Panasonic SR-W18PB Rice Cooker/Steamer

by Panasonic

Product Features

• Cooks up to 10 cups dried rice or steams lots of food
• Nonstick pan releases rice and cleans easily; will saute food
• Automatically switches to keep-warm when rice is cooked
• Keeps food warm up to four hours
• 600 watts; 11 inches in diameter, 13 inches high (including steamer basket)

Product Details

Product Manual [299kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 13 x 11 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005QFL2
• Item model number: SR-W18PB
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #242,068 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

This combination rice cooker and steamer cooks up to 10 cups of dried rice or steams lots of vegetables or shellfish. For steaming, an 11-inch-diameter, 2-3/4-inch-deep steamer basket--transparent so cooking can be monitored--fits atop the cooker. The lid, which fits both the basket and the rice cooker, is glass. Because the removable cooking pan is nonstick it releases food and cleans easily. The pan can also be used to sauté food. An indicator inside the pan shows how much water to add (in cups and liters) for various amounts of rice. The cooker automatically switches to its keep-warm function when rice is cooked, and will keep rice (or other food) warm for up to four hours. The cooker/steamer produces 600 watts of power and measures 11 inches in diameter and 13 inches high (including the steamer basket). It carries a one-year warranty against defects and comes with a color recipe booklet. --Fred Brack

Product Description

Cooks up to 10 cups dried rice or steams lots of foodNonstick pan releases rice and cleans easily; will saute foodAutomatically switches to keep-warm when rice is cookedKeeps food warm up to four hours600 watts; 11 inches in diameter 13 inches high (including steamer basket)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My Fisrt Rice Cooker, January 20, 2002

By 

petergar "petergar" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic SR-W18PB Rice Cooker/Steamer (Kitchen)

After contemplating buying a rice cooker for a few weeks, I decided I would buy an entry level rice cooker. This came from the epiphany I had while eating another flavorless serving of instant brown rice. Being a bachelor, I need a way to prepare rice easily and quickly, so instant rice had been my choice for some years.

I had read several buying guides and reviews online, and knew I wanted the following features:
- It had to be under [price]. Being I had never cooked with a rice cooker, I did not want to spend too much money buying something I might not use or like.
- It had to have a non-stick surface on the pot
- It had to be by a reputible Japanese brand
- It had to have a steaming tray
- It had to be small, being I would only be cooking for myself

This model fit all the criteria. The rice comes out fantastic. I learned that although the owner's manual may say to use 1.25 cups of water for each cup of rice, the rice comes out too dry and even burns on the bottom. Using 2 cups of water to each cup of rice corrected this. I have so far cooked brown and basmati rice with the cooker and they both were excellent. I soak the rice for thirty minutes, then turn on the cooker. After about 20 to 30 minutes, the cooker turns off, and I have delicious, hot, moist, healthy rice.

This is a great, small, basic, and inexpensive cooker. Nothing fancy, just good rice. I know I will upgrade to a fancier model in the future, but for now, this Panasonic one is just fine.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Why doesn't it time the 30 minutes of soaking too?, July 7, 2002

By 

Vicky Jo Varner "vicky_jo" (Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic SR-W18PB Rice Cooker/Steamer (Kitchen)

I bought this little rice cooker, and it's charming. However, you have to soak the rice in it for 30 minutes before you can turn it on and start it cooking. Duh! Why isn't that built into the logic? I'm a crockpot queen -- the 'fix it and forget it' type of cook. It annoys me that I have to think about this thing after dumping the rice in, which defeats the concept of "automatic" in my book. Call me too demanding technologically, but why didn't they build the 30 minutes into its features? I don't understand the logic here. Anyway, I still like it and it beats cooking rice the old-fashioned way -- but it's not much of a time-saver or convenience with this thirty minute barrier.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad choice, December 13, 2002

By 

M. Pizarro "mara1" (San Juan, PR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic SR-W18PB Rice Cooker/Steamer (Kitchen)

I got this to replace an old hitachi rice cooker (lasted 9 years). After trying it for a few times, I returned it. It takes too long to cook the rice, you have to soak the rice for 30 minutes before cooking, then turn it on, then it takes about another 30 minutes. (I can make rice quicker using the stove). I followed the manufacturer's instructions, rice browned on the bottom, and cooked uneven. I tried to adjust the water, either rice turned out uncooked or too soft. The only thing good it was easy to clean, but so was my old Hitachi rice cooker that did not had the nonstick surface.