Rice is a staple in every kitchen. Whether you’re making multiple main dishes or just the one. Rice goes with everything but it can only taste delicious when it’s cooked right. That’s where the beauty of a rice cooker comes in.
It can never make rice underdone, overdone, or dry and brittle! But if you’re preparing rice on a stovetop, you can. If you think you’re always going to be bad at cooking rice. It’s time you start relying on something that’s foolproof.
Hamilton Beach rice cookers deliver on their promise. You just have to add rice, water, and salt. It makes delicious white or brown rice in a variety of ways. These products have no learning curve. They’re easy to use, clean, and maintain.
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Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker Review in 2020
Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal 10-Cups Cooker
This Hamilton Beach rice cooker has a simplified design. Still and all, it offers exceptional features. They really stand out when you want to make rice quick and delicious. Overall, this is an affordable and valuable choice. It’s the best digitally simple choice for most people.
Pros
- It makes jasmine rice quickly.
- One of the fastest rice cookers.
- Easy to use and clean.
Cons
- The rice does stick at the bottom a bit.
If you’re looking for something that offers great-tasting rice. And not just plain white rice but all different types of rice. Then this is the choice for you. It takes around 35 to 40 minutes to cook a sufficient serving of rice.
The functionality of this 10-cup cooker is practical too. The settings are easy to navigate. It’s really no issue cleaning the inner pan after cooking a batch of rice. Because unless your rice is sticky, then it’s okay, but the rice does get stuck to the bottom.
The fast cooking time and excellent consistency ensure nothing gets burned. So clean up is simple, quick, and effective.
The steam basket over the rice pot is sufficient as well. It allows you to steam veggies, dumplings, and beans easily. The intuitive control panel has laid down all the functions for you. Easy rice customizations for white rice, whole grain. And steam cook, keep warm, heat/simmer, and quick mode.
You can also select the delay timer to prolong the cooking/keep warm process. Adjust it as you like – according to minutes or hours. But only remember to put sufficient water so that your rice doesn’t burn. This can happen even while you’re keeping the rice warm after cooking.
Hamilton Beach Mini 8-Cups Rice Cooker
Another compact and affordable rice cooker for you. This Hamilton Beach can cook 8 cups of rice in a smooth and consistent manner. It has accessories that are dishwasher safe. It’s a user-friendly and solid machine. And it does what it’s designed for best – to cook rice.
Pros
- Easy to clean non-stick cooking pot.
- Detachable lid for quick cleaning.
- Quick and effortless performance.
Cons
Not the ideal choice for whole grain.
The rice of rice cookers in these unusual times is only understandable. You don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Especially for cooking rice which is the simplest of recipes to cook. That’s only if you buy and use a rice cooker from Hamilton Beach.
So that when you do cook a widespread, you can focus on the main dishes. The simple ‘Cook’ and ‘Warm’ functionality of this rice cooker is phenomenal. The Hamilton Beach 8-Cup Rice Cooker comes with a steam basket as well.
This steam basket, along with other accessories like the paddle, detachable lid, and cooking pot. They’re all washable and easy to maintain. Only the steam basket is dishwasher-friendly. But you’ll be amazed to know that this steam basket also doubles as a rice rinser.
The inner pot holds 8 cups of cooked rice. But this is not set in stone. You can cook as little as 1 cup of uncooked rice for yourself. It’s super quiet and portable.
Such small appliances offer easy-to-clean parts and accessories. The Hamilton Beach even more so with its solid and functional features. It doesn’t have a timer or an LCD screen. But it’s super-accurate with its basic functions. So you won’t feel the lack of such advanced functions.
Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker & Food 16-Cup Steamer
Better than the first two choices with regards to capacity. You can cook more cups of uncooked rice in this cooker and steamer. It’s a versatile choice because it uses steam to cook rice. It has automatic functions as it switches from cooking to warming as soon as the rice is done.
Pros
- Functional and sturdy design.
- It doesn’t make a mess at all.
- Powerful and consistent steaming.
Cons
- The rinsing bowl is small.
This rice cooker and steamer is a top favorite. It’s not too small nor is it too big. It’s a comfortable choice for cooking all types of rice. In fact, it’s best for cooking brown and GABA sticky rice.
This is because of the steaming action of the main inner pot. It uses steam to cook the rice through. And this prevents the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. An extra accessory, which is the rinsing bowl, also doubles as a steam basket.
The steam basket goes on top of the rice. So this machine literally doesn’t let the extra steam go to waste. While the inner pot is softening rice underneath. You can steam veggies, fish, beans, and chicken on top.
Once the rice is done cooking which the Hamilton Beach detects automatically. The sensors automatically switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode. The same leftover steam that cooked the rice just a while ago is now keeping it warm.
You can think of this best Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker as intuitive. It gets the basics of cooking rice right. But it also goes a long way to ensure smooth and versatile performance. It uses less water to create stronger steam. Nor does it make it harder for you to clean up afterward.
Hamilton Beach Digital Programmable Rice Cooker & Food Steamer
The Hamilton Beach Programmable Rice Cooker is a classy choice. It cooks rice a lot faster than stovetop cooking. And the quality of rice stays the same long after cooking. So it doesn’t become soggy or hard even if you cook more.
Pros
- Lightweight and user-friendly design.
- It includes a spatula and steam basket.
- Pre-programmed cooking functions.
Cons
- The size is too small.
- The size is too small.
If you appreciate steamed veggies along with rice, this is for you. It delivers fresh and soft rice. Along with a variety of steamed veggies such as beans, corn, broccoli, and even dumplings. So it helps you cook a complete meal without wasting too much effort.
This is a one-person kind of a rice cooker. So if you live in a dorm or studio apartment, you can make full use of this. It’s easy to cook. It has pre-programmed functions for rice, steam, whole grain, and hot cereal.
This also means you can cook oatmeal, steam salmon, and make soup in the cooker. The steaming action is powerful and consistent. So no two batches of the same rice will come out different.
This is a fantastic, portable rice cooker. Perfect for anyone looking for something quick and effective to cook rice with. It’s not frustrating to clean since it’s small. And the inner pan has a smooth surface which is easier to clean. All-in-all, it accomplishes a lot without taking too much of your time.
Hamilton Beach Digital Programmable Rice Cooker
Last but not in any way least, this is the Hamilton Beach Digital Simplicity Rice Cooker. It is a 2-in-1 cooker and steamer. With a high-quality steam basket and substantial inner pot. You can cook 7 cups of uncooked rice in it. Along with other stuff like veggies, seafood, and hot cereals.
Pros
- Accurate delay timer for up to 11 hours.
- 6 different cooking customizations.
- Perfect for cooking/steaming/simmering sauces.
Cons
- None so far.
This is a really convenient choice. It does an excellent job of cooking rice for you. It has all the customizations for accuracy and consistency. And you can also steam veggies, seafood, and dumplings in the steam basket.
The user interface of the rice cooker is quite intuitive. It’s possible to cook rice right off the bat. It comes with a measuring cup, spatula, and a rinsing bowl. After washing the rice in the rinsing bowl, you can use it for steaming.
The lid is secure and tightly-sealed once the cooking process begins. It doesn’t spill out water or condensation. The heat/simmer function allows you to get more creative. In that, you can make different kinds of soup, beans, and pasta sauces.
Hamilton Beach is a versatile brand in that it caters to multiple functions at once. While traditional rice cookers do just one thing. The multi-functionality and practicality of this North American brand make it quite popular.
No other kitchen appliance as simple as a rice cooker can be made this resourceful. But the Hamilton Beach’s premium programmed settings make it so. Cooking rice, along with steamed veggies or salmon, is no problem at all!
How to Use A Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker
Rice is easy enough to cook on a stovetop. Perhaps it’s the same for when you want to make rice in a rice cooker. But each rice cooker brand has its own perks. You have to understand how to use the rice cooker you plan on buying right away.
No matter how handy and pre-programmed your rice cooker. It only works well when you know how to work it well. Most Hamilton Beach Rice Cookers come with instructions. If you follow them, step-by-step, you will make no mistakes.
They also offer instructions specific to different types of rice. Including white, whole grain, sticky, etc.
Features like Delay Timer, Heat/Simmer, Keep Warm, etc. can be confusing. Based on the kind of features the Hamilton Beach has to offer. Here’s how to use a rice cooker properly.
What you’ll need to make rice for the first time. This is for an average serving of 1 to 2 cups of rice.
- Up to 2 cups of rice.
- 2 cups of water
- Half teaspoon of salt (or more if required)
Start by measuring an exact measure of 2 cups of uncooked rice. You can rinse the rice to get rid of starch molecules. It’s easier to cook rice fully and softly in a Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker.
After rinsing the rice with plain tap water a few times, drain the excess liquid. Put the rice in the inner pot of the rice cooker. Add 2 cups of water. The water ratio should be the same as the rice ratio. So if you’ve taken 1-3 cups of rice, you add 1-3 cups of water. Add the salt.
Hint: If you want to make the rice slightly mushy, but not quite, you can add one cup extra.
Turn on your Hamilton Beach Rice Cooker. You can select the quick-cooking mode or go for a specific function. If it’s white rice you’re cooking, select the White Rice function. Hamilton Beach offers intricate customizations for all types of rice.
Once the rice is done, the rice cooker will either alert you. Or it will directly switch to auto-keep warm mode. You can choose to keep the rice warm and fresh in the pot for a long time. Until you have to eat or serve. Or you can also keep it for as long as 12 hours.
Generally, in a rice cooker like this one, constant stirring is not needed. The rice cooker takes care of the proper cooking by itself.
Cooking white rice in a rice cooker takes about 35 minutes. Brown rice takes 10-15 minutes longer.
In case you’re using a cooker and steamer, you can add the veggies when there are 15 minutes left. Vegetables, fish, dumplings do not take longer than 15 minutes to cook thoroughly.
Final Thoughts
This Hamilton Beach rice cooker is super-efficient and practical. The time it takes to cook 2 to 10 cups of cooked rice is amazing. It’s smooth, fluid, and flexible to use. It’s an edgy countertop rice cooker for most homes. And it gives any stovetop rice cooker a run for its money!