So, it’s time to upgrade your old electric rice cooker to a new one? Yep! That’s why you are here. I had been using a Panasonic rice cooker (SR WA 18 FHS) for the last 8 years and never faced a problem except the non-stick coating which went off slowly. But, that is mainly because I used steel wool to wash it many times. The good experience with the old cooker made me choose this new Panasonic Rice Cooker SR WA18 with steamer.
What makes Panasonic electric cooker set apart from its competitors is its positive reviews with 4 or 4 plus ratings when it comes to durability. Its closest peers like USHA RC, Bajaj RC, and Prestige PM and PR series do fairly well but fall behind SR WA18 when considering all the parameters.
Let’s dive into the detailed review.
Panasonic Rice Cooker SR WA18 review
The Panasonic SR WA18 comes in different models, such as SR-WA18H (E), SR-WA18H (T), SR-WA18H (B), and SR-WA18H (SS). All have a pan capacity of 4.4 litres and use 660 W of power. Some of them have steaming baskets and some do not have. Do check the particular model you are buying.
The one that I have got is SR-WA18H (SS). Let’s have a look at some of the features it offers:
1. Comes with steaming baskets & cooking plate
It’s pretty useful for people like me who regularly eats steamed/boiled vegetables. With two steamers, you can prepare two dishes separately at the same time while cooking the rice, thus, saving the power and time. Also, if you’d like to enjoy home-made juicy momos once in a while, you can do that using the steamer. With the two steamers, you can get good numbers of momos.
2. Auto Cut-Off & Keep Warm Mode
Once you switch on the cooker, it will cook the rice in about 15 mins. Then, the switch pops up automatically and goes to the warm mode, consuming only 45 W of power. It will save your electricity bill too. Both the cooking and warming features are indicated by different colours (orange and red).
3. Adonized aluminium pan
Adonized aluminium pan has an extra coating, which makes it more durable and stronger. Also, it doesn’t react with the food and cooks the rice evenly. But, you need to be really careful while cleaning the pan for long-lasting experience. I used steel wool many times, so, my earlier pan bottom was all washed off, which made the rice stuck when cooked. My advice is : never ever use a hard scrubber or steel wool. Soak the bottom in water for a few minutes and use soft scrubber like sponge for cleansing.
4. Recipe & how-to-use/instruction books
The Panasonic electric rice cooker comes along with an instruction book and a recipe book too. It’s always advisable to read the instructions if you are using it for the first time. The recipe book will make newbies learn and prepare different variety of Indian dishes. Some of the recipes included are:
- Vegetable biryani
- Sooji halwa
- Kheer
- Chicken biryani
- Rice idly
- Vegetable soup
- Caramel custard
- Baingan masala
- Chicken pot roast
- Spicy roast potatoes
- Dhokla
- Chocolate pudding
- Vangi bhath
- Fish pulao
- Potato kichdi
- Pongal & avial
- Aloo gobi
- Chicken & vegetable momos
Drawbacks of Panasonic Rice Cooker SR WA18
Found none from my experience! Although it’s bit more expensive than its counterparts from Pigeon, Prestige, and Bajaj, you won’t regret spending a few extra amount. The power cord isn’t removable which some users complain of. Also, You may find it little difficult to wash or clean the cooker, but that’s with every electric rice cookers available.
The convenience of having a detachable cord is that you can remove the cord and carry the cooker anywhere, be it on your dining table or while you are on a picnic. The Panasonic SR WA18 compromises on this. However, this isn’t a big issue for many.
Unboxing and testing of Panasonic Rice Cooker SR WA18
As a customer who had been using an electric cooker from Panasonic for the last many years, I will say the Panasonic Automatic Cooker SR WA18 is definitely among the best rice cookers in India. Watch the video and decide if it’s your choice as well.
Note: the measuring cup shown in the video isn’t included with the product.
Closing thought
Rice is one food that is included in almost every Indian dishes. With the help of an electric rice cooker, you can easily prepare perfect, fluffy rice. All you need to do is add rice and water in the pan and simply switch on the cooker. It does not only cut down the cooking time but also more economical than using a traditional cookware on a gas stove. Also, the rice cooked using rice cooker has a nice texture and has good taste as compared to the rice cooked in normal cooker on gas stove.
Automatic electric rice cookers come in different capacities and technological features. Some have timer settings, steamers, and detachable cords, while some don’t. The Panasonic Electric Rice Cooker SR WA18 check all the boxes of a good automatic rice cooker. A big YES for me!
I won’t exaggerate, but if you use with proper care and maintenance, it should last for a decade.