuitive control panel and display makes the Aroma rice cooker extremely easy to operate. Even for beginners, it is simple to start cooking rice or set a delay timer. The pre-programmed settings take the guesswork out of getting perfect rice every time.

Cooking Performance

The Aroma ARC-753SGB performs very well when it comes to cooking rice. The rice cooks evenly and in a timely manner. The cooker has several settings for different rice textures, allowing you to cook soft and sticky rice all the way up to firmer, fluffier rice.

The white rice setting cooks rice perfectly in about 20-30 minutes. The rice comes out fluffy and tender with individual grains that are not mushy or overcooked. The brown rice setting takes a little longer at around 40-50 minutes, but still produces light and fluffy rice. The sushi rice setting makes slightly sticky and tender rice, while the porridge cycle makes creamy and smooth rice porridge.

The Aroma rice cooker seems very reliable and consistent. As long as you use the correct water amounts, it will cook the rice properly each time. The cooker also keeps the rice warm for many hours without drying out or burning on the bottom. Overall the cooking performance is excellent.

Safety Features

The Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB rice cooker has several useful safety features:

• Auto Shutoff: This rice cooker will automatically switch to keep warm mode once the rice is finished cooking. This prevents the rice from being overcooked or burning.

• Locking Lid: The lid locks securely onto the rice cooker during cooking. This prevents the lid from accidentally opening and hot steam from escaping.

• Certifications: Aroma Housewares rice cookers are ETL certified. This means they have met North American safety standards for household use. The inner cooking pot is also constructed from food-grade 304 stainless steel with no chemical coatings.

• Cool Touch Body: The exterior of the rice cooker remains cool to the touch while cooking. This prevents accidental burns if touched when hot.

• Cord Wrap: The power cord stores neatly by wrapping underneath the base of the unit. This prevents tripping or tangling hazards.

These safety features allow you to use the Aroma rice cooker with confidence knowing it meets modern safety standards. The locks, certifications and auto shutoff give peace of mind during cooking.

Cleaning and Maintenance

The Aroma Housewares ARC-753SGB rice cooker is designed for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Disassembly

Disassembling the rice cooker for cleaning is quick and straightforward. The inner cooking pot and steaming tray are removable and dishwasher safe. The tempered glass lid can also be washed in the dishwasher. The housing and heating element are wipeable but not immersible.

To disassemble, remove the inner pot by grasping the handles and lifting straight up. The steaming tray lifts out of the inner pot. The tempered glass lid simply lifts off the housing.

Cleaning

It's important to clean the Aroma rice cooker thoroughly after each use. After disassembling, wash the inner pot, steaming tray, and tempered glass lid in hot soapy water or the dishwasher. Use a soft sponge or cloth to gently clean the heating element and wipe down the housing. Avoid abrasive cleaners or scouring pads which could scratch the surfaces.

For stubborn burnt grains stuck to the inner pot, fill with warm soapy water and allow to soak before scrubbing clean. A non-abrasive cleaner containing citric acid can help remove mineral deposits and stains over time.

Descale

To prevent scale buildup, it's recommended to periodically descale the Aroma rice cooker by filling the inner pot with equal parts water and distilled white vinegar. Bring the vinegar mixture to a boil using the white rice cooking function. Once cooled, discard the vinegar, then rinse the inner pot thoroughly with clean water. The steaming tray and lid can be descaled using the same method in a container large enough to submerge them.

Regular cleaning and occasional descaling will help keep the Aroma rice cooker in great working order and free of odors or residue. It's quick, easy maintenance for quality rice results every time.

Accessories

The Aroma Rice Cooker ARC-753SGB comes with a few handy accessories to help make meal preparation easier. It includes a stainless steel steam tray that sits at the top of the cooking pot to allow you to steam foods while rice cooks below. The steam tray has feet to elevate it above the rice.

There is also a nonstick rice paddle made of plastic that is ideal for scooping out cooked rice without sticking. To get into corners and scoop out every last grain, a plastic rice spatula is included as well.

For measuring water, the rice cooker comes with 2 plastic cups - a 1 cup rice measuring cup and a water measuring cup that is marked with cup measurements. The water cup has markings for 4 to 10 cups to correspond to the maximum capacity of this cooker.

Finally, the Aroma Rice Cooker includes a soup ladle made of food-grade plastic for conveniently serving soups, stews, or oatmeal cooked in the multi-cooker. With all of these accessories, you'll have all the handy tools you need to prepare great rice dishes and more.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Large 10-cup cooked capacity is suitable for families and meal prepping
• Stainless steel construction is durable and easy to clean
• Digital controls with preset programs make it easy to achieve perfect rice
• Delay timer allows flexibility in scheduling meal times
• Keep warm function prevents overcooking and drying out
• Removable inner cooking pot detaches for convenient serving and cleaning
• Steam vent on lid allows adjustment of texture preference
• Includes serving spatula and measuring cup for convenience

Cons

• Exterior gets very hot during cooking so caution is needed
• Lid does not lock and may come off if pot is knocked over
• No individual settings for brown or wild rice
• Price is higher than average rice cookers
• Short power cord may require extension cord for some