Slow cooker Ariete 2904 – a multicooker for healthy food

Why do you need an Ariete 2904 slow cooker in our fast-paced age??

In fact, it is a multicooker that cooks at relatively low temperatures: from 95 to 105 degrees. This cooking method ensures maximum retention of vitamins and nutrients, meat becomes soft and tender, vegetables retain their structure, and all cereals are cooked perfectly – rice becomes crispy and buckwheat forms like in the American oven.

Slow cookers are popular in UK and close to American culinary traditions. After all, in the American cuisine there were many dishes that housewives put on overnight, so they would cook in a cooled stove.

But in the 21st century, cooking as healthy and tasty as possible without wasting time and attention is paramount. Let’s see if the Ariete 2904 slow cooker can do it.

Functions of slow cooker Ariete 2904

• Stewing, simmering at 96-98° C, automatic shut off after 5 hours.
• Steam cooking – temperature 105 ° C, turns off automatically after 15 minutes. after boiling.
• Grilling at 160 ° C, automatically turns off after 30 minutes.
• Cooking rice at 125° C. Auto power off when water begins to boil 20 to 40 min. . .
• Keeps heat at 65-70 ° C, automatically turns off after 24 hours.
• You don’t have to wait for the program to end, the slow cooker can be turned off at any time by simply turning the knob to the “0” position.

Appearance and equipment of an Ariete slow cooker

Ariete appliances are always a thoughtful, great design Italy , and the Slow Cooker 2904 is no exception.

Ariete 2904 is part of the Vintag series. You can pick up all the small appliances in chic retro: kettle, toaster, mini oven, cappuccinator, juicer, blender.

The slow cooker, like all Vintag appliances, comes in three colors: metallic green, metallic beige, metallic blue.

Ariete 2904 looks like a big pot with a glass lid and a plastic handle, and convenient handles on the sides.

All cooking, as in multicookers, takes place in a removable bowl, which is inserted into the body. Heating is done by the heating element under the bowl. Thanks to the double walls bowl + body the dish heats more evenly and cools down more slowly.

On the table slow cooker stands on three plastic legs.

On the inner surface of the base of the body there are fixtures for the cord. Length of power cord up to the plug – 120 cm.

Bowl

With white non-stick coating. Volume – 3 l.

On the inner wall, graduations in liters: 0.6/ 0.8/ 1.2/ 1.4/ 1.6/ 1.8 and in measuring cups supplied : 4 to 10.

I liked that the bowl has a wide base if compared with multicookers . Diameter of the bottom – 18 cm, inside diameter of the top – 23 cm, t.e, the width of this is a good sauté pan. The height as a roomy saucepan is 13 cm up to max. liquid level – 8 cm .

Do not wash the bowl in the dishwasher this applies to all non-stick coated cookware .

Accessories

It comes with a plastic spoon and a special storage tray that fits inside the handle of the case. Practical! No need to think where to put the spoon: it is always at hand and will not stain the countertop.

Use the wide 23 cm in diameter plastic support for steaming. It is not installed in the bowl, as in most multicookers, but on the bowl, greatly increasing the total volume. Thanks to this you can cook 2 dishes at the same time. For example, you can cook potatoes on the bottom and steam fish, etc.d.

Control

As the Ariete slow cooker is part of the Vintag series, there are no sensors or electronic displays.

Mode switch is styled like an antique device, but it is convenient and understandable. The rotary knob can be turned to either side to select the required operating mode. The regulator does not slip in wet hands and does not spoil your manicure.

Each mode is marked with a distinct pictogram, so you don’t have to read the manual.

Under the switch there are two buttons with indicators: left – on, right – heating.

You choose a mode, press the on button.

• When the slow cooker is not working, the indication on the power button blinks, if cooking is going on – it lights up constantly.
• When switching automatically to the heating mode, the cooking indicator goes out and the second button preheat lights up.
• You must press the on button every time you change the mode during cooking, including manual warming mode.

Audible signal accompanies switching on, selecting the mode, switching off the slow cooker. It is quiet melodic.

Features

Power: 700 W.

Dimensions: height with lid 28 cm, width 38 cm, depth with control unit 35 cm.

Warranty: 2 years.

Lifetime: 2 years.

Instructions

Included thick booklet with instructions in 13 languages, including American. Everything is explained in detail, there are recommendations for cooking in each mode, tables with cooking time for different products, it is told in details how to cook rice. Even the recommended varieties are listed: jasmine, basmati, round rice for sushi.

Everything is easy to read, the font is large, the paper is of high quality. There are care recommendations.

Cookbook

Comes with a recipe book. You can see that the copywriter tried: came up with interesting takes, created a mood. But the technologists have failed. All the same, from a slow cooker Italian production expected more. I’d like to see risotto with chanterelles, rabbit with Italian herbs, pasta sauces, etc.d. But there is almost no Mediterranean cuisine, there are American, Asian and Georgian dishes. There are no recipes for rice, which is odd when there is a separate mode.

Overall, the selection of dishes is varied and suitable for novice cooks. Experienced cooks don’t need a book, you can create right away!

Recipes:

• Brisket with lemongrass.
• Tongue with bay leaf and allspice.
• Pork cheeks with American vegetables and Italian herbs.
• Stew of meat with potatoes and vegetables.
• Grilled baked pork.
• Asian-style beef ribs.
• Beef goulash.
• Lamb chashlama.
• Beef in tzahton.
• Octopus.
• Pork medallions with asparagus and cherry tomatoes.
• Manti.
• Sour cabbage soup.
• Baby vegetable soup with chicken.
• Buckwheat with onions and mushrooms.
• Millet porridge with pumpkin.
• Cherry jam.
• Fig jam.

Cooking

We didn’t use ready-made recipes, we improvised.

I cooked brisket, buckwheat, rice, potatoes with mushrooms, chicken and apples, stew, stuffed peppers, pork knuckle in beer, steamed fish with lemon, corn.

In winter we shall continue to create, we plan pea soup with ribs, table salt, cabbage soup with sauerkraut, roast meat.

Impressions

Stew mode

Meat can be cooked in its own juice without adding water at all. Just put a piece of marinated pork, beef, chicken, turkey, close the lid, turn it on and forget it for 5 hours. You can put some vegetables – carrots, onions, potatoes. Everything is cooked and soaked in the meat juices.

Result: stewed tender meat, easily separated from the bones if there are any . Not fried, no crust – stewed and tender.

Cooked buckwheat with meat a couple of times, just turned off the slow cooker themselves, did not wait 5 hours.

Ariete 2904 in this mode works like this: it boils actively for some time, then the temperature goes down, then steam comes out of the lid again, such cycles alternate. Temperature does not stay at 95 ° C all the time, but ranges from 105 ° C to 95 ° C.

Steamer

Works as usual, as with all multicookers. The difference is the large area of the pan, fits a large fish or 3-4 cobs of corn.

It is convenient that the time reporting starts after the water boils. Of course, 15 minutes may not be enough. When cooking corn, I had to turn on the steam cooker a second time, but the fish is perfectly “finished” in the heating mode.

Rice

In this mode cooked rice and buckwheat for a side dish.

The instructions say this consumption: for 1 measuring cup of rice, you should take 1 measuring cup of water. We did it our way: 3 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. All the liquid boiled away, the rice came out grain by grain.

You can experiment with different varieties and proportions.

Roasting

The temperature is lower than on the stove, but the meat is crusted over.

You can use this program as the main one, to cook sautéed eggplants, zucchinis and stewed potatoes for example, or as an auxiliary. In this case, suitable for two-step cooking: parboil the onions and carrots, then add the rice or other cereals, change the mode, and everything will cook for a couple of hours.

Preheat

This mode is not for heating: it’s a long wait for the cold stuff to get warm. It is designed not to let the hot food get cold. Well and can serve as the final stage of cooking: the dish “comes to the end”.

Results

Slow cooker Ariete 2904 – a real multicooker with many modes. Best for fans of meat and cereal dishes.

Meals taste better and are healthier than if you fry or boil them.

There are three ways to use it:

1. You start cooking in the evening and go to bed in peace. Slow cooker cooks for 5 hours, then switches to auto-heat mode, and in the morning you get a hot ready meal.
2. In the morning, before leaving for work, put all the ingredients in the bowl, turn it on and go. In the evening, a delicious dinner awaits you.
3. If you have time for active creativity: first you fry, then you change the mode and stew, add ingredients while cooking, because the lid can be safely opened at any time. Or cook on two levels, using both a steamer and a bowl.

We will continue cooking in Ariete 2904 slow cooker in winter too. Anticipating the preparation of daily broth, knuckle soup, pea soup, bigus and other winter delicacies.

Ariete 2904 slow cooker gets the “Consumer Recommendation” label!”