The test of multicookers: wonder pots cook caviar overseas, and kidney spun and twisted pies.

The multicooker is one of the most popular kitchen appliances. Literally by word of mouth on the “word of mouth” hostesses pass each other stories about “wonder pots” that cook themselves and “overseas eggplant caviar”, and kidney spun and twisted pies. And if several years ago there were only one or two offers of such equipment on the market, today only lazy person doesn’t make multicookers.

Consultants: thanks to Elena Semenova Brand , Oleg Megeraups Maruchi , Svetlana Todorovich Oursson , Roman Gornovy Panasonic , Ekaterina Clark Philips , Olga Feoktistova Polaris , Ksenia Yudochkina Stadler Form for providing equipment for testing and respectful attitude to our – sometimes critical – comments.

The first successful experience in sales of multivarkers in America belongs, undoubtedly, to company Panasonic. Thanks to the fact that their multicooker turned out so great and did not disappoint its owners, and allowed them to enthusiastically tell everyone around them about its merits, this technique has a growing demand. And where there is demand, as you know, there is supply!

You have to give credit to other companies as well. They did not just copy a successful device, but tried to “teach” their multicookers new features. And 2012 multicookers are truly multi: fry, steam, bake, stew.

It is hard for today’s customer to choose: there are too many choices. That’s why we decided to test in the work of multicookers from different manufacturers in different price groups to make the choice easier and more informed.

Our participants

Let us note a witty folk observation: multicookers are divided into two groups according to their, so to speak, appearance: multicookers vacuum cleaners oblong appliances and multicooker-pans round and tall . We invited them both to the test and we have to say right away that the shape of the device does not affect its cooking abilities at all.

Model	Country	Price	Warranty	Lifetime	Dimensions, cm	Volume, l
OURSSON MP5005PSD	South Korea	9490	1 year	3 years	33×30.4×30	5
STADLER FORM Chef One	China	6 995	1 year	5 years	29x40x24	4 5
PANASONIC SR-TMH18/ PANASONIC SR-TMH10	Thailand	5490 4390	1 year	7 years	27,6×27,4×27,5 24,5×24,8×25,5	4,5 2,5
PHILIPS HD3039/00	China	4990	2 years	3 years	29,1×38,9×23	4
BRAND 37501	China	4900	1 year	5 years	26x28x37	5
POLARIS PMC 0512AD	China	4399	1 year	3 years	30x40x26	5
MARUCHI RW-FZ47	China	4000	1 year	n.d.	29x40x24	4

What can they do

If anyone remembers, at the end of the 90s. of the last century, rice cookers appeared on the market – devices from Asia, which are present in every home there. They had several programs for cooking different kinds of rice.

The devices did not take root and disappeared for several years, but they transformed into multicookers. Some still contain a couple or three programs designed for rice, others are so far along the path of change that only the idea of a rice cooker remains.

So, what can multicookers 2012? – Let’s watch and compare:

A set of programs and features

In the table we have mentioned the presence of special modes. If there is no plus sign next to the word “Rice” it doesn’t mean that this product can’t be cooked in this appliance, but there is no separate program to cook it, you must use other programs, such as Krups or Porridge etc.d.

Buckwheat – like out of the oven, and other great features

Oursson MP5005PSD multicooker can be named the most multifunctional of all tested models, and not even by the number of programs, but by the presence of modes in which you can change not only the time but also the temperature, and by the ability to cook under pressure in a number of programs and even regulate its size.

Let’s also note the Brand 37501 multicooker, it does not have the pressure cooker function, but there is also a mode that allows you to change the temperature. Besides, these two multicookers have the most actual today stewing mode, it also can be called a slow cooker function do you remember, we wrote about such devices .

Stewing is cooking a dish for a long time without heating above 100 ° C. This is a very fashionable trend in cooking. It is believed that in this way the products retain the maximum number of vitamins and nutrients, everything turns out juicy and delicious, and the vegetables do not lose their shape and color.

Two original programs are in the arsenal of multicooker Stadler Form Chef One – this Risotto and Potato. Of course, the preparation of risotto is not fully automated: it requires preparatory work and the use of an auxiliary program, but the second stage of cooking this dish is autonomous – no need to stand and stir the rice all the time.

Another popular rice dish in our country – pilaf – can cook two multicookers: Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 and Stadler Form Chef One. Multicooker – not cauldron, but pilaf in it turns very tasty, and its preparation does not require much effort and time, which is very important.

Three multicookers have a special program for cooking pasta: Maruchi RW-FZ47, Philips HD3039/00, Polaris PMC 0512AD. The countdown of time in this case is after the water boils, and the degree of cooking the product can vary.

4 multicookers – Brand 37501, Maruchi RW-FZ47, Oursson MP5005PSD, Polaris PMC 0512AD – can make yogurt. This procedure is long, usually hostesses pour the ingredients into the pot overnight, and consume a fresh and healthy product in the morning for breakfast. Some hostesses have adapted to cook yogurt not in the pot but in jars or cups: they are placed on the grill for steaming. Yogurt program switches off automatically. In this case does not turn on the heating mode.

Two multicookers – Brand 37501 and Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 – have automatic programs for cooking buckwheat. Buckwheat turns out as from the stove! Naturally, there can be variations: buckwheat with mushrooms, with meat, with liver and cream, etc.d.

The programs for cooking rice are more common, and can be found on the menu of four multicookers: Brand 37501, Philips HD3039/00, Polaris PMC 0512AD, Stadler Form Chef One.

Modes for cooking steamed rice offer Maruchi RW-FZ47, Polaris PMC 0512AD, Stadler Form Chef One.

Three multicookers – Maruchi RW-FZ47, Oursson MP5005PSD, Polaris PMC 0512AD – have a common program Kasha/Grasses. Only Polaris PMC 0512AD thus allocates rice in separate manufacture, Maruchi RW-FZ47 offers the separate program for “fast” rice, and in Oursson MP5005PSD it will be necessary for different problems simply to establish various time of preparation, blessing model offers very flexible options.

Separately, let’s talk about the milk porridge. Not all multicookers have a mode for cooking this dish. Of course you can also use the Soup and Boil program. But milk is not water: there’s no guarantee that when you fill the multicooker to the maximum mark at boiling, the milk won’t actively run away.

So try cooking a small amount of milk porridge first, and do not go far from the multicooker to control the process. If you want to buy a multicooker just for milk porridge, then stop on the models with this mode. It can be Brand 37501, Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 , Stadler Form Chef One.

Earlier multicookers were not able to fry – they did not heat up to such temperatures. Now we have learned. Only veteran Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 has no frying program. Some devices – Maruchi RW-FZ47, Oursson MP5005PSD, Polaris PMC 0512AD – even have two modes: Fry and Fry/Bone.

Fried is a shorter program than Broil/Bone. In my opinion, one such program is enough – we could not find the difference in them, except for time. But maybe you’ll get a different impression.

Two multicookers – Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 and Brand 37501 – do not have the Boil program. However, many housewives cook soups and borsch soups in them easily, using other programs. But we were, admittedly, surprised by this very absence.

What really pleased me was the appearance of multicookers in the reheat mode for cold dishes. Some of them even have a separate button on the control panel for this mode see the Menu on the right . Our detailed stories about each model .

All multicookers have a baking mode biscuits, muffins and even bread , a braising mode and a steam mode.

The latest trends: in the Steam and Fry modes there is an option to select the type of product – fish, meat or vegetables. This will have an effect on the cooking time. Such an opportunity is provided by multicookers Brand 37501, Philips HD3039/00b, Polaris PMC 0512AD Maruchi RW-FZ47 has it only in the boiling mode. Note that this multicooker is equipped with an exclusive deep frying program, and there is even a special basket for this purpose in the set.

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities, that is why some housewives have already bought two multicookers and have stopped using the stove.

There are different pans in multicookers

That’s right, and – both in terms of volume, and material, and weight.

First of all, they are all non-stick coated on the inside.

The Brand 37501 and Stadler Form Chef One multicookers have the Daikin coating. We have contacted the American representative office of this company to know more about this coating, but unfortunately they could not tell us about all the nuances, because they deal only with air conditioners and other equipment. The company has a technical division in Japan. We will ask for information about the coating, the results will be sure to tell on our website bt-test.

The Oursson MP5005PSD multicooker has a coating called Dykyng, but we don’t know anything about its properties, except what the manufacturer says.

Polaris calls the pan coating of its Xylan Plus multicooker.

Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 , Philips HD3039/00 devices do not have any brand names of coating, we only know that it is non-stick. The Philips manual says there is gold added to the coating.

The pot in the Maruchi RW-FZ47 multicooker has a ceramic coating.

We really liked the pans in the Philips HD3039/00, Stadler Form Chef One, Oursson MP5005PSD multicooker. They’re heavy and thick-walled, like expensive cookware.

All pans of the multicooker have proven to work very well: they are easy to wash, nothing burns to them. But we don’t know how they will look in six months or a year of active use.

In any case – their appearance will largely depend on proper use. All manufacturers do not recommend washing cereals in these pans, using metal spoons for mixing, cooking in this dish in ovens or on stoves. They should not be rubbed with hard sponges, and should only be cleaned with dishwashing detergents.

In addition, you should not install wet pans in the multicooker, they must be wiped dry, otherwise water droplets will fall on the heating elements, which should not be.

If some irreparable mishap happens with the pan, it can be replaced by ordering a new one from the manufacturer’s service center. Of course, not for free, but to buy a new pan is much cheaper than a new multicooker.

The function of a hostess has changed: now it is necessary not to stir, but to choose and press

Since the function of the hostess in the kitchen has changed: now there is no need to stir food and adjust the flame, but only to select and press, I want it to be convenient to select, and easy to press. That’s why the control panel is so important.

The most modern touch control is in the Stadler Form Chef One multicooker. The panel is absolutely flat, there are no buttons. On large display located on the top – no need to bend over the device to turn it on at all – the names of programs, time, indication, etc. are displayed on the screen.d.

Each step of the program is accompanied by a beep, during the operation you can see where the preparation is. Even the clock works all the time, not only when the multicooker is off, and there is also a countdown.

Everything is fine, but whether such an interface will scare the older generation is unknown. The young city dwellers will like it for sure.

Very convenient and easy operation of the multicooker Brand 37501. Large buttons, program names are shown on the display, which is also located on top of the case. Everything is logically understandable and does not cause any difficulties for people of different generations and with different level of vision.

Rather convenient operation of the Oursson MP5005PSD multicooker. The panel is located on the side of the body, but the display is very large and informative.

Since the device itself is very multifunctional and requires active human participation in the programming process, its management is a little more complicated: you can choose and set not only the time, but also the temperature. The display during cooking shows the current temperature and the time to the end of cooking.

But the selected programs are shown in “triangles” on the display – people with reduced vision will have to bend down and stare at the display carefully, so as not to miss the choice.

The same “triangles” help to set the programs in multicookers Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 , Philips HD3039/00, Polaris PMC 0512AD and Maruchi RW-FZ47.

If the Panasonic multicooker – a pioneer in this field, equipped with the best technologies of its time, then it is not clear, why the “young” Philips multicooker has nothing more bright in its operation, than poorly understandable “triangles” on the screen.

Ladies and gentlemen, look around: not many people have 100% vision and glasses and lenses do not always help to solve these problems. Maybe it would be a good idea to have a sound for program selection? Thus, multicookers Panasonic SR-TMH18 SR-TMH10 and Philips HD3039/00 have convenient large buttons, control is logical and well thought over, but it is necessary to strain your eyes to choose programs.

The most affordable multicookers Polaris PMC 0512AD and Maruchi RW-FZ47 have more problems with control. In addition to the infamous “triangles”, there are comments on the program indication. They are not russified: either learn English, or hang a piece of paper with tips on the body, what do incomprehensible words mean?.

At the same time the buttons on the panel of the Polaris PMC 0512AD are russified. Maruchi RW-FZ47 and they are in English. It is clear that the low price of the device implies denial of some capabilities. In this case, we can see that the manufacturers are saving on clarity. The functionality of multicookers is excellent, but the ease of operation leaves much to be desired.

A collection of recipes from scratch?

Almost all multicookers are sold with a thin book of recipes. At the same time, it is not difficult to adapt conventional cooking methods to the requirements of multicookers: any housewife can easily prepare a soup or a dish that requires stewing in the multicooker. It is more difficult to deal with special programs like Yogurt or Fry. And here’s where not all manufacturers are in a hurry with recipes. But that’s not really a problem.

A lot of recipes for multicookers can be found on websites. A lot of specialists and housewives actively share their experience, telling step by step how to cook this or that dish.

What’s more, anyone can publish their own versions of dishes and ways to cook them: there are plenty of sites for this in runet. Check out our bt-test site as well: you can use ready-made recipes or offer your own by entering a contest see our recipe contest . pp. With the details of the action – Prim. ed.

If you are not friendly with runet and to learn to communicate with him it is not in your plans, then buy books. For example, Panasonic produces beautiful cookbooks with recipes for many of its appliances, including the multicooker. Feel free to create in the kitchen: once you understand how a multicooker works, you can easily cook a lot of tasty things in it.

The Price is right

The price range for multicookers is quite large. And we can not say that one multicooker – bad, and the other – excellent. All multicookers are good, but each in its own way.

That’s why we’ve described each one in detail so that you can evaluate their features and choose the one that’s right for you. If you like pasta in any form, then why would you need a multicooker with three programs for rice? Or if the milk porridge is not part of your diet, why do you need a device with such a program??

All programs of multicookers work regardless of the price of the device. And we can’t even say that the higher the price, the more possibilities the device has. The number of programs is about the same everywhere. The more expensive the multicooker, the more convenient and pleasant to use it, the thicker the pan and the whiter the paper in the manual.

You can cook a genius dish in a fairly cheap multicooker, just layered vegetables and meat and put everything to stew for two hours. Just in this case you have to put up with a menu that is not in American and scarce instructions for the device.

In the table, we have tried to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the device, in our opinion. If we write “excellent baking”, it does not mean that the stew is bad, it means that this program pleasantly surprised us and exceeded all our expectations!