Types of multicookers

Multicookers appeared in our lives only 20 years ago and became an integral part of the life of many Russian housewives. They not only allow you to reduce a huge amount of time for preparing food, but also make it possible to eat fresh and healthy food. There are a great variety of these “miracle pans” on the market today, so it is important to know what they are like in order to choose the one that is right for your family!

Types of multicookers by type of control

Control type - this is what you will use to control your “assistant”. You need to decide which method is appropriate for you. Today there are 3 types of multicooker control:

• Mechanical - considered the simplest and most reliable. The temperature and cooking time are controlled using a minimum number of buttons and levers.

REFERENCE: This device does not have a variety of screens, indicators and sensors, which is why they are easy to use and suitable for use by older people.

Significant disadvantage such multicookers have a limited number of functions and the absence of such a useful function as “Delayed Start”.Actually, this affects its price - the product will belong to the budget category.

• Electronic – has a high degree of functionality. The mode, temperature and cooking time of the dish are adjusted using buttons and reflected on the screen. An important advantage of units of this type is the protection of the control panel from dirt and technical damage. The screen and buttons are covered with a high-strength shell.
• Sensory – has a stylish look. The only way this multicooker differs from an electronic one is the absence of any kind of buttons. The control panel is presented in the form of a touch-controlled sensor.

Conventional multicookers

In conventional multicookers, food is cooked using high temperature. A device of this type consists of a housing (plastic or stainless steel), an internal heating element (heating element) and removable dishes.

The device is equipped with a sealed lid, a valve for steam release and a container for condensate. The control is mechanical, electronic or touch, which means you are provided with an abundance of different modes. In addition, multicookers differ significantly in the material from which the inner bowl is made.

IMPORTANT! Metal spoons, forks or knives should not be used to stir food in these multicookers. This may damage the non-stick coating of the bowl.

Pressure cookers

In multi-pressure cookers, food is affected not only by high temperature, but also by internal pressure. It is the latter characteristic that allows you to prepare the dish faster by 50-60 minutes! There is a valve on the lid of the multicooker, designed according to the principle of opening only when the pressure inside the unit is exceeded.Thanks to this property, high pressure is maintained in the chamber, speeding up the cooking process.

Multi-pressure cookers are expensive, but they also have a high cooking speed, which means they consume less electricity.

IMPORTANT! Do not open the multicooker lid during operation!

Additional functions of multicookers

Modern multicookers are equipped with 10-15 modes. Thanks to this variety, you can prepare food for every taste and color. Let's look at the main mode functions.

Steamers

A multicooker with this option is ideal for preparing diet food and baby food.

Advantages of the steamer function:

1. Easy to use - you can prepare wholesome and healthy food without much hassle.
2. Safety - you will never get burned by steam, because the lid of the device automatically locks when you start working;
3. Availability - can be purchased at any hardware store at an attractive price for you.

Disadvantage of the steamer function:

• You cannot cook several dishes at the same time, as in a regular steamer.

Milk porridge function

This function will be useful for porridge lovers and mothers with children. It allows you to cook porridge with water or milk without much effort. And most importantly, this is an ideal mode for those whose skin often burns or “runs away.” It will not happen! Firstly, because of the non-stick coating of the bowl. Secondly, heating of the contents does not occur sharply and from below, but evenly and gradually.

IMPORTANT! To ensure that your porridge does not burn and becomes even tastier, before starting cooking, grease the container with a small amount of butter.

Along with the “Milk porridge” mode, the “Delayed start” option is often included.It allows you to save time on preparing breakfast - just set on the timer the time after which the multicooker should start cooking the porridge (30–60 minutes).

IMPORTANT! To prevent food in the slow cooker from spoiling overnight, use ultra-pasteurized or boiled milk.

Baking function

If you often prepare dishes using dough or love homemade bread, then this function is just for you!

Benefits of the bread baking function:

1. Saving money and space - you don’t have to buy a multicooker and bread maker separately;
2. Uniform kneading, heating and baking of the dough is the key to a high-quality and tasty product.

Disadvantages of the bread baking function:

• Lack of crispy crust on the bread;
• Lack of modes for varying degrees of readiness of baked goods;

Frying mode

This mode allows you to prepare delicious and healthy dishes without adding oil.

REFERENCE: The product is fried with the lid open.

Advantages of the frying mode:

• The non-stick coating prevents food from burning, and the bowl is cleaned much faster;
• No greasy splashes, smoke or unpleasant odor;
• Useful vitamins and microelements are not destroyed;
• Uniform cooking of food.

Disadvantage of the frying mode:

• Food without golden brown crust.

REFERENCE: Some modern models of multicookers are equipped with grill modes for cooking meat and deep frying modes for frying food in oil.

Multicook function

Multicook is a function that allows you to manually set the cooking time and temperature the way you want it. The function also includes an option that can remember personal settings.This is very convenient if you are preparing foods not listed in the functional list.

Induction multicookers

The difference between a multicooker of this type is that here the heating element is not a separate part of the device, as in the previously mentioned ones, but is represented by the bowl itself. It consists of a special alloy, the temperature of which increases due to the formation of a magnetic field. This helps food cook quickly and evenly. The induction multicooker is also fireproof and energy efficient.

Conclusion

A multicooker is a device to make human life easier. And today there are a great variety of them on the household appliances market. Just choose the one that suits you and enjoy the easy cooking process and the taste of the resulting food!