HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT MULTI-COOKER - what good multi-cooker-pressure cooker and bowl cover is better to choose for your home

A multicooker is a good solution for those who do not like, do not find time or do not know how to cook.

Subdivided into two categories:

pressure cookers (pressure cookers): hold the steam pressure generated during cooking. They feature a robust construction with a steel multilayer bowl and an induction heater. Due to the high pressure inside the bowl, the boiling point of the water rises to 120 ° C. Food is cooked much faster;
multicooker, cooking without pressure: do not hold pressure inside the bowl, but release it through a special valve.

Note: "How to boil milk in a slow cooker so that it does not burn and run away"

Before deciding which multicooker to choose for your home, pay attention to the bowl.

The volume of the bowl varies from 1.6 liters to 7 or more:

for a family of two, 2.5 liters or less is enough;
the optimal volume for a family of two to four people is 3-4.5 liters;
for a large family, choose a bowl of 5-6.5 liters - it will be possible to prepare the optimal amount of food at once.

To know with which coating to choose a multicooker, keep in mind that the inner coating of the bowl is of three main types:

non-stick;
teflon;
ceramic.

All types of pots are durable and easy to cook. Easily cleaned from dirt.

The outer material of the bowl is made:

made of stainless steel;
from an aluminum alloy.

A stainless steel bowl heats up longer and unevenly than an aluminum bowl.

Read more: "Which coating of the multicooker bowl is better: Teflon or ceramic?"

Which multicooker is better to choose?

When choosing a high-quality multicooker, pay attention to important criteria that determine the functional parameters of a household appliance.

A kitchen assistant has a case:

metal: durable, but the weight of the household appliance is heavy;
plastic: models are cheaper, but heats up longer.

The more power of the multicooker, the faster the cooking speed:

a low-power device has indicators of 500 W or less;
average power 510-890 W;
powerful models (900 W or more) are energy-consuming, but they cook twice as fast.

Types of multicooker programs

"Buckwheat" mode: friable side dishes and porridge are prepared from various cereals - buckwheat, millet, rice, barley (sometimes called "Rice" or "Porridge" mode). During the cooking process, the liquid evaporates and is absorbed into the food. After that, the multicooker switches to the heating mode, because the cereals are not boiled, but prey, reaching the condition. The amount of liquid affects the density and friability of dishes;
Pilaf mode: perfectly cooks meat, vegetables and pilaf with seafood. Potatoes are well baked and pasta is prepared in a navy way. The mode is distinguished by the accompaniment of high temperatures. The ingredients are cooked and pre-cooked, but in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, the frying function is activated. It turns out dried pilaf, fried on the bottom layer;
Mode "Milk porridge": all types of cereals are perfectly cooked in milk or with other additives. In automatic mode, the multicooker changes the temperature in accordance with the cooking technology. The porridge is brought to a boil, then languishes;
Stew mode: it is convenient to cook soups, borscht, broths, side dishes, jellied meat of any kind of stewing and various cereals. The cabbage soup or borscht turns out to be very tasty, whose taste is comparable to those cooked in a real Russian oven. You can stew large pieces of meat, easily prepare transparent jellied meat, baked milk.This is an analogue of cooking dishes in an oven at low temperatures - the food turns out to be fragrant, since the ingredients are not mixed during the cooking process at low temperatures;
Baking mode: bakes biscuits, pizzas, muffins, pies, soufflés, omelets, casseroles. Makes frying for borscht, pre-fry the ingredients before stewing. Prepares meat, fish and poultry;
"Steam cooking" mode: used for cooking steamed dishes - vegetables, fish, meat, steamed dumplings, manti, boiling eggs in a steam basket, various side dishes. Often used to heat food;
Soup mode: for making soups, mashed soups, broths, drinks and compotes;
Fry mode: cooks meat dishes - steaks, steaks, as well as fish and vegetable dishes.

Multicooker functions

Good brands of kitchen appliance save cooking time:

delay start allows you to set the time (up to 13 hours) after which the cooking process will begin;
steam release stabilizes the pressure inside the steamer;
pre-soaking legumes;
automatic heating keeps food warm at all times while the appliance is plugged in.

How to choose a multicooker - pressure cooker?

A multicooker with a pressure cooker function quickly prepares food by creating high pressure in the bowl as the boiling point of water rises. Internal pressure builds up 15-20 minutes after the start of work. During the cooking process, the pressure cooker must not be opened and additional ingredients (unlike the multicooker) must not be added, because the products are placed at the same time.

Stewing, baking, soup, meat, porridge, steaming various products and a children's menu - any meat and vegetable purees are cooked in 20-30 minutes. Food baked in a pressure cooker is deliciously tender. Food cooked in a pressure cooker retains its bright color, looks appetizing and juicy.

When choosing a multicooker-pressure cooker, pay attention to its additional features:

multicooker-pressure cooker-bread maker;
multi-cooker-pressure cooker-smokehouse.

Pressure builds up inside a working pressure cooker, so you cannot open the lid without first letting off steam or cooling the pressure cooker.

For safety in the use of pressure cookers, it is used:

mechanical lid lock, blocking accidental opening;
valves that bleed off excess steam;
electronic pressure control systems.

Output

Advantages of multicooker pressure cookers:

energy efficient. Heat is not spent on evaporation, due to this, the cooking time is reduced;
food in the hermetically sealed pan retains vitamins better.