Tool Reviews

Which is better, a slow cooker or a pressure cooker? Everyone says that the choice depends on your culinary preferences and goals. But the truth is, multicookers promise to do both: quickly whip up something edible, or long and hard to create a thoughtful three-course meal.

So what is a multicooker, and is it really so useful?

What does a multicooker do?

In fact, the purpose of the multicooker lies directly in its name: it can cook a large number of dishes, replacing several alternative kitchen appliances at once. Although multicookers differ from each other depending on the model, there are a few basic settings.

Baking: allows you to cook casseroles, cookies, etc.;

Boiling: From soup to cereals, you can cook anything by maintaining the boiling point for a specified time;

Frying: not the most useful mode, but it allows you to cook a variety of delicious dishes;

Pasta: Pasta mode allows you to heat water to a boil and maintain the temperature, but with a pause to add ingredients.

Pilaf: Brings the broth to a boil, after which the temperature gradually rises to simmer;

Rice/cereals: Heats up to a boil and maintains the temperature until the liquid boils away;

Stew: suitable for seafood, meat, vegetables, etc. The food is brought to a boil and the slow cooker continues to maintain a slightly lower temperature;

Steamer: steams.

More expensive multicookers may include various features – yogurt, bread maker and more.

Despite the fact that there are a lot of settings, the multicooker is conceived as a very easy-to-use household appliance. All you have to do is place the ingredients in the bowl, select the mode and just wait for it to be done – no need to check and add anything.

Multicooker Delonghi FH1394 5 liters is one of the more expensive models. This appliance is equipped with a 5L bowl with a ceramic coating and includes many functions. It can completely replace the stove and oven. The power of this multicooker is 1400W. This model is distinguished from competitors not only by the special circular heating system SHS Double Pro, but also by the automatic stirring function. In the slow cooker from Delonghi, you can cook everything from cake to pizza.

How to choose a multicooker?

There are several important points to consider.

Power: Multicookers usually have a power of 450 to 1400 watts. As with most electrical appliances, you can determine its capabilities by its power. The higher the power, the faster the dish is cooked. Also, consider your own needs. For everyday cooking, it is better to choose 900 or more watts, and if you cook infrequently, then less will be enough.

Pressure settings: The pressure setting is again responsible for the cooking speed. The higher the pressure, the faster the food cooks. Of course, when choosing a multicooker with pressure, it is necessary to check that the model is equipped with a lock and a steam release.

The lining of the bowl: The bowl is the part of the multicooker with which the food comes into direct contact. Most slow cookers today are equipped with non-stick coated bowls, but the quality of the coatings can vary. The thicker the coating, the better. It is especially good when the bowl has a “marble” look. This means that it is quite thick and food will not burn.

The Redmond RMC-M252 multicooker is a device with a high-quality bowl coating. With compact dimensions (25x31x40cm), Redmond RMC-M252 has a power of 860W and a bowl volume of 5 liters. Thanks to the metal and plastic housing, the multicooker is durable and easy to clean.

Redmond RMC-M252 has 26 different cooking modes, including yogurt and pastries, a delay start function, warming up and keeping warm. In addition, it is equipped with electric shock protection and a touch control panel that displays the time and mode information.

A number of models of multicookers have additional features that are designed to simplify the work. For example, the timer can delay cooking. This is great for those who prefer to cook lunch for work.

The heating option is also extremely convenient – you can heat up the finished dish even easier than in the microwave.

What should you pay attention to when choosing?

Before you decide on the final choice, look at all the settings and be sure to carefully inspect the multicooker itself. For example, it is important for us to understand how easy or difficult it is to wash it. It is preferable to take a model with a touch control panel, since both dust and pieces of food can get stuck in the physical buttons.

The multicooker should simply be disassembled and assembled in order to make it easier to clean. This is especially important for multicookers with pressure control, as they need to make sure that the steam is released.

The Sinbo SCO 5054 multicooker has a power of 800W and does an excellent job with automatic cooking. In total, Sinbo has 22 cooking modes, including baking, multi-cooking, steaming, stewing and much more. The device is extremely easy to assemble and clean, and the 5L bowl has a non-stick coating. The control panel is located on the top of the body for easy process monitoring. All information is displayed on the LCD display.

Recipe Library

Many slow cookers come with a range of specially designed recipes that are easy to make, tasty and healthy. If this is your first time dealing with a multicooker, it is best to pay attention to the model where such a selection of recipes is available. But if you have the time and desire to search for recipes yourself, YouTube, blogs and numerous portals are at your service. Multicookers are especially good for those who are passionate about healthy eating or are on a diet.

If you are interested in a large number of recipes, you should take a closer look at the Philips HD4731/03 model. The Philips multicooker has 19 automatic cooking programs. The bowl has a ceramic coating, and the heat is distributed evenly thanks to the 3D heating function. The delay start timer allows you to delay cooking up to 24 hours. Of course, the kit includes a cookbook with 65 different recipes specifically for this multicooker.

Prices for multicookers

Prices for multicookers, like many other household appliances, can vary greatly. The average cost of a high-quality multicooker with a wide range of functions today ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 rubles. Such a multicooker will provide basic cooking modes and functions of delayed cooking, timer and heating.

If you choose a model over 10,000, you can get additional features, for example, Tefal RK812132 is equipped with a spherical bowl and a six-layer coating. In addition, a smart cooking system is built into the device, which collects information about the quantity, temperature and weight of food.

The most expensive models from 30,000 have a brighter design and are able to maintain the temperature for up to 24 hours. One such multicooker is the KitchenAid 5KMC4244E. Stylish and bright, it brightens up any kitchen, adding retro touches to the interior. Despite the volume of the bowl 4.25 l (while most analogues are equipped with a five-liter bowl), it has an automatic stirring function and a large selection of modes. In addition, step-by-step instructions are displayed directly on the display. KitchenAid is most suitable for those for whom both the appearance and performance of the multicooker are fundamentally important.

So is it worth it to buy a multicooker?

Often we are faced with the fact that the more functions a device has, the less of them it performs with really high quality. I must say that multicookers are an exception to this statistic.

Many of those who have already purchased such a device agree that it is convenient and allows you to replace several devices at once. For example, you no longer need to deal with the microwave and deal with uneven heating, there is no need to constantly monitor the dish, and of course, the food turns out delicious, and the products retain their beneficial properties.

Therefore, if you decide to switch to healthy nutrition for yourself and your family, then a slow cooker is a great solution.