Pressure cooker-multicooker - choose the best

Such a household appliance, like a crock-pot, has been gaining more and more popularity recently among many housewives. And the point here is not only that it is very easy to operate, but rather the high quality of the dishes prepared with its help. Most people who once used a multicooker compare their importance for a home with such necessary home helpers as a dishwasher or washing machine. It is clear that in most cases it would be possible to dispense with a conventional pan, however, with the assistant in the person of a pressure cooker, the time taken to prepare the food is reduced several times. This is especially true for those models that have a built-in accelerated cooking function. And such devices are called - a pressure cooker, a multicooker. The tips in this article will help you choose the best one.

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What characteristics should you pay attention to when buying?

Many of those who decide to purchase this useful household appliance often ask a simple question - how to choose a multicooker, pressure cooker?

• If your life rhythm is very fast and you need to spend as little time as possible on basic household chores, including cooking, then a device with increased power may be the best option. With it, you can very quickly cook food, consisting of semi-finished products, and forget about the problems of cooking.
• However, if most of your time you are at home, it will be quite enough to buy a pressure cooker of medium or even low power. It may be a little slower, but more delicately prepare you lunch or dinner.

Important! To this we can add that they are usually offered in different capacities, so before buying, do not forget to count all your household members.

A few other helpful tips are listed below:

• if you are quite often cooking first courses, then when buying, make sure that the device has such a function as soup, since in other operating modes it’s just not possible to cook soup or borsch;
• in the case of a child in the family, you probably have to often make various cereals for him, so pay attention to such a multicooker operation mode as delayed mode;
• if you are a big fan of baking, then take a closer look at the pressure cooker, which has an extensive selection of high temperatures, because the wider the choice of modes, the more you have the opportunity to cook delicious pies or cream cakes;
• those who like yogurt, it is better to take a slow cooker, in which the temperature regime starts at only 40-50 degrees.

Important! Before buying this or that multicooker, do not forget to turn your attention to how many and which dishes you can cook with it.

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The main differences between a pressure cooker and a slow cooker

Some of the users of these necessary and useful devices still do not know what the difference between them really is. And the differences are as follows:

• the pressure cooker has a powerful bracket that covers the entire lid and turns it into something very reminiscent of air grill, only with an opaque top;
• the crock-pot is equipped with a conventional lid, which cannot be opened by steam itself, therefore there is a so-called exhaust valve, which opens if necessary in manual mode;
• the main design of the pressure cooker is hidden inside and can regulate the vapor pressure itself;
• the slow cooker cooks any food faster than a conventional pan, however, it can’t equal the speed of a pressure cooker;
• taking into account the created higher pressure, the heating of products in a pressure cooker occurs several times faster, and with increasing temperature the effect of cooking only intensifies;
• in a slow cooker, high pressure is periodically released, and in a pressure cooker it only grows and thereby increases the speed of your cooking, so it takes no more than 15 minutes to cook the meat.

Therefore, it is most profitable to buy a slow cooker that has a pressure cooker function. In this case, you will receive all the advantages of each of them, and cooking for you and your household will turn from a boring and rather routine exercise into a quick and convenient process.

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If you choose a slow cooker with a pressure cooker mode, then which company?

You decided that a crock-pot is a necessary attribute of a modern kitchen, now the matter is left to the small. However, the choice of these devices is so difficult due to the huge offer that making it really is not so simple. This technique is produced by many companies from America, China and Europe.

In order not to miscalculate and choose the best multicooker, we will consider the most popular manufacturers:

• “Mulineks”, although very famous, but offers not so many models of various multicookers. However, they all work in a wide power range, ranging from 400 to 1200 watts. Basically, they are designed for people with a fast pace of life, since in a short time with their help you can cook a full lunch or dinner.
• With the Panasonic brand, you won’t miss out, and the most famous model of this brand is the SR-TMH18, which is absolutely unpretentious in operation and in which you can cook almost any dish known to everyone.
• Redmond is represented on the market by many high-end models, the vast majority of which include a pressure cooker function. And such a popular model of this brand as RMC-M4502 generally has 16 different operating modes and takes one of the first places among its competitors.

It is clear that choosing the best multicooker pressure cooker is not so simple, but with a large amount of useful information in hand, you can successfully acquire just what you wanted.

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How to handle a slow cooker?

Some owners of new pressure cookers, due to the presence of high internal pressure, are at first afraid to use them often for cooking. And this is completely in vain! If you handle this technique correctly, then there should not be any problems with it.

Operating modes

Usually, all multicookers and pressure cookers have several different operating modes at once:

• Low pressure.
• With medium pressure.
• With high pressure.

With a higher level of pressure, the time required to prepare a meal is sharply reduced. And in the case of low, what happens is that the liquid cannot fully go into the state of steam and the cooking process stretches for a longer period. An indicator of a low level of pressure in the device is the steam output with little noise.

If the pressure cooker has a manual mode of operation, then by controlling it, you can significantly save on energy consumption. In any case, after the end of the working process, the pressure will be relieved itself, and this is usually done in full automatic mode. When it becomes necessary to speed up this process, a special button is provided for this.

Important! When manually controlling the discharge of excess steam, try to keep your hands away from the relief valve.Otherwise, you can burn your hands badly.

Many devices have the ability to quickly heat ready-made meals, and most recent models have a function to automatically turn off after work.

Cover device

As for the top cover - in almost all pressure cookers, they are either removed completely or recline to the side so as not to interfere with the removal or stacking of food. Those models in which the lid is completely removed are very convenient, since you can do it separately for cleaning.

Internal capacity

If you are soon going to the store to buy a new multicooker, then do not forget about the additional internal capacity, which just serves for cooking. The fact is that over time, any coating, whether ceramic or even Teflon, is bound to peel off somewhere, and your spare saucepan in this case will come in handy. It seems to be a trifle, but after a few years you will only thank yourself for your wisdom.

Important! Also ask the employee of the trade organization whether it will really be possible to change the silicone seal ring on the lid if something happens. With active use, it can also lose its protective properties over time and the steam will then begin its uncontrolled exit. This will certainly affect the quality of the cooked food, and it will not be completely safe to allow hot steam to escape freely under high pressure.

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Some useful tips:

• Your pressure cooker has a so-called bypass valve. If it is simply transferred to a closed state for some time, this will make it possible to significantly reduce the total time for cooking. This is not difficult to do, and the benefits of this are quite obvious. Otherwise, all cooking will not differ much from the same process that takes place in a conventional multicooker.
• After the end of work, through this valve all excess pressure is relieved. It is necessary to approach this moment very seriously. Otherwise, the likelihood of an uncontrolled increase in pressure increases, as a consequence of this is the possibility of the device lid breaking, which is really very dangerous. Open the valve carefully, too large a stream of steam can cause burns. The advantage here is a short cooking time, which will preserve all products their nutrients and taste. This is especially true for various fats, which can simply disappear.

Important! Subject to these recommendations, you can cook fish for a couple in just 10 minutes, and any meat in no more than 15-20 minutes.

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What should not be forgotten when buying?

Well, you are ready to make the purchase of the best multicooker, pressure cooker, but before you do this, take a look at some interesting and useful points, such as:

• how much fits in the inner pan;
• what material the device body is made of (stainless steel or plastic);
• the coating material for the bowl is Teflon or ceramic and the number of layers of any of them (it must be remembered that the more layers, the higher the quality of the bowl);
• Does the kit include a special tray for condensate draining there?
• is there a possibility for changing the internal pressure mode in the device - from high to low and in reverse order;
• how many and what programs in the device and the possibility of their manual control;
• whether the protective ring made of silicone is tight enough in this model;
• Is it possible to set the temperature and time in the usual manual mode;
• Does this model have a special measuring scale?
• whether the functions of delayed start, heating and shutdown are built-in;
• Is it possible to purchase an additional bowl and a spare silicone ring;
• in which configuration is the top cover - reclining or completely removable (try to choose a removable option, as in this case there will be no problems with cleaning it);
• pay attention to how the multicooker has a clear and informative menu;
• whether such special devices as a ladle, measuring bowl, a gripper for hot dishes, a double boiler, a book of popular recipes and a spoon for any bulk products and soup come with the device;
• how many total programs are there in the pressure cooker for the automatic preparation of products;
• look at the overall security level of the device and find out how many total degrees of protection it has;
• is there such a necessary option as a “child’s castle” (the lock only works in a couple of seconds if there are children in your house and you thought that they could get quick and unauthorized access to the device).

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Stock footage

The process of making a difficult choice of a multicooker-pressure cooker, which prepares all dishes under high pressure and does it very quickly, must be approached quite seriously and with a great deal of responsibility. Do not think that you cannot deal with anything. In fact, the interface of this device is easy enough to understand, and the protection mode of this device is checked by the best engineers of the manufacturer and is at the highest level. Just follow the instructions, and then cooking any food in this device will not be your usual routine, but a very pleasant pastime!