Can't afford to spend a lot of time in the kitchen? But at the same time want to please yourself and your household with a variety of delicious dishes? There is a solution - just buy yourself a reliable and multi-functional electronic assistant - we will tell you how to choose a crock-pot for home in year, so she took over your daily culinary responsibilities.
Choosing a good slow cooker is not at all difficult. We will help you not to get lost in the variety of models and manufacturers, and tell you about everything that should be considered when buying this thoughtful and convenient device. Specifications, functionality, equipment - all this will help you with a choice. How to choose a slow cooker for home? Weigh all the pros and cons of using this device, as well as determine the amount of work that you are ready to entrust to the slow cooker. It is on your culinary preferences, mainly, the choice of this or that model will depend. But let's talk about everything in order!
The device and the principle of operation of the device
The slow cooker is a modern and versatile appliance that allows you to cook one dish at a time, with little or no human intervention. It is enough to lay the necessary ingredients, select a mode and turn on the device. At the end of the work, the multicooker will turn itself off, as signaled by a sound signal. In some models, if you do not immediately open the multicooker and start eating, the function of keeping the food hot is activated. This is convenient if you or someone from your family does not have time for lunch or dinner - the food will be fresh and hot at your arrival and you can immediately sit at the table.
Structurally, household crock-pots are cooking bowls enclosed in a thermally insulated body. Between the bowl and the casing of the device are placed heating elements - heating elements that are responsible for supplying heat and cooking products.
The temperature inside the multicooker gradually rises. In parallel with this, the pressure rises. Thanks to a competent combination of these factors, food in a multicooker cooks quickly enough, while it does not burn, does not fall apart and preserves all the useful substances, vitamins and a complex of micro and macro elements. No oil and cholesterol or carcinogens - basically, products are steamed, or can be stewed, cooked, baked. That is, multicookers are considered an effective way to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Although, this is more than just a double boiler.Indeed, multicookers can do a lot - fry, stew, simmer, etc.
See also - What is the multi-cook function in a multi-cooker?
Advantages and disadvantages
How to choose a multicooker so that it does not gather dust on a shelf? Before proceeding to the recommendations, we will try to objectively talk about the pros and cons of using such a device in everyday life. First about the good.
- Your intervention in the process of preparing lunch or dinner is minimized.
- No special technological knowledge or culinary talents are required - even a novice in the kitchen can easily cope with the preparation of dishes from the recipe book, which is sold together with the selected multicooker.
- As already mentioned, the multicooker prepares healthy food, as well as smokes, steam and sterilizes it, makes yoghurts, deep-fried and helps to create both simple and complex multi-component dishes.
- It is quite economical, and its operation will cost less than using a stove.
- Multicookers are compact and mobile, take up little space, and if necessary, are easily rearranged or even transported from place to place, from kitchen to kitchen. They do not require any permissions, installation and connections.
- Both a young housewife and an inexperienced student or bachelor will be able to use a slow cooker and feel like a skilled chef. Dishes, with the proper use of the device modes, always work! Undercooked or burnt rice, raw dough, tough meat, sprawled potatoes - all this is in the past.
But there are nuances:
- You can only cook one dish at a time and it will take a lot of time. Therefore, you are unlikely to be able to figure out a quick lunch or dinner - everything must be planned ahead of time, with a margin of time.
- Also, you should carefully consider experiments with the modes and methods of cooking new and original dishes - not always invented recipes or tips from girlfriends are suitable for your device.
And that’s probably all. Some may be frightened off by the high price of advanced multicookers with wide functionality, but if you calculate how much it costs to operate a gas or electric stove, as well as the time and effort that we spend on it, then the choice of a multicooker becomes obvious.
Did we convince you? Then let's start choosing!
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The choice of a multicooker according to technical characteristics
It is worth choosing a multicooker according to parameters of power, capacity, and also considering the material from which the device itself is made and design features.
- Location of heating elements. Do not chase the cheapness and buy a slow cooker, where the heater is located at the bottom of the cooking bowl. Such a device does not guarantee uniform and quick preparation of products. Models of the middle price category most often have lower and lateral placement of heating elements, but “3D-heating” is considered the most optimal: from the top, side and bottom of the bowl.
- Power. The run-up of this indicator is from 300 watts to 2 kW. The higher the power, the less time it will take to prepare a meal. For a family of 3-4 people, it is better to choose a multicooker of at least 700 watts. The capacity of the device is 5 liters or more? Look for a model from 1000 watts.
- Capacity or volume of the bowl. When choosing a multicooker for this parameter, keep in mind that you will not be able to quickly prepare an additional portion, so choose a model with a small margin. So, two, three liter models are suitable for bachelors or couples. If you have a child - buy a crock-pot in 3-4 liters. Often guests come or you are lucky from a large family - choose a slow cooker with a 5-6 liter bowl.
- The material from which the bowl is made. The food container can be Teflon, ceramic, non-stick coating or marble spraying. Cheap models have non-stick bowls - cheap and cheerful.Teflon - easy to clean even in the dishwasher, but subject to mechanical damage. Ceramics are a little more expensive, but stronger, better and more environmentally friendly. Marble spraying - a novelty, is found in expensive and luxury multicookers. It guarantees uniform heating, easy maintenance and a long service life.
- Management - mechanical or electronic. This criterion is relevant for all household appliances. Mechanics - knobs or buttons - a more reliable and unpretentious type. However, the touchpad or other electronics will look more stylish and modern. Of course, there is always the possibility of unforeseen breakdowns and this should be taken into account.
- Design features. This includes the presence of rubberized legs so that the device does not slide on the table and does not scratch the countertop, the presence of a drip tray so that excess moisture does not get into your dish, a sufficient length of the power cord, as well as a stand for spoons and scoops that come with the kit. It is such a multicooker that boasts the presence of all of the above that will be considered convenient and practical.
In addition to technical indicators, your choice will be unambiguously influenced by the functions that a home multicooker should perform. And this is also a criterion for selecting a good and effective model.
See also - The multi-cook function in a multicooker - what is it?
Functional features of multicooker
As a rule, the simplest multicooker models have about 6 basic modes in stock - cooking, stewing, dairy dishes, cereals, liquid dishes and frying. For a small family, where the multicooker plays an auxiliary role for safety net, this is quite enough.
If you are going to entrust your electronic assistant with a full-fledged diet of your household, then you should invest in a slow cooker with advanced functionality. Such devices will help you:
- bake baked goods or other foods;
- making fresh yogurt;
- smoke meat and fish;
- to cook such complex and varied dishes as pilaf, stew, compote, pasta, dumplings;
- deep-fry or grill;
- carry out author's recipes in the "multi-cook" mode.
Which multicooker will you choose - cheap and simple or multifunctional, with 10 to 30 programs? Depends on your culinary fantasies and possibilities. You should not buy an expensive and versatile multicooker if you do not need to use its full potential and productivity.
See also - Functions and principle of operation of the multicooker
Additional features
A multicooker, like a real caring mother or wife, can delight you with a fresh breakfast or a heated dinner. This is the responsibility of such device capabilities as delayed start, timer, auto-heating, temperature maintenance mode. It is these "abilities" that significantly affect the price of the device, but the practicality and ease of use more than cover and justify these costs. Take advantage of the opportunity to save precious morning minutes on preparing breakfast at least once - just put food in the multicooker in the evening and enter the desired start time, and in the morning - wake up to the aroma of freshly boiled semolina or hot baked goods. This is the only way to appreciate the beauty of using this useful device.
Also, modern multicooker has:
- protection from children;
- automatic shutdown when overheating;
- sterilization;
- maintaining the operating mode during power outages;
- voice alert for visually impaired people.
So, we told you what to look for when choosing the multicooker model that suits you best. Now, let me give you some useful tips that will make it possible to extend the life of the device.
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Useful Tips
- Always pay attention to the quality of the device. Rough joints and seams, the strong smell of plastic, the hard or uneven course of knobs or control buttons are evidence of the unreliability and poor quality of the multicooker.
- The warranty service life of the device must be at least one year.
- Having a service center nearby is a reasonable precaution!
- Give preference to those models that have smooth-walled bowls - such a bowl will be easier to wash off food debris.
- Also, ask if you can buy a new bowl in the selected multicooker if something happens to the old one. It will be a shame to buy a new device because of a broken or damaged container.
- Often you move - pick up a model with a removable power cord - then there is less chance that the cable entry into the device will be damaged during the next transportation.
- Always wash your homemade multicooker after every meal. If the lid in the appliance cannot be removed, just pour water and turn on the cooking mode for 15 minutes.
- If you decide to clean the device from the outside, be sure to disconnect it from the power supply and do not turn it on until it is completely dry. It is better to wipe the slow cooker with a damp cloth.
Follow the operating rules and the selected device will pay you back with uninterrupted and long service.
See also - Which company is better to buy thermopot - rating of the best models of the year
The most popular multicooker models
By tradition, we have prepared for you a small rating of multicookers of the year.
Top 5 most popular models according to buyers of small household appliances for the kitchen opens Multicooker REDMOND RMK-M452... Stylish, spacious appliance, with a ceramic bowl of 5 liters and ample opportunities. Power - 860 watts, three-dimensional heating and the rise of the heating element guarantee you deliciously fried food, just like in a pan.
Philips HD4737 / 03 also has a 5-liter bowl, but higher power - at 980 watts. A variety of modes (jellied meat, pasta or pasta, yogurt, pizza), reliability and quality distinguish this model among all electronic diversity. Also, the multicooker is equipped with options such as delayed start, timer, temperature support.
Inexpensive but reliable multicooker - Panasonic SR-TMH10ATW... The manufacturer tried to make his model extremely simple, but functional and practical. This is an economical and compact multicooker - 2.5 l volume, 490 watts of power. Plus, there are 5 main modes, delayed start, heat maintenance, Teflon coating of the bowl. Considering the cost of the device, this model has no drawbacks.
More productive - multicooker pressure cooker Moulinex CE 500E32... Capacity - 5 liters, power - 1000 watts, bowl cover dishwasher-safe. Sophisticated safety and thermal protection system, full functionality, stylish metal design and Multi-cook function.
REDMOND SkyCooker M40S - A smart multicooker equipped with remote control technology. Popular model among buyers for 2017. In the arsenal - 700 watts of power, 5 liters of volume, a bowl with non-stick ceramic coating, a book with a bunch of recipes, spoons, measuring cups and scoops in the kit. Among the useful properties are protection against accidental switching on, delayed start, heat maintenance, timer, multi-cook. More than 17 modes of operation, low price, meticulous assembly - what else is needed for a good microwave?
See also - Top best multicooker manufacturers of the year
We are sure that our short review helped you learn how to choose a good multicooker for yourself or as a gift for a loved one. All models have collected the maximum number of positive reviews and are in the highest positions in the popularity of sales. If someone is already appreciating the benefits of using such a slow cooker in their kitchen, then why not join this number of lucky ones?
Now you know how to choose a multicooker for your home in year, so that your home is always filled with delicious and mouth-watering aromas, the table is full of dishes, and you have more free time for yourself and your loved ones. Choose wisely!
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