We go on and off Atkins but when we are off we love brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal. 

We have the Black & Decker 16-Cup Rice Cooker Model RC436, which goes to show that in this case anyway, inexpensive is a good thing.

The Black & Decker 16-Cup Rice Cooker has

a removable cooking bowl.

a tempered glass lid, which I can see through and which has a hole to let out steam.

cool touch handles, which truly do not get hot as is true of the knob on the top. 

cook and keep warm indicator lights. 

a measuring cup.

a spoon that hangs on the outside when you are not using the cooker.

a steaming basket.

It measures about 10 inches by 10 inches by 8 inches and has a one-year limited warranty.

The basket is dishwasher safe.

Although you may read that this is non-stick I will give you a tip below.

Using it and my experience:

We love quinoa. If you never tried it, you must. It is a delicious and healthy grain and a no-brainer to cook in the Rice Cooker. Just follow the directions, which include putting in water along with the quinoa. Then click the cook button.

There are two lights. One is warm and one is cook. Remember to hit the cook button when you plug it in. More than once I have forgotten to and my food doesn’t get cooked because it automatically will be on warm from the time before.

When the quinoa, rice, etc. is done, the warming light comes on. We can keep it on warm but usually we eat right away.

It is simple to clean but this is a tip. Spray cooking oil (like Pam) on the inside before you cook. If not the food might stick to the pot a bit or burn.

I have had a couple of rice cookers and that is true for the others as well.

It cleans very easily with soap and water. It is truly a no mess process.

We even cook pasta in it so we can make a one-dish meal. We cook the pasta in the Black & Decker 16-Cup Rice Cooker and steam frozen veggies in the basket. We thaw cooked shrimp and to warm them up we put them in the basket as well. How easy is that?

Other thoughts:

When we first got this we used too much water, especially for oatmeal and it is true what you might read- you may have some splatter. When I make oatmeal I put paper towels under the unit. I also do not use as much water as the package states and it comes out just fine.

Jo’s Final Thoughts:

I have to give Black & Decker’s 16 Cup Rice Cooker four stars. It may not be perfect or super sophisticated but it is attractive and does the job. The price is amazing.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 20