Using a multicooker for the first time: what needs to be done before starting it for the first time

Often, many owners of convenient and compact cooking appliances do not know how to use a multicooker in order to use its functionality to its full potential. In fact, this device does not cause any problems in operation, is capable of preparing almost any dish, saves time, does not take up much space in the kitchen and, in general, helps any housewife to do an excellent job of cooking, reducing cooking time.

What can this device do?

For those who have already appreciated all the advantages of this unique miracle of technology, the question of whether a multicooker is needed was long removed from the agenda. This multifunctional device, equipped with software control, is capable of preparing a wide variety of dishes without any extra effort on the part of its owners in a convenient automatic mode. All devices of this type, regardless of their brand, have a similar package: it includes a main bowl, electronic equipment, an additional plastic container with holes for steaming food, as well as a flat and deep spoon.

Cooking modes in a multicooker

In different multicooker models, the number of functions and modes can vary greatly. But there are a number of options that are present in most devices.

1. Cooking (in some models called “soup”). This is a universal program; you can use it to cook most simple dishes, plus those that need to be cooked (soups, compotes, boiled vegetables and cereals).
2. Extinguishing. Suitable for cooking meat, vegetable stews, some soups and jellied meat, as it maintains a not very high but stable temperature.
3. Frying. Not available on all devices. More often it is used as an auxiliary mode for pre-processing products.
4. Double boiler. Retains maximum benefits in products. This is implemented by using an additional grille (usually included in the kit).
5. Bakery. It is used directly for baking biscuits, pies and casseroles, as well as for preparing baked boiled pork. It can also be used for frying where there is no separate mode for this.
6. Jam. Allows you to prepare delicious stewed jam.
7. Porridge. It prevents milk from foaming and prepares delicious porridge without the intervention of the hostess. Can be prepared overnight using UHT milk.
8. Sterilization. Used to process baby bottles or preservation jars.
9. Languor. Gives the effect of a Russian oven, slowly and evenly cooking food at a relatively low temperature.
10. Deep frying. Cooking in boiling fat, often with an additional mesh insert.
11. Yogurt/dough. In this mode, you can make any fermented milk products from milk and sourdough. It is also used to rise yeast dough.

How to use a multicooker

1. Cooking . Standard program suitable for most products.
2. Extinguishing . Choose for cooking meat, fish, vegetable side dishes, soups or jellied meat.
3. Frying . Use the mode as a main or additional mode to fry meat or vegetables, or make cutlets.
4. Steaming . Processing products with hot steam with maximum preservation of their beneficial properties.
5. Baking . Run the program to prepare biscuits, casseroles, and buns within an hour. Fry meat, vegetables, cutlets.
6. Jam . Make dessert from any berries and fruits.
7. Porridge . Set a delayed start in the multicooker in the evening to get a hot dish with milk or water in the morning.
8. Sterilization . The mode is intended for processing cans and children's dishes.
9. Languishment . The dishes come out like they came out of the oven.
10. Deep frying . Products are processed in oil or batter.
11. Yogurt . Make a dish from milk or sourdough with added sugar.

Steamer function

1. Take a special steamer container from the kit (looks like a colander). Download products.
2. Pour water into the main bowl and install a colander. The walls of the bowls are pressed tightly against each other, but there will be space between the bottoms.
3. There should be enough water inside so that its level does not touch the bottom of the colander. Use a measuring cup to fill the slow cooker with liquid. As a rule, 2 glasses are required for one start. If there is too much liquid, the cooking time will increase and the food will not be crispy or poorly cooked. With a small amount of water, there is a risk of premature boiling of the liquid and damage to the bottom of the pan.
4. Select the “Steamer” mode, set the time, click on “Start”.
5. When the dish is ready, a characteristic signal will sound. Open the lid carefully so as not to burn your face or hands from the hot steam. Some models are equipped with a valve to release steam when the lid is closed.

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First launch rules

What should you do before using your multicooker for the first time? It is worth keeping in mind that it is better not to start cooking in it immediately after purchase, since the factory smell of parts still remains inside the case, which can only be eliminated after washing the bowl with warm water and a mild detergent. It must be remembered that before placing the bowl inside, it must be completely dry, since even one drop of moisture can cause the bottom of the bowl to burn.

The answer to the question of how to turn on a multicooker can be called the easiest: the method of turning on will depend on the model and manufacturer, it is described in detail in the instructions. Typically, you first need to connect the device to the mains, and then press the Start or Start button.

Some models of multicookers are not equipped with a power button on the body; you need to pay attention to this when purchasing: it is not very convenient to unplug the cord from the network every time to turn off the device.

After this, you need to pour some water into it and activate the heating or maintaining temperature option, then close the lid. You should not turn off the device ahead of time; you need to wait 15 minutes, and then open the lid and check whether the water is hot enough. This is necessary to check the operation of the heating element and determine the heating speed, which will certainly be useful to the owner of the device in the future.

First use

When choosing a multicooker model, it is useful to download in advance the instructions for using this device from the desired website on the Internet. By reading the instructions, you will be able to understand how simple or difficult the operation of the device will be, and also determine whether the device will be able to realize your existing culinary preferences. In addition, you need to pay attention to the presence of a Russified menu. Russian-speaking controls will greatly facilitate the operation of the device. It will not be difficult to use devices whose instructions include a description of the buttons labeled in English.

If the purchase is made and a new appliance has appeared in the kitchen, do not rush to use the multicooker right away. Each model, be it a cheap Polaris or an expensive Redmond, has a persistent factory smell inside that needs to be gotten rid of.

• First, you should open the device, take out the non-stick bowl and wash it well with a cleaning agent, and then wipe it dry inside and out.
• Then you need to return the bowl to its place and plug in the device. Before turning on, you should check the integrity of the cord. The multicooker can only be plugged into a power outlet if it is grounded.
• After this, you need to pour some water into the bowl and turn on the “heating” (or “temperature maintenance”) mode for 15 minutes.
• At the end of the time, you should check how hot the liquid in the bowl is. Thus, the operation of the heating element is tested and the rate of water heating is determined.

Since most models have pre-programmed cooking modes in the menu as standard, using the device for the first time will not cause any particular difficulties. An example of their use can be illustrated by a story about how to use the Polaris PMS 0508d multicooker.

"Polaris" PMS 0508d

The rules for turning on the multicooker are described in detail in the instructions. The action algorithm is easiest to demonstrate by turning on the “Buckwheat” mode. It allows you to prepare porridge from cereals, as well as side dishes.

• The cereal is first washed and steamed with boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
• Then the boiling water is drained, the steamed cereal is placed in the multicooker bowl and filled with water.
• The amount of water is calculated using the following formula: per glass of cereal, one liter of water. It is important to ensure that the water level in the pan is below the maximum mark on the scale located on the inner wall of the bowl.
• After this, the “menu” button is turned on, which will open access to the cooking modes, and the desired program is selected (Polaris PMS 0508d has the “Buckwheat” option).
• Then the “start” button is pressed, the power button starts the cooking process, eight minutes before the end of the time, the multicooker will start beeping.
• An audible signal indicates that the device has entered heating mode.

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Attention! You won’t be able to manually adjust the porridge cooking time, and you won’t be able to delay the start either. All budget models have similar inconveniences. If you use a Redmond multicooker, you can independently control the cooking process and make your own adjustments.

The baking and stewing program works according to the same algorithm: first the “menu” button is pressed, then the cooking mode is set, and then the program is launched by pressing the “start” button. The “Stew” program involves cooking food with a small amount of oil. The cooking duration is two hours, when you open this function, you have access to set the required time (range from two to eight hours), one step is thirty minutes, the heating temperature is 90 degrees.

The Polaris PMS 0508d multicooker has a combined program that can be selected if you need to prepare soup, bake or cook milk porridge. The maximum time for the combined program is one hour; milk porridge cooks less, so when preparing this dish you will have to forcefully stop the program by pressing the “Cancel” button.

When baking, it is useful to first grease the walls of the bowl with margarine or butter, and only then immerse the dough in it. The program is launched according to an already known algorithm; the cooking time is controlled manually by pressing the “Cancel” button. After the cooking time is up, you need to wait about three minutes, and only then remove the baked goods from the bowl. This technique allows you to easily remove the contents of the pan.

How to use a multicooker

The operation of multicookers depends entirely on the brand and model of the device. They differ not only in cost, but also in the range of functions, as well as other parameters. All the nuances of using a specific model are indicated in the instructions for the device. Also, most manufacturers supply their devices with a book of recipes, following which strictly you can get excellent results. If you don’t yet know how to use a multicooker correctly, you should pay attention to the most famous brands, for example, Mulinex or Scarlet, and find out how such devices differ from each other in operation.

Product Loading Rules

The volume of products should not be more than permitted. It is indicated in the manual. You can focus on the markings inside the bowl itself. If loaded above the mark, food will spill out when boiling.

Amount of water when preparing different dishes

You must be guided, first of all, by the recipe. If it does not indicate the amount of water, it must be added in the same proportions as when cooking in a regular saucepan.

What temperature to set

If the recipe specifies a specific temperature, it is better to set it exactly. If you don’t have information on how best to cook, you can use one of the preset programs. Usually they already contain the optimal temperature and cooking time for specific dishes for the basic recipe.

How to properly prepare a multicooker for use after purchase?

First, unpack the device: take it out of the box, remove the foam inserts, remove the plastic bags . Remove the “hidden” packaging backing between the bottom of the pan and the heating element, and remove any advertising stickers. Be careful not to rashly tear off the sticker with the serial number, otherwise the right to warranty repair of the equipment will expire.

Before you start using a brand new multicooker from Redmond, Polaris, Mulinex or another brand, it should be thoroughly washed to remove any remaining factory dirt. The bowl and steam outlet valve should be rinsed especially thoroughly. The preferred option is to wash in warm water with a drop of household detergent added .

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If the pan is coated with Teflon rather than ceramic, be careful not to scratch anything.

After washing, wipe the surfaces dry and reassemble the multicooker, returning the removed elements to their place.

Steamer function in a multicooker

This is a real find for supporters of a healthy diet and those who adhere to a therapeutic diet. You can use the option like this.

1. The products must be placed in a special steamer grill, which comes with the multicooker.
2. Pour water into the bowl of the device up to the mark indicated in the instructions (water should not be poured into the grid insert). Excess water will cause it to boil for a long time and the food will lose its natural taste. A small volume of water will quickly boil away and expose the bottom, which can lead to damage to the bowl.
3. Place a grate with food inside.
4. On the control panel of the device, you need to select the “steamer” function, set the time, if necessary, and put the device into operation with the “start” button.
5. When the program ends, a beep will sound. You must open the lid of the multicooker carefully, as steam will accumulate inside and you can get burned.

First use of the multicooker

Putting a multicooker into operation is an extremely important matter, which for a single kitchen is more important than launching the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station.

Step one: read the instructions . This is rarely remembered, but a multicooker is a complex electronic device, and before using it, you should definitely study the user manual. Most likely, everything that is written in this article will be there. In general, all multicookers are controlled in the same way, plus or minus, but there can always be subtleties that the instructions will help you with.

Step two: boil the water. Don't be surprised: the first dish you prepare with the help of your new kitchen assistant will be boiling water. Just pour clean drinking water into a bowl and boil for about five minutes. It is best to add half a lemon to the water - this will help completely remove the unpleasant plastic smell that often accompanies even expensive multicookers.

Step three: cook the porridge. After all the preparations are completed, it’s time to test the multicooker in action. It is worth baptizing the unit with fire using something not too complicated. The fact is that complex multi-part programs take a lot of effort and time, require a lot of attention and some experience with a multicooker, and with cooking in general. Therefore, for the first time, it is best to choose a simple and reliable porridge: rice, buckwheat, or even corn.

How does Multipovar work?

This function involves setting custom cooking parameters. But Multipovar does not allow you to do this completely freely. Different multicookers have restrictions on the range of set temperatures and times. In addition, in some models, temperature and time change in steps of 5-10 units, and it is not possible to set them more accurately.

Most often, the temperature can be adjusted within 35-180 degrees, and the time can be set from 1 minute to 10 hours. There are instrument models where you can control only one parameter, and the second is selected from the proposed options.

Multicookers with the ability to custom program modes have a number of advantages even over those devices with many preset programs. Technically, the Multicook is identical in many models. An overview of devices with Multicook is presented below.

1. In the Panasonic SR-MHS181WTQ model, the temperature can be selected within the range of 40-130 degrees, and the time can be set accurate to the minute in the range of 1 minute - 8 hours. At the end of the “Multi-cook” program, the device does not go into automatic heating.
2. Redmond RMS-M70 (RMS-M90) allows you to set the temperature in the range of 35-160 degrees, and it changes in steps of 5 units. The time is programmed in variable steps (the higher the value, the larger the step) from 1 minute to 12 hours.
3. Polaris 0517 has a Multi-cook similar to the previous model.