Sanyo EC-503 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer, White

by Sanyo

Product Features

• 3-cup rice cooker with stainless-steel tray for steaming vegetables
• Single-switch operation; automatic keep-warm function; glass lid
• Non-stick coated pan helps prevent cooked rice from sticking; detachable cord
• Measuring cup, spatula, and multi-language instruction manual included
• Measures 8-7/16 by 6-1/2 by 10-1/16 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9 x 7 inches ; 4.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00016R5PG
• Item model number: EC-503
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,487 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #39 in Kitchen & Dining > Small Appliances > Rice Cookers

Product Description

This durable and economical Sanyo 3 cup rice cooker and vegetable steamer is easy to operate and has several upgraded features. The single switch operation makes it easy to start the cooking process and when the cooking is complete the keep warm function automatically turns on to make sure the food is ready to eat. The inner pot has a non-stick coating and is easy to clean. Steam your vegetables in the deep, stainless steel steaming tray and view the process through the glass lid. A detachable electric cord is great when storing. Includes measuring cup, spatula, and multi-language (English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese) instruction manual. White enamel finish.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good cooker for singles, July 4, 2006

By 

Adrian S. (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sanyo EC-503 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer, White (Kitchen)

I must say this is my first cooker, and I chose a small one since I'm single. I found it handy to have the meal ready and warm when I come home for lunch breaks (I live close to the office), or in the evenings, when I'm tired and don't feel like cooking. The cooker has a cook mode and a "keep warm" - once the cooking is done it switches to the latter and the warm food awaits you to arrive home!

I found the instructions regarding how much water to use (depending on rice quantity) to be a little on the low side - the rice I got was somewhat dry for my taste. I also used it to cook other grains - quinoa and millet (BTW, the I millet I get with the cooker is the best I've tasted so far). Learning from the rice experience, I now put more water, actually I use more water than if I would cook in a pot!

If you stick to the grains/water proportions, you have no problem with making a mess in the kitchen. If you use (much) more water, you might see the lid and the area around the cooker becoming a little stained, as in steam/water which dried and left some stains. For me this is not an issue - I want a good food first, kitchen comes after. Actually, you might not even see that - it's such a minor issue - but if you do, then you just need to use less water. In my experience, this doesn't happen with rice, but other grains (notably millet) swell a lot more during cooking. The instructions (and the web) say that it is possible to cook other dishes (stews, etc.) using the cooker, but haven't done that yet.

This cooker doesn't have an on-off button, you need to plug and unplug it from the outlet. This is a non-issue for me, but "your mileage msy vary". I guess this can actually work to your advantage: if you are really cheap, you can get an appliance device which you can program so that the cooking starts - say - about 40 minutes before you get home, and thus you save electricity money on the "keeping warm" time. This is also possible to do with smarter cookers, but they cost $70+ more.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars misleading cup size, October 28, 2006

By 

G. Graham "harborbarber" (erie,pa.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sanyo EC-503 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer, White (Kitchen)

Note that the "3 cup" size is not your typical 8oz. size. The one supplied with the rice cooker and is to used following their directions, is a 6 oz. cup. So, instead of having 3 cooked cups of rice, you only get 2.25 cups of rice. Other than this, I found the cooker works very well.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Singles or Couples, November 8, 2006

By 

Steven "Dataman" (Shingle Springs, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sanyo EC-503 3-Cup Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer, White (Kitchen)

Nice easy-to-use cooker. It is compact, simple to use and is easy to clean. I agree with another reviewer that the water/rice volumes lead toward a rather dry end product but this is the fault of the instructions rather than the cooker.