BLACK+DECKER RC506 Rice Cooker: Full Review

The Black+Decker RC506 6-Cup Rice Cooker is an affordable and versatile appliance designed for cooking perfect rice and more. This compact cooker features simple one-touch operation, helpful indicators, and a tempered glass lid to monitor your food while cooking.

With a 6-cup uncooked capacity, the RC506 Rice Cooker can make up to 12 cups of cooked rice, suitable for serving 3-6 people. The twin rice cooking methods allow you to cook white and brown rice to the ideal fluffy texture. The steam tray insert enables you to steam vegetables, fish, poultry and more, all in the same pot as your rice cooks below.

Overall, the Black+Decker RC506 Rice Cooker delivers reliable performance and added versatility in a compact and budget-friendly package. This review provides an in-depth look at the design, features, ease of use, cooking ability and more of this popular rice cooker model.

Design and Appearance

The Black & Decker RC506 rice cooker has a sleek and compact oval shape design. It measures about 11.5 x 9.4 x 9 inches (LxWxH) and weighs around 5 pounds, making it a nicely sized rice cooker for most households.

The rice cooker comes in two color options - white with black accents or black with stainless steel accents. Both color variants have a modern and minimalist aesthetic that would look nice on any kitchen countertop. The body is made of durable plastic while the lid and other accents are either black plastic or brushed stainless steel.

Some notable design elements of this rice cooker include its easy-grip handles, the clear tempered glass lid that allows monitoring cooking progress, and the digital control panel with push-button controls. Overall, the RC506 rice cooker has an attractive, space-saving design suitable for today's kitchens.

The Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker also boasts a functional and modern design. It features a sleek stainless steel exterior that complements any kitchen décor. The device includes a digital display and touchpad controls for ease of use. The cooker is designed to handle multiple tasks such as cooking rice, steaming vegetables, and even making hot cereals. Its compact design ensures it doesn’t take up much space, making it ideal for both small and large kitchens alike. The Hamilton Beach 37518 is both an aesthetically pleasing and versatile kitchen appliance.

Capacity

The BLACK+DECKER RC506 6-Cup Cooked 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 3-4 people depending on portion sizes.

Some key points on capacity:

• The 6-cup capacity makes it a good size for individuals, couples, and small families who don't need an oversized rice cooker.

• It can cook white rice, brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal and more up to the 6-cup limit.

• The capacity is ideal for most daily home cooking needs, but not large enough for big gatherings or meal prepping bulk batches of rice.

• The cooker includes cup markings on the inner pot up to 6 cups (cooked) which is helpful for measuring out the right amount of uncooked rice.

• For rice, a general rule is to use a 1:2 rice to water ratio. So for the full 6 cups of cooked rice, add 3 cups of rice and 6 cups water.

• The capacity is just right for many basic rice-based meals, though the size may be limiting for more elaborate rice dishes with lots of add-ins and ingredients.

The Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD is another versatile rice cooker with a 4-cup uncooked rice capacity, yielding up to 8 cups of cooked rice. This larger capacity makes it suitable for bigger families and gatherings. The Aroma Housewares ARC-914SBD offers multiple cooking functions, including settings for white rice, brown rice, and steam. It also features a delay timer and a keep-warm function, providing convenience for busy households. This model is designed with easy-to-clean materials and user-friendly controls, making it a favorite for both novice and experienced cooks.

Features

The BLACK+DECKER RC506 Rice Cooker comes with several useful features that make cooking rice simple and convenient.

• Programmable Cooking - You can program the rice cooker for up to 20 hours in advance. Just add your rice and water, select the desired cooking function, set the time you want the rice to be ready, and let the rice cooker do the rest. This is perfect for having freshly cooked rice ready right when you need it.

• Keep Warm Function - After the rice is finished cooking, the unit automatically switches to a keep warm setting for up to 24 hours. This keeps the rice piping hot and ready to serve without overcooking.

• Steaming Basket - The rice cooker includes a steaming basket that sits on top of the cooking pot. You can steam vegetables, fish, or other foods while the rice cooks below.

• Rinse-Free Cooking - There is no need to rinse the rice before cooking. The rice cooker's nonstick inner pot cooks rice thoroughly without sticking.

• Built-In Food Warmer - A built-in food warmer lets you warm tortillas, rolls, or other foods using steam from the cooking pot.

• 6-Cup Capacity - The 6-cup capacity makes 3 to 6 cups of cooked rice, perfect for families.

• Condensation Collector - Excess moisture drips into a condensation collector, keeping the countertop dry.

• Automatic Start - When power is restored after an outage, the rice cooker will automatically start back up again within 10 seconds for worry-free unattended cooking.

Ease of Use

The BLACK+DECKER Rice Cooker RC506 is incredibly easy to use thanks to its straightforward control panel. It has a simple on/off switch to start cooking. There are no complex buttons or programming required.

The cooker features a tempered glass lid with a view window and external water level indicators, so you can easily monitor the cooking progress. The lid locks in place during cooking for safety.

Once the rice is done, the cooker automatically switches to keep-warm mode. So you don't have to worry about overcooking. The warm function keeps the rice fresh and warm for hours.

There is no digital display or timer to set. The cooker turns off automatically when the rice is ready. The indicator light turns on to let you know when it switches to keep-warm mode.

Overall, the simple manual operation makes this an ideal rice cooker for beginners. Everything is controlled with the basic on/off switch. The tempered glass lid and external water gauge help you monitor cooking safely and easily.

Cooking Performance

The RC506 rice cooker delivers excellent cooking performance for most types of rice. Its dedicated rice cooking function allows you to cook white rice perfectly every time.

Rice comes out light and fluffy with individual grains that are tender but not mushy or sticky. The cooking times are relatively fast, with white rice taking about 20-30 minutes. Brown rice and other whole grains take a bit longer at around 40-50 minutes, but the rice cooker handles them well too.

The intelligent cooking algorithm monitors temperature and adjusting heating to ensure even cooking from top to bottom. No more crunchy undercooked rice at the bottom! The nonstick inner pot also helps prevent rice from sticking and burning.

Overall, the cooking performance exceeds expectations for a basic rice cooker at this price point. As long as you use the correct water to rice ratios, the RC506 will reliably produce tender, fluffy rice with a texture just right.

Accessories

The BLACK+DECKER RC506 rice cooker comes with a few handy accessories to help make meal prep easier.

It includes a stainless steel steam tray that sits on top of the cooking pot during steaming. This allows you to steam vegetables, fish, or other foods while the rice cooks below. The steam tray has foldable handles for easy removal and a flat surface with vents for effective steaming.

Also included is a plastic rice paddle that clips onto the side of the cooker. The paddle has deep grooves designed to easily scoop and serve the cooked rice. The clip keeps it attached neatly to the cooker when not in use.

For measuring water amounts, there is a plastic measuring cup marked with water lines specific to white and brown rice settings. This takes the guesswork out of getting the right water-to-rice ratio for perfect fluffy rice every time.

Overall, the included accessories are simple but useful for completing all the steps of cooking rice and side dishes. The tray and paddle snap on or off easily for fast meal prep and storage.

Cleanup

The Black+Decker RC506 rice cooker is very easy to clean after use. The inner cooking pot has a non-stick coating that prevents rice from sticking, so a quick wipe with a damp cloth is all that's needed to clean the pot after cooking.

The lid and exterior housing of the rice cooker can also be wiped down with a damp cloth to keep the exterior looking nice and clean. There are no awkward crevices or hard to reach areas on this model, so cleaning the entire rice cooker is quick and hassle-free.

One minor inconvenience is that the inner pot is not dishwasher safe, so it does need to be hand washed. But given the non-stick surface, cleanup is still easy. You don't have to deal with scrubbing burnt on rice residue.

Overall, cleanup after using the Black+Decker RC506 rice cooker is about as easy as it gets. The non-stick inner pot minimizes sticking and residue, and the smooth exterior surfaces can be easily wiped down. Just be sure to hand wash the inner pot and you'll be able to keep this rice cooker looking like new with minimal effort.

Pros and Cons

The Black+Decker RC506 6-Cup Rice Cooker has both advantages and disadvantages that are worth considering:

Pros

• Compact, lightweight, and easy to store. Great for small kitchens or apartment living.

• Simple, one-button operation. Easy for anyone to use, even beginners.

• Cooks up to 6 cups of any variety of rice perfectly. Makes rice cooking foolproof.

• Keeps rice warm automatically for extended periods. Rice stays fresh and ready to eat.

• Includes a steaming basket for cooking vegetables, fish, etc. Adds versatility beyond just rice cooking.

• Affordable pricing under $20. A great value electric rice cooker.

Cons

• Lid doesn't seal tightly. Some heat and moisture can escape during cooking.

• Interior pot is not removable. More difficult to clean and lift when full.

• No delay start or schedule function. Must start cooking rice immediately.

• Only includes basic features. Lacks more advanced features and settings.

• Exterior can get hot. Caution is needed when touching the cooker after use.

• Priting and markings may rub off over time. Aesthetic appearance diminishes with heavy use.

Conclusion

The Black+Decker RC506 6-Cup Rice Cooker is a solid mid-range rice cooker that gets the job done. It's simple to operate, cooks rice evenly, and has a compact footprint that doesn't take up much counter space.

The durable nonstick cooking pot and included steaming tray make meal prep easy. The keep warm function ensures your rice stays fresh for hours after cooking. While it lacks some of the advanced features of more expensive models, the RC506 has all the basics covered for foolproof rice cooking.

For those seeking an affordable rice cooker without a lot of extra frills, the RC506 is a great option. It reliably cooks all varieties of rice to fluffy perfection. The plastic exterior doesn't feel overly cheap and keeps the handle cool.

Overall, the Black+Decker RC506 Rice Cooker is recommended for anyone who wants delicious rice at the press of a button, without spending too much. It's well-built, user-friendly, and gets the job done on a budget. Just don't expect lots of preset menus or delayed start capabilities. But if you want tasty, fluffy rice with minimal fuss, the RC506 fits the bill.