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We never got around to trying the function to sterilise baby bottles, jars and utensils or the milk scalding setting. Although they will be very useful to new parents and/or jam makers. It took about eight minutes to come to pressure, with a gentle hissing from the valve. The timer counted down three minutes from that point and we were done. It takes ten minutes for the pressure to then naturally fall until it’s safe to open the lid. The beans were cooked fine, but twenty one minutes in total was a lot longer than simply boiling them in a pan, where you can test anytime to see if they are done. Multi-cookers vary widely in capacity and versatility, so it’s worth considering the following while you’re shopping around.
It’s no less than a 14-in-1 unit including Pressure Cook, Sous Vide, Slow Cook, Sauté, Sterilise, Steam and Simmer. So, for its size it does at least replace a lot of other tools.Pressure cooking has advantages. Once up to steam, it takes less time to cook the veg and it keeps in nutrients. It’s particularly good for drastically reducing the time it takes to cook dried pulses. Many Asian households will have one.
Ninety minutes later we unbagged the breasts, dried them and then crisped the skin in a hot pan. The meat was perfect pink all the way through, sous vide is definitely a great way to cook. The deep water took forever to get to 57C, at least 25 minutes. As the water never touches the food, it would have been a good idea to have used warm tap water to get that waiting time down.
1. Best overall pressure cooker: Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
Size: If you’re cooking for a crowd, you’ll find the bigger the better, but there are mini ones for smaller households, too. Some models can stand quite tall if they have hinged lids, which is something to take into consideration if you have low kitchen cupboards. On the front is a plethora of ‘wipe clean’ buttons which are a bit daunting, but rather like the dials on an aeroplane you only need to look at a few at a time depending on what function you’re choosing. The food ends up with a uniform texture because it all cooks at the same speed. For example, a sous vide steak will be medium rare all the way through, instead of pink in the middle and grey around the edges. It is primarily a pressure cooker, and that explains its bulk; a pressure cooker has to withstand a lot of energy build up inside and a feeble design won’t last long.
Looking for a discount on one of the multi-cookers on this list? Cyber Monday is in full flow so it's not too late to snap up the following savings on these tried-and-tested products.Functionality: There’s little point paying for functions that you’re unlikely to use but do consider those that excite you. Multi-cookers are excellent gadgets for introducing new ways of cooking to your everyday meals and completely mitigate the need to buy and store multiple appliances. They can also be one of the more efficient ways to save rather than buying two or more large and expensive appliances.