This Aroma Housewares rice cooker is a top of the line model that comes loaded with some great presets that are designed to make cooking rice to perfection as simple as pressing a button. This is one appliance that will take all of the guesswork out of cooking rice right the first time around. You can find other rice cookers in the same price bracket that claim they’re versatile and beginner-friendly, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a machine that can do everything this model can such as saute and simmer your rice and veggies, steam fresh veggies, cook fish, stews, gumbo and much more. While this model comes with a wide variety of preset options to choose from, using this appliance couldn’t be simpler.
Our Verdict: This rice cooker by Aroma Housewares is versatile, easy to use, and features a nonstick inner pot that makes cleanup simple. If you’re looking for a rice cooker that can prepare a wide range of dishes including gumbo, stews, soups, porridge, and a variety of rice-based dishes, then your search is over. The larger than average cooking capacity makes this model perfect for big families. Overall, the well-built design paired with the powerful heat coil and the many presets shows me this is one smart rice cooker that’s designed to last. I’d recommend this model to any cook looking for a rice cooker that’s a true multitasking machine.
Table of Contents
Overview and Features
Just five years ago you may have purchased a rice cooker and found yourself impressed with the fact that it came with a few setting options such as basmati rice, white rice, and brown rice. And while it’s true that in the past, this type of preset variety was impressive these days, machines this like one go above and beyond what you can expect from a traditional rice cooker. In fact, if you’re often in the kitchen steaming veggies, boiling rice, and baking fish, then this all-in-one powerhouse of a rice cooker is definitely right up your alley. If you want one machine that can handle it all, then this rice cooker is worth a closer look.
If you’ve always wanted to cook fluffy jasmine rice, or learn how to make sweet rice, then this is the rice cooker for you. It can cook rice with the right texture and moistness that you can’t get from competing models. The variety of presets to choose from can make experimenting with rice dessert recipes and exotic rice dishes fun and effortless. This model is specially calibrated to prepare a wide variety of whole grains and rice, even hard to cook brown rice. Easy to use and impressively versatile, this model is a true multitasking machine and one that you won’t ever want to cook without.
Simply put, the ARC-6106 is one of the best Japanese rice cookers in the Aroma Housewares lineup. Any rice cooker worth its salt should be controlled by tailor-made software and a microprocessor that’s able to accurately gauge the humidity and heat inside the cooker, using that data to cook the rice to perfection. This model is loaded with a powerful microprocessor and top of the line features that make it very versatile.
Our Rating:
- Wide variety of preset options
- Easy to use
- Intuitive controls
- Nonstick inner pot
- Steam tray
- Sauté and simmer setting
Digital Controls
This model is highly programmable and comes with a large digital control panel. It also has a number of presets for:
- Oatmeal
- White rice
- Brown rice
- Quick rice
- Soup
- Stew
- Gumbo
- Slow cooking
- Sauté then simmer
These presets aren’t commonly found in other models in this price bracket and give the user the freedom to cook so many more dishes than just rice.
The included saute then simmer feature is one of this model’s most popular. It allows you to heat food at a higher temperature and then the rice cooker will switch automatically to the simmer mode once liquid is added.
This technology not only reduces the amount of time used to cook meals, but it also helps to evenly cook foods through the simmer mode. You can use this feature to create the perfect stir-fry dish or risotto.
The quick rice setting will cut the cooking time by as much as sixty percent, which is perfect for the family that’s always on the go.
If you’re really feeling creative, then this rice cooker is one that you’ll love experimenting with, especially when it comes to rice-based or other types of grain-based dishes such as Spanish quinoa or fresh raspberry porridge.
Pot Design
Traditional rice cookers are notoriously difficult to clean, thanks to their aluminum inner pots, but this model comes equipped with a pot that’s easy to clean and an overall design that’s very low maintenance.
The rice cooker’s pot also plays an important role when it comes to determining the outcome of your dish. This model uses a large nonstick pot that will also make cleanup a breeze. It works to evenly distribute heat to ensure that the rice or any other type of dish you cook doesn’t get stuck to the pot’s bottom or sides. The pot can easily be removed for washing and should be cleaned using hot soapy water.
Steam Tray
The included steam tray will fit on top of the inner pot. This piece allows you to steam fresh veggies at the same time you’re cooking a pot of rice or you’re preparing a fresh pot of porridge or stew. Like the inner pot, the steam tray is easy to remove and clean.
Heat Coil
This model is equipped with a high-quality heat coil that consumes six hundred watts of power. This amount of power is fairly average for modern rice cookers.
Cooking Capacity
This model can cook four to twelve cups of rice. Weighing in at seven pounds and measuring in at fourteen and a half inches wide, this cooker features a compact design, so you can leave it out on your counter or store it away when not in use. The only drawback with this model’s cooking capacity is the fact that you’re unable to cook smaller portions of rice at a time. However, this is the standard for most full-sized models.
Cool Touch Design
If you have small children in the home and you’re concerned about leaving your rice cooker out on the countertop, then you’ll love this model’s cool touch design. The cool touch surface will allow users to handle the rice cooker without getting burned. The exterior is designed to remain cool throughout the duration of the cooking process.
Ease of Use
Thanks to the intuitive design and the simple controls, this rice cooker is very beginner-friendly. Whether you want to cook soup, sushi rice, brown rice, or quick rice, this model can handle it all. It offers fast cooking times, consistent quality control, and a nonstick pot that makes cleanup a breeze.
When preparing dinner, you can be sure you enjoy perfectly cooked rice, each and every time.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Large cooking capacity
- Versatile
- Intuitive controls
- Nonstick inner pot
- Durable design
- Multifunctional
- Durability
- Free steam tray
- Sauté then simmer cooking function
- Variety of presets to choose from
Cons
- Price
- Cannot prepare smaller quantities of rice
Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker Versus the Tiger Corporation JBV-A10U-W Rice Cooker
The Tiger Corporation rice cooker is a top competing model. It comes with a choice of four cooking settings, so it doesn’t have as many presets or bells and whistles as this rice cooker does, but it does offer consistent results and it may be a good option for the buyer on a budget. However, if you’re looking for a multifunctional rice cooker then this model by Aroma Housewares is a better fit and one that offers more versatility and setting options than the competition. Basically, if you want a more affordable, traditional rice cooker, then the Tiger rice cooker is a great choice, but if you’re looking for more out of a rice cooker, then go with a model that’s designed as a true multitasking machine.
Conclusion and Rating
Our Rating:
Are you looking for a more hands-off approach to preparing rice dishes? Have you had a hard time cooking brown rice in rice cooker in the past? Then this beginner-friendly model may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
This model by Aroma Housewares comes with plenty of features and offers a performance that’s hard to beat. It’s an appliance that will free you up when you’re in the kitchen and one that ensures you get the perfect results, each time you use it. So, if you’re tired of dealing with undercooked or overcooked rice dishes, then this rice cooker will be a great investment and one that can provide you with a foolproof way to prepare and enjoy your favorite dishes. I gave this model a rating of four and a half out of five stars.
