Aroma Housewares 8-Cup (Cooked) (4-Cup UNCOOKED) Digital Rice Cooker and Food Steamer (ARC-914D),White

Easy-to-use. Reliable. Cute. Space saving.

I've gone through many rice cookers over the vast years and have found a good, basic model is just fine for my needs. Started with a glass-topped starch-water spewing and spitting model to a high-end Panasonic fuzzy logic that is sitting in the zombie collection, so far this has been my favorite cooker --- and excellent for the price (under 30 dollars in white).This is my second one after a year....the first met an unforeseen mishap (knocked onto the concrete and hit just right (or wrong) to crack the lid making it unusable) so onto my search for another rice cooker. After looking at all of the models and features, I loved this one so much (and the price was outstanding) that I got another.I mainly cook 1 cup of dry rice since we like it fresh cooked when we eat it. I'm gluten-intolerant so rice is a basic starch for me. My favorite rice is a medium to short grain Japonica. I really like this brand --- http://smile.amazon.com/Nishiki-Premium-Medium-Grain-15-Pound/dp/B004NRLAVY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395859201&sr=8-3&keywords=sushi+rice ---- it's not quite as sticky as a full short-grained sushi rice yet nowhere near a long grained fluffy rice. If you want a rice that tastes good, cooks up well and holds together enough for rice-balls or ease of using chop sticks, this may be your rice. I do like all kinds of rice and I'm not that fussy (as long as the rice isn't broken or poor quality)...I enjoy all of the nuances each variety brings to the plate. I basically have 3 types of rice I rotate through at once: short grain, jasmine and basmati depending on what we are eating it with.This cooker makes a surprisingly large amount when the rice is all fluffed up after cooking. We get 6-8 servings from the 4 measuring cups dry. I am usually cooking for 2 (plus a few nibbles for the dog) so 1 cup of dry rice is plenty for us. I find the Nishiki rice is so clean that I don't wash it before-hand and it never spews starch-water. Cooks up beautifully when water is filled to the 1 mark line for 1 cup (rice cooker measure is 3/4 of an actual measuring cup) of dry rice.I like the fact this has a water condensation catcher so when you open the lid the steam-water drips into a catch-all that you can empty. It has a holder on the back, left side for the rice paddle. I don't like non-stick but almost all rice cookers are so I make do with it for the convenience of the machine. This has a delay timer so if you want to wake up to a hot bowl of rice in the morning, or come home from work and have your rice ready, just set the delay timer and your rice will be waiting for you. It automatically switches to warm (like almost all rice cookers do) and stays piping hot until you are ready to eat. I love the white color, the lines are sleek and it looks beautiful. Easy to clean. I don't find any starch dripping around the lid or cover (could be the rice brand I use) and it's a simple quick wash and rinse and wipe down and it's ready for the next time. To use after filling with rice and water: I plug it in, touch the power button and then touch the white rice button. That's it...it will beep when it's ready.Looking at the 500 dollar top-of-the-line rice cooker that pressure cooks and induction heats your rice and uses bells and whistles, and this model...this one is perfect for me. I just want rice and I want it done well.

I was eating a lot of frozen dinners and wanted to try to eat a little healthier, so for me this was not just about the rice cooker but about how well the food steamer would produce "tasty food". At first I tried cooking white rice with different Green Giant frozen vegetable combinations in the steamer basket. What was great was that you could open the cooker at just the right time to add the vegetables without overcooking them. The rice was quite good, and once fluffed with the included paddle and allowed to sit a minute or two it was almost identical to rice I would cook on the stove - yet not as dry as "Chinese-restaurant-style" rice. Then I tried adding a boneless, skinless chicken thigh (seasoned with Goya lemon adobo) with white rice. I put the chicken in from the start of the cooking time. Wow, it is was great --- really, really moist and perfectly cooked. However, the rice did "glisten" from the fat that cooked out of the chicken - but honestly it was tasty. Then, I decided to switch to brown rice. Here's where it got interesting --- it took almost 2 hours to cook the rice (1 hr. 50 min) with the chicken. I noticed that when I used only water for the rice it did not scorch the rice on the bottom very much. However, as I began to add chicken stock it began to scorch considerably more. But for me that's a bonus as I like the scorched rice (concon or pegado). For large boneless, skinless chicken breasts I let the cooker run for an hour then add the seasoned chicken breast (my favorite seasoning is Old Bay seasoning - however if I want to use a lot I like to cut the Old Bay in half with ground celery). When it beeps I take the chicken breast out, fluff the rice, and slice the chicken into thick strips (It is really MOIST - no gravy needed!) and serve with the vegetables I added to the streamer at the appropriate time (depending on whether I am using fresh or frozen vegetable such as broccoli). The brown rice is very good and seems to get better as it steams off a little. I also like to go to my Chinese supermarket and buy frozen dumplings and "mini-pork buns" (look identical to soup dumplings I get in the restaurant). I line the basket with a little lettuce or Chinese cabbage and put the dumplings on top, steam (with or without rice), and eat with the sweet black vinegar --- nice!Since I've received the cooker I've been using it 3-4 times a week. I've experimented with some of favorite seasonings and have even used some seasonings that are not ground (keeping it on the top of the meat). The only things you need to pay attention to is the size the meat - as I have found a large chicken breast fills the steamer basket leaving minimal room for your vegetables. And when using brown rice, I have to start the rice immediately upon getting home from work so as not to have to eat too late (however, if I am awake enough in the morning I have found that i can set it up in the morning for the rice and then set the cooker's timer). Careful with seasoning the meat heavily with a salt based seasoning - as obviously this will make your rice somewhat salty. Honestly, clean-up is a breeze --- a non stick bowl, removable the top plate, metal top, and the water collector --- otherwise I really wouldn't use it. The only thing that seems strange is why can't the timer show the time the entire cooking time instead of the last 15 minutes? But really, so far so good!

This rice cooker has a clean and modern appearance, and the size is great for 2–3 people. It comes with a rice paddle and measuring cup, which are handy. It cooks rice well and looks nice on the kitchen counter.One thing to note: the timer display only shows up during the last 12 minutes of cooking, which might be confusing at first if you’re expecting a full countdown. Also, the lid doesn’t feel very secure, even when properly closed, and the rubber sealing ring tends to shift easily.However, considering the low price, these are minor trade-offs. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly rice cooker for small portions and simple use, this is still a decent choice.

rice was great