Astron URC60 0.6L rice cooker review: cute cooker for two

The Astron URC60 is a drum-shaped 0.6L rice cooker at around ₱699 as of August 6, 2026, rated 4.8 across 997 raters. It is the rare cheap cooker that publishes its specifications, and the numbers make the case for it clearly.

0.6L is three cups, and three cups is two or three people

The capacity is stated as 0.6 litres, about 3 cups, which Astron rates for 2 to 3 persons. That is not a marketing range, it is roughly right: three cups of uncooked rice feeds two people generously or three modestly.

Knowing this before you buy is the whole advantage over the unspecified listings. If you are cooking for four, this is the wrong cooker and you know it now rather than at dinner.

350W is genuinely low, and that is good

Most rice cookers draw 500W to 900W. At 350W this is one of the gentlest appliances in the kitchen, which has two practical consequences in a Philippine home.

It is easy on an extension cord and an old circuit, so it is one of the few cooking appliances that does not need its own wall socket. And it costs very little to run: a cooking cycle of twenty to thirty minutes at 350W is a fraction of a unit of electricity, so the running cost is essentially rounding error against the rice itself.

The trade is that it cooks a little more slowly than a higher-wattage cooker. On 0.6L, that difference is a few minutes.

Who a drum-shaped mini actually suits

The form factor is not just styling. A drum shape has a smaller footprint than a conventional wide cooker of the same capacity, which is the point in a condo kitchen or a dorm where counter space is measured in centimetres.

This is the cooker for couples, students, and anyone cooking rice for one or two daily. It is also a sensible second cooker for a larger household, for the days when nobody wants to run the big one for two portions.

The brand matters at this price

Astron is an established Philippine appliance brand rather than a marketplace-only label, sold here through Astron Appliances PH. For a cheap appliance that is a real advantage: parts and service exist, and a 997-rating 4.8 is a strong, well-sampled score.

Is the Astron rice cooker sulit?

Yes, and for an unusual reason. It costs about the same as the large unspecified cookers, and what you get instead of capacity is certainty: stated litres, stated wattage, a known brand, and a shape designed for small spaces.

Buying the right small cooker beats buying a vague large one you will half fill.

Who the Astron rice cooker suits

Buy this if you cook for one to three people, counter space is tight, and you would rather have published specifications than a bigger unknown. It is the best-documented cooker at this price in our ranking.

Skip it if you are feeding a family, or if you want steaming and hot-pot functions rather than rice alone. See our best rice cookers roundup and the rice cooker buying guide.

If the Astron rice cooker is not right

The Gaabor Mini Rice Cooker 600W 1.8L is cheaper with three times the capacity, if you need more rice than this holds. The Simplus Multi-Function Cooker With Steamer is our overall pick and adds steaming and hot pot.