Multicooker: what and how to eat from it

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Recently, more and more talk about multicooker is heard. The happy owners of this miracle of technology tirelessly praise their new assistant, the same housewives who have not yet had time to acquire them are in thought and trying to understand how much they need this apparatus. Let's take a closer look at all the variety of functions and capabilities of multicooker that manufacturers offer us today.

Specifications

Cooking in a multicooker takes place at atmospheric pressure - excess pressure along with steam is vented through a special valve.

Multicooker body can be made of plastic, metal, or a combination. As a rule, more expensive models are completely metal.

Multicooker bowls are made of aluminum and have a non-stick coating. The teflon coating is heat resistant, washes well, but scratches easily. Ceramic, on the other hand, is scratch-resistant, but wears out faster; in addition, such dishes must not be washed in the dishwasher.

Bowl volume for cooking products can vary from 0.7 to 10 liters, but it is important not to forget that the useful volume will always be 30 percent less than the declared one - so that the food does not boil over and "run away". For a family of 2-4 people, a bowl of 3-5 liters will be quite enough.

For a family of 2-4 people, a bowl of 3-5 liters will be quite enough.

Multicooker mechanism not as difficult as it might seem. Its entire structure consists of heating elements located at the bottom, along the walls and sometimes in the lid of the device. The heaters change their temperature depending on the stage of the set program. Software control is carried out using a small board with a microcontroller, a temperature sensor (in automatic modes) and a timer (in manual modes).

Electronic panel control consists of touch buttons and a display on which cooking parameters are displayed. When choosing a model, you should pay attention to the detail and clarity of the information on the display, its brightness and contrast, the size of numbers, indicators and other elements.

Power range from 300 to 2000 watts. Compared to cooking on an electric stove, multicooker is more economical. Their heat is not dissipated, and the temperature is maintained at an optimal level without overheating. The more power the multicooker is, the faster it will cook food.

Removable cover will facilitate the care of the multicooker. If the lid cannot be removed, then washing it will be a little more difficult, you will have to steam it and wipe it with a damp cloth.

Usually, the multicooker comes with useful accessories: measuring cups, stirring paddles, bowl holders. But their number is not the main selection criterion, because the missing items can be bought separately.

Modes and programs

Different models of multicooker have a different number of operating modes. As a rule, these are about 10 fully automatic programs, when it is enough to press one button to prepare a dish, plus a set of manually set programs. The absolute record holder for the number of programs is the Redmond RMC-M110 model, which has 55 modes.

When choosing a multicooker, you should not chase as many functions as possible. Decide which multicooker modes are most important for you, because the price of the appliance depends on their number.

Similar software modes from different manufacturers may differ in name. In addition, often the same mode can be used multifunctionally.

Stewing / Soup … In this mode, the products are gently simmered for a long time at a low temperature. It is considered universal and allows you to cook any food: vegetables, fish, meat, poultry for tender juicy dishes, soups and borscht, vegetable stews, boiled potatoes and even transparent jellied meat and baked milk. The program will make sure that the products are ready at the same time.

Buckwheat / Groats / Rice / Normal / Fast … The mode is based on the principle of liquid evaporation: as soon as all the water is evaporated from the bowl or absorbed into the product, the device automatically turns off. The amount of liquid can be used to adjust the friability and density of the resulting dish. This mode is distinguished by fast heating, work first at medium, and then at low temperatures. With this program, you can easily cook any cereal. Buckwheat and wheat groats are excellent, and it is better to take rice unboiled so that it does not turn out to be too dry. In some models of multicooker, this mode can be divided into two - normal (for a large volume of cereals) and fast (for a small volume).

Milk porridge / Porridge … The program is designed for cooking porridge in milk and allows using the delayed start function in the evening to put all the products in the bowl and get hot porridge for breakfast. In this mode, you can cook porridge from any cereals, adding all kinds of additives to them. And so that milk does not run away unattended, it is better to dilute it with water in a ratio of 3/2.

Baking / Pie. The main purpose of this program is to prepare muffins, biscuits, pies, casseroles. But it also successfully replaces the frying mode and is perfect for cooking chicken, meat, cutlets, sautéing vegetables.

Pilaf / Brown … This program will cook pilaf with little or no human intervention. It is only required to lay the necessary products in stages - the device will set the temperature and cooking time itself. Even pasta and dumplings can be cooked in this mode.

Steam cooking / Steamer. To use this mode, the multicooker kit must have a wire rack or basket for products. The program is convenient for preparing dietary meals - steamed vegetables and fish, dumplings, boiling eggs in a steam basket. This mode can also be used to heat food.

Frying. Program for frying food and getting a crispy crust on it. Multicooker with this function is characterized by increased power consumption. In many models of multicooker, this mode successfully replaces "Baking".

Pasteurization helps to preserve perishable food for a longer time, without depriving them of their taste and useful properties.

Yogurt … In this mode, the device continuously operates at a temperature of 40 degrees and prepares natural yoghurt from the starter culture.

Paste. The program is designed for cooking noodles and pasta. After boiling, the time required for cooking is set, which can be varied by the user himself, depending on the type of product.

Pasteurization … Pasteurization of fresh products occurs when heated to 60-80 degrees. The running time of the program depends on the volume. Pasteurization helps to preserve perishable food for a longer time, without depriving them of their taste and useful properties.

Dough. The program is used to raise an already kneaded dough.

Deep fat. In this mode, the multicooker prepares deep-fried food at the maximum temperature. It can be operated with the lid open and can be used as a fondue rack.

Additional functions

Different models of multicooker are equipped with one or another pleasant and useful functions that expand the capabilities of the device.

Delayed start. This handy feature allows you to delay the start of the cooking process by several hours to get your food ready when you need it.

Keeping warm … With this function, the appliance does not turn off at the end of the program, but automatically continues to operate in economy mode, keeping the food warm for some time. It is important to remember that food must not be reheated in the heating mode!

3D heating … The presence of an additional heating element in the lid of the device, which ensures uniform heating and maintaining the temperature in the working bowl. True, the heating temperature does not exceed 50 degrees, so it is unlikely that you will be able to get the promised golden brown crust on the prepared dishes.

Induction heating … Induction heating elements in multicooker reduce cooking time and save energy.

Multi-cook. Some especially advanced multi-cookers allow you to freely set the cooking time and temperature. This feature allows you to move away from standard programs and recipes and is suitable for the most sophisticated users.

The price of the issue

The cost of multicooker varies from 1,000 to 30,000 rubles, but most models can be bought in the range from 3000 to 10000 rubles … The price of the device depends on the number of functions, volume, quality of non-stick coating, display availability, configuration and additional options. True, the price is not always an indicator of the multicooker's superpowers.

Today, the most popular multicooker manufacturers are Redmond and Panasonic … This year, based on the analysis of assessments and the number of positive reviews on the Internet, models can be considered the best multicooker Redmond RMC-M4502, Redmond RMC-M70 and Panasonic SR-TMH18 … Market leaders can be bought for 4000-9000 rubles.

What to expect from a multicooker

Contrary to popular belief, a slow cooker will not cook food quickly. On the contrary, food cooks in it more slowly than on the stove. However, with its help, you can get rid of the need to constantly participate in the cooking process and do other things during this time.

The multicooker does not know how to stir the contents of the bowl, which is necessary in some modes, for example, when frying.

The multicooker can completely replace the stove in the country or in the hostel and it is pleasant to please in the morning with healthy hot porridge.

A multicooker can completely replace the stove in the country or in a hostel and it is pleasant to please in the morning with healthy hot porridge.

In any case, no matter what you cook, you definitely need to attach your head to the multicooker. As much as we would like it, the device will not perform a miracle and will not cook everything by itself. To successfully master the multicooker, you still need to have some knowledge in the field of cooking.

But with the right approach, this device can really become a lifesaver for you.