Multicooker manufacturers are trying to create a device that can perform the functions of several devices at once. Modes in the multicooker are becoming more diverse and more complicated. An ordinary home multicooker can cook almost any dish: grill, pasta, boil foods in a classic way or steamed, as double boiler. Cooking modes differ in complexity and functionality. Let's see how various programs and modes work in a typical multicooker.
Home use of the product
Manual modes
Such programs are a response to user requests. Those who are used to cooking according to their recipes want the multicooker program to set the heating temperature and manual cooking time.
The manufacturer Redmond was the first to provide such an opportunity, then other manufacturers pulled themselves up.
In multicookers of different brands, this cooking option can be called differently, the basic characteristics will also differ. The minimum temperature that this mode allows you to set is about 30 degrees Celsius. It is convenient for preparing yoghurts, preparing yeast dough. The upper limit will be different for each manufacturer. The range is 100-200 degrees.
Manual cooking program names: multi-cook, manual, your mode, multishef and other options. It makes sense to experiment with a manual cooking option if the owner of the device is well aware of the cooking process and understands what and how to do. If there is little experience, it is better to first trust the standard automatic modes, the results of which will be consistently successful.
Using manual mode without proper experience is fraught with unexpected consequences.
Auto Modes
There are several automatic modes that ensure high quality dishes.
The program "Heating". A fairly simple option that allows you to keep the finished dish warm while waiting for lunch or dinner. Some housewives use this mode to defrost or melt butter. In most models of multicookers, heating is turned on automatically after cooking.
Mode extinguishing at a given temperature in a slow cooker is very similar to conventional oven cooking at low temperatures. Well suited for cooking cereals, jellied meat, broths, in a word, those dishes where languor is required. The finished product is fragrant and uniform in structure. The timer is set from half an hour to twelve hours.
The option of baking or baking is convenient for those who like to cook biscuits and sweet pastries. The use of this program for frying vegetables or meat products can be attributed to non-trivial options for using “baking”.
Multicooker baking mode
The mode configured for cooking cereals may vary in name and temperature settings. This program is also suitable for pilaf, crumbly cereals, cereals in milk. Cooking time varies from forty minutes to an hour.
In some models for pilaf, a special mode is provided in which the food is browned below, and the rice is crumbly. In this mode, you can bake potatoes or fry dumplings.
The “Krupa” or “Buckwheat” programs are intended for the preparation of crumbly, but not browned cereals. The liquid in this case is evaporated thoroughly.It should be remembered that the multicooker will start the countdown of the cooking time after it heats the internal contents of the bowl to the operating temperature. Depending on the volume of the bowl and the power of the device, this will have to spend an additional 10-20 minutes.
Options for preinstalled programs
Double boiler. This program allows you to cook using steam. Dishes are specific to taste, but more useful than those prepared in the traditional way. To use this mode, you will need an additional plastic container on which the products are placed. Water is poured into the bottom of the bowl, then a plastic stand with food is inserted. The mode works with the lid closed.
Almost all multicookers have a frying mode. On some models, frying is combined with a baking program. The program allows you to fry meat, eggs and other products. Typically, manufacturers recommend using the open-lid mode to constantly monitor the process - like in a skillet.
The Pasta program allows you to cook pastry dishes such as dumplings, pasta, dumplings. Resourceful housewives note the similarity of this regime with regimes such as "Porridge" and use them if "Paste" is not in the arsenal of the multicooker. Using this functionality is not possible with a delayed start.
Options for dishes that can be cooked in a slow cooker
Another of the automatic modes - “express” - is used for quick cooking simple dishes in a slow cooker. The device quickly evaporates the liquid from the pledged products and intensively fries at the end of the cycle. When using this program, classic navy pasta, fried potatoes and similar dishes are perfectly cooked.
Smoking program - not available in all multicookers; it allows you to smoke meat, fish, sausages. For smoking, you need to place a small bowl with a chip of cherry or another tree in a special bowl, and place the products on the racks. Two smoking options are available: hot and cold. Hot occurs at a temperature of about 125 degrees, cold - at 30. For cold only specially prepared by pickling products are used. The process is more intense than using traditional technologies. When using this mode, you should take care of the ventilation in the room, because either the process or when you open the multicooker after cooking, the smell of smoking will get into the kitchen.
Pressure cooker - this option allows you to cook dishes, creating excess pressure in the multicooker pan. The disadvantage of this program is the inability to add ingredients during cooking without emergency pressure relief. In this mode, it is convenient to cook aspic or other dishes that require long cooking.
The delayed start function is not a cooking mode in its pure form, but has a great influence on convenience. The program allows you to delay cooking for up to a day. However, the function is not available for baking and frying.
Sterilization and pasteurization. These programs can be distinguished as separate, although in some models they are presented under other names. Pasteurization involves heating to 70 degrees to preserve the freshness of products and get rid of unwanted microflora, which dies during heat treatment. Sterilization is intended for the processing of dishes - for children or for canning. The process takes place at a temperature of about 100 degrees. In fact, this mode duplicates the “double boiler”, since sterilization occurs under the influence of hot steam.
The “Dessert” mode is not present in all models; it is intended for making sweets, such as sweets and caramel.
Pressure cooker operation principle
The temperature in the multicooker under different modes and the features of each program
Each manufacturer provides the device with instructions to understand the main parameters of use.The lowest temperatures are used when creating yoghurts and heating dishes, the highest - when frying and deep-frying. 35-40 degrees ensure the normal preparation of yogurt, the preparation of yeast dough. At temperatures of 50-80 degrees, excellent drinks such as punch, tea, mulled wine are obtained.
80-100 degrees is the most common range for most dishes. Porridge, soups, jams and other dishes that require languishing, perfectly cooked at such temperatures.
Temperatures above 100 degrees are used in the preparation of meat, baking, and for baking vegetables. If the appliance has the function of a pressure cooker, then at high temperatures you can cook various soups.
The highest temperature - 170 degrees - is used for cooking meat in batter, french fries.
Differences between modes in different models
Variants of cooking programs are laid down by manufacturers. Naturally, more expensive and multifunctional models have more variability and a range of tasks.
So, Mulinex crock-pots offer up to one hundred automatic work programs; the Scarlett brand has about twenty of them. One and the same variant may be called differently.
To clarify, when buying, it is necessary to look at the characteristics of the product without being carried away by the attractive names that manufacturers come up with for the simplest programs.
Cooking meat
So, the options “Braising”, “Soup”, “Milk porridge” turn out to be almost identical. They suggest cooking at a temperature of about 90 degrees Celsius for a long time.
In some multicookers there is a program “Crust”, which allows you to fry the prepared dish with a crisp. In some ways, this mode resembles frying, but, according to consumers, who used both of them, there is still a difference.
Manufacturers do not advertise the intricacies of a particular program, the user sees only general characteristics: temperature, cooking time, the presence of excess pressure. If cooking is not for gourmets, then the slight differences in the taste of the finished dishes are insignificant.
Conclusion
Choosing a crock-pot for the home, you need to imagine what it is for. This is not only a decoration of the kitchen, but also a real helper in the daily goth. More budget models have fewer modes and functions, are made from cheaper materials, but their consumer qualities are often not inferior to the products of leading brands. It is worth considering whether it is necessary to overpay for the "grill" or "deep fat" functions if the crock-pot is purchased mainly for making children's cereals.
