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Add to SafariWhen comparing Oster 004722-000-000 vs Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker 37541, the Slant community recommends Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker 37541 for most people. In the question“What are the best rice cookers for under $50?” Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker 37541 is ranked 2nd while Oster 004722-000-000 is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Hamilton Beach Rice & Hot Cereal Cooker 37541 is:
The rice cooker is pretty large, especially for its price. It can hold up to 10 cups of uncooked rice which will become 20 cups of cooked rice. This amount is large enough for around seven people.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Very cheap
This rice cooker is very cheap. Because of its price, it really cannot have many additional features. Still, it has a great value because of its quality cooking.
Pro Can make two dishes at the same time
The optional steaming tray allows cooking two separate dishes at once. Doing so saves energy and time.
Pro Won’t allow food the get cold
When it's done cooking, it automatically enters the “keep warm” mode which won’t allow your food to get cold and will maintain the meal warm for whenever you’re ready.
Pro Easy to clean
The non-stick pot and the steaming plate are both removable and dishwasher safe. Can’t really be more convenient.
Pro Can prepare food for multiple people
The rice cooker is pretty large, especially for its price. It can hold up to 10 cups of uncooked rice which will become 20 cups of cooked rice. This amount is large enough for around seven people.
Pro Can cook a lot of different foods
On top of cooking various types of rice, it can also cook pasta, whole grains, beans and even use the steaming option for vegetables, meat or fish. A lot can be done with just this one appliance.
Pro Meals can be prepared in advance
The timer can be set for up to 15 hours, meaning, it will wait for up to 15 hours before starting the cooking process. This way you can plan your dinner in the morning, set the timer, leave, and have a meal ready just when you arrive home.
Pro Automatically keeps food warm
When it is done cooking, it will automatically shift into “Keep warm mode” to keep your food warm until you want to actually eat it. Be advised that rice shouldn’t be kept in this mode for longer than ~10 hours, as it can get really dry.
Pro Interface is easily understood and used
The interface is quite clear and very easy to use. The buttons are obvious with their functions and the predefined settings make cooking even easier.
Pro Easy to clean
The inner bowl has a non-stick surface and is dishwasher safe. The inner lid can also be removed but has to cleaned manually.
Pro Good for white and brown rice
Since there's a dedicated brown rice cooking feature, you don't have to pre-soak brown rice yourself.
Cons
Con Not big enough to cook for multiple people
The small size means it won’t be able to cook enough food at once for multiple people. It can hold up to 6 cups of cooked rice, which is reasonable, given its compact size. Such amount is best for 1 or 2 people
Con Cannot cook meals in advance
It doesn’t have a programmable timer which would allow planning meals in advance.
Con Water sometimes overflows
When cooking rice within the indicated margins, the water can still overflow and be a bother when it comes to cleaning. This simply shouldn’t happen with these kinds of appliances.
Con Doesn’t offer a choice between cooking settings
The only choices are “cooking mode” and a “keep warm mode”. Because of this, you have to solely rely on the only cooking setting it provides.
Con It has no on/off switch
You have to unplug the power cord every time you want to turn it off.
Con Best used with only white rice
Brown and long-grain rice are not as finely cooked as regular white rice. This is expected since the predefined settings do not include different types of rice other than white rice.
Con Foods cannot be "fine-tuned"
The cooking settings are predefined and cannot be changed, thus making it impossible to fine tune any food with very specific temperatures and cooking times.
Con Short power cord
The power cord is just around 28 inches long. It can really limit the places where you could keep it.
