The Black and Decker 3-cup rice cooker: An in-depth review
As we all know, there are a lot of ways to prepare rice, from pressure cookers to microwave rice cookers, instant pots, and even pots on stovetops. But in this post, I’ll be focusing on electric rice cookers. And not just any electric cookerl; here’s a Black and Decker 3 cup rice cooker review.
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Black + Decker rice cooker reviewed
Because we live in an age where people don’t mind paying a lot of money on a smartphone (which they’ll end up criticizing), paying $20 for a rice cooker shouldn’t be a big deal.
This model from Black and Decker is one of the cheapest rice cookers you’ll ever find anywhere, unless you’re buying a second-hand product. You can’t get it for more than 30 bucks (really cheap!).
Contrary to the popular opinion that cheap appliances will offer poor functionality, not give the user what they want, and won’t last long, this cooker is of outstanding quality. As small rice cookers come, this is one of the most perfect models out there!
A lot of people have been surprised by the quality of this model. Most of them had thought the unit would be a failure and were ready to drop negative reviews about it; some went as far as getting back-up rice cookers in case the unit stopped working all of a sudden!
But they were all disappointed. They never got to say anything bad about this unit!
When you look at the structure and design of the unit, you can tell that it was built to last. The pot allows you to cook not only rice, but also varieties of food materials, vegetables, meat, and what have you. This shows that this device is designed for heavy use.
It has 2 different heat settings: cook and keep warm. The cook function allows you to cook food at a higher temperature, which is suitable for cooking soft and perfect rice without burning or turning it brown. After cooking the rice, the keep-warm function ensures that food is kept warm and fresh until you’re ready to eat it.
The cooker is fast and efficient, as it takes just about 20 minutes to cook 3 cups of rice, so it makes cooking easy. You just put in your rice, go away, and do something else for 20 minutes to come back and meet your fully prepared rice!
But whatever I want to say about this cooker, you can’t overlook the fact that it’s very affordable, so this should count as another benefit of this cooker. Obviously, the product can’t be compared to a lot of the others available in the market, but overall, in its own right, it’s impressive. It packs a lot of heat considering the amount you paid for it, and there’s no doubt it’s very durable.
The fact that it’s cheap doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have most of the necessary accessories and features. Yes, you’re still getting a dishwasher-safe product that can be easily disassembled and reassembled. The styling isn’t bad, so you’re not getting an ugly product or something that’ll look weird on the countertop.
All of these say one thing: even for the price tag, the BLACK+DECKER RC503 Rice Cooker is no joke.
Features
Automatic keep warm
I have talked about this feature earlier but let me emphasize it. The keep-warm function regulates the temperature of the cooker to a point where it isn’t hot enough to cook food, but hot enough to keep the food from getting cold. This keeps your food warm until you’re ready to serve and eat.
And it’s easy to use. The matter of fact is you don’t need to do anything; the cooker automatically switches to keep-warm mode once the rice is cooked to the required level.
Food steaming basket and other accessories
the food steaming basket is an accessory that allows you to make healthy meals with fish, vegetables, and more. You also get a measuring cup and spoon. The measuring cup makes it easy to measure just the right amount of rice into the cooker while the spoon is for serving the cooked food. The spoons are made of plastic to prevent accidental scratches to the nonstick rice pot.
Note: Use only the measuring cup to measure rice, do not use a real cup.
Cooking capacity
It can take up to 3 cups of cooked rice, so the ideal capacity for uncooked rice will be approximately 2 cups. In terms of electricity, it uses about 120 volts.
Nonstick rice pot
The cooking compartment of the model is a nonstick pot, which is ideal for cooking rice. The nonstick rice pot is easily removable for cleaning. It’s also dishwasher safe, so you can clean it using a dishwasher.
Pros
- Very affordable: this unit can be easily acquired for less than $30
- Great value for the price
- Nonstick inner pot
- Comes with additional accessories
- 2-year limited warranty from the manufacturer
- Portable and durable design: suitable for small kitchens and for carrying around on trips
Cons
- Limited capacity in terms of the size of food it can cook
- It’s only an entry-level cooker, so it offers very little in terms of advanced features
- The inner pot isn’t made of the more reliable and safer stainless steel
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Is the item durable?
It’s evident from just a glance at the design and construction of the device that it was built to last. The exterior is made of solid plastic and ceramic, with a tempered glass lid. The lid and the nonstick inner pot are all removable for proper washing, and are all dishwasher safe (i.e. can be washed in a dishwasher).
Is the item easy to use?
It’s effortless, safe, and convenient to use; with just the press of a button, you can have your rice fully cooked! Just put in your rice, press the right buttons (follow the instructions in the manual), and wait for about 30 minutes (that’s if you intend to eat the rice immediately).
But in case you’re not ready to have your meal yet, the automatic keep-warm function will kick in once the food is cooked. This feature helps to keep your food warm and fresh for when you want it!
What are the dimensions of this cooker?
The BLACK+DECKER RC503 Rice Cooker has dimensions of 6.5x8x8 inches (HxWxD) with a weight of approximately 2.43 lbs and a capacity of 3 cups of cooked rice.
Overall thoughts on this rice cooker
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the RC503 rice cooker isn’t the heaviest or strongest contender out there. But it sure makes a statement with its abilities and features!
Okay, let’s look at some of the main highlights again.
Firstly, the Black and Decker brand is well-reputed in the world of kitchen appliances. Secondly, even though this model is an entry-level cooker (usually you shouldn’t expect anything else than heating), it packs a tremendous amount of heat.
And lastly, it offers excellent value and service for a meager amount of money. It has the looks and most of the features you’ll find in most mid-range cookers!
But this cooker isn’t for people who consume a lot of rice frequently. Instead, it’s for people who prefer to keep it all clean and straightforward when cooking their rice, as this is a convenient alternative compared to the usual way of using pots on gas stoves. So all in all, this model is an excellent buy if your needs fit into its features.
Related: Best 3-cup rice cooker
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Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
