33% of 6 verified owners recommend the RC516 16-Cup Rice Cooker, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 33%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“Best rice cooker mine has lasted years”
“Everything sticks to mine. Love the size though.”
“Looks like the rice is stuck or burnt on the bottom.”
“My rice ALWAYS sticks to the bottom of the pot.”
“Only used it three times thusfar and like it a lot”
“it stopped working in less than 6 months.”
“My mom has used this one for like 20 years”
“I would not recommend it.”
“Thing is built solid”
“the only ones I’ve had the heating element go out were all Black & Decker. Personally I would advise Aroma for a basic rice cooker instead”
“The Black+Decker RC516 Rice Cooker is a reliable appliance that simplifies the rice cooking process with its efficient performance and convenient features.”
“I second that Black and Decker doesn't make very good rice cookers which is why they are so cheap.”
“The Black+Decker RC516C is a solid choice for those needing a straightforward, large-capacity rice cooker and steamer.”
“the water overflows. I rinse the rice several times, and I get the same result. It's frustrating.”
“It's doing actually pretty good It cooks the rice well and I've never had an issue with it”
“I have a black and Decker that is small and I use for rice all the time.”
“The switch keeps on popping up to keep warm and doesn't cook rice through.”
“This cooker is a classic, no-frills cooker that’s easy to use.”
“the press down button won't stay down and it goes back to warm indicator”
“I like this rice cooker kse pwedi din sya gawin pang steamer.”
“I’m sure that coating is not as good from the looks of the rice burning”
“I personally own, use, and love this rice cooker!”
“the cooking bowl is made out of aluminum which it us super toxic”
“Mine won't even turn on right out of the box, did I get screwed?”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“Yes, you may need to adjust. Check the chicken after first run of cooking by poke a fork around the bone joint . if bloody juice come out, put the chicken through one more cycle of cooking.”
“My rice cooker only has a cook option and a warm option. It automatically switches to warm when the rice is done cooking, which is a bit confusing. I was wondering if your rice cooker is similar, and if you think the switch would automatically go to warm if the chicken is not done cooking.”