37518MN Digital Rice Cooker vs 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker: which is safer?
Instant Pot 12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker is the clear pick. 37518MN Digital Rice Cooker carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Hamilton Beach
37518MN Digital Rice Cooker
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleTeflon-type coating fume risk (if coating is Teflon-type coating-based)
LikelyNonstick coating degradation over time
ReportedBacterial growth in seal and steam vents
Our pick
Instant Pot
12 Cup Rice and Grain Cooker
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleStainless steel corrosion and metal leaching
PossibleSilicone gasket degradation and off-gassing
PossibleBacterial growth in water reservoir or seal cavities
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PTFE fume risk (if coating is PTFE-based), Nonstick coating degradation over time and Bacterial growth in seal and steam vents on the Hamilton Beach and not on the Instant Pot.
- We flag Stainless steel corrosion and metal leaching, Silicone gasket degradation and off-gassing and Bacterial growth in water reservoir or seal cavities on the Instant Pot and not on the Hamilton Beach.
- The Hamilton Beach is stainless steel exterior, nonstick interior coating unspecified where the Instant Pot is Stainless steel pot with no nonstick coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 40 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Instant Pot is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Hamilton Beach grade, at 35% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
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