Why do you need a multicooker: how to use the device, its pros and cons.

Each manufacturer of household appliances is constantly working to make our lives easier. They are especially trying for households - almost every home is filled with a dozen appliances. But most of the time the housewives spend in the kitchen, and in order to relieve them of the obligation to follow the cooking, a unique appliance was invented - a multicooker. About 5-6 years ago, few people understood what it was, but today this "helper" is literally in every second family. What is it about her and why she won love among housewives?

What is a multicooker for?

A crock-pot is an electric appliance that is equipped with a bowl - pan. In addition to the bowl, there is a panel indicating the various cooking modes, a case with a tight, lockable lid. The bowl is made of ceramic or Teflon coated. It is also nice that the slow cooker is compact - it can easily be placed in a corner or on a windowsill, and cook a full-fledged dish there. Thanks to the coating of the bowl and the modes, you can easily leave this "pot" to cook on your own, and at this time take a walk with the child or do other things.

The compact size of this device does not dictate the preparation of a small amount of food. Multicooker bowls have an average volume of 5 liters. Usually in different models there are about 8 cooking programs. There are also such functions as “delayed start” or “warm-up”. Surprisingly, for many dishes in the multicooker, a human presence is not required at all - you do not even need to mix the ingredients and make sure that they do not burn!

IMPORTANT! The success of dishes in multicookers strictly depends on the given proportions and quantity of the dish. As a rule, the volume of the bowl is always single, therefore, the number of products can easily be set as a single one. Following all the tips of recipes, you can get amazing dishes in an unusual way for them to cook.

In order not to follow the enthusiasm of housewives and not to purchase a kitchen appliance useless for yourself, you need to understand why a multicooker is simply necessary:

For easy cooking cereals. Perhaps this tedious morning exercise is the most important thing that can be shifted to the "shoulders" of the multicooker. Given the delayed cooking modes, you can lay everything you need in the evening, and watch a beautiful dream in the morning.
For quick cooking soups. As a rule, when preparing soup - it is impossible to move away from the stove. Something needs to be thrown, then care must be taken so that it "does not run away." The multicooker does not have this problem - you can easily drop everything and leave by selecting the desired mode.
For hassle-free baking. Not every housewife makes a successful debut in baking. And in order to minimize the risks for pies, it is worth entrusting this business to a slow cooker.
For steamed dishes. In addition to the main bowl, the device is equipped with a removable stand for steamed dishes - here you can arrange meat, poultry, vegetables. And all this - in one place, without buying a separate double boiler.

The equipment itself is usually equipped with a recipe book, and there are a lot of them on the Internet. Only when choosing what you like, you need to bet on your model, its modes and features.

The principle of operation of the multicooker

All multicookers are divided into two types according to the method of heating - by means of a tubular electric heater or thanks to induction heating. The general principle of operation of any device is as follows:

a heating element is installed under the bowl;
the cover is very tight and does not allow incoming air;
the device has a valve that is responsible for the pressure;
depending on the selected mode, the processor evaluates the products and sets the desired temperature and time for the dish.

Multicookers with heating by means of a heating element have round elements in the lower part - one in diameter of the entire bottom of the bowl, and the second in the middle, of a small size. The larger circle is the heating element, and the circle in the middle is the temperature sensor. It regulates the operation of the main element, and, depending on the selected mode, can periodically turn it off and on.

Induction heating is the conductive heat through electromagnetic waves that heat the bowl itself. There are no separate heating elements, and the bowl has thicker walls, and they retain heat longer.

Pros and Cons of a Multicooker

Despite all these advantages, the device may have some dubious characteristics. For an objective assessment, it is worth identifying both the pros and cons of the multicooker. So, the undoubted advantages are:

compactness and mobility of the device;
work from electricity;
lack of need to monitor food;
the ability to set the right time for cooking;
ideal for those who do not know how to cook;
the ability to use little oil and fat;
better preservation of vitamins and minerals;
variety of modes and possibilities for ready meals.

Perhaps every innovative device has an army of opponents. The multicooker did not get around this - there is a set of minuses that make it gather dust in the closet after purchase:

simplicity of prepared dishes;
the inability to achieve a crisp in meat or poultry;
longer cooking times.

Undoubtedly, there are opinions that pilaf in multicookers is not standing next to the same dish from a cast-iron cauldron, but it is rather the subtleties of taste perceptions.

Who should buy a slow cooker

The presence of insignificant minuses can still not outweigh those advantages that the multicooker undoubtedly possesses. Such a universal, easy to use and functional, it is ideal:

For families with young children who always need a lot of attention. Mom will easily free up a lot of time, because the crock-pot can do everything herself.
For adherents of a healthy diet. Thanks to the Teflon coating, you can cook with a minimum amount of oil. True, it takes more time, because the principle of work is the uniform and slow cooking of the dish.
For newcomers who do not yet have a stove or gardeners, who constantly do not need a stove at all. The appliance can prepare almost everything - from liquid hot dishes to baking, and it is easy to feed the whole family. True, cooking 2 dishes at the same time will fail.
For schoolchildren who are already trusted to cook their own meals. In a slow cooker, you can’t burn yourself, ruin a dish or, forgetting about it, make it burn. It is enough to prepare the necessary ingredients, load them into the bowl and set the desired mode. Even a schoolboy can handle it.

Perfectly combining the functions of a pot, pan, oven and cauldron, the crock-pot has firmly entered the life of many. Lack of time is a problem not only for young mothers, but also for the working population. And it’s much more pleasant to return to work, put products in a “smart” bowl, set a regime and do small things, waiting for a tasty dinner.