A modern multi-kitchen perfectly combines an electric stove, a multi-cooker and an oven. Thanks to the use of high technology, Redmond engineers managed to combine all the functions of the listed devices in one fairly compact device. The best Redmond multi-kitchens of 2017 will not take up much space in your kitchen and are perfect for small apartments that do not have the ability to accommodate many large household appliances. Unique design, modern non-stick coating and intuitive controls - all these are multi-kitchens from the Redmond company, the TOP 3 of which we will consider in today’s review.
The first multi-kitchen in our review is Redmond RMK-M271 with a lifting heating element, non-stick ceramic coating and wide functionality.
Among the most noticeable disadvantages, I would like to highlight the lack of special handles on the bowls of all presented models. It is not entirely clear why the manufacturer abandoned them; apparently this was due to the design features of the device. The kit includes special tongs, but using them is not always convenient. It is almost impossible to remove a completely filled bowl.
The presence of touch control panels in two models also raises certain questions. On the one hand, they are more convenient and simplify the setup process. On the other hand, such touch buttons are more susceptible to wear and tear and fail more often, especially in the kitchen, where hands are not always clean. This obviously will not increase the reliability of the entire structure. In general, the Redmond 2017 multikitchens are perfect for both experienced chefs and novice cooks. They are quite inexpensive, and replace several expensive kitchen appliances at once.
The first prototype of a multicooker and pressure cooker can be found in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “A Pot of Porridge”: “One, two, three - pot, cook!” People have always dreamed of making their lives easier with the help of various kitchen devices that prepare food without human intervention, so in the 17th century the “great-grandmother” of the modern pressure cooker appeared in France, and in the middle of the last century, Japanese manufacturers began producing rice cookers, on the basis of which multicookers were later created . The variety of kitchen appliances in the store makes it difficult for housewives to choose, who cannot decide whether a pressure cooker or a multicooker is better, and which pressure cooker or multicooker to buy in order to minimize the time they spend in the kitchen. What do modern experts say?
Let's figure out what the difference is between a pressure cooker and, and what is more needed in the household. Pressure cooker is a metal pan with a hermetically sealed lid and a special valve, and the food in it is cooked under high pressure, which significantly reduces its cooking time. A multicooker is an electronically controlled pan in which you can not only cook and stew, but also bake, fry, steam and deep-fry, make yogurt and jam. But the difference between the two devices does not end there.
Which multicookers and pressure cookers perform their duties better are usually easy to understand in practice during operation. The differences in the models depend on the functionality - the more complex the “filling” and the more different options, the more advanced and more expensive the device.
The multicooker has the following programs: “buckwheat”, “milk porridge”, “pilaf”, “soup”, “cooking”, “stewing”, “frying”, “steaming”, “baking”, “pasta”, “ dough”, “yogurt”, “cereals”, “pizza”, “desserts”, “pasteurization”, “preservation”, “heating” and “warming baby food”. Among the additional options, it is worth noting programming of cooking time, protection against switching on without a bowl, three cooking modes (fast, slow and medium) and the “small quantity” function, thanks to which you can quickly prepare a portion of a dish for one person. The package also includes various accessories: a spatula for stirring the dish, a measuring cup, a soup spoon and a steaming bowl.
Pressure cookers are either electric or mechanical: the former are powered by electricity, while the latter, made of aluminum or steel, are used like regular pans that need to be placed on the stove. However, keep in mind that aluminum pressure cookers do not make good contact with an induction or glass-ceramic cooker and leave stains on the cooking surface. Mechanical appliances made of steel or its alloys, which can be used for any cooker, are equipped with a lid locking system, pressure selection option and other know-how.
Electric pressure cookers are usually divided into devices with a narrow specialization (rice cookers, kettle cookers, pasta cookers) and multifunctional units (pressure cookers) with electronic control, in which you can cook any dish. The main difference between a multicooker and a pressure cooker is that the combined version combines the functions of both devices, and you decide whether to cook the soup under high pressure in half an hour or let the dish simmer and become ready for several hours. Many modern models of multicookers with a pressure cooker function have up to 70 programs, including frying with the lid open and popping popcorn. The only drawback of this technique is the high cost!
It is difficult to choose the best multicooker because each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. In any case, you will be freed from everyday kitchen slavery; you just need to load the food into the bowl and press the button - the “intelligent” saucepan will do the rest without your participation. Another plus is that your personal home “chef” never gets tired and is always ready to work!
Rostislav Kuzmin
Greetings, dear readers of my blog. In the previous article, we carried out an analysis and came to the conclusion that a multicooker is an undeniably useful appliance in any kitchen. Now it's time to choose the best model for yourself. In this article I will give some useful recommendations on how to choose a multicooker, the 10 best options and their comparative characteristics for clarity. I’ll also tell you what to look for when purchasing.
In my practice, I have more than once encountered buyer misconceptions about the quality of the model. Thus, some believe that the main thing in a multicooker is the body, while its heart is the bowl, which most often requires replacement. As for the body, it is always plastic, and metal inserts are used only for aesthetics (or is this a cunning way to mislead?). Let's figure out what to look for in order to make the right choice.
It’s easy to get lost in the huge variety of multicooker models, and yet they don’t have many differences, the main ones being the design and size of the body, power consumption and bowl volume. Design is a matter of personal taste, although when choosing, I advise you to take into account the general style of the kitchen: if all your appliances are chrome, then a cute white plastic multicooker will be out of place. At the same time, you should not unnecessarily overpay for a supposedly metal case, since such inserts do not carry any functional load.
As for power, the optimal ones, in terms of cooking speed and energy costs, will be options with 600 - 800 W. Power of 1000 W or more is typical for multicookers. Everyone chooses the sufficient volume of the bowl for themselves, but, as practice shows, a small bowl of 2 - 3 liters is suitable only for singles, and for a family it is better to purchase a bowl of 5 liters. This concludes the list of parameters where you can take liberties. Now let's move on to the features where specialist advice is required.
And so, let's start with the most important thing - the bowl. Most often, there are bowls with a Teflon non-stick coating, which requires careful care and is not durable, and after 3 to 5 years, housewives begin to complain about burning during frying and food sticking to the bottom. Although today manufacturers are striving to increase the service life of such bowls by applying a multilayer coating. It is better to give preference to multicookers with thick-walled bowls. A ceramic bowl will be more durable, which is easier to clean, but more fragile and more expensive. It is difficult to say unequivocally which coating in a multicooker is better, since each type has its own pros and cons.
When choosing any household appliance for your home, you need to pay attention to its safety. Models with a detachable power cord seem more convenient (finish cooking, unplug the cord and put it away so as not to get in the way), but due to the possibility of water getting in, the risk of shorting increases, so a tightly fixed cord is safer.
To make daily care of the device simple and quick, the multicooker should have a removable valve that is easy to wash and dry. The valve should be washed after each cooking cycle as it can absorb odors.
Not all models have a useful device - a moisture collector for condensate. Using a transparent plastic cup that is attached to the back of the device, you can solve the problem of “puddles” on the table after each opening of the lid.
Buyers often ask: “Advise which programs and functions they really need.” Today, all multicookers in the mid-price category have a standard set of programs (6 - 8), which allows you to do everything you need. Baking/dessert and yogurt programs may rarely be missing. Expensive models have a “multi-cook” function, which allows you to set cooking parameters manually. Otherwise, there is not much difference, although the modes themselves may have different names from different manufacturers. Additional options such as a timer, auto-heating and reheating a ready-made dish are no longer a curiosity and are present in all models. Thus, the functionality of the multicooker comes into the background when choosing.
Another important point worth attention is the type and location of the heating element. In budget options, most often it is located only at the bottom. Multicookers with bottom heating have a tubular electric heater (heating element) - the simplest and cheapest. Even heating on the sides of the bowl improves the quality of cooking and reduces time. This type is called induction, which means non-contact heating through electromagnetic waves. Expensive models may have additional side and top heating elements, which is called 3D heating. Multicookers of this type can bake golden brown baked goods with a toasted crust. But before you overpay for three-dimensional heating, you should make sure that we are talking about a full-fledged additional heating element, and not about a metal reflective coating on the inside of the lid or a low-power element.
The last thing that needs to be assessed is the clarity of the controls, the information content of the display and the convenience of the location of the touch buttons. Ideally, these parameters should be tested, since each person has their own idea of ease of control. Some models may have sound accompaniment of programs and stages of the regime, which helps the visually impaired and the elderly.
If you evaluate each multicooker according to the parameters given above, then your choice will truly be the best. However, the price argument cannot be ignored. In any case, it will be easier to find the optimal price-quality ratio if you use the useful tips in this article. The company should not play a decisive role in the choice, as many are accustomed to completely trust the brand.
The ability to correctly evaluate a multicooker model you like by design will help you avoid purchasing a low-quality product, as well as overpaying for unnecessary options. Unfortunately, manufacturers tend to hide some features of their equipment. So, for example, no one will warn you that the model cannot properly bake a cottage cheese casserole (the bottom will burn, but the top will remain pale). The technical data sheets do not indicate at what point the program time reporting begins: when the start button is pressed or after the ingredients reach room temperature. This is important, because it’s one thing to steam vegetables from the refrigerator and quite another to steam them from the freezer. All the subtleties that can only be encountered during operation can be learned from those who have already purchased the product and have some experience in using it.
Thus, to understand which model is the best or one of the best, you need not only technical specifications from the manufacturer and expert opinion, but also reviews from ordinary customers.
I present to your attention the TOP most popular and reliable multicookers:
Model | Bowl volume/Power | Bowl coating | Number of programs/multi-cook | Heating type | Note |
POLARIS PMC 0517AD | ceramics | Includes steaming rack and yogurt jars |
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REDMOND RMC-M800S | non-stick | 20 + 28 manual/yes | Can be controlled from a smartphone via a mobile application |
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PHILIPS HD4731/03 | ceramics | High quality bowl (thick walls, handles) |
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CUCKOO CMC-HJXT 0804F | 4 l / 1190 W | steel with titanium non-stick coating (5 layers) | Double-circuit 3D heating, induction and heating element | Multicooker-pressure cooker, has a built-in clock, voice guide and container for collecting condensate |
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4 l / 1250 W | non-stick | Induction | Has a detachable power cord |
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lower heating element | Compact and lightweight, LED display |
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REDMOND RMC-M92S | ceramics | Remote control from a smartphone, there is a container for collecting condensate |
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ceramics | 3D heating with three heating elements | Has a detachable power cord, includes a frying pan, steamer, fryer, measuring cup, spoon |
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REDMOND RMC-M40S | ceramics | lower heating element | LED display, detachable power cord, condensation container included |
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MOULINEX MK 707832 | ceramics | lower heating element | The kit includes everything you need except the yogurt cups. |
Our rating presents only models with optimal bowl volume, since they are more often purchased. The list does not include many worthy brands, but it is simply not realistic to describe all the good models. In any case, having studied the proposed TOP of the best multicookers and learned the recommendations for choosing the right model, you will be able to independently evaluate the device you like, without relying on practical advice and the subjective opinion of a sales consultant. First of all, you need to determine what is more important: functionality, design and compactness, ease of control, equipment, price or quality of the case and bowl. As practice shows, it is possible to find a combination of all parameters only in expensive models; in other cases, you will have to sacrifice something.
I hope that after reading the article you have fewer questions left, or they have all been resolved. Subscribe to blog news and share your favorite material on social networks.
If you want to stay updated, I’m on Instagram, where I post new articles that appear on the site. Why am I talking about this? Because new articles about multicookers will be published soon. And you will be the first to read them.
Thank you for your attention! See you again on my blog. Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.
Cool
The multicooker makes the porridge itself. Good hardware control: children can handle it. YouTube posted a video: an 11-year-old girl prepares a complex recipe, what the pros do is absolutely a sight for sore eyes. Knowing the composition of the ingredients, prepare any dish with the press of one button. Of course, we are exaggerating slightly; the result is determined by the type of device. So which is better, a slow cooker or a pressure cooker?
For those avoiding the topic, we immediately inform you: the pressure cooker is rarely sold separately. More often the display case is decorated with a combined appliance. They call it a home multicooker-pressure cooker. The disadvantage of the good old “magic pots”: there is always no time, it is difficult for a business person to survive. We want the benefits of multi-cookers to give people a chance to save a couple of minutes. If previously you had to use a delayed start timer and get fresh fried meat in the morning, now you can make your food instantly.
A slow cooker cooks food faster than a saucepan. Due to pressure control by the bypass valve. And even if the element is primitive, moisture evaporates little, carrying away heat. High pressure will promote the adsorption of water vapor by the grain. A home multicooker-pressure cooker enhances the effect by closing the bypass valve and stops venting hot air. Some devices have emergency protection. When the pressure sensor has detected an abnormal situation, we see means of bringing the system properties back to normal.
The advantages of multicookers are fully automatic. Applies to the simplest recipes. The mother is confident that the children will be fed warm food, even if the cook has gone to work. There will be no need to turn on the gas stove or other household appliances, and the parents’ hearts will be calmer. A home multicooker-pressure cooker, following the program, will perform the necessary actions, automatic heating will maintain the temperature until the children arrive from school. To save energy, you can even set a delayed start timer. The porridge in the home multicooker-pressure cooker will be ready when the schoolchildren arrive. Do all devices work with the specified scheme...
No! New home multicookers-pressure cookers of the budget Redmond type with a simplified set of regulators. There are no detailed reports on the Internet yet that the system works no worse than the old one. It is proposed to maintain the temperature unchanged and vary the cooking time in the range of 1 - 90 minutes.
The disadvantages of multicookers-pressure cookers are obvious: having opened the bypass valve, we no longer see the good old pot. Before my eyes is a multicooker with a single time knob and no ability to regulate the temperature. It looks strange.
What is a multicooker to the average user of the device? A set of programs built by the developers, thanks to which you will forget to worry about the result of the operation and trust the automation. What is a multicooker-pressure cooker of the mentioned type. A device resembling an air fryer, known to the public for the fact that it is necessary to visually control the result of culinary operations. Buyers stop, thinking.
Whatever the shortcomings of the multicooker, the device is a completely safe household appliance. Of course, you can get burned if you try; it’s also dangerous to install a gas stove at home. Old Soviet pressure cookers are equipped with drain valves. If you forget to open it or hurry, dinner will stain the ceiling. Then, not only a major cleaning, but a new renovation will be required. In these times, the danger factor of a multicooker-pressure cooker is unlikely to appeal. If a schoolchild comes and forgets to let off steam carefully, nothing good will happen.
It is clear why the Redmond RMC-PM4507 home multi-pressure cooker does not have a delayed start timer. It’s worse if a child decides to test the device without asking. You can get hit in the face with the lid and get burned by the steam. In fact, modern multicookers-pressure cookers have a lower level of danger and are inferior to good Soviet ones:
In light of the above, we believe that these phenomena are not a defect of Redmond. On the contrary, it was done intentionally to increase the level of safety for users of a home multicooker-pressure cooker. Although measures have been taken at the expense of speed. The disadvantages of multicookers-pressure cookers are listed! We want fish in 10 minutes, we cook beef in 20 minutes, it doesn’t work, the steam is released. We will advise the developer.
What is the difference between a multicooker and a pressure cooker? Right! Lack of emergency valve. Here, release the steam automatically at the end of the program. To avoid burning your face with a home multicooker-pressure cooker, you need to lower it slowly, bypassing the capillary or diffuser. Household appliances of this kind are positioned as family appliances and should not pose the slightest danger to even small members of a social unit. Or equip your home multicooker-pressure cooker with child protection.
On the other hand, we buy a device that cooks quickly. Otherwise, it’s cheaper to take a convection oven and fry whatever you want. An old home multi-cooker, without a pressure cooker, can make porridge, as household members, including children, are used to.
If the budget model RMC-PM4507 does not have preinstalled programs and contains a handle, the multicooker-pressure cooker in question is suitable for business class. The cost of the device is 10,000 rubles. We list the key properties of the product:
The absence of a multicooker is surprising. Having lost a useful function, a professional cook will have a hard time. Among the programs we see the preparation of yogurt, baking bread. A homemade multi-cooker-pressure cooker can proof the dough; we will delight the family with delicious rolls, including Easter cakes. We are disappointed that the model does not allow you to set the cooking time manually, although the cheap one did. Rather, corporate interests come into play here, for fear of releasing a too-cheap multicooker-pressure cooker that can do everything. It will reduce demand for other models. Perhaps there is something else that prevents the introduction of a mechanical timer into electronics; it remains a mystery.
There is no memory of programs; some actions will have to be done manually. The creators of the multicooker-pressure cooker tried to introduce as wide a list of programs as possible, including: Beans, Popcorn. Anyone trying to cook peas without the appropriate program knows how much trouble a home slow cooker will cause before the recipe is finished. We believe that in this model, the designers included functions in the programs, trying to cover the range of possible culinary delights.
Redmond refuses to understand one simple thing: when deciding what to choose, a multicooker or a multicooker-pressure cooker, the consumer is guided by the desire to save time. This means that you need to indicate on the website the cooking time for fish, beef, pork, and pilaf. Reason for paying money? Home multicookers have become familiar. We know that pans cook faster, we don’t try to delve into the details, when we come across a device that will save time, we want to know everything!
Instead, there is zero information on the official website, meager words quoting the operating instructions for multicookers: the fish is cooked for 15-20 minutes, pilaf 25. What is included in the concept. In order for the pilaf to turn brown, you must first burn the carrots until they become sugary. At the same time, onions and garlic are added and the meat is fried. How can a home multicooker/pressure cooker help? Do you mean that when we add rice on top and add water, the countdown for 25 minutes will begin from the indicated moment? It remains a secret; Redmond has classified the recipe book. Perhaps it is impossible to make brown pilaf using a pressure cooker? Many people really don’t know how to make food according to tradition.
How can we decide which is better, a multicooker or a multicooker-pressure cooker, without knowing the key features! First of all, speed. I like the website of the Swiss mixer Bamix, which posted a professional video with 5 recipes in 5 minutes. We see right away: the device is useful.
What a pressure cooker. The word on the screen plus promises of quick cooking! Cereals, scalded with boiling water, are cooked for 15 - 20 minutes without the tricks of a typical multicooker. The difference is small, powerless to deserve the prefix indicating speed. Consider a purely specific aspect: the death of bacteria and worm eggs takes the time allotted by nature. Although at 100 degrees Celsius, most of it happens quickly. But when barbecuing, the tapeworms survive by infecting the eaters. Evaluate the security aspect with the VashTechnik portal.
Among the variety of automated assistants designed to simplify the routine process of “cooking” for their owners, the most popular on the modern household appliances market are pressure cookers and multicookers. Today we propose to consider the basic features of these devices, as well as find out what their main differences are and what determines the current popularity of each of them.
The multicooker is externally a plastic case with a functional removable bowl inside, the coating of which is traditionally made of Teflon or ceramics. The operation of such a gadget, as a rule, occurs through electronic control.
Manufacturers provide modern models with a large number of automatic programs that allow you not only to cook, fry and stew food using the “automated assistant” in question, but also to make yogurt, can, bake various confectionery baked goods, steam, and so on. The built-in modes allow the user to go about their business, completely entrusting the preparation of even the most exquisite dish to the multicooker, without worrying about possible burning or boiling over of the cooked food.
The basic configuration of the device in question traditionally includes:
Among the most significant differences between multicookers and other household “helpers” are:
In addition to the features listed above, the multifunctional gadget has other advantages, the mention of which is advisable in the context of comparing multicookers with other devices with similar characteristics.
However, the multicooker is not as ideal as it might seem at first glance. Among the objective disadvantages of its use in everyday “cooking” food, it is worth highlighting:
The average cost of a high-quality multicooker from a well-known brand varies from 5 to 10 thousand rubles. You should not save on the purchase of this type of household appliances, since budget options, as a rule, are either of poor quality in their assembly, or simply cannot provide the user with the basic functionality necessary for daily “cooking”.
The external design of a pressure cooker is traditionally a familiar pan or plastic container, hermetically sealed with a special lid. Due to the tight fit of the lid to the “sides” of the container, increased pressure is created inside the structure, which leads to an increase in the boiling point of the liquid. Due to the inability of air to penetrate into the bowl, food in such an “isolating” device cooks much faster than when it comes into contact and, as a result, oxidizes when in contact with oxygen.
In some cases, due to the lack of an electronic component of the gadget, control of the “cooking” process of the pressure cooker occurs exclusively “manually”, which, as a rule, requires additional effort and time on the part of the user. But, unlike a multicooker, the device in question is as easy to use as possible and can be used even by novice users or older people.
A distinctive feature of the device in the segment under consideration is the presence of valves (“working” and “emergency”) that regulate the level of pressure and, as a result, “increasing” the temperature inside the device itself. So, if the required value is exceeded, the pressure cooker design “bleeds off” hot steam, releasing it through the “working” valve. If individual problems occur in the functioning of the main “outlet” or a sudden significant excess of the maximum permissible pressure specified by the manufacturer, the “emergency” valve opens and “discharges” hot air until the temperature inside the device normalizes.
The objective advantages of “cooking” foods in a pressure cooker include:
When forming your own opinion about the functional characteristics of a pressure cooker, it is best to analyze not only the advantages, but also the most popular negative aspects of its use. These disadvantages include, first of all, the following:
The average cost of a high-quality pressure cooker from a trusted manufacturer will be no less than 5 - 7 thousand rubles.
To make an informed decision about which device will be most suitable for a particular buyer - a pressure cooker or a multicooker, it is important to formulate an answer to the question of what is the main difference between them.
A multifunctional gadget differs from a traditional quick-cooking device, first of all, in its wide range of functionality, as well as its significantly higher cost. To clearly illustrate other distinctive properties of the household appliances in question, we suggest referring to the table below.
Criterion | Pressure cooker | Multicooker |
Functionality | cooking, stewing | multifunctionality |
Cooking speed | very quickly (for example, meat soup - 30 minutes) | slowly (for example, the same meat soup - 2 hours) |
The usefulness of prepared food | preservation of the absolute majority of vitamins and beneficial properties of products | low calorie content of food “at the end”, due to the absence of the need to use oil or fat during “cooking” |
The ability to control the readiness of the dish during the “cooking” process | impossible | Maybe |
Dimensions | large design dimensions | compact |
Safety to use | unsafe due to “working” with hot air vapors | safe due to the use of heat-resistant, non-heating material in the production of the case |
Additional options | No | yes (for example, “delayed start”, “child lock”, “heating” and so on) |
So, based on the information presented in the article, we can conclude that it is advisable to choose a pressure cooker only if you have a large budget allocated for the purchase of a gadget in the segment in question and the need to frequently “cook” familiar dishes in large quantities. A multi-cooker, on the contrary, is more suitable for customers who prepare gourmet food rarely and “at one time”, who are ready to devote a considerable amount of time to the “automated assistant” to create the desired culinary “masterpiece”.
Each of the household appliances discussed in the article, a multicooker or a pressure cooker, has its own technical strengths and weaknesses. However, by carefully studying the information provided and relying on it when deciding to purchase the most suitable device, the user will undoubtedly be able to make the right choice in favor of a gadget that best suits his needs and the needs of his family.
Electric cooking devices are very similar in appearance: they have a heating element in the form of a heating element or an induction ring; removable heat-resistant pan with non-stick coating; valve for steam release; display and set of automatic programs; time timer. Unites devices with low power consumption. The prepared product can be stored in a ready-made state for a long time. But you can see what a multicooker with deep fryer and bread maker functions might look like
The difference between the devices is the use of an additional function: blocking the steam release valve.
Due to this, increased pressure is created in the multicooker, and at the same time the temperature rises. In a pressure cooker, it reaches 110-120 g. The nature of culinary processing in this case changes completely.
In a slow cooker, heating occurs more slowly. The tightness of the lid allows you to cook dishes at a low temperature, which allows you to maximize the preservation of vitamins and other beneficial qualities of the food.
Under the influence of pressure in a pressure cooker, steam evenly affects the structure of the food product. Cooking in such a device makes it possible to quickly soften the fibers in meat products, fish, and fiber in vegetables, which makes them more tender and tasty.
But how to choose a good bread maker for your home and what parameters should be used to do this is indicated in great detail
The video shows a description of the fundamental differences:
The cooking time in a multicooker and a pressure cooker-multi-cooker differs by two times.
A multicooker is a good helper in the kitchen. Compared to the conventional cooking method, you do not need to stand over the pan to skim off the foam; the food in it never burns or boils over. It is safe and easy to operate.
An excellent option for the housewife. basically I threw in the ingredients and forgot about it
Advantages of an electric saucepan with automatic control over a pressure cooker:
In a multicooker it is allowed:
Cheaper than pressure cookers
Opening the lid while cooking stops the timer that sets the cooking time. Restoration of tightness continues to count down.
The very name of the multicooker indicates its versatility.
But what the Mulinex CE 501132 multi-cooker pressure cooker looks like and how effectively it is used, as well as how to use it, is described in detail
It can replace all existing kitchen appliances: frying pan, saucepan, oven, yogurt maker.
Depending on the model, the list of dishes that can be cooked in an electric saucepan varies from 6-7 to 15-20.
Electrical devices have such popular functions as:
Delayed start makes it possible to reduce the time for preparing morning breakfast and solve the problem of feeding children after school (maintaining the desired temperature of the finished dish).
But this will help you understand what a 2-liter multicooker with a ceramic bowl looks like and how to use such equipment for the best results.
The video shows a description of the multicooker:
The cost of a universal pan depends on the following indicators:
Will cost more:
The disadvantage of multicookers is the cooking time and the quality of the dishes.
But you can find out what it looks like and how to choose an analogue bowl for the Panasonic sr tmh10 multicooker from this
When using an electric pan, the gain in cooking time is negligible. This minus is compensated by other advantages, such as delayed start and maintaining the temperature of the finished dish. In terms of the quality of baked goods, yogurt, and fried meat, the device is inferior to an oven, a yogurt maker, and a frying pan on a gas or electric stove.
The main advantage of this type of electric pan is that it saves time when preparing any dish.
The advantage is lost if you have to open the lid during cooking: pressure and temperature are released. The device will require additional time to restore its previous parameters. This takes from 10 to 20 minutes. In simple models, manual adjustment of the specified cooking program will be required due to its failure. For this reason, all ingredients must be added at the same time, which affects the number of dishes that can be cooked in a pressure cooker.
An excellent option for those who want to cook professionally in their kitchen
It is also worth learning more about what exist and
Rostislav Kuzmin
Greetings, dear readers of my blog. In the previous article, we carried out an analysis and came to the conclusion that a multicooker is an undeniably useful appliance in any kitchen. Now it's time to choose the best model for yourself. In this article I will give some useful recommendations on how to choose a multicooker, the 10 best options and their comparative characteristics for clarity. I’ll also tell you what to look for when purchasing.
In my practice, I have more than once encountered buyer misconceptions about the quality of the model. Thus, some believe that the main thing in a multicooker is the body, while its heart is the bowl, which most often requires replacement. As for the body, it is always plastic, and metal inserts are used only for aesthetics (or is this a cunning way to mislead?). Let's figure out what to look for in order to make the right choice.
It’s easy to get lost in the huge variety of multicooker models, and yet they don’t have many differences, the main ones being the design and size of the body, power consumption and bowl volume. Design is a matter of personal taste, although when choosing, I advise you to take into account the general style of the kitchen: if all your appliances are chrome, then a cute white plastic multicooker will be out of place. At the same time, you should not unnecessarily overpay for a supposedly metal case, since such inserts do not carry any functional load.
As for power, the optimal ones, in terms of cooking speed and energy costs, will be options with 600 - 800 W. Power of 1000 W or more is typical for multicookers. Everyone chooses the sufficient volume of the bowl for themselves, but, as practice shows, a small bowl of 2 - 3 liters is suitable only for singles, but for a family it is better to purchase a bowl of 5 liters. This concludes the list of parameters where you can take liberties. Now let's move on to the features where specialist advice is required.
And so, let's start with the most important thing - the bowl. Most often, there are bowls with a Teflon non-stick coating, which requires careful care and is not durable, and after 3 to 5 years, housewives begin to complain about burning during frying and food sticking to the bottom. Although today manufacturers are striving to increase the service life of such bowls by applying a multilayer coating. It is better to give preference to multicookers with thick-walled bowls. A ceramic bowl will be more durable, which is easier to clean, but more fragile and more expensive. It is difficult to say unequivocally which coating in a multicooker is better, since each type has its own pros and cons.
When choosing any household appliance for your home, you need to pay attention to its safety. Models with a detachable power cord seem more convenient (finish cooking, unplug the cord and put it away so as not to get in the way), but due to the possibility of water getting in, the risk of shorting increases, so a tightly fixed cord is safer.
To make daily care of the device simple and quick, the multicooker should have a removable valve that is easy to wash and dry. The valve should be washed after each cooking cycle as it can absorb odors.
Not all models have a useful device - a moisture collector for condensate. Using a transparent plastic cup that is attached to the back of the device, you can solve the problem of “puddles” on the table after each opening of the lid.
Buyers often ask: “Advise which programs and functions they really need.” Today, all multicookers in the mid-price category have a standard set of programs (6 - 8), which allows you to do everything you need. Baking/dessert and yogurt programs may rarely be missing. Expensive models have a “multi-cook” function, which allows you to set cooking parameters manually. Otherwise, there is not much difference, although the modes themselves may have different names from different manufacturers. Additional options such as a timer, auto-heating and reheating a ready-made dish are no longer a curiosity and are present in all models. Thus, the functionality of the multicooker comes into the background when choosing.
Another important point worth attention is the type and location of the heating element. In budget options, most often it is located only at the bottom. Multicookers with bottom heating have a tubular electric heater (heating element) - the simplest and cheapest. Even heating on the sides of the bowl improves the quality of cooking and reduces time. This type is called induction, which means non-contact heating through electromagnetic waves. Expensive models may have additional side and top heating elements, which is called 3D heating. Multicookers of this type can bake golden brown baked goods with a toasted crust. But before you overpay for three-dimensional heating, you should make sure that we are talking about a full-fledged additional heating element, and not about a metal reflective coating on the inside of the lid or a low-power element.
The last thing that needs to be assessed is the clarity of the controls, the information content of the display and the convenience of the location of the touch buttons. Ideally, these parameters should be tested, since each person has their own idea of ease of control. Some models may have sound accompaniment of programs and stages of the regime, which helps the visually impaired and the elderly.
If you evaluate each multicooker according to the parameters given above, then your choice will truly be the best. However, the price argument cannot be ignored. In any case, it will be easier to find the optimal price-quality ratio if you use the useful tips in this article. The company should not play a decisive role in the choice, as many are accustomed to completely trust the brand.
The ability to correctly evaluate a multicooker model you like by design will help you avoid purchasing a low-quality product, as well as overpaying for unnecessary options. Unfortunately, manufacturers tend to hide some features of their equipment. So, for example, no one will warn you that the model cannot properly bake a cottage cheese casserole (the bottom will burn, but the top will remain pale). The technical data sheets do not indicate at what point the program time reporting begins: when the start button is pressed or after the ingredients reach room temperature. This is important, because it’s one thing to steam vegetables from the refrigerator and quite another to steam them from the freezer. All the subtleties that can only be encountered during operation can be learned from those who have already purchased the product and have some experience in using it.
Thus, to understand which model is the best or one of the best, you need not only technical specifications from the manufacturer and expert opinion, but also reviews from ordinary customers.
I present to your attention the TOP most popular and reliable multicookers:
Model | Bowl volume/Power | Bowl coating | Number of programs/multi-cook | Heating type | Note |
POLARIS PMC 0517AD | ceramics | Includes steaming rack and yogurt jars |
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REDMOND RMC-M800S | non-stick | 20 + 28 manual/yes | Can be controlled from a smartphone via a mobile application |
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PHILIPS HD4731/03 | ceramics | High quality bowl (thick walls, handles) |
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CUCKOO CMC-HJXT 0804F | 4 l / 1190 W | steel with titanium non-stick coating (5 layers) | Double-circuit 3D heating, induction and heating element | Multicooker-pressure cooker, has a built-in clock, voice guide and container for collecting condensate |
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4 l / 1250 W | non-stick | Induction | Has a detachable power cord |
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lower heating element | Compact and lightweight, LED display |
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REDMOND RMC-M92S | ceramics | Remote control from a smartphone, there is a container for collecting condensate |
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ceramics | 3D heating with three heating elements | Has a detachable power cord, includes a frying pan, steamer, fryer, measuring cup, spoon |
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REDMOND RMC-M40S | ceramics | lower heating element | LED display, detachable power cord, condensation container included |
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MOULINEX MK 707832 | ceramics | lower heating element | The kit includes everything you need except the yogurt cups. |
Our rating presents only models with optimal bowl volume, since they are more often purchased. The list does not include many worthy brands, but it is simply not realistic to describe all the good models. In any case, having studied the proposed TOP of the best multicookers and learned the recommendations for choosing the right model, you will be able to independently evaluate the device you like, without relying on practical advice and the subjective opinion of a sales consultant. First of all, you need to determine what is more important: functionality, design and compactness, ease of control, equipment, price or quality of the case and bowl. As practice shows, it is possible to find a combination of all parameters only in expensive models; in other cases, you will have to sacrifice something.
I hope that after reading the article you have fewer questions left, or they have all been resolved. Subscribe to blog news and share your favorite material on social networks.
If you want to stay informed, I'm in instagram, where I post new articles that appear on the site. Why am I talking about this? Because new articles about multicookers will be published soon. And you will be the first to read them.
Thank you for your attention! See you again on my blog. Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.
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A multicooker is a kind of “smart pan” with a heating element, a microprocessor and a temperature sensor. In this material we will talk about how to choose a multicooker for your home, what details you need to pay attention to when purchasing, present useful videos and provide several useful links to comparative reviews.
It is clear that, say, in the kitchen of a student dormitory or cottage, a multicooker is an excellent replacement for a stove, microwave and oven. But what if you have all the kitchen appliances, do you need a multicooker in this case?
There are several reasons to buy a multicooker:
An ordinary multicooker cooks food at normal pressure and therefore the food slowly simmers in it. A pressure cooker heats water up to 100 degrees due to increased pressure and therefore cooks food faster. So, for example, if soup can be cooked in a slow cooker in 2 hours, then in a pressure cooker it will take just half an hour.
Therefore, so that you have the opportunity to choose between simmering and quick cooking, you should buy a multicooker with a pressure cooker function.
Almost all modern multicookers have a function to keep food hot, which turns on automatically as soon as the food is cooked. However, not every model allows you to cancel this option without unplugging the cord from the outlet.
First, make sure that the inner lid is removable so that you can easily remove it and wash it of accumulated grease and dirt. Most modern multicookers provide this opportunity, but, nevertheless, models without removable lids are still available. It’s good if the multicooker lid is completely removed.
Secondly, before purchasing, make sure that the lid does not have any gaps, and that the sealing rubber fits tightly, lies flat and has no defects.
Thirdly, look at where the cover is attached to the body. The plastic of the part holding the hinge axis must be thick and strong.
Fourthly, pay attention to how the lid closes. It is better if it is closed using a locking method, rather than a key (pictured), which is held on only by a couple of pins. Unfortunately, such pins eventually pop out of the holes due to deformation of the plastic from constant contact with steam or simply break. For many models of multicookers Redmond, Polaris, Ourson and Mulinex, such a breakdown occurs frequently, but not all service centers regard it as a warranty case.
Below is a video showing how to fix a broken lid latch using the example of a Redmond multicooker.
Mechanical locks, such as those of this classic Panasonic multicooker SR-TMH18, get dirty easily, but they are much more durable:
Fifthly, as already noted, the lid should tilt 90 degrees, or better yet, more.
The multicooker body can be made of plastic or stainless steel. The body material does not affect the quality of dishes and the functionality of the equipment, so if you want to save money, feel free to buy a plastic multicooker. It’s true that plastic is different from plastic, and if you buy a model from this material, then it’s of high quality.
Stainless steel is stronger, less susceptible to scratches, looks beautiful, but makes the device noticeably heavier and more expensive.
Not every multicooker has a condensate collector, although it is really necessary. Thanks to such a simple detail, the outer walls of the body and the rim of the lid are not covered with moisture during cooking.
Rubber feet or small pads are the simplest parts that allow the multicooker to stand firmly on the countertop and not slip. Unfortunately, some models have plastic legs as in the photo below.
Unfortunately, some multicooker models, for example, REDMOND RMC-4503, do not have rubber feet
Whatever the shape of the multicooker, it is advisable that the display and control panel be placed on the top or at an angle so that you do not have to bend over to start the program.
This model from Mulinex (model CE 503132) has a convenient and compact rectangular body shape, however, to see the display and buttons, you have to bend over or sit down
It’s good when the display shows such useful information as:
The timer, which shows how much time is left until the dish is cooked, in many even expensive models turns on only shortly before the end of work. For example, on the Panasonic SR-MHS181WTQ multicooker, the countdown timer starts just 5 minutes before the end, which is very inconvenient:
Modern models of multicookers can be controlled via Wifi. You can read a detailed review of how this option works in practice using the Polaris EVO EPMC 0125 multi-pressure cooker as an example.
And finally, we suggest watching the “Test Purchase” video on how to choose a multicooker for your home.
A new approach - we explore and understand
What is a multicooker? First of all, it is a marketing product. A few years ago, marketers came up with the idea that it was quite possible to cook other dishes in a traditional Japanese rice cooker, came up with a new name, provided the product with a book of recipes, and launched it on sale.
What happened? It was a real boom: I liked the product. First of all, to innovative people: they perceived the proposed device as a kitchen gadget and became the first active buyers and users. Indeed, an electric saucepan with an LCD display turned out to be practical and convenient, allowing even complete culinary laymen to learn the art of cooking simple stews, crumbly porridge and simple soup. Gradually, users who were more experienced in cooking joined them: it turned out to be convenient. Then marketers make the next move and win: they managed to study and win the hearts of even experienced cooks by studying their needs and adding functionality such as 3D heating and independent control of temperature and cooking time. Result: today almost every family has a multicooker. And it is unlikely that anyone will seriously deny the serious influence of the Redmond company on the entire course of what happened.
So, the market is close to saturation. And now Redmond presents a new product: a multi-kitchen. So today we are not dealing with a specific model, but with this rather new concept itself - why is it needed, how does it work, will it take root or not. Inevitably, when starting any new experiment, we expect criticism from both the manufacturer and the readers, but we do not give up.
So, we have a Redmond RMC-FM230 multi-kitchen in our laboratory. We have already tested it as a multicooker with a lifting heating element, and only a year ago. In fact, nothing has changed, except for the new approach and the name “multi-cuisine”. Now it is understood that such a device can represent a full-fledged kitchen, replacing both a multicooker and a stove.
Remembering how skeptics argued that the “pan with a wire” had no future, we held off on criticizing the new approach, doing it much simpler: within a month we replaced the entire kitchen with the Redmond RMC-FM230 model and cooked only with its help.
So you won’t find anything new in the chapters about controls and technical characteristics, but we tried to provide more tests here that illustrated that the device coped with its stated role. The conclusion is the following: no one is forcing you to get rid of all your kitchen appliances at once, but if you live in a studio, dorm or country house, then this device can really replace a full-fledged kitchen: dishes from homemade sour cream to chicken Kiev and sous vide steak provided for you.
General characteristics | |
Manufacturer | |
Model name | |
Type | multicooker with lifting heating element |
Power consumption | 860 W |
Housing material | plastic, metal |
Case color | black, silver, metallic |
Bowl volume | 5 l (usable volume 4 l) |
Bowl material | metal alloy |
Bowl coating | ceramic non-stick |
Manufacturer's warranty | 2 years |
Control | |
Control type | electronic |
Button type | membrane |
Display | LCD, white backlight |
Temperature maintenance | up to 24 hours |
Delayed start | up to 24 hours |
Warming up | up to 24 hours |
Indicators | switching on, heating |
Additional functions | lifting heating element, frying pan included |
Weight and dimensions | |
Packaging (W×H×D) | 43×34×33 cm |
Weight with packaging | 6.8 kg |
Prices and offers | |
average price | T-11850954 |
Retail offers | L-11850954-10 |
The multicooker comes in a cardboard cube box made in the Redmond corporate style: red and black color scheme, images of the multicooker itself and the prepared dishes, technical information about the device and the same photo of the blonde. When packaged, the multicooker is protected from impacts by fairly large foam inserts, and for ease of carrying, the box is equipped with a plastic handle.
Opening the box, inside you can find:
By design, the device is a “classic” Redmond multicooker: a removable valve located on the back side is used to collect condensate. For carrying, there is a special folding handle. The inner cover is removable, a dismountable steam valve located in the cover is attached to a rubber seal, and can be easily removed and installed back.
One nice thing is the presence of a separate power button: not all related devices are equipped with it; This is not the first multi-cooker that does not need to be unplugged when not in use, but we continue to be pleased. As for using the frying pan, this requires lifting the heating element (manually or using tongs) and securing it in special grooves, turning it slightly clockwise. This operation is performed very easily, no difficulties were noticed. In principle, with an unheated element, this can easily be done by hand, but neither we nor the manufacturer recommend this: what if it turns out to be not cool enough.
According to the instructions, only the branded frying pan is supposed to be used. We succeeded quite well with non-branded frying pans, and even with ladles and small saucepans: you just need to be guided by a sense of proportion. But, to be honest, we can’t imagine a person who reads iXBT and at the same time tries to place, say, a wide cast-iron frying pan on a raised element.
The multicooker comes with instructions and a full-color recipe book (120 pieces in total).
The 42-page manual contains all the necessary information regarding operating the device, as well as additional tips and support materials: answers to frequently asked questions, tables with recommended steaming times, a summary table of programs and recommendations for using temperature modes in the Multicook program. (boil mulled wine at 80°C, stew meat at 125°C, fry steaks at 165°C, etc.).
The recipe book contains Redmond recipes that are already well known to us, slightly adapted in accordance with the features of this particular multicooker model. Here we will allow ourselves to grumble: if we were the manufacturer, we would try to adapt the recipes to the multi-cuisine, since we have elevated the former rice cooker to such a high pedestal.
The multicooker is controlled using 8 membrane buttons and an LCD display with white backlight. The buttons are pressed with a distinct click, and clicks are accompanied by a characteristic sound signal - you won’t be able to miss a trigger or accidentally press the button twice.
The display contains information about the selected cooking program and the remaining time until the end of the program. There are also indicators for the operation of the “Master Chef” function (including an indicator for the mode of making changes to the automatic program, an indicator for the serial number of changes, an indicator for recording a modified program and an indicator for deleting a modified program), an indicator for the operation of the delayed start mode and an indicator for turning off sound signals . Separate glowing lights (yellow and red) indicate the operating modes of the multicooker and the heating function that is on.
All this does not sound very clear, but in practice all the icons are easy to read and allow you to quickly understand what exactly the device is doing at the moment and in what mode it is in.
The names of the buttons and their purposes speak for themselves:
Among the features of the interface, it is worth mentioning the “non-standard” arrangement of the “+” and “−” buttons, as a result of which moving through the menu to the right is carried out with the “minus” rather than the “plus”, which would be logical. Since the same buttons are responsible for hours and minutes, respectively, some discomfort is caused by the fact that pressing “−” adds the number of minutes. At first, this method does not look very logical, but after a while you get used to the interface and stop paying attention to it.
It is also worth noting that a number of programs require you to indicate the type of product - meat, poultry, fish or vegetables. This must be done strictly before setting the cooking time. In standby mode, the multicooker displays the current time.
Among the pleasant features, it is worth noting the presence of non-volatile memory, which allows you to continue executing the program if the device is de-energized for up to 15 minutes. The multicooker also has a child lock feature that prevents accidental pressing of buttons (to do this, press the “−” and “+” buttons simultaneously and hold them for 5 seconds).
The delay start function, as expected, allows you to set the time by which the dish will be ready (i.e., taking into account the operating time of the program). You can set the time from 5 minutes to 24 hours in 1 minute increments. Automatic heating will keep the dish at a temperature of 70-75 °C for 12 hours, and the timer will tell you how long this function works. If necessary, auto-heating can be turned off, and if the dish is cooked at a temperature of 80 °C or lower, it will turn off automatically.
The “Masterchef” function of the RMC-FM230 allows you to change the cooking time and temperature up to 9 times while the multicooker is running, and record the resulting sequence instead of the original program. The temperature can vary from 35 to 180 °C (in increments of 5 degrees), and the change in cooking time can vary from 1 minute to 15 hours (in increments of 1 minute). In this way, you can program almost any sequence of actions that allows you to prepare a particular dish.
The “Multi-cook” function, which has long become a standard for modern multi-cookers, is essentially a simplified version of “Masterchef” and allows you to set one single “temperature-time” combination at which the dish will be cooked.
The RMC-FM230 has 22 cooking programs, for each of which a standard time is already set (and for some, even several options, depending on the selected type of product - meat/poultry/fish/vegetables).
Many programs are equipped with reasonable restrictions on possible cooking duration and additional options. So, for the “Frying” program it will not be possible to set a delayed start, and the “Yogurt” or “Frying” program will turn off auto-heating. While preparing soup, the multicooker will signal before boiling (to remove foam), and the “Bread” program provides a full cooking cycle - from proofing the dough to baking, and will turn off auto-heating after three hours (so that the bread does not become overdried).
Before using the device for the first time, as well as to remove food odors, it is recommended to treat the multicooker with half a lemon on the “Steam” program for 15 minutes. We skipped this step because our specimen did not notice any foreign odors.
Remains of food from the bowl can be easily removed with a regular sponge (especially if you pre-soak the bowl for 15 minutes). The frying pan, like the bowl, can be easily cleaned with a sponge, without any soaking: during the entire testing period, nothing stuck to it. We washed both items several times and in the dishwasher: everything is fine.
The removable aluminum lid, as well as the removable, removable steam valve and condensate container, are also easy to clean under running water.
For a month we used the RMC-FM230 as our only food processor. The multi-kitchen coped with its task, successfully replacing all kinds of heat treatment devices with one itself. We tried the device as a substitute for pots and pans, deep fryers and yogurt makers, ovens and sous vides.
We didn't feel any discomfort. The tests involved from one to four eaters: from one to three people can easily replace a real kitchen with a multi-kitchen without losing the quality and variety of home food, but starting from the fourth eater and above, the device’s resources begin to run out. The result is a simple and uncomplicated conclusion, which we will introduce you to a little later, and now we will describe those test dishes that we considered representative.
The role of a multi-kitchen: a modern multi-cooker with the ability to set the temperature
This type of dish is simple, but not so simple that the device being tested cannot demonstrate its pleasant side. We put small fish, heads and ridges in a bowl, added onions and carrots, a bouquet garni, poured cold water up to the maximum mark on the side of the bowl, immediately salted it and added a few black peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves. We programmed all this wealth with a “multi-cook” as follows: 15 minutes of intense heating, then, until the broth reaches a boil, 90 degrees for another hour and a half.
We recommend cooking all broths in modern multicookers this way: at a temperature of 90 degrees there is no need to remove the foam, so you can simply leave the device unattended until the very end of the process. The result is a clear and aromatic fish broth, which after cooking all that remains is to strain.
The role of the multi-kitchen: multi-cooker, oven + saucepan
We were left with fish fillets, the bones and heads of which were used to prepare the previous dish. We chopped the fillet, added finely chopped onion, salt and spices and made small meatballs, rolling them in flour.
At this time, vegetables were baked in the multicooker bowl: onions, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers and garlic. We cut off the peel from the bottom of the garlic cloves: this allowed us to simply squeeze the soft garlic out of the peel after baking and save time on peeling it. The vegetables spent 30 minutes in the baking mode and were considered ready.
Then we combined the fish broth from the previous dough in a bowl with vegetables and processed the resulting mixture with an immersion blender, obtaining a nice creamy soup in which we boiled our meatballs in the cooking mode - three minutes after immersing the last of them in the soup turned out to be enough. Then a handful of peeled shrimp was added to the resulting soup: just go for a walk.
Result: excellent .
A tasty base, tender meatballs - even fish-phobes, for whom fish soups until that day seemed an incomprehensible concept, agreed to eat this soup. It’s not an easy dish - at first glance it seemed that it would require using a multi-burner stove and oven, but in the end we did a great job using the multi-kitchen and even enjoyed the process, not to mention the result.
The role of a multi-kitchen: a multi-cooker with a lifting bottom, a frying pan + a saucepan
We continue experiments with complex multi-component dishes. Cooking cabbage rolls.
In a classic multi-cooker, if a dish requires some kind of frying of vegetables (often for soups), recipe writers advise first frying what you need, and then adding other ingredients, pouring water and cooking your own soup, for example. This technologically incorrect cunning can no longer be used. In the case of the cabbage rolls, we fried onions, carrots and bell peppers in the included frying pan, then added the tomato and set all this wealth aside to wait until we prepared the cabbage rolls for stewing.
We had young cabbage, so we didn’t have to heat-treat it, but otherwise we would have also made do with a multi-cuisine: we would have boiled the cabbage in boiling water, removing the top leaves from it, which had become soft and unbreakable, every couple of minutes. The filling is minced beef and pork with the addition of rice, pre-boiled in the mode of the same name. The cabbage rolls were placed in layers in a slow cooker, and our frying was placed on top.
Then we trusted the stewing mode, receiving beautiful cabbage rolls in forty minutes.
Result: excellent .
Delicious cabbage rolls using only the multi-kitchen required some time investment, but no more than with traditional cooking. As a result, 6 people were full, and there was still some left over.
The role of a multi-kitchen: a yogurt maker, a modern multi-cooker with a yogurt preparation mode
What is real sour cream? Sour cream skimmed from milk. This kind of sour cream can occasionally be found in the village; it is fatty and dense, like butter.
It is obvious that the sour cream that is sold in stores now, like the sour cream that was poured into a jar from a large aluminum can in Soviet times, is a completely different product both in taste and consistency. Obviously milky and obviously fermented with something.
We bought two liters of the first “long-lived” milk (4% fat content), half a liter of fresh factory-made sour cream (20%) and half a liter of cream (25%) at the supermarket. Then we placed it in the yogurt mode of our multi-kitchen for eight hours.
The average fat content of the mixture was thus about 10%. At the same time, the sour cream turned out to be such that it cannot be confused with any other dairy product: it is exactly sour cream, tasty and fresh. The liquid does not evaporate at a temperature not exceeding forty degrees in yogurt mode: we now have about three liters of sour cream, in which a spoon can sit for a while, but which can, if desired, be slowly poured over the edge.
Result: excellent again .
Place in tightly sealed containers and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Salads with sour cream and cakes with sour cream, chicken in sour cream sauce and zucchini stewed in sour cream are starting to appear on the menu. In general, three liters is not much.
The role of the multi-kitchen: deep fryer, modern multi-cooker with deep-frying mode at a given temperature
We decided to prepare a hearty, cheap and at the same time beautiful dinner using half a chicken breast per serving. To do this, we buy a breast, remove the skin and remove the bone. Makes two fillets. We beat each fillet, preferably placing it between two pieces of polyethylene (otherwise it can easily stick to the board and to the meat hammer). Then we put a decent (cookbooks use the euphemism “the size of a fir cone”) piece of butter inside, wrapping it in our beaten fillet. We roll the resulting product in a plate with flour, then in a bowl with beaten eggs, then in breadcrumbs. Again in the egg, and again in breadcrumbs. This way we get two chicken Kiev cutlets with an even, beautiful shape. All that remains is to fry them in deep fat, that is, in heated oil.
The role of the deep fryer in the multikitchen was excellent. It was experimentally established that the best oil temperature is 160 degrees: already at 170, either the cutlet will turn out to be of the Negroid race, or the breast inside risks not being fried. At low temperatures, the crust will begin to absorb oil, and you will end up with something completely inedible.
Fortunately, the RMC-FM230 has an adjustable heating temperature: set it to 160, and when the cutlets are appetizingly browned, take them out and eat.
Result: excellent .
This cutlet is a complete dinner. And it’s delicious: juicy chicken inside and crispy outside. There is no need for a side dish, and there is a risk of bursting.
The role of the multi-cuisine: boiling the side dish on the stove when the multi-cooker bowl is occupied by the main dish
The included frying pan is good. However, the time has come to experiment with a lifting heating element and other vessels. Let's not fool our heads for long: we tried several ladles and two extraneous frying pans and got good results with all of them. In this case, we boil young potatoes in a ladle not included in the Redmond set.
The multi-kitchen behaves adequately: it calmly cooks potatoes, does not swear and does not turn off due to a mismatch in the size of the bottom and the heating element.
The design itself will not allow you to place a half-meter frying pan or hoist a huge saucepan. And rightly so: our man is curious and brave. Nevertheless, experiments with dishes of adequate size and weight ended successfully, further expanding our ideas about the possibilities of a multi-kitchen. For example, having prepared meat goulash for several days, it will be convenient to boil a fresh side dish for each dinner.
Result: excellent .
Young potatoes - why isn't that great? With lightly salted herring, this is a wonderful dinner, especially while the multi-cuisine bowl is busy, for example, with tomorrow's soup.
The role of multi-cuisine: sous vide, frying pan
For the steak, we got a piece of regular fresh market beef. It's called a "thin edge". The weight of the piece was 800 grams. We vacuumed it and placed it in a multi-kitchen for three hours, filling it with water and setting the temperature to 65 degrees.
After the specified time, the meat was completely cooked and went to rest in the refrigerator. Before dinner, we took it out of the bag and placed it on a preheated frying pan in our multi-kitchen, lightly poured with refined oil, hanging a piece of foil on the lid to prevent splashes.
Our goal was to get meat with a delicious crust on the outside. Inside it is already cooked to a state that in restaurants is usually called medium well.
Using a food thermometer, we brought the meat to a temperature of 58 degrees. And they were right.
The result was a huge steak, exactly the doneness we were looking for.
Result: excellent .
A juicy and not overdried steak, exactly the doneness desired by the eater, was completely cooked using heat treatment using the means of the tested multi-kitchen. This is close to ideal, but the ideal would still be a model with temperature control in steps of 1 degree, and not five, like our experimental model.
The role of the multi-kitchen: frying pan, oven/slow cooker
For the final course, consider preparing dessert. We toasted the nuts in a multi-kitchen pan, then mixed the ingredients for a regular sponge cake from the recipe book. 350 grams of pitted cherries, ground cinnamon and chopped nuts were added to the biscuit dough.
The resulting mass was placed in a multicooker bowl greased with butter and set to baking mode for 1 hour 15 minutes.
The result was a cherry-nut sponge cake with the color and aroma of cinnamon.
Result: good .
The recipe is simple, but it is always nice to get a sponge cake that is not overdried and has risen well, despite the wet fresh cherries, without jumping around the oven and without heating up the apartment.
Marketing is marketing, and our test subject coped with the proud name “multi-kitchen”. Over the course of a month, we prepared fairly standard dishes for home cooking in it, without making it easy for ourselves if we wanted something more intricate. It never happened that the functionality of the multi-kitchen was not enough for our purposes. This, of course, does not mean that with the purchase of the Redmond RMC-FM230 we really suggest you throw away the stove, but it does mean that in the country or in a limited kitchen space the device will cope with cooking even for a discerning eater.
The Redmond RMC-FM230, like all the company’s appliances, has not only not risen in price over the past year, but also fallen in price: now it, like other multi-kitchens, can be called a product in the mid-price category.
The only thing that separates the RMC-FM230 from an ideal multi-kitchen is the step when setting the temperature: here it is five degrees, but I would like it to be one. So the only question is whether you personally need such accuracy.
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