DASH DRCM200GBAQ04 Rice Cooker: Full Review

The DASH DRCM200GBAQ04 is a programmable electric rice cooker from DASH, a company known for its range of small kitchen appliances. This versatile rice cooker has a 20 cup cooked capacity, making it suitable for families or those who regularly cook rice.

The DRCM200GBAQ04 offers a range of cooking functions beyond regular white rice. It can cook brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, soup, and steam vegetables or meat. The rice cooker has specialized settings for both white and brown rice, taking the guesswork out of getting perfect fluffy rice every time. With its large capacity and multi-functional cooking, the DRCM200GBAQ04 aims to be a convenient one-pot cooking appliance.

Design

The DASH Rice Cooker has a sleek and modern design perfect for any kitchen. It's made of durable food-grade stainless steel with a nonstick inner pot for easy cooking and cleaning.

The rice cooker comes in a fingerprint resistant black stainless steel or white color to fit your style. It has a compact footprint at 10.25 x 11.25 x 10 inches but still has a generous 6 cup uncooked capacity, making it a great size for individuals and smaller families.

It has an easy-to-read control panel with buttons for cooking functions and an LED display that shows your selections. The LED screen makes it simple to set the correct cook times and temperatures for different dishes.

If you're looking for another excellent rice cooker option, consider the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10. Known for its advanced fuzzy logic technology, it ensures perfect rice every time with automatic adjustments to cooking parameters. The NS-ZCC10 features a user-friendly LCD control panel and multiple cooking functions including white rice, brown rice, and porridge, making it versatile and easy to use.

Capacity

The DASH Rice Cooker has a generous uncooked rice capacity of up to 10 cups, providing enough to serve 5-10 people depending on portions. Once cooked, the maximum capacity is 20 cups of fluffy rice. This size is ideal for families, dinner parties, potlucks, or meal prepping for the week.

The inner pot is made of durable nonstick coating for easy cleanup. With the tempered glass lid, you can monitor the cooking process and check the water level.

For smaller meals, the pot markings inside range from 2 cups up to the max fill line. The manual provides cup measurements for common rice quantities like 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 cups uncooked.

For a compact and efficient option, consider the Aroma Housewares ARC-743-1NG. This rice cooker offers a 6-cup cooked capacity, making it perfect for small households or couples. It features a one-touch operation and comes with a nonstick inner pot for effortless cleaning. The included steam tray allows you to prepare healthy meals by steaming vegetables or proteins while your rice cooks below.

Cooking Functions

The DASH Rice Cooker has a variety of cooking functions to accommodate different dishes and ingredients. It features white rice, brown rice, quick rice, slow cook, steaming, soup, porridge, cake, and multi-cook modes.

The white rice function allows you to cook fluffy, perfectly textured white rice with the push of a button. It automatically adjusts cooking time and temperature. The brown rice mode is ideal for getting nuttier, chewier brown rice.

The quick rice mode reduces cooking time, so you can have rice ready faster. Meanwhile, the slow cook feature is great for cooking beans, chili, roasts, and other dishes that need long simmering.

For steaming veggies, fish, dumplings, and more, there is a dedicated steaming function. You can steam food while simultaneously cooking rice using the multi-cook mode. The soup function lets you whip up chicken noodle soup, vegetable soup, congee, and other soups.

The porridge setting is perfect for cooking creamy oatmeal, grits, and rice porridge. For cakes, the cake mode allows for even baking. All cooking functions can be custom programmed with adjustable time and temperature settings.

Ease of Use

The DASH Rice Cooker is designed to be very easy to use. It has simple, intuitive controls with just a few buttons to choose your cooking mode - white rice, brown rice, slow cook, steam, soup, and keep warm.

There's a manual switch to select your cooking function. To cook white rice, you simply add rice and water, close the lid, and press the white rice button. The cooker will automatically cook and then switch to keep warm when done.

The buttons have indicator lights that let you know which mode is selected. There's also a countdown display that shows the estimated time remaining as your food cooks.

For advanced features, there are also custom settings. You can adjust cooking time and temperature to your liking. The manual provides guidance on timing and water proportions for different amounts of rice.

Overall, the DASH rice cooker is very straightforward to operate even for beginners. The user manual provides clear instructions for all functions. And the simple controls and presets make it easy to get perfect rice and grains every time.

Accessories

The DASH rice cooker comes with a number of useful accessories to help you get the most out of the machine.

Included Accessories

• Rice paddle - This plastic paddle makes it easy to stir and serve rice without scratching the nonstick pot. The soft edges are gentle on the coating.

• Steam tray - The steam tray inserts directly in the rice cooker to steam vegetables, fish, and more while simultaneously cooking rice. It's a convenient 2-in-1 cooking option.

• Multi-use rice cup - This handy measuring cup is marked with rice and water measurements to take the guesswork out of rice cooking. The plastic cup nests into the cooker when not in use.

Cleaning and Care Are a Breeze

The inner cooking pot and steaming tray are removable and dishwasher safe, making cleaning the DASH rice cooker an easy task. Simply remove the inner pot and tray after cooking and wash them in the dishwasher or hand wash if preferred.

The body of the rice cooker can be wiped down with a damp cloth to keep the exterior looking shiny and new. There are no electronic controls or buttons to worry about getting wet either.

Having dishwasher safe removable parts is a big perk that saves time and hassle compared to non-stick rice cookers where the cooking pot cannot be submerged in water. Just pop the pot and tray in the dishwasher and you're done. No need to scrub cooked on rice or having to hand wash delicately.

The non-stick coating inside the inner pot also makes cleaning easier by preventing rice and foods from sticking. Hot soapy water is usually enough to remove any residual bits after cooking.

With quick and simple clean-up, it's no wonder removable inner pots that are dishwasher safe have become a standard feature most buyers look for in modern rice cookers. The DASH rice cooker checks this box and makes cleaning nearly effortless.

Performance

The DASH rice cooker delivers outstanding cooking performance for flawless rice every time. The advanced heating technology cooks rice quickly while maintaining an even temperature throughout. This ensures rice is perfectly cooked with no burnt or undercooked grains.

The non-stick inner pot has a tight seal to lock in moisture and flavor. Rice comes out exceptionally moist and tender with individual grains. Users report the rice has excellent texture without being mushy or sticky.

The cooker heats up rapidly and finishes cooking faster than older rice cookers. A 1 cup rice program takes only 15-20 minutes. The fast cooking speeds help rice come out fresh and warm, ready to serve.

The intelligent microprocessor carefully controls heating and adjusts temperature and timing to account for variables like water amount, rice type, and quantity. This automation removes the guesswork and ensures consistent results batch after batch.

With specialized programs for white, brown, quick rice, and more, the DASH rice cooker reliably cooks all varieties of rice to perfection. Reviewers praise the cooker for versatility in preparing flawless rice dishes beyond just plain white rice.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Remarkable 14 computerized programs making sure the rice is cooked correctly is suitable for every kind of rice.
• The nonstick coating of the inner pot ensures that rice does not stick to the sides or burn. It is easy to clean as well.
• Simple and intuitive control panel with dedicated buttons for cooking white and brown rice, steaming, slow cooking, making oatmeal, and keeping food warm after cooking.
• Features "delay timer" cooking function to customize when rice or steam cooking will begin.
• Includes a tempered glass lid and steam vent for monitoring cooking.
• Includes steaming tray, rice measuring cup, and serving spatula.
• Automatically switches to keep warm when done cooking.

Cons

• Price is fairly high compared to other brands.
• Inner pot is not removable or dishwasher safe, hand wash only.
• Slow cook function maxes out at 6 hours.
• Steaming tray is on the smaller side.
• No digital display for timing or temperature.

Conclusion

The DASH DRCM200GB Rice Cooker is an excellent option for rice lovers who want a dependable device with ample capacity and multiple cooking functions.

Overall, this rice cooker delivers on performance and versatility. It can cook up to 10 cups of cooked rice, making it a great choice for families or meal preppers. The 15 cooking functions allow you to prepare a variety of grains beyond just rice, including oatmeal, quinoa, and more. It's very easy to use with preset buttons and an intuitive interface. The inner pot and other accessories are nonstick and dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

In terms of downsides, the lid doesn't seal tightly so some steam can escape during cooking. The exterior also gets quite hot to the touch. Additionally, it lacks more advanced features like a delay timer.

Taking everything into account, the DASH DRCM200GB is an impressive mid-range rice cooker that offers excellent value. Between the generous capacity, versatile cooking functions, and thoughtful accessories, it earns a strong recommendation for households that enjoy rice and other grains frequently. The minor drawbacks shouldn't deter most buyers from considering this high-performing, reasonably priced option.