Hamilton Beach 37518 Rice Cooker: Full Review

The Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker is a compact and budget-friendly appliance designed to quickly cook fluffy, tasty rice. This 8-cup digital rice cooker features an easy-to-use control panel and several useful settings to achieve the perfect rice texture every time.

With its small footprint, the Hamilton Beach 37518 is ideal for small households, couples, dorm rooms, or office kitchens. Its simple, no-frills design focuses on getting the cooking right rather than fancy features. If you're looking for an affordable rice cooker that consistently delivers restaurant-quality rice without much fuss, the Hamilton Beach 37518 is a great option to consider.

Design and Appearance

The Hamilton Beach 37518 Rice and Hot Cereal Cooker has a compact, upright design that is nicely suited for kitchen counters and smaller spaces. It has a brushed stainless steel exterior with black accents that give it a modern, sleek look. The lid and handle are also black plastic.

At just under 9 inches wide, it has a relatively small footprint. The cooker stands about 8.5 inches tall. The power cord wraps around the base for tidy storage.

Overall, the rice cooker has an attractive, contemporary appearance that would look nice in most kitchen decors. The size makes it easy to keep out on the counter or tuck away in a cabinet.

Another excellent option for cooking rice is the Instant Pot 112-0170-01. This versatile appliance is known for its multi-functionality, offering more than just rice cooking. It features a sleek design with a stainless steel finish that matches modern kitchens wonderfully. The LED display and intuitive buttons make it user-friendly. With its larger capacity, it can easily handle meals for a whole family or gatherings. For those interested in a more multifunctional gadget, it's worth considering.

Capacity

The Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker has a 6-cup cooked capacity, meaning it can cook up to 6 cups of cooked rice at a time. This makes it a good size for individuals or couples but may be too small for larger families that need to cook bigger batches of rice.

Some key notes on the capacity:

• 6 cups cooked rice capacity
• Makes up to 12 cups of uncooked rice, resulting in 6 cups cooked
• Ideal for 1-3 people
• May be too small for families that eat a lot of rice regularly

The 6-cup capacity is less than some larger 10+ cup rice cookers but fits the needs of most smaller households. It can make a decent batch of rice for a meal but won't be useful if you need to cook rice for large gatherings or parties. Overall, the capacity is sufficient for personal or couple use but falls short for families.

Another excellent option to consider is the Zojirushi NS-TSC10. This rice cooker has a 5.5-cup uncooked rice capacity, which yields about 10 cups of cooked rice. It includes advanced features like fuzzy logic technology, multi-menu cooking functions, and a built-in retractable power cord. The Zojirushi NS-TSC10 is ideal for families and those who enjoy rice regularly, providing a good balance of capacity and advanced functionality.

Cooking Performance

The Hamilton Beach 37518 Rice Cooker excels at cooking rice, with reviewers praising how well it cooks all types of rice to the perfect texture. The cooker has specialized heat sensors that monitor the temperature and make adjustments to avoid over or undercooking.

Many users mention how the rice comes out fluffy with individual grains and is never mushy or sticky. The fact that it can cook 1 cup to 12 cups of rice consistently with great results makes it very versatile.

Beyond rice, the cooker can prepare a variety of other foods like oatmeal, pasta, steamed vegetables, and more. The steaming function is effective for cooking vegetables and fish to retain nutrients and flavor. One can also use it for making one-pot meals by layering ingredients like rice, vegetables, and meat.

Overall, customers find the Hamilton Beach 37518 Rice Cooker delivers excellent cooking performance for flawlessly cooked rice as well as versatility for preparing a variety of healthy and delicious meals.

Ease of Use

The Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker scores high marks for ease of use due to its intuitive control panel and programmable settings.

The control panel features basic cook and warm buttons, along with settings for white rice, whole grains, quick rice, and steam. These preset programs automatically adjust cooking time and temperature for perfect rice every time, no guesswork required. Just select your program and desired cup amount.

The easy-to-read digital display counts down cooking time and switches to 'warm' when done. You can also delay start cooking up to 15 hours in advance.

Some users note the buttons could be more clearly labeled for each function, but overall the controls are straightforward. The cooker beeps when ready and automatically switches to warm mode after cooking.

Programming the cooker is simple - just add rice and water per the included cup measurements, select your program, and press start. The intuitive interface makes it effortless to prepare restaurant-quality rice at home.

Additional Features

The Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker comes with several useful additional features beyond just cooking rice.

• The cooker has a keep warm function that automatically switches to keep cooked rice warm for hours after cooking is finished. This ensures your rice stays fresh and ready to eat without having to constantly monitor it.

• There is a delay start timer that allows you to program the rice cooker up to 15 hours in advance. You can add rice and water in the morning and set it to start cooking later so dinner is ready when you get home.

• The cooker plays a little melody when cooking starts and finishes so you know without having to keep checking on it.

• The lid locks in place during cooking. This prevents accidental opening and mess.

• The cooker has condensation collector cups that catch excess moisture dripping down the sides during cooking. This prevents it from getting on your counters.

• There are measuring cups included for accurately measuring rice and water portions. The cooker also has water level lines inside the pot for guidance.

• The inner cooking pot is nonstick and the outer housing has a smooth ceramic coating that makes cleanup much easier.

Accessories

The Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker comes with a number of useful accessories. Inside the box, you'll find a steaming tray, rice paddle, and measuring cup.

The steaming tray rests on top of the cooking pot and allows you to steam vegetables, fish, or other foods while the rice cooks below. This is a great way to prepare a complete meal with just the rice cooker. The tray is made from durable, dishwasher-safe plastic.

The plastic rice paddle makes it easy to stir and serve the rice without scratching the nonstick cooking pot. It also helps to fluff and separate the grains after cooking.

For conveniently measuring water or rice, a 1-cup plastic measuring cup is included. The cup has fill lines inside to indicate the correct amount.

Having these accessories included right in the box makes the Hamilton Beach rice cooker ready to use for a variety of recipes. You don't have to purchase any additional pieces to start cooking.

Cleanup

Overall, the Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker is very easy to clean. The non-stick inner pot can be removed and washed by hand or placed in the dishwasher. The lid and steam vent are also removable and dishwasher safe.

One nice feature is that the inner pot has measurement markings etched directly into the non-stick surface, so they won't wear off over time like some plastic rice cooker pots. The outer housing can be wiped clean with a damp cloth if needed.

After cooking, the "Keep Warm" function keeps rice ready to serve without drying out or burning on the bottom. This is convenient if you won't be eating right away. When finished, the cooker automatically switches to "Warm" mode.

One minor downside is rice can sometimes get stuck to the bottom of the inner pot. This may require some occasional soaking and scrubbing to remove completely. But overall, clean up is quick and hassle-free.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Large 10 cup capacity perfect for families and meal prepping
• 14 preset cooking programs for customizable results
• Steam tray, rice paddle, and recipe book included
• Keep warm function holds rice ready to serve for hours
• Easy to use control panel with digital display
• Automatically switches to keep warm when done cooking
• Dishwasher safe nonstick inner cooking pot for easy cleanup
• Affordable price point compared to other rice cookers

Cons

• Lid does not have a tight seal for pressure cooking
• Rice paddle feels flimsy and cheap
• No delay start function
• Exterior gets very hot to the touch while cooking
• Some durability complaints on inner pot peeling/flaking
• Simple on/off operations, lacks more advanced functionality
• Difficult to see water lines on inner pot

Overall, the Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker provides good value and performance for the price. It's a basic cooker suitable for most households, though lacking some convenience features and durability of higher-end models. Perfect for infrequent rice eaters not needing advanced programming or pressure cooking ability.

Conclusion

The Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker is an excellent choice for anyone looking for an affordable and versatile rice cooker that can handle a variety of grains beyond just white rice. Its 10 cup cooked capacity is sufficient for most households, while still being compact enough to easily store.

Cooking performance is solid, with the cooker reliably producing tender grains with the texture you would expect. The intuitive, user-friendly controls make it easy to select settings and operate, even for rice cooking beginners. Convenient delay start and keep warm functions add to the usefulness.

While there are some minor drawbacks like a lack of more advanced settings, the Hamilton Beach 37518 ticks all the boxes for an entry-level rice cooker at an affordable price point. For most home cooks looking to expand their rice cooking abilities, this model offers tremendous value and performance that punches above its price.

The thoughtful accessories like steaming trays and measuring cups add functionality and value as well. Overall, the Hamilton Beach 37518 rice cooker is hard to beat for an inexpensive, well-rounded appliance that makes preparing restaurant-quality rice at home an easy reality. It receives a strong recommendation for delivering reliable rice cooking in a user-friendly package.