Multicooker: what it is, how it works and which one to buy

Il multicooker It is a revolutionary appliance for cooking even very complex recipes in a short time. It is designed to cook a wide variety of dishes using different cooking modes such as pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming, grilling, frying and baking.

It’s sort of kitchen robot, with predefined settings that guide the preparation of the recipe. Just insert the required ingredients and the multicooker cooks in phases. There may be specific models for certain ingredientssuch as rice cookers, or more complete modelsi with different cooking modes for different ingredients.

The multicooker can be programmed for cook specific foods according to your preferences, thus helping to save time and effort in preparing meals. Since it includes a single container, pots and pans for different ingredients do not get dirty.

Also, many multicookers have additional functions such as keep warm and the ability to program the cooking time in advance, making them extremely convenient for those with a hectic pace of life.

But what are the best multicookers?

Inexpensive compact multicooker

The multicooker looks like a food processor that offers a number of different cooking modes. The models of compact and economical multicookers they are less expensive and space-saving versions that allow you to cook different dishes, even though they do not offer all the cooking methods expected by high-end models.

For example, there are i multicooker cuociriso, specifically designed to prepare rice and risotto, but also soups, cake mixes and porridge. The Mini Rice Cooker by ANJIELO SMART is one of them: designed to prepare 1 or 2 courses, it has 4 functions, allows you to keep the dish warm and offers the possibility of experimenting with recipes for rice, soup, oatmeal, cake, yogurt, pasta or desserts in the kitchen .

Mini Rice Cooker by ANJIELO SMART

However, there are models which, despite being cheaper, extend the cooking possibilities as well as the number of dishes up to 6 people. Moulinex CE851A Cookeo it is among the most requested models for those who want to combine the practicality of cooking quickly with a low budget. In fact, it allows you to cook with steam, pressure or in classic mode with 3 temperature levels, heats the dishes in a safe way and keeps them warm after cooking.

There are also multicooker pressure cookers with blade for blending, which can thus function not only under pressure but also as an electric frying pan, fryer, steamer, yogurt maker, oven and much more.

With the multifunctional pressure cooker Multicooker Twist by Arietefor example, you can choose as many as 30 pre-set programs, using the automatic mixing paddle with a recipe book of 52 recipes.

Multicooker Twist by Ariete

Design multicooker

It doesn’t mean that a food processor shouldn’t be a design multicooker. There are many models that also wink at aesthetics and thus present themselves with modern, vintage or captivating colors and styles.

Normally, in fact, most multicooker models, regardless of the price range, come with metallic or black details. In the case of designer multicookers, on the other hand, trendy colours, chrome details or futuristic lines are introduced.

Between high-end models we find CUCKOOan elegant rice cooker and steamer with sinuous lines, in white with a metallic gray band, which allows you to choose from 16 menu options for cooking super cereals such as barley, quinoa, soups, meat, rice and sushi.

CUCKOO Rice cooker and steamer

Between mid-range modelshowever, we find the Midea rice cookera multicooker for white rice, rice congee, brown rice, baby porridge, soup, steam, casserole and reheat, in an elegant gold colour, perfect for a shabby chic kitchen but also for a more modern setting.

Further lowering the price, there are many interesting alternatives, such as Yum Asia Tsuki minia multicooker designed for rice in a luxurious matte light gray ‎Pebble Gray body with traditional Japanese style carrying handles.

Best complete multicooker

I best multicookers complete of functions and cooking methods that allow you to completely eliminate the oven and hobs are medium-high range models that represent a real investment for the kitchen.

Moulinex HF80CBK Companion XL is a multifunction food processor with a very large container, 12 automatic programs and 6 manual programs. Includes 6 accessories that further extend the cooking modes, namely the Ultrablade knife, kneading and grinding blade, beater, whisk, steamer basket and XL base.

Moulinex HF80CBK Companion XL

Another model of high-end multicookerinstead, it is New Kern KE-7001, which features a powerful Switch Reluctance motor that maintains mixing speed even under heavy loads. It can knead 1 KG of bread dough in just 3 minutes and has 175 pre-installed recipes displayed on the touch screen. The integrated WIFI connection allows you to continuously update the recipes.