Aroma Housewares 6-Cup Cooked 3-Cup Uncooked Pot Style Rice Cooker and Food Steamer ARC-743-1NG White

First of all, this combo Rice Cooker and Steamer is just perfect for myself or when I cook for a guest. However, for testing purposes, I cooked a couple of meals for myself and a hungry guest! The results is that it does a excellent job preparing meals for two people and in about 25 minutes to 30 minutes time depending on what you are cooking in this combo pot. *The steamer part is enough for two people. The rice part makes enough for up to six people for the rice however. I make plenty of rice for me (one person) and place the leftover rice in tightly zipped zip-locked bags and the leftover rice lasts me up to six days in the fridge (I eat one of these packages of rice at night and pour gravy over it, a sauce or even stir fry etc). *** PROS: + Cooking RICE and STEAMING Veggies at the same time--This unit is made to steam UP TO 6 cups of cooked rice. The amount of rice that I placed into the bottom cooker section was 2 cups of uncooked (rinsed) white rice, which resulted in 4 cups of cooked rice which was plenty for the meal I prepared for myself and my guest. After our meal, I still had 2 cups of rice the next day in which to prepare yummy Fried Rice with veggies (one of my favorite dishes). ***To steam fluffy and tender BROWN (Whole grain) RICE - I added just 1/4 cup more water to the pan and added the measured brown rice. I let it cook for a full 45 minutes. Because I added the extra water, the rice came out fully cooked, very fluffy and did not clump! The taste was great, so now I will be cooking MORE brown rice! + How to steam both RICE and VEGGIES at the same time to be done at the same time for TWO people: 1) I measured the rice into the bottom section and the water as shown on page 9 of this book. 2) I steamed these veggies in the top section as shown on page 15 these vegetables -- ½ Cup of Spinach, 1 sliced Roma tomato (medium), 1 small whole onion sliced in thin slices, ¾ cup of baby carrots, ¼ cup of thinly sliced celery, 1/8 cup of chopped garlic. (I had prepared a very light white sauce before this) and at the end of the cooking, I added the sauce to the steamed veggies and this made a wonderful vegetable and rice dish (with sauce) meal and it was quite filling! + Water - I added the amount of water that the cooker called for with the rice, however, I added good quality bottled water in place of the tap water. + Time to cook both the rice and the vegetable - The rice that I cooked was done in 26 minutes and the veggies also in 26 minutes (I like the veggies tender). So for me, both were done at the same time. I do not like gummy rice or overcooked rice, and this rice came out fluffy! + Making SOUPS, CHILIS, or STEWS (this will serve two people depending on how big the bowls are in each serving) - The night before I made Chili or Stew, I had already cooked my meat and it sat in the fridge until I was ready to make my Chili or Stew. So I then added all of my ingredients to make one of these. Note, it DOES not make much Stew or Chili however, if I make this just for me or if making lots of Chili or stew, I prefer to make it in a large 5 Quart dutch oven on my stove cook-top so there are more servings for others. *Update: Sept 19, 2014 - I spilled water on the instruction manual that came with the cooker and called the Aroma customer service and they are mailing me the same manual to my home to replace the one I spilled the water on at no charge! Also, I went to Google and did a search for Aroma ARC-743 PDF and found the full color manual in PDF! This is the best combo rice cooker/steamer that I have ever owned. Read more

Good rice cooker. I've used this cooker for over a year and still works as intended. The pot alone started to slightly wear out with minimal scratches. I feel like it could last another year or so. Read more

I'm loving this tiny little rice cooker! I used to have a microwave cooker and it was pretty inconsistant when it cooked the rice; most of the time it would be undercooked and it always made a huge mess in the microwave. So I decided to try out this cheap, highly rated rice cooker and I'm so glad that I did. I usually only cook for two people, so I make about .5-1 cup of rice (uncooked). There is plenty of room to cook another cup or two, making this cooker ideal for feeding 1-4 people. It's small, so it takes up very little space on my counter, and the small size also makes it easier to clean. It takes about 15 minutes to make the perfect rice. I took the advice of other reviewers and used a bit more water than the instructions called for. This is definitely the way to go. The recommended water is not quite enough, but it is easy to figure out the correct amount (only took me two times to get it right, and even when it wasn't right, the rice was still decent). I also took the advice from people saying to turn it off when it is done cooking. I have not tried leaving it on yet, so I'm not sure if that would ruin the rice or not. Now my favorite part.... the steamer!!!! I love steamed vegatables, and now I can steam them at the same time that my rice cooks!! I was skeptical at first.... but I tried some carrots and broccoli in there the first time I used it, and they were steamed to perfection! What a great idea! It's less work, less dishes to clean, and it steams it perfectly. I would recommend this for anyone who wants a cheap but fantastic little rice cooker. Great for singles or small families. Cooking the rice is very quick and easy with minimal work, and cleaning the cooker is quite easy as well (no burnt stuff on the sides that would require scrubbing or soaking). And let's face it.... the price is hard to beat! UPDATE: I've been using this cooker for about a year now. I have seen no decrease in performance since I bought it. I use it about twice a week, and it is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. To elaborate on the first review I left.... yes, leaving it on the "warm" setting after the rice has finished cooking will dry it out a bit. Just unplug it once it has finished cooking, or just eat it right away. If you insist on keeping it on the "warm" setting, add 2-3 more oz of water at the start. I have also tried many veggies in the steamer, and they all turn out great! Carrots, beans, broccoli, peppers, peas, corn, cauliflour, the list goes on. And all of them turn out so well. I will use this thing until it breaks! Read more

This is a cute little rice cooker and I stress the word "little". It works well enough, seems to be well made and is easy to operate but I could have saved money by just continuing to cook rice on my kitchen stove, the way I have for years. I love the concept of the steamer basket and all but the capacity just isn't big enough for our needs, I kept it because I used it once, just to try out, but I wouldn't buy it again. Read more

Cooks rice perfectly, I like that it’s small, I forgot to do my meal prep so I took it to work and made my lunch fresh …. Made rice & after threw some seasoned hamburger meat in and it came out perfectly ! Best purchase I’ve made Read more