“2 years ago I bought the Aroma ARC-996  and it still works perfectly. It is so easy to use, especially compared to the old-fashion rice cooking. You measure the rice and water, push a button or two and that’s it. I can do my thing and it will let me know as soon my rice is ready.

Health-wise it must be one of my best purchases ever. And I’m glad I invested in it.”

Balto

Having tried the Aroma ARC-363-1NGB Rice Cooker and liked it, we thought it wise to review something bigger both in capacity and capabilities.

That rice cooker is capable of handling 6 cups of cooked rice and comes with one touch analog controls. Although it is effective in rice cooking, it lacks some features which most households are after.

Fortunately, Aroma Housewares has a number of high quality, affordable rice cookers which are capable of carrying a little bit more rice than the Aroma ARC-363-1NGB Rice Cooker and have more functions.

Of all the cookers in this category, the Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer was the one we deemed as the perfect upgrade on the ARC-363-1NGB, which most people consider as the best rice cooker for beginners.

So, what makes the Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer a wee bit better than the Aroma ARC-363-1NGB?

To answer these and many other questions, we put the Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer to work and cooked a number of rice cuisines and stews to get a better understanding of the cooking.

From our experience with the rice cooker, we have provided our review of the product below. Which we feel will help you make a more informed decision on whether the rice cooker is good enough for you or not.

Features of the Aroma ARC-996

The Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer is designed to prepare anything from 3 to 12 cups of cooked rice.

All these features which we will review in detail below, play a certain role in the rice cooker to ensure that it consistently produces high quality, fluffy rice and equally delicious stew to be served with the rice.

Non-stick inner cooking pot
Nonstick inner cooking pots have become a consumer favorite in rice cookers. Not only are they excellent at cooking delicious rice, but they are also long lasting and don’t come at a premium.

Although their stainless steel counterparts are slightly superior in cooking and durability, they are usually very expensive.

The removable nonstick cooking pot in the Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer has very many advantages. Besides the fact that the pot is highly efficient in quickly and evenly distributing heat to the cooking meal, it is very easy to clean as the rice does not stick to the bottom during the cook.

Several washes later, the pot will still be looking the same as it was when new. The nonstick coating doesn’t flake however much you scrub the pot. You can also toss it in the dishwasher without worrying about it losing its luster.

Perforated Steaming Tray
The name of this rice cooker suggests just how much attention is paid to the steaming aspect of cooking. It has arguably one of the best steaming trays in the world of rice cookers.

The cookers are not only very spacious to accommodate as much stew as possible, but the trays are also evenly perforated to ensure that as much steam as possible comes into contact with the stew cooking above.

The steaming tray yields in very healthy meals with authentic taste. The flavor of the rice below will only improve the final taste of the stew.

Just set the stew/soup and the rice to cook simultaneously and the resulting combo will be one to savor. This will also help you save lots of time.

Easy to use digital controls

If you are used to the one-touch analog controls, then these easy to use digital controls and functionalities on this Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer will blow your mind. The cooker comes with a number of functionalities and switching between them takes a press of a button.

The cooker has 5 functionalities and each has its own designated button. The functionalities are brown rice, white rice, keep warm, steam and the delay timer function.

The brown and white rice functionalities are pretty straightforward and the only difference between them is the fact that the brown rice takes longer to cook.

The steam option optimizes the cooker for steaming the stew above the rice. You can use this option to only steam stew or use the brown/white rice option to steam the stew while the rice cooks down below.

Using the steam option, you can prepare a number of healthy stews which you can serve alongside the rice. From chicken soup, veggies to jambalaya, the steam option yields in very healthy and tasty stews.

The 15-Hour delay timer is an impressive feature on this cooker. Impressive because it affords the user the flexibility to plan for his/her meals when they need the same.

You can set the delay time and continue doing your other chores around the house and the rice will be ready right when you need it.

The keep warm button serves as the on/off button as well. Once the rice has finished cooking, the cooker automatically switches to the keep warm mode until you press the button again to switch the cooker off. The keep warm mode is very essential in that it helps keep the food warm for hours- right until the moment you intend to serve the same.

The controls are easy to use and anyone with an ability to read English will easily and quickly set this cooker up for their first cook.

Design, capacity and weight

The Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer adopts a cylindrical shape with an arching handle on top of the lid.

Although this is a pretty conventional shape in the world of rice cookers, the proportionality of the individual components and the finish give this cooker a sleek overall look which we found very appealing.

The design of the Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer affords a lot of internal capacity. The cooker is capable of carrying anything from 5 cups to 12 cups of cooked rice. This is sufficient to serve a family of between 3 and 5 people comfortably.

Thanks to the lightweight materials used to construct this cooker, it is very light in weight. Weighing in at just 5 pounds, you don’t have to worry about the portability of this cooker.

Be it in the house or outdoors, you can comfortably carry the cooker.

Versatility in cooking

This cooker has very impressive cooking abilities- whenever called upon, it invariably delivers high-quality results.

Be it long grain rice, brown rice, white rice, oatmeal, fluffy rice cake, the famed chicken soup, any rice pot, jambalaya, steamed veggies or even sushi rice, you can expect nothing short of the best from this rice cooker.

It also takes a very short time to cook rice. White rice averages about 20 minutes while brown rice takes about half an hour to properly cook.

You will, therefore, be saving a lot of time while still getting high quality, properly cooked rice which your entire family will savor.

Safety of the Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer

The Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer is certified by the relevant safety authorities and it is therefore safe for any kitchen.

Besides the electrical safety, it has features such as the insulated outer casing, the airtight lid and anti-splutter vent which all make for a very safe kitchen appliance.

Pros and cons of the Aroma ARC-996 Rice Cooker, Food Steamer

Overall verdict

If you are looking for something bigger to upgrade from your current small rice cooker, then the Aroma ARC-996 Food Steamer is ideal for you. Alternatively, you can check out our review for the Aroma ARC-616SB Professional Cooker which has the same capacity but a few more functionalities.

Read through our reviews to make more informed decisions when you set out to buy the best possible rice cooker for you and your family.

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