Test of the Steba DD1 multicooker – pressure under control

Multiple pressure levels in the multicooker is a rare phenomenon, the models with adjustable pressure are few. One of them – Steba DD1 – came to us for testing, during which we found out that it has a lot of other advantages. By the way, this device took part in the testing organized by a respected German edition, and outran its nearest competitor by nearly 9% out of 100 according to the main indices.

Steba DD1 pressure cooker – slow cooker

Features

POWER: max 900 Watt.

P Bowl: Stainless steel, capacity 5 l.

CONSTRUCTION: stainless steel housing, pressure regulator, stainless steel bowl, removable lid with safety lock, removable O-ring. Internal overpressure relief device, high pressure lid locking device, secure lid locking system.

COMPLETE EQUIPMENT: aluminium container for steam cooking and simultaneous cooking, grid support, measuring cup, spatula, recipe book, recipe book from the nutritionist. Extra: second non-stick bowl and lid.

PROGRAMS: 9 standard programs: Soup, Roast, Meat, Fish, Steaming, Vegetables, Porridge, Slow Cooking, Warming.

PROGRAM FEATURES

THE KNOWLEDGE

It took place in spring 2013 in Germany at the Steba factory in Bamberg, Germany. Even then, multicooker struck by a chic look: a European style and German thoroughness is visible in it at first sight, it is so different from the usual Chinese and Korean multicookers that I did not even realize at first what this appliance is so beautiful! Really, it doesn’t look out of place in the kitchen, it fits and decorates the interior amazingly, it looks modern and elegant. American housewives also noted the unusual appearance of the new item and affectionately called it “Kubik” and “Little Red Riding Hood.

The multicooker differs from its segment brethren also in the bowl: it is made of stainless steel – a high-quality, fully inert and hygienic material. No non-stick coatings, which means no risk that PFOA was used, no need to worry about damaging the coating. Can be used with metallic spoons and forks, wash in the dishwasher and use effective detergents. However, you can purchase an additional non-stick bowl separately and use two bowls, which is also very convenient.

PRESSURE COOKING

Pressure cooking is the default cooking mode in most programs see “Pressure Cooking” on page 11 . If you use a slow cooker see cooking table , the default pressure is 0.7 bar, but you can manually reduce the pressure to 0.3 bar or remove it completely, depending on the type of food and the desired result. The steam pressure cuts the cooking time in half or three times and enables you to preserve as many vitamins and minerals as possible: they go into the water exactly when you cook at high temperatures for a long time. Pressure 0,7 bar is suitable for meat, tongue, beans, some groats, beet, foods with a firm texture, but if you want to cook quickly with delicate ingredients like vegetables, fish, chicken it’s worth trying the 0,3 bar pressure. In this case, the food is cooked at a lower temperature, but not less than 100 ᵒC. It is important that the timer starts counting down the cooking time after the device reaches operating pressure.

TOOL #1. SAFETY

The test turned out to be random: we took the bowl out to transfer the cooked food from it, while the multicooker was in warming mode. The audible alarm immediately let us know that we were wasting electricity. If you turn on any program without a bowl, it will not start, but the audible alarm will work.

Once again we try to harm ourselves and the appliance: try to remove the lid until the pressure is equalized – nothing works. Pressure is equalized – lid can be easily removed.

TEST #2. PRESSURE 0,3 BAR

Designed for delicate foods that need to be cooked quickly. For tests we chose two dishes: ratatouille from the recipe book for multicooker and stuffed peppers according to my own recipe. Ratatouille is a vegetable stew, cooked in two programs – firstly without cover fried in oil chopped onions, eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers, then added tomato, herbs, garlic, closed the lid and cooked at medium pressure in the Vegetables program for 7 minutes. The result is an aromatic and healthy dish in 15 minutes!

Cooking stuffed peppers on the stove has always displeased me: because the vegetables are cooked quickly, and the meat filling needs at least 30-40 minutes to boil and be soft, the peppers were always soaking, and the meat was still coarse. Another thing is in a pressure cooker multicooker, where all cooking took 10 minutes! We “ennobled” the traditional recipe with a sauce made of mushroom broth, tomatoes and fried onions, and in a pressure cooker the dish got fantastic taste: every pepper was soaked with magic sauce, but what surprised most of all – the finished dish was very bright: the vegetables have not lost their color!

TEST #3. PRESSURE OF 0,7 BAR

You’ve decided to cook the famous Italian meat dish Ossibucchi – it’s a long story on the stove, because you need a kilo of beef shank in large pieces for 2-3 servings and it takes a long time to stew them. Meat and high pressure program came to the rescue. Cooking method is in the recipe book of the appliance: we need 1 kg of shank of beef, 200 ml of white wine, 500 g of tomatoes, 1 large onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp. l. salt, freshly ground pepper, 1 tbsp. l. A pot of vegetable oil, 1/2 bunch of parsley, 3 tbsp. l. Tomato paste, zest of 1 lemon. The meat is thoroughly washed and dried. We fried the meat in the frying pan on both sides for 2 minutes each. We added wine, tomato paste, tomatoes and onions, salt and pepper. Close the lid and valve. We chose the program Meat, default time 30 minutes, pressure 0.7 bar. In half an hour it is ready: the juiciest softest meat, soaked with flavors of vegetables, sprinkled with herbs and lemon zest. Honestly, it turned out no worse than in a restaurant!

After the end of cooking to open the lid, the pressure must be equalized. It can be reduced by opening the valve to do this, use any kitchen accessory – fork, knife . The valve has very clear position indicators: open and closed. But for 3-4 minutes after you turn off the program, the pressure equalizes automatically. It’s best to wait for that, then open the valve, let the excess steam out and then open the lid.

TEST #4. ON SEVERAL LEVELS

The instructions suggest an interesting diet recipe for cooking young jacket potatoes and a steamed omelet at the same time. For the omelette we need a silicone mold, the size of the basket, but we did not have one, but we liked the principle of double-decker cooking very much. I must say that the basket in the kit is unusual, the perforations in it are very fine and allow you to cook even very finely chopped ingredients – for example, quick-frozen mixes for frying, soups and side dishes. I cooked potatoes in a bowl and then steamed a nice Mexican mix of beans, tomatoes and zucchini, which was surprisingly more tender and tasty than the ones prepared in a pan in the oil. You can also steam burgers, fish, meat, etc., on the upper tier. p. The second time we put chicken cutlets and legumes in the steamer and potatoes in the bowl.

By the way, the set includes a tall grid – a holder for the steamer, but it can also be used together with your utensils – for example, a bowl or a baking dish, which is convenient for cooking baby food, small portions and to create a water bath.

TEST #5. FRY

On the example of this appliance, we have seen what “honest watts” are, as told at the Steba factory in Germany. Indeed, it is not always possible for a multicooker with a claimed maximum power of 900 watts to fry food so quickly and accurately. At first we were surprised when we read the recipes, for example, when it was recommended to fry the meat for 2 minutes on each side. But it was really enough to get the crust browned and the necessary flavor. In the same program, by the way, it is recommended to bring water to the boil – it happens very quickly! By the way, you can fry in a stainless steel bowl with practically no oil, as recommended by modern nutritionists – “in water”. Just add water and the bowl gets the right microclimate and temperature balance, and the fat melted from the meat is enough to cook it in its own juice.

TEST #6. CABBAGE SOUP IS OUR FOOD

Of course, there’s a separate program for porridge that works great. Under pressure of 0,7 bars the rice is cooked for 7-8 minutes, buckwheat – 5 minutes, barley – 30 minutes. But if you have time it is worth cooking porridge in the simmering program: we made sure that such porridge is incomparably more tender, fragrant and tasty. By the way, in the same program soups made of sauerkraut with mushrooms that, according to the recipe, should be kept in the oven for 8 hours at a low temperature which not every oven has, and the energy consumption will be enormous turn out great! . Here everything is elementary: We chose a temperature of 82 ºC, the time – 8 hours, we pressed “start. The only downside was this: after putting the cabbage soup to stew overnight conveniently, it’s not the best way to make soup , I had to put it in the soup tin! , it is very difficult to fall asleep – it smells so good!

TEST #7. HEATING, YOGHURT AND DOUGH

In our comparison tests of multicookers, we’ve always dropped grades for the lack of a Yogurt program, especially when the manufacturer claims that you can cook yogurt in the Warm program, where the temperature is always at the same level – about 75ºC. We’ve seen many times that in these conditions the milk mass simply curdles and no yogurt is made.

That’s why the warming program in this multicooker is nice and surprising: you can set the temperature necessary for fermentation at 37 ºC and easily cook yogurt or make dough, which we used during the whole test, and it’s very comfortable!