AROMA NRC-687SD-1SG vs Instant Zest 8-cup

I bought it because it's stainless steel, and I do appreciate not having a non-stick coating.

My 20 year old rice cooker bit the dust and I needed a replacement. I own an instant pot, but didn't care for the way rice came out of it and when I'm cooking my meal in the instant pot, I wanted a second machine for rice. I also wanted a smaller machine since my family eats grain in small portions.

MUSH? I don't think so. Had to change dinner plans drastically when I had been so patient waiting for the rice to cook. I've had much better luck with whole grain farro (emmer wheat), which seems impossible to overcook, with steamed veggies and fish or chicken. I'll have to try again with brown rice -- cut way back on the water and the time, which means setting a timer because this thing doesn't allow you to time

You can make mixed greens and saute slow cook and keep warm now this one, the 8 cup instant pot zest only has the option go ahead and show you guys up...

Upgraded my 10 y.o. rice cooker with non-stick coating with a shiny new stainless steel unit. After a couple sub par attempts to making typical white rice that is a staple of Hawaii and Asian cultures, the perfect rice/water ratio has been found

Awesome decision on my part! It cooks my rice (jasmine and basmati) sooo perfectly. I like the pot in this rice cooker way better than the one that was in my Aroma. The Aroma would almost overcook the rice sometimes, and even if it was just nicely cooked, the rice stuck. The Instant Pot does not stick! It's a much better coating

Aroma needs to change the cheap stainless steel to a higher quality. And people should consider demanding higher quality so that we can get out of this wasteful throw-away society that people with too much power for their own britches have created for us to endure. In the past, good kitchen appliances lasted generations, today you can hardly find a good appliance. Take your power back folks, and don't give it away to an expert to decide for you

That a big range! The cooker also comes with a steaming basket. Somewhere in the materials it says you can steam "veggies and fish!" YAY! Again, for how long? Can I steam it with rice or only with the Steam button, which requires you to set time manually? Can I steam chicken? Should the veggies be frozen or defrosted or fresh? The booklet says, "We have partnered with chefs, authors, and bloggers to compile a collection of recipes that we hope you enjoy!" I can find any Instant Pot Zest Rice cooker recipes online! In short, the machine seems fine, but not user friendly for a first time rice cooker owner who would like to use all the advertised features (other than cooking rice).

The Brown rice setting never heats past a "barely warmer than tap water hot" , returned it in person to their main facility for a new one, that one too didn't work on the Brown Rice setting. We were too lazy to return it again, and since the Brown rice cooked fine on the white rice setting, we never re-returned it. But really, what's the point in having the two different settings if white rice setting cooks both? It is " Significantly" smaller than advertised. It's described in how many cups it makes, but the "cups" are not measurements ( like8oz cups) rather they are how many cups measured from their tiny little included " cup"

The keep warm setting though I don't think you should use for long periods cause it will keep cooking the items in the pot, so be careful with that.

2 the bottom of the bowl developed rings. To combat this I poured a bit of vinegar, soaked it and rinsed it. That seemed to clear up the rings, till the next time. So do it for maintenance

Don’t waste your time downloading the app as suggested in the guide. It has recipes for a few other Instant appliances, but NOT for the Zest. The lid doesn’t come off for cleaning and there are NO cleaning instructions in the guide that comes with the cooker. A more complete guide is available online, but it’s just unacceptable to have to search for such basic information

This was my third rice cooker I tried and it was the one that won! It has (almost) everything I wanted. I wanted a non Teflon rice cooker that could also steam veggies (pot style) that was big enough for my family of 4 but not too big to clutter my counter space. The choices are limited for non Teflon cookers. I wanted a ceramic coated one but all the choices were not the right size for my family

Either people are putting in too much water to the cooker, or they’re forgetting to empty the reservoir. I like the size of it. Doesn’t take up a ton of space. Easier to put away in a cupboard

The price is great - especially for the functions it provides and (BONUS!) the stainless steel cook pot. That, in itself, is worth the price! If you buy it, I think you'll be very happy with it. Happy cooking!

Those cheap cookers, no more than $25 spued, hissed, and foamed with rice sticking to the pot's bottom. I just wasn't going to spring for a$200 fuzzy logic rice cooker. The Instant Zest has none of the issues of the cheap rice cookers and can be purchased in the $50 to $40 range. If you have an Instant Pot it will cook rice to, but it's much to large and difficult to clean whereas the Zest can be cleaned up with a damp sponge and takes up little space on your counter