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Best MultiCooker

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    Best MultiCooker

    Hi my Wife has been hinting she wants a multicooker. I really don't know much about them. Both Cooks Illustrated and Consumer Reports rated the Zavor as the best. I will probably go with that unless the knowledgeable people here on this site have other suggestions or opinions.

    My second choice would be an Instant Pot Wifi or Breville

    Thanks!

    #2
    Don't know anything about the Zavor or other brands, but I suppose all those are relatively the same, like a microwave, with various perks from one brand to another. One thing I know, the IP-style cooker is a great tool for sure. For a while I thought those gadgets were a fad, a gimmick, but I have been proven wrong they're the real deal. My wife loves our Instant Pot.

    Comment


      #3
      When my old crock pot gave up the ghost, I got a standard Instant Pot. I used it for a few things. Several turned out well.One thing that worked well a time or two was making biryani. I also had a couple of failed biryani runs. The problem may have been that I worked from three or four different recipes and only a few magic combinations work, but I've drifted away from using it.

      I will use it this evening, but only as a warmer. I'm making a pot of soup for a church dinner. Will cook the soup in my stock pot and then transfer to the Instant Pot for keeping it warm while serving.

      I guess I'm just old fashioned and have the time to cook things the conventional way, so these devices just don't pull me in much. For folks with long work days away from the homefront, I see the appeal.

      Comment


      • Old Glory
        Old Glory commented
        Editing a comment
        Yes exactly. We work all day and having the convenience of the Instant Pot would be nice.

      #4
      I have a Magic Chef Multi. It's ok, but, Instant Pot is the most widely available one, so you will find more recipes written with it in mind, they work, but don't translate directly as the controls are a little different. Maybe if I was more experienced, I would not have any difficulties translating. I don't know if the same is true of the Zavor.
      Last edited by Murdy; November 14, 2019, 09:31 AM.

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        #5
        we've had an instant pot for 3 years or so. since before the craze started, really. It is very useful. I still prefer to braise things the old fashioned way, but sometimes when you want dinner in an hour, its amazing.

        The BEST thing I've used it for is making stock. makes GREAT stock in about an hour or so. Not "traditional," but for cooking at home, its rich, gelatinous, and flavorful. makes a major difference in braises/soups/sauces. If mine broke, id buy a new IP just for making stock.

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          #6
          Here are my thoughts, and I owned a Cuisinart version for years before switching to the InstantPot brand. (I own a 3 qt and an 8 qt)

          First, don't worry about the recipes written for the InstantPot and not the others. 99.9% of the recipes just use the high or low pressure manual setting which they all can do the same.

          Second, for me it was all about leveraging the brand name. By owning the main unit brand name (IP), you can get a ton of aftermarket accessories that are made to fit it - baskets etc. fit about everything, but having extra (and replacement) gaskets is much easier and less costly than the off brands.

          Last, I found the actual InstantPot to be much better constructed than my Cuisinart though it never gave me any problems.

          Comment


          • Old Glory
            Old Glory commented
            Editing a comment
            That was my thought as well. More support with the IP over other less popular brands.

          #7
          I love my Instant Pot, I haven't tried any of the other brands so I can speak to a true comparison but i think that most of them are probably about equal. I know there are diehard instant pot fanatics that cook absolutely everything in them. Even normal quick cooking things like pasta etc. I avoid those types of food in mine, it just doesn't seem to be worth the fuss to do it in the pot when the traditional method is just as fast and doesn't
          lead to potential errors (lumpy stuck together pasta for example). I focus on the types of things that would take all day int he crockpot like soups etc that i can make in an hour after work for example. It just gives me a lot more flexibility with dinner options after a long day at work. on average i would say mine gets used 2-3 times a week, not always dinner but occasional desserts too. I highly recommend it for cheesecakes.

          Comment


          • parkerj2
            parkerj2 commented
            Editing a comment
            2nd on this. why cook pasta or rice in it, when my pasta or rice is already DONE by the time the IP gets to pressure.

          #8
          Look around and read reviews. Serious Eats had a good comparative survey from a couple of years ago. Most of the bells and whistles are not all that useful. You mostly just use the Pressure Cook setting, and usually high pressure. For that reason, you might want to find the one that reached the highest maximum pressure and get that. Most electric pressure cooker (which a multicooker is) cont reach the pressure you can get from a manual cooker, but the enhanced safety and convenience are generally a good trade-off.

          Comment


            #9
            I have a 6 and an 8 qt. InstantPot. I use them a couple of times a week.

            The IP is a bust as a slow cooker. It can't take the place of a good crock pot. Neither can a stove top pressure cooker. I have been happy overall using the IP. I only use the high pressure setting and manual timing. All the other stuff is piffle.

            Saute function you ask? Yes, you can saute and then pressure cook, but the bottom of the pot is slightly domed and that keeps requisite oil from staying in most of the bottom. Sticking is an issue. Additionally, the surface area at the bottom of the IP is relatively small. I prefer to use a real saute pan and transfer the browned ingredients into the IP. Seriously, how long does it take to was an extra saute pan.

            If I had to do it all over again I'd buy the IP.
            Last edited by Bkhuna; November 14, 2019, 01:43 PM.

            Comment


            • fzxdoc
              fzxdoc commented
              Editing a comment
              I love the Saute function because the spatter pretty much stays inside the pot, making cleanup easier. Plus it gets nice and hot--hotter than my solid cooktop's burners in the same amount of time. Problem is some things have to be done in batches, but that's true with skillet preps too, at times.To each his/her own. I like having only one pot to clean up at the end of the meal prep for some meals. Hubby likes not having to wash it--into the dishwasher it goes.

              K.

            #10
            Instant pot Duo 6 quart here. It is pretty handy. Made some pretty good red beans and rice a few weeks ago, it is a beast on boiled eggs, made a butt in it last week. I haven't tried any of the competitors, but as mentioned earlier in the thread, there are a bunch of aftermarket accessories made for the IP that puts it over the top IMO.

            Comment


              #11
              I read the Cook’s Illustrated review. That Zavor sounds like a nice unit.

              I use my Instant Pot for the best braised short ribs I’ve ever had. I don’t think I’ve ever made anything else in it. It sits in the corner of the counter taking up space.

              Comment


                #12
                I got an InstantPot last Christmas. Thought it would be "ok" but after doing various soups, eggs and stews - it is great.

                Lately I have been doing Pho - both beef (Pho bo) and chicken (Pho ga) come out incredible. Perfect for those cold Northeast evenings.

                As other have said, it can saute - it does get very hot, but the surface area is not as good as a nice skillet. But, for browning stew mean, chicken etc. before turning into soups and stews - works great - one pot.

                Last, as a "small batch" canner, it can't be beat. I have done numerous cans of dill pickles, pickled beets, pickled carrots using the IP. You can first sterilize 3-5 small jars, fill with what you are canning and use the Steam function to "boil" the cans. Works great.

                NOTE - I have not done pressure canning with the IP. I suspect it will work fine, but is not yet "certified" for this type of canning. You stick to the boil type canning.

                Comment


                • parkerj2
                  parkerj2 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Mind sharing your Pho recipes?

                #13
                The one Kenji uses looks cool. No idea which brand it is.

                Comment


                  #14
                  Originally posted by Attjack View Post
                  The one Kenji uses looks cool. No idea which brand it is.
                  I know this thread is old, but I'm pretty sure you're talking about the Breville Fast Slow Pro. I've owned one for a few years now and like it. It has a few features that were not available in most (all?) other cookers at the time. I think these multicookers are great (90%+ for hands-off pressure cooking) and use it several times a week (I sometimes want to cook two things in parallel), so I recently bought the Instant Pot Pro Plus, one of Instant's newest and fanciest cookers. It's cheaper than the Breville and better in almost every way IMO.

                  Pros:
                  - Multiclad stainless steel pot (vs thin nonstick)
                  - Flat bottom (easier sear stuff since the oil doesn't pool in the corners as it does in most other cookers)
                  - Lift up handles (don't need to glove to pull it out by the lip & prevents it from spinning when searing/sauteing)
                  - Gets up to temperature faster, I'm pretty sure.
                  - Probably a more reliable sealing mechanism (Breville would sometimes fail to come up to pressure due to the way the gasket was seated).
                  - Built-in WiFi connectivity (This lets me change settings on the fly, even after I've started it, and monitor the cook--actually quite useful!).
                  - Can run at 15 PSI (most ePC's max out at 12 whereas 15 is standard on stovetop).


                  This device also has automated quick and pulse release modes so you don't need to be there to flip the switch at the right time to prevent the overcooking that may result from natural release. I believe InstaPot first introduced this feature with the Max (their marketing literature doesn't make it clear!) and many of the models they still sell don't have this feature, but I think this is almost a must-have to make electronic pressure cookers inherently more useful than their stovetop counterparts. Being able to seal it up, know it's going to come up to the right temperature, not overshoot (once you know your cooker and your stovetop you can pretty much do this blindfold, but I don't feel comfortable leaving the house or anything with something on stove top), and then release at the right time, and (optionally) move to Keep Warm mode for several hours if I want it is a pretty big advantage. I had this in Breville and I use it in my new InstaPot now too.

                  IMO-This combination probably makes the slow cooker mode basically irrelevant since pressure cooking produces better food in almost every way and should still produce better and more consistent results after being held at "keep warm" temps for a few hours, i.e., the time-shifting advantage of slow-cooking and better-tasting food. I can't say I've used it like this much (I typically just keep warm for less than an hour).

                  The pot system is really a big upgrade over some of their earlier models and some competing brands. I often like to sear and saute stuff ahead of time, but all electronic pressure cookers lack the juice to do this very efficiently. Searing with the inner pot over a decently powered stovetop is so much better. I did this with my Breville as well, but the combination of the thin metal, and lack of handles made this a bit hookey, plus I don't really trust the nonstick coating very much for this sort of thing (I also worry about it when I dunk a stick bender inside). Cooking in a separate pan also works, of course, and can provide more cooking area, but it's often nice to have less clean up (one advantage of the high walls is that it helps minimize oil splatter on my stovetop).

                  Although most pressure cookers are roughly identical in their basic functions (pressure cooking), the numerous improvements and unique features make this feel like a genuine Nth generation (3rd or 4th?) improvement. The identical pot system can be had in some of their slightly cheaper models (Pro and Duo Evo). Still, this is well worth the extra money from my point of view. Unless you know you want something other than 6 quarts, I'd strongly recommend the InstaPot Pro Plus model now! I presume they'll be releasing this in other sizes eventually because it's a very new product.

                  P.S., 6 quarts is pretty much goldilocks size for most people most of the time. It's certainly big enough for my family of 4 plus room for leftovers. For larger projects (especially stock & broth making), I'm still hanging on to my old trusty 12L (~12quart) stovetop model.




                  Last edited by plaak; November 20, 2021, 02:48 PM.

                  Comment


                  • fzxdoc
                    fzxdoc commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Great writeup. Thank you.

                    Kathryn

                  #15
                  I have an IP Duo Evo Plus 8-quart…10-in-1 or whatever. I think it’s safe to say that most people can disregard the 6-in-1, 10-in-1 nonsense. I just set mine manually to either high or low pressure and adjust the timer. LOTS of recipes are structured that way because not everyone has a yogurt, sous vide, unicorn, or whatever setting on their appliance.

                  I liked the screen on the Duo Evo Plus more than most of the others, and the interface seemed more logical. It also has a flat bottom pot that doesn’t spin when placed inside. That’s a serious plus when trying to stir things…something I discovered when using a friend’s IP. The number of "settings" was pretty irrelevant in my decision. As others have stated, when I comes to accessories, it seems that IP wins hands down…though I see no reason why they couldn’t be used in any brand, so long as they fit.

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