Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsNot quite ready for prime time.....!
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2013
This rice cooker is probably my 6th or 7th over the past 20 years so I have learned what I want and don't want from a rice cooker. I cook rice at least twice a week for a large group. I decided I wanted a cooker that could be programmed to automatically start so that I can multitask and know that rice will be ready on time. The other features on my "Must Have" list included a latching lid, a detachable cord, a non-stick cook pot, and easy breakdown for cleaning. My last cooker was a 20 cup Aroma that served me well for over 10 years. It met all the criteria except for the self-start timer. I checked Aroma brand first but found that their current products no longer match my requirements. I researched other brands. Oster was the best match to my needs. I've used the Oster rice cooker about 10 times so far.
Although it met my requirements on features, I am terribly disappointed in its performance. The included booklet provided guidance on how to make rice but has no mention of cooking times. Perhaps that was left that out on purpose. All my previous rice cookers could complete a pot of Jasmine rice in 20 minutes or so. My new Oster unit takes 45-60 minutes to cook the same rice! I have noticed that the Oster rice cooker does NOT get as hot and produces far less steam from its vent as compared to my Aroma rice cooker. I suspect that the Oster unit is cooking at a lower wattage, kind of like cooking in a 600 watt microwave oven vs an 1100 watt.
I would have returned this cooker however I haven't found another the met the other requirements and those are more important to me. I just have to allow for the extra cooking time. I'm not much of a brown rice fan but if it takes an hour for white rice, I would allow at least two hours for brown rice.