How-To's for Rice & Grain Cookers

All AROMA® rice & grain cookers will effortlessly produce perfectly cooked rice if the steps in your product manual are carefully followed and by ensuring to add the correct amount of liquid for every cup of rice being cooked. All traditional one-touch and digital rice & grain cookers work on the same principle—an inner pot sits atop a heated plate that brings liquid in the pot to a rolling boil. The water will continuously boil until it is completely absorbed by the grain, or boils off as steam. A temperature sensor in contact with the pan senses once the temperature has risen above that of boiling water and will then reduce its heat to Keep Warm mode, which will keep contents at an optimal serving temperature without ever burning or overcooking your grain.

Your product’s model number is a 6-7 character code in the format of XXX-XXXX and can be found on the manufacturer’s sticker on the back side or bottom of your appliance. Rice & grain multicooker model numbers will begin with “ARC” “AMC” or “MTC” followed by a hyphen and 3-5 numbers and/or letters.

While a standard U.S. cup measure is 240 milliliters, a rice measuring cup according to rice industry standards is much smaller at 180 milliliters. All of our models come with a complimentary rice measuring cup and should be used when measuring ingredients in your rice cooker or multicooker. Our product manuals will always provide cooking guides and charts based on rice measuring cup measurements.

For white rice, you should be using 2 rice measuring cups of water for every 1 cup of uncooked white rice.

Brown rice has extra bran layers and therefore will need slightly more water for perfectly tender results. For brown rice, the general ratio recommendation is to use 2¼ cups of water for every 1 cup of uncooked brown rice. For best results, refer to the “Rice/Grain & Water Measurement Charts” in your product manual.

Misplaced your product manual? Head over here and type in your model number to find an online copy of the manual.

We recommend rinsing rice under cool water before beginning to cook it. Rinsing makes a difference in results, especially with long-grain varieties, because it removes the surface starch that otherwise causes the rice to clump together or become gummy as it cooks. This short added step will be the difference in a good pot of rice and a great one!

TIP: Do not rinse rice under warm water, the warm water could begin to cook the rice while rinsing and can lead to overcooked rice.

Brown rice is a less-processed form of rice, which means the grains still have the outer layer of bran on them. These bran layers are removed from white rice, effectively lessening its cook time compared to brown rice. In order to effectively cook brown rice and break down its extra layers, it requires more soaking time in the cooking process.

Our 3-Cup (Cooked) and 6-Cup (Cooked) capacity models are designed with individuals in mind, maybe you’re just moving out into your own apartment or you’re a student cooking meals for yourself for the first time! 8-Cup (Cooked) capacity models are the most commonly bought size for small families of 2-3 people, 12-Cup (Cooked) cookers are most common amongst a bit larger families of 4-5 people, and 20-Cup (Cooked) models are best suited for families of 6+ members and can even be used for catering or entertaining!

Maintaining your rice cooker on a regular basis will ensure your cooker’s longevity and that the food cooked in it will always taste great! By cleaning your rice cooker regularly, you will get rid of abnormal odors and keep uncooked and watery rice from getting stuck in those hard to reach places.

1. Before cleaning, be sure to let your rice cooker cool down completely to room temperature.
2. Carefully remove the parts and accessories. This includes removing the inner pot, the inner lid one by using both hands and gently pulling it toward you, and the condensation collector by gently squeezing both sides and pulling it out toward you. Note that some models do not include inner lids or condensation collectors.
3. Soak all removable parts in warm, soapy water for 2-3 hours.
4. Using a slightly damp cloth, wipe the inside and outside of the rice cooker, being careful to avoid water getting inside the unit.
5. Dry all parts and accessories thoroughly.
6. Reassemble for next use!

Your rice cooker will automatically switch to Keep Warm mode once it’s finished cooking and all liquid has been absorbed into the grain. Some rice cooker models will beep to signify the end of the cooking cycle and the beginning of Keep Warm mode.

Depending on how dry your rice is, add ½ to 1 cup of water and stir thoroughly. Close the lid and select the White Rice function (or press the cook switch down on one-touch models) once more. When the cooker switches to Keep Warm, open the lid and stir the rice to check the consistency. Repeat as necessary until rice is soft and moist.

If your rice is too moist/soggy, use the serving spatula to stir the rice to redistribute the bottom (moist) part of the rice and to release excess moisture. Close the lid and allow the cooker to remain on Keep Warm for 10-30 minutes as needed, opening the lid and stirring periodically to release excess moisture.

All the tools you need to make and serve perfectly cooked rice already conveniently come with your unit–an inner pot, a rice measuring cup and a serving spatula. A select amount of our models come with a steam tray that allows you to healthily steam foods in your cooker even as rice is prepared below in the inner pot.

This is dependent on the type of grain being cooked, the amount, and the rice cooker/multicooker model being used, the total amount of cooking time will vary. The average amount of time it takes to cook 1 cup of white rice in one of standard rice cooker models is about 25 minutes.

1. Be sure you’re using the correct amount of liquid/water for every cup of uncooked rice added to the inner pot. Accurate amounts and ratios can be found in your product manual for reference.
2. Rinse your rice thoroughly before cooking to reduce the amount of bran and starch on the grain. Excess starch may cause the water to bubble up and produce a sticky residue.
3. Adding a thin layer of nonstick cooking spray or oil to the rice/liquid prior to cooking may help to prevent bubbling.

Misplaced your product manual? Head over to the manuals page and type in your model number to find an online copy of the manual.

Do not reheat food using the Keep Warm function. Keep Warm should only be used after a food has been throughly cooked. Food must be heated to an appropriate temperature before reheating in order to prevent bacterial growth while using Keep Warm.

Since models will vary, please refer to this as a general guideline: entering Keep Warm mode will maintain your cooker at 158°F – 194°F. However, when using the Keep Warm function for an extended period of time, heat may escape every time the lid is opened and closed and consequently reduce the temperature. Food should not be left in your cooker on Keep Warm mode for more than 12 hours for health and safety reasons.

Sushi rice can be easily and effortlessly made in your rice cooker by following the steps in this recipe from our Test Kitchen

To deep clean your stainless steel inner pot, we recommend using a vinegar solution which requires 1 cup of distilled white vinegar mixed with 1 cup of water. Pour the solution inside the inner pot then run the cooker through a 30-minute cooking cycle (you will need to manually set a timer as the solution will not fully evaporate and allow the cooker to automatically switch to Warm mode). Once 30 minutes has elapsed, manually switch the cooker to Warm and allow the inner pot to sit for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the inner pot then wash with warm, soapy water before returning to the cooker. This cleaning process does not need to be completed after every use, only when build-up is visible or about every other month with regular use.