Aroma ARC-560 Review
The Aroma brand is known for creating quality rice cookers at an affordable price. They offer several different types of rice cookers that perform admirably and stay consistently reliable – able to withstand the tests of time. However, Aroma is not generally known for its innovation. None of their products use many of the technologically advanced rice cooking features of several of their competitors (such as fuzzy logic or induction heating). That is why it was surprising to find that Aroma has created a rice cooker that is unlike most other rice cookers on the market. They have created a combination rice cooker and pasta cooker that is still affordable.
Why is This So Uncommon?
Rice cookers work by turning off when the water inside of the cooker has completely absorbed into the rice. When there is no water left to boil, the temperature in the rice cooker rises and the internal thermostat tells the appliance that it is time to turn off.
While this is great for rice, it is not useful for making pasta. Pasta cooks simply by boiling in water and, when it is tastes done, the remaining water gets drained out. If you put pasta inside a standard rice cooker, all you will be left with is burnt and soggy pasta – not the type of pasta that anyone would want to enjoy. However, the Aroma Housewares ARC-560 has found a way to create both pasta and rice in the same cooker.
Features of the Aroma Housewares ARC-560:
· Digital cooking technology.
· Brings pasta to a fast boil.
· Great for cooking multiple rice types.
· Steams meats and vegetables.
· Brushed stainless steel exterior.
· Keep Warm mode.
· Fits up to 18 cups of rice.
· Contain pre-calibrated programs.
· Works for soups.
· Heats at both 600 and 700 watts.
· Dishwasher safe pot.
· Signals when cooking is complete.
Overall Thoughts on the Aroma ARC-560
18 cups is a lot of rice. Few families require that much rice in a single day day, and most can do with as little as 5 or 6 cups. The sheer size of this machine is fairly impressive, and since it only has a height of 12 inches, it is not as large as it sounds. It heats up water to a boil very quickly for making pasta, and has specialized settings for brown rice to ensure that it is turns out tasty.
The non-stick pan inside of the Aroma ARC-560 works very well. And the Keep Warm feature works for both pasta and rice, which is a nice touch. The Aroma ARC-560 is easy to use, and the preprogrammed options are extremely helpful.
Overall, the Aroma ARC-560 is an incredibly interesting product, though it may be a little ahead of its time. Most people can cook pasta without error, since pasta does not need to be watched as closely as rice does in order to ensure perfection, and so the price tag (around $100) may seem a bit high for this type of upgrade. But the Aroma ARC-560 is still an interesting product, and as one of the first combination rice and pasta cookers ever created, Aroma has done a very good job. You can buy it online here.
Useful Links:
http://www.aroma-housewares.com/
http://kitchen.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/aroma/aroma_rice_cooker_product_list.html
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