Proctor Silex 37533PS Rice Cooker: Full Review

The Proctor Silex 37533PS is an affordable 14-cup rice cooker that can make up to 14 cups of cooked rice from its 6-cup uncooked capacity. It's a basic rice cooker with minimal frills, but does an excellent job of cooking fluffy, delicious rice every time. This compact unit has a simple on/off switch with cook and warm settings, allowing you to prepare rice then keep it at an ideal serving temperature when ready. While it doesn't have fancy features like pressure cooking or steamers, the Proctor Silex 37533PS focuses on the core function of a rice cooker - evenly cooking rice to tender, fluffy perfection. If you want a no-frills rice cooker that reliably cooks rice with no hassles, the Proctor Silex 37533PS is a great option worth considering.

Appearance and Design

The Proctor Silex 37533PS rice cooker has a simple, streamlined design that will look nice in most kitchens. It has a white plastic housing with black accents on the controls and handle. The rice cooker measures approximately 10 x 11 x 10 inches, so it has a relatively small footprint that doesn't take up much counter space.

The housing is made from durable plastic that resists staining and is easy to wipe clean. The lid and inner pot are also plastic. The inner pot has a non-stick coating to prevent rice from sticking. One downside is the inner pot is not removable, so cleaning may be slightly more difficult compared to models with removable pots.

Overall, the rice cooker has a basic but attractive design. The white and black color scheme gives it a clean, modern look. While mainly plastic, the materials feel decently sturdy and built to last through years of regular use. The compact size is convenient for smaller kitchens or limited storage space.

Settings and Features

The Proctor Silex 37533PS rice cooker has several useful settings and features that allow you to cook rice perfectly every time. It offers basic white and brown rice cooking modes as well as settings for steaming vegetables, soups, stews, and more.

The rice cooker has an automatic keep warm function that kicks in after cooking is complete. This keeps your rice at an ideal serving temperature for up to 12 hours without overcooking. There is also a delay start timer that allows you to program the rice cooker up to 15 hours in advance so your rice is ready when you want it.

Some other notable features include a steaming tray for cooking vegetables, fish, poultry or meat while your rice cooks below, a removable nonstick cooking pot for easy cleanup, and dishwasher safe parts including the lid, steam tray, measuring cup, and rice paddle. The rice cooker also has a 400 watt heating element to quickly bring ingredients up to temperature.

With its variety of programs and convenient functions like keep warm and delay start, the Proctor Silex 37533PS rice cooker makes it simple to prepare restaurant-quality rice dishes at home. The different modes allow you to cook more than just rice, expanding the usefulness of this handy kitchen appliance.

Ease of Use

The Proctor Silex 37533RS rice cooker has simple, intuitive controls that make it very easy to use. It has just two buttons - cook and keep warm/off.

To start cooking, you simply add rice and water to the nonstick pot, close the lid, and press the cook button. The button will illuminate and the cooking process will begin automatically. There are no complicated menus or settings to worry about.

Once the rice is finished, the cooker automatically switches to the keep warm mode, so your rice stays hot and ready to serve. The keep warm function can keep rice fresh and warm for hours.

When you are done serving rice, you simply press the keep warm/off button and the cooker will turn off. It doesn't get much easier than that! The two-button interface makes this an incredibly straightforward, user-friendly rice cooker that anyone can operate effortlessly.

Cooking Performance

The Proctor Silex 37533PS cooks rice very well and consistently delivers tasty, fluffy white rice. It has specialized heating technology that allows the cooker to bring water to a boil then lower to a simmer, which is ideal for cooking rice.

For white rice, it cooks at a 1:1 rice to water ratio and produces light, fluffy long grain white rice with separate, distinct grains. The rice is evenly cooked without any crunchy or mushy patches. It's great rice for serving plain or for fried rice dishes.

The cooker also does a good job with brown rice, though it takes close to an hour to cook due to the longer cooking time brown rice requires. The brown rice comes out chewy but tender and has a nice nutty flavor.

You can use the steamer basket to steam vegetables, fish, or other foods while cooking rice at the same time. It steams vegetables like broccoli and carrots nicely and they come out crisp-tender with bright colors. Fresh fish fillets also steam well in the basket and retain moisture.

Rice Capacity

The Proctor Silex 37533PS rice cooker can make up to 8 cups of cooked rice from 2 to 10 cups of uncooked rice. This gives you the flexibility to cook anything from a small side dish to enough rice to feed the whole family.

The 8 cup capacity is great for most households. You can make rice for 2-4 people at once with room to spare. Even if you are cooking rice for a larger gathering or meal prepping rice for the week, you likely won't need more capacity than this.

Some users mention being able to fit 9-10 cups of cooked rice by really maxing out the capacity. However, for the best results it's recommended to stay at or under the 8 cup mark. Going over may result in the rice being too packed in or unevenly cooked.

Overall, the 8 cup cooked capacity should be sufficient for most users. It gives you plenty of room to cook rice for dinner or meal prep without taking up too much space on the counter.

Additional Features

The Proctor Silex 37533PS rice cooker comes with several useful additional features beyond just cooking rice. One handy feature is the nonstick cooking pot, which makes cleanup much easier after meals. Rice and other grains won't stick or burn onto the surface of the nonstick pot like they would with a standard stainless steel pot.

Another beneficial feature is the removable power cord. The cord can be detached from the base of the unit, allowing for easy storage and portability. You don't have to worry about winding up and dealing with a bulky cord each time you need to transport or store the rice cooker. Simply detach the cord and pack it separately.

Some other extras include a steaming tray and serving spatula. The steaming tray inserts onto the top of the cooking pot and provides an area to steam vegetables, fish, or other foods while the rice cooks below. The serving spatula makes it easy to scoop out fluffy rice.

Noise Level

The Proctor Silex 37533NR rice cooker operates at a reasonable noise level that is suitable for most kitchen environments. The appliance itself does not produce loud noises, though there will be some subtle sounds of cooking such as simmering or soft pops.

Customers report that the noise level is quiet enough to have a conversation over and does not disturb other activities in rooms nearby. Some note you may hear light pops or clicks from the warming function kicking on to maintain temperature. Overall, the noises emitted seem comparable to other average sized rice cookers.

The noise stays relatively constant while cooking, so you don't have to worry about any sudden loud sounds. The simplicity of the manual switch and controls, rather than electronic buttons, also keeps the device quiet throughout the process. This makes it well-suited for apartments, dorms, shared spaces, or anywhere that you prefer minimal noise while cooking.

Ease of Cleaning

The Proctor Silex 37533PS rice cooker has a nonstick inner pot that makes cleaning up after cooking very simple. Rice and other grains don't stick to the surface, so you can just wipe it clean with a damp cloth when you're done cooking. There's no need for difficult scrubbing.

The inner pot can also be removed completely from the base, allowing you to clean it thoroughly in the sink with soap and water. Being able to fully submerge the pot makes cleaning much easier compared to models where the inner pot cannot be taken out.

Overall, the nonstick surface and removable inner pot really help minimize the effort required to clean this rice cooker. You won't have to deal with stubborn, stuck-on grains after cooking. Just a quick wipe down or rinse and you're done.

Price and Warranty

The Proctor Silex 37533PS 8-Cup Rice Cooker currently retails for around $25-30 from most major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. This puts it on the lower end of the price spectrum for rice cookers, making it a fairly affordable option for most budgets.

The warranty details for this Proctor Silex rice cooker are a bit unclear. Some product listings mention a standard 1-year limited warranty, while the manufacturer's website does not provide any warranty information. Based on customer reviews, it appears Proctor Silex may offer a limited 1-year warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship. However, the warranty specifics can vary between retailers.

Overall, given the low price point, the Proctor Silex 37533PS rice cooker provides decent value. Just don't expect an exceptionally lengthy or comprehensive warranty. As long as the unit functions properly out of the box, it can be a worthwhile rice cooking appliance for the money. But the lack of a strong manufacturer's warranty means quality issues could leave buyers with few options for recourse.