Why would you want a rice cooker with a stainless steel cooking pot and steaming tray instead of the usual aluminum pot with a nonstick coating? Very small amounts of aluminum might leach into the food and could prove to be a health hazard in the long term. Nonstick coatings might release toxic gas if it is heated to temperatures above 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, electric rice cookers does not reach such high temperatures. However, stainless steel does not react with the food that is cooked and in contact with its surface, even if the food is acidic. Therefore, stainless steel is the safest and cleanest cooking surface available.
How do you avoid these possible long term health hazards when it comes to cooking rice? You can avoid it by getting a rice cooker with a stainless steel inner bowl. Our review might save you time and money by providing a few product suggestions for you.
Aroma Rice Cooker With Stainless Steel Inner Pot
Aroma ARC-753SG Simply Stainless
The best thing about the Aroma ARC-753SG Simply Stainless rice cooker is, of course, its stainless steel inner bowl. No Teflon coating that can get scratched or flake off into the food. The rice might stick to the bottom of the pot, but soaking the pot for a few minutes in hot, soapy water will make it easier to clean.
The rice cooker is in “Keep Warm” mode by default when you plug it into the wall outlet. Press down on the lever to cook the rice. After the rice has cooked, it automatically pops back to the “Keep Warm” function.
If you want to turn off the rice cooker, then you have to turn it off with the wall outlet switch or unplug it from the wall outlet. There is no on/off switch on this rice cooker. It is best to unplug the rice cooker since the “Keep Warm” function might cause the cooked rice to stick to the bottom of the stainless steel pot.
Please note: the Aroma Simply Stainless rice cooker does not ship with a steaming tray as a standard accessory. You can buy a separate stainless steel steamer tray if you want to steam vegetables. There are steaming trays available for the 6-cup, 12-cup and 20-cup Aroma Simply Stainless rice cooker models (buy tray on Amazon).
What are the key features of the Aroma Simply Stainless rice cookers?
- Glass lid with steam vent hole.
- Surgical-grade stainless steel inner cooking pot.
- It can cook rice, oatmeal, soup or stew.
- One-switch operation and automatic keep warm function.
- Accessories include measuring cup (6-ounce capacity) and serving spatula.
- Three appliance sizes are available: 6, 14 or 20-cup cooked rice capacities.
This is what we like about the Aroma Simply Stainless rice cookers:
- It is an affordable rice cooker.
- Stainless steel cooking pot does not have a nonstick coating.
- Soak the pot in soapy water for a few minutes to clean it more easily.
There are a few things that we do not like about this electric rice cooker:
- Rice sticks to bottom of pot.
- Small amounts of water might spill or bubble up out of the steam vent.
- The stainless steel steamer tray has to be bought separately, it is not included with the rice cooker.
You might learn even more about this Aroma stainless steel pot rice cooker by visiting its page at Amazon.
Aroma Nutriware With Stainless Steel Steamer
Even though the Aroma Nutriware is made in China, the build quality is good. Cleaning the stainless steel pot is not difficult, you can put it in the dishwasher or soak it in warm water with soap and clean it by hand. The steaming tray is also made of stainless steel, which means no aluminum or plastic comes into contact with your healthy vegetables.
Let us consider the most important aspects of this electric rice cooker:
- Glass lid.
- Measuring cup and serving spatula are included.
- Two models are available: 14-cup or 20-cup cooked rice capacity.
- Surgical-grade stainless steel cooking pot and steaming tray.
- Control panel featuring these buttons: White Rice, Brown Rice, Sauté-Then-Simmer, Steam, Keep Warm/Power.
We like that the pot, tray and glass lid are dishwasher-safe. The stainless steel steaming tray works well for steaming vegetables.
The main thing that we do not like about the Nutriware rice cooker is that it lacks a timer function.
The Aroma Nutriware is a good quality rice cooker with a stainless steel pot and steamer basket. If you want to view online prices or get more answers to questions, then visit its page at Amazon.
Lotus Foods Stainless Steel Bowl Rice Cooker
The Lotus Foods rice cooker and steamer has the same basic design as the Aroma Simply Stainless rice cooker. It has a glass lid, stainless steel inner pot and a single switch for “Cook” or “Keep Warm”.
The Aroma Simply Stainless rice cooker might be cheaper, but you have to buy a steamer tray for it while the Lotus Foods rice cooker already includes a stainless steel steamer basket as a standard accessory.
The Lotus Foods stainless steel rice cooker does not have an on/off switch, it is on “Keep Warm” by default. You have to plug it out to turn it off. If you don’t unplug the Lotus Foods rice cooker after the rice has finished cooking and leave it on “Keep Warm”, then the rice will probably stick to the inside bottom of the stainless steel pot. Soak the pot in warm water first so that it will be easier to clean.
To summarize, here are the key features of this Lotus Foods rice cooker and steamer:
- Glass lid.
- 12-cup cooked rice capacity (6-cup uncooked).
- One switch operation for “Cook” and “Keep Warm”.
- 100% stainless steel cooking pot and steaming tray.
The Lotus Foods stainless steel rice cooker and steamer is another choice to consider if you are not going to get the Aroma rice cooker. You can find its current online price and more details by visiting Amazon.
Oyama Stainless Steel Rice Cooker
The Oyama brand has a few stainless steel rice cookers with a 5-cup, 7-cup, 8-cup and 10-cup uncooked rice capacity.
For example, the Oyama CFS-F12W 7-cup rice cooker has a cooking bowl, steamer tray and inner lid that is made from 304 grade stainless steel. The stainless steel inner lid has a seal made from temperature resistant silicone that does not react with the rice.
The stainless steel steamer tray is a nice accessory for steaming vegetables or other small portions of food.
The Oyama CFS-F12W is a simple on/off electric rice cooker, therefore it does not have any other buttons to press.
The rice cooker has an extended keep warm function that goes up to 24 hours, although that might be a little too long and the rice might spoil.
To sum up, the Oyama CFS-F12W is definitely worth a look if you want a cool-touch rice cooker that has a stainless steel inner lid instead of a clear glass lid (check price on Amazon).
Elite Gourmet Rice Cooker With Stainless Steel Pot
The Elite Gourmet ERC-2020 can prepare up to 20 cups of cooked rice (10-cup uncooked capacity). It is a pot-style rice cooker with a stainless steel inner bowl, tempered glass lid, steam vent hole and cool-touch knob. Its analog control panel has a single switch for cook and warm with indicator lights. A BPA-free rice measuring cup and serving spatula are included, yet it does not have a steamer basket.
This electric rice cooker is easy to understand and easy to clean. However, the rice might stick or burn to the bottom of the pot because it does not have a nonstick coating. Moreover, leaving the rice in the cooker on keep warm mode for many hours will make it even stickier and drier, so that is not recommended.
If you want to clean the bottom of the stainless steel pot, then you should pour water into it and let it soak for a few minutes. That will make it easier to clean.
The only reason why I included the Elite Gourmet ERC-2020 in this review is because it has a stainless steel insert. It does not seem like a popular electric rice cooker, yet it is an inexpensive choice if you want a stainless steel pot rice cooker without any Teflon coating (check price on Amazon).
Buffalo Induction Heating Rice Cooker With Stainless Steel Clad Inner Pot
This Buffalo induction heating rice cooker and warmer caught my eye because it had a shiny bowl. It seems like the inner cooking bowl is clad with stainless steel, although the base of the bowl probably contains a magnetic material in order for the induction heating to work. I do not know the exact composition of the inner pot, yet it works inside this induction heating rice cooker. The bowl does not have a nonstick coating, it is scratch resistant and non-reactive to food.
These Buffalo induction heating smart cookers are available in a 5-cup, 8-cup and 10-cup capacity. The color scheme is either white for the 5-cup model or black for the larger capacity models.
The 5-cup Buffalo induction heating rice cooker and warmer has 8 menu functions:
- Rice
- Grain
- Claypot (for crispy clay pot rice)
- Porridge
- Steam
- Baby Food
- Cake
- Reheat
Of course, cooked rice might stick to the inside of the cooking pot because it does not have a nonstick surface. Just soak the inside of the pot with water to soften the rice residue before cleaning it.
The Grain setting might be used to cook quinoa and other grains such as barley and wheat. You should use the appropriate water ratio when cooking grains.
The Buffalo IH smart rice cooker has a Steam setting, yet a steamer rack is not included (it is optional). You will have to find and buy the steamer tray separately, which is somewhat annoying. Why sell a rice cooker with a steam function if the steamer tray is not included with the accessories?
The 8-cup and 10-cup Buffalo Smart IH rice cooker has additional settings such as Pasta, Slow Cook, Multigrain, Yogurt and Soup.
To sum up, the key reason for being interested in this Buffalo smart induction heating rice cooker and warmer is that it has a stainless steel clad inner pot. This is a very rare combination and will appeal only to people who want both induction heating and a stainless steel bowl combined in a single smart rice cooker (shop now on Amazon).
Conclusion
Which stainless steel interior rice cooker seems to be the best deal?
The most popular and affordable rice cooker with a stainless steel inner bowl is probably the Aroma Simply Stainless rice cooker. It is available in three sizes: 6-cup, 14-cup and 20-cup cooked rice capacities.
The Aroma NutriWare rice cooker costs a little more, but it has a control panel with buttons for choosing between different cooking functions as well as a “Keep Warm/Power” button, so you don’t have to unplug the rice cooker to turn it off. It also has a stainless steel steaming tray. There are two sizes available: 14-cup or 20-cup cooked rice capacity.
Thank you for reading this review of rice cookers with stainless steel inner bowls and steamers.