My first rice cooker experience!

I have purchased an Aroma® 6-Cup Rice Cooker & Steamer.  I was so excited to get it that I used it on the very day I bought it.  The item is multifunctional, in that you can steam veggies or meat on one level of the device while cooking rice or soup on the bottom of it.  I am no stranger to grilling machines and slow cookers, but I am new to the rice cooker.  Read on for my user experience …

How did it work?

The rice turned out to be really fluffy and the texture was perfect.  I did not blanch/soak the rice prior to preparation, so the results were achieved by following the instructions. I made sure to follow ALL of the directions that came with the rice cooker.  In order to properly evaluate the product, I made sure that the water-rice ratio was balanced and that the rice was cooked for the right amount of time. The results were phenomenal.

Observations About the Steamer …

It’s kind of a common sense thing, but I learned that it’s more efficient to just use thawed meat when attempting to use the steamer function.  I ended up just grilling the meat portion of the meal to speed the process along.  Since I was determined to use the steamer (end-to-end), I put the frozen veggies in and they were fully cooked within eight minutes.   The steamer did an excellent job of retaining the moisture of the veggies and it left them crispy in texture.  I want to point out that I used no seasoning in the veggies, even though I doubt it would affect the performance of the device had I done so.

Overall Impression

I give this product a 5/5 because it worked the way I expected it to and the directions were pretty straightforward.  If you purchase a steamer, be sure to follow the instructions the first time around and observe the volume capacity limits.  If you end up getting the one I have, be sure to put it back on “cook” because the safety features switch to “warm” when you remove ingredients.  It’s very easy to clean if you use a nonstick spray prior to creating the meal.