Aroma ARC-1266F Rice Cooker

Price Range: Low

Rice Quality: Good

Benefits & Features: Few

Performance: Fair

Pros vs. Cons: Balanced

Overall Rating: Good

To start, the Aroma ARC-1266F rice cooker is probably one of the cheapest rice cookers of this type of style and build...including what it offers. However, it just barely squeezed in its overall Good rating based on our findings and judgment.

After reading through some online reviews, we have found that this cooker is no different than other basic cookers as it cooks with a rapid boil until most of the water is absorbed then switches into a keep warm mode holding the rice at a serving temperature.

Some Recurring Issues?

Of course once we looked at the low price tag we expected there to be some complaints; a couple on which folks had reported units dying on them after a few uses. However, we come across this now and then with ALL rice cookers as it is just the nature of having a small appliance...it just happens.

However, the ones that did work brought up a lot of issues regarding the common rice crusting issues at the bottom along with a few surprising reports of boil-over issues. We would not have expected this since like the Tiger JNP cookers, this Aroma ARC-1266F model seems to utilize a sealed lid and steam vent. But perhaps there is a small design flaw?

Another small issue that was reported was that the cooker automatically starts in “cook mode” when plugged in. Other cookers usually start off in the "keep warm" mode until folks manually push down on the lever.

What it Does do Well

This Aroma 6 cup rice cooker does have its share of good reviews and it does a nice quick job at preparing a good-quality batch of rice (minus the bottom layer). It is easy to use, is non-stick, and can simultaneous steam food while rice is cooking which is a big plus for the price tag.

Some say the measuring instructions could be a little better, mostly stating folks should add a wee bit more water than recommended, but overall, rice quality is good with just a little trial and error with obtaining desired texture, (more with brown rice than white).

The Aroma ARC-1266F cooker comes with a measuring cup, steaming basket, non-stick bowl, serving paddle, and manual. The 6 cup capacity yields around 18 cups of cooked white rice making it the perfect size for a household of 4 to 6 people.

Pros

Cons

Where to Buy an Aroma Rice Cooker

Purchase at Amazon.com

Overall, we cannot give a strong recommendation on this product, but then again other units that we would recommend are either double or triple in price and offer similar benefits & features when compared.

The Aroma ARC-1266F is nice to have around the house for that occasional bowl of white rice with dinner, but will not yield high quality rice and is probably not the first choice for frequent brown rice eaters.

Before buying this Aroma 6 cup rice cooker take a look at the Aroma ARC-856 as well. Or the Tiger JNP or JAZ series cookers (more expensive though).

Measurements: 10.6 x 10.6 x 10.6 Inches | 6 Cup Capacity (approx. 18 Cups Cooked)