Differences between a multicooker and a multicooker-pressure cooker: advice from professionals

In the kitchen of a modern housewife you can find a lot of different household appliances for cooking: mixers, blenders, food processors and so on. But recently, multicookers and pressure cookers have become the most popular, which greatly facilitate and speed up the process of preparing dishes. In addition, the developers combined these two devices into one - a multicooker-pressure cooker, which includes all the functions of both devices. Now we have to understand the features, differences and similarities of these two kitchen appliances.

Recently, multicookers and pressure cookers have become the most popular, which greatly facilitate and speed up the process of preparing dishes.

Principle of operation

To prepare a variety of dishes in a multicooker, there are certain programs that are controlled by a microprocessor - it is also the control center in the device and, after analyzing the temperature sensor readings, it can change the heating level of the heating element. Thanks to the latter, the required temperature is created in the device.

To prepare a variety of dishes in a multicooker, there are certain programs that are controlled by a microprocessor.

Now let's look at the pressure cooker. The products inside the device are subject to high pressure and heat treatment. Thanks to the closed valve, steam and high pressure are pumped inside, which significantly speeds up the cooking time. To be on the safe side, there is a spare emergency valve to reduce the pressure inside the device. On the control panel, just like a simple multicooker, there are various programs for cooking. The pressure cooker is not a new invention; they existed back in Soviet times. The principle of operation was the same, but without connecting to electricity. A saucepan, more like a cauldron, with a lid and valves on top was placed on the stove and pilaf or meat dishes, jellied meat were prepared in a significantly short time. And relatively recently, electronically controlled devices began to appear.

The products inside the device are subject to high pressure and heat treatment.

Disadvantages of home multi-cookers

Whatever the shortcomings of the multicooker, the device is a completely safe household appliance. Of course, you can get burned if you try; it’s also dangerous to install a gas stove at home. Old Soviet pressure cookers are equipped with drain valves. If you forget to open it or hurry, dinner will stain the ceiling. Then, not only a major cleaning, but a new renovation will be required. In these times, the danger factor of a multicooker-pressure cooker is unlikely to appeal. If a schoolchild comes and forgets to let off steam carefully, nothing good will happen.

It is clear why the Redmond RMC-PM4507 home multi-pressure cooker does not have a delayed start timer. It’s worse if a child decides to test the device without asking. You can get hit in the face with the lid and get burned by the steam. In fact, modern multicookers-pressure cookers have a lower level of danger and are inferior to good Soviet ones:

there is an emergency pressure relief valve;
the lid mercilessly etches along the perimeter, ignoring the O-ring.

In light of the above, we believe that these phenomena are not a defect of Redmond. On the contrary, it was done intentionally to increase the level of safety for users of a home multicooker-pressure cooker. Although measures have been taken at the expense of speed. The disadvantages of multicookers-pressure cookers are listed! We want fish in 10 minutes, we cook beef in 20 minutes, it doesn’t work, the steam is released. We will advise the developer.

What is the difference between a multicooker and a pressure cooker? Right! Lack of emergency valve. Here, release the steam automatically at the end of the program. To avoid burning your face with a home multicooker-pressure cooker, you need to lower it slowly, bypassing the capillary or diffuser. Household appliances of this kind are positioned as family appliances and should not pose the slightest danger to even small members of a social unit. Or equip your home multicooker-pressure cooker with child protection.

On the other hand, we buy a device that cooks quickly. Otherwise, it’s cheaper to take a convection oven and fry whatever you want. An old home multi-cooker, without a pressure cooker, can make porridge, as household members, including children, are used to.

Advantages and disadvantages of a multicooker

The advantages of a kitchen appliance include:

Cooking is greatly simplified;
The interior of the bowl in multicookers is mainly made of Teflon with a non-stick effect;
The ability to prepare your favorite dishes with a lower calorie content, thanks to the Teflon coating on the surface of the bowl, there is no need to use oils and fats;
Mode for heating food without burning;
Many multicookers include a “yogurt maker” function - this makes it possible to enjoy natural homemade yogurt;
You can not only cook borscht and soups, porridges and vegetable stews, but also bake bread and cake layers.

Cooking is greatly simplified.
Flaws:

The time on the timer may deviate upward, since the device itself heats up first;
You only need to mix food in the bowl with the special spoon included in the kit, otherwise you may leave scratches on the Teflon coating. In further use after the bowl is damaged, food may stick and burn.

Pros and cons of a multicooker-pressure cooker

The advantages worth noting are the following:

Cooking various dishes in a short time (meat, mushrooms, legumes);
Thanks to steam and shorter processing time, the products retain a large amount of vitamins and nutrients.

In a pressure cooker, various dishes are cooked in a short time.
Minuses:

You cannot open the lid while cooking is in progress, it is under pressure, so you cannot try the dish until the end of the cooking process;
If you use the valve incorrectly or improperly, you can get serious burns.
Many programs such as “delayed start”, “yogurt maker” and “warm up” are missing.

Multicooker and pressure cooker functionality

If we consider a multicooker and a pressure cooker separately, their main difference lies in the cooking conditions. The multicooker cooks at lower temperatures, thereby increasing the cooking time. In a pressure cooker, due to the increased pressure, cooking occurs at temperatures above 100 ºC, which significantly reduces the cooking time.

Another important difference follows from these conditions. The multicooker works on the principle of a Russian oven, preserving most of the vitamins through gentle heat treatment. In a pressure cooker, the fast cooking cycle allows you to preserve the bright color of your food. Thus, in the first case, benefits come to the fore, and in the second, aesthetics.

In terms of functionality, the multicooker is unrivaled, since its set of programs allows you to prepare desserts, pastries, yogurt, steamed vegetables and meat, and much more. A pressure cooker can only cook soups and porridges.

Comparison of main characteristics

In the next section of the article, we will try to understand the difference between a multicooker and a multicooker-pressure cooker. When comparing the main characteristics, you can find similar and distinctive features of these kitchen appliances.

Cooking speed

In this case, a multicooker with a pressure cooker function wins. Thanks to high pressure and steam processing of food, dishes are cooked two or even three times faster.

In a pressure cooker, thanks to high pressure and steam processing of food, dishes are cooked two or even three times faster.

Functionality

A regular multicooker is multifunctional. From preparing soups to yoghurts and baking, reheating and maintaining the temperature of a ready-made dish, some models have a defrosting function. In a pressure cooker, you can only cook, stew or bake simple baked goods, for example, biscuits.

A regular multicooker is multifunctional.

Cost-effectiveness and quality of food

As mentioned earlier, food cooked in a pressure cooker is more healthy; the maximum amount of nutrients and vitamins in the food is retained. Dishes prepared in a slow cooker are considered low-calorie due to the absence of the need for oil when frying. Although adding just a little butter to richen the taste will not be superfluous. A multi-cooker pressure cooker is more economical, since due to the reduction in cooking time the level of energy consumption decreases. This saves both time and energy.

A multicooker-pressure cooker is more economical, since due to the reduction in cooking time, the level of energy consumption decreases.

There are also a few other small but important differences:

Compactness. In terms of dimensions, a pressure cooker is much larger than a simple multicooker, the latter is a little more compact and does not look so bulky;
Safe to use. Both devices protect the cook from splashes of hot oil and thus from damage to the skin. During the cooking process in a multicooker, you can safely lift the lid and add salt, pepper or spices. In a pressure cooker, due to the pressure in the bowl, you cannot lift the lid. This is dangerous to your health! You can get severe burns from the steam;
An inexperienced buyer can distinguish a multicooker from a multicooker pressure cooker by the valves on the lid;
The cost of both is not much different, so the housewife should choose for herself which is better - a multicooker or a multicooker-pressure cooker.

A few words about the pressure cooker

The difference between a multicooker and a pressure cooker: the first is a multifunctional device. Thanks to its unique qualities, it will replace a frying pan, deep fryer, saucepan, or slow cooker. The second device is designed to perform similar functions. It's just that the slow cooker is a bit difficult to replace. But the cooking time is reduced.

A pressure cooker differs from a multicooker in that it is cooked under pressure. If the latter has a valve that periodically automatically releases excess steam, the type of device under consideration does not have such a structural element. The lid is specially reinforced with an additional bracket that serves as a latch. In this way, the electronic device vividly resembles pressure cookers that existed in the last century and did not have a smart filling.

Thanks to the two small details mentioned, the pressure cooker cooks food quickly. For example, a meat recipe will take 15 minutes. This effect is unattainable in other types of kitchen appliances.

Otherwise, the pressure cooker is exactly like a multicooker. Even the design is sometimes the same. Moreover, the pressure cooker is stronger because the body and lid can withstand the enormous pressure created during operation. Please note that after cooking, excess steam is released manually through a special valve. Do this carefully so as not to get burned by the ejected jet. Then open the lid. Otherwise there is a risk of an accident. Thus, we see the only drawback of a pressure cooker - the relative danger. Which, however, is reduced to a minimum by knowledge of the rules for operating the device.

As for the set of programs, the functions of the pressure cooker do not differ much from those with which a typical multicooker is endowed: Rice, Meat, etc. However, it is possible to cook soup in a pressure cooker. You will need less water than usual. In selected models, it is possible to set a custom program.

Review of the best multicookers

With a large assortment of different models of multicookers and multicookers-pressure cookers on today's market, it is difficult not to get confused and purchase the right one. The following brief overview will be useful for housewives who have not decided on the choice of kitchen appliance:

Multicookers from the Redmond brand are very popular in our market. The Chinese manufacturer has proven itself well and produces high-quality equipment at affordable prices; Redmond multicookers are inexpensive compared to expensive brands. Brands such as Vitesse, Marta, Vitek are not far behind in popularity; Redmond produces high-quality equipment at affordable prices.
Many people have a question: is it worth overpaying, since you can buy a multicooker at a lower price with the same functions as in expensive models? Products from the Moulinex, Cuckoo, Stadler and Bork brands are of high quality and are not cheap, so they are purchased less often.

Take a slow cooker or pressure cooker

Redmond refuses to understand one simple thing: when deciding what to choose, a multicooker or a multicooker-pressure cooker, the consumer is guided by the desire to save time. This means that you need to indicate on the website the cooking time for fish, beef, pork, and pilaf. Reason for paying money? Home multicookers have become familiar. We know that pans cook faster, we don’t try to delve into the details, when we come across a device that will save time, we want to know everything!

Instead, there is zero information on the official website, meager words quoting the operating instructions for multicookers: the fish is cooked for 15-20 minutes, pilaf 25. What is included in the concept. In order for the pilaf to turn brown, you must first burn the carrots until they become sugary. At the same time, onions and garlic are added and the meat is fried. How can a home multicooker/pressure cooker help? Do you mean that when we add rice on top and add water, the countdown for 25 minutes will begin from the indicated moment? It remains a secret; Redmond has classified the recipe book. Perhaps it is impossible to make brown pilaf using a pressure cooker? Many people really don’t know how to make food according to tradition.

How can we decide which is better, a multicooker or a multicooker-pressure cooker, without knowing the key features! First of all, speed. I like the website of the Swiss mixer Bamix, which posted a professional video with 5 recipes in 5 minutes. We see right away: the device is useful.

What a pressure cooker. The word on the screen plus promises of quick cooking! Cereals, scalded with boiling water, are cooked for 15 - 20 minutes without the tricks of a typical multicooker. The difference is small, powerless to deserve the prefix indicating speed. Consider a purely specific aspect: the death of bacteria and worm eggs takes the time allotted by nature. Although at 100 degrees Celsius, most of it happens quickly. But when barbecuing, the tapeworms survive by infecting the eaters. Evaluate the security aspect with the VashTechnik portal.

Review of the best multi-pressure cookers

Now let's look at the top pressure cookers:

And in this review, the Redmond brand is in the lead, because the manufacturer has various models: inexpensive and easy to use, middle-class multicookers and pressure cookers for large families;

The manufacturer has various models: inexpensive and easy to use, multi-cookers, middle-class pressure cookers and for large families.
Many manufacturers producing various models of multicookers also offer multicookers-pressure cookers to consumers as ideal devices for preparing food in the shortest possible time. These are Vitesse, Marta, Moulinex, the brands that were mentioned earlier, and Lumme, Steba, which received positive reviews from Russian housewives in 2018 and have earned their place in the kitchen.

Pressure cooker-multi-cooker - what is special?

A multicooker and a multicooker-pressure cooker are outwardly very similar devices that are strikingly different from each other.

Often, devices have different dimensions. The volume and size of a pressure cooker exceeds the same parameters of a multicooker. Accordingly, a multicooker can take up less space and leave more space in the kitchen.
Also, the safety of operating a multicooker may be higher than that of a pressure cooker, because jets of hot steam can periodically emit from the pressure cooker, which can burn your hands and face if safety precautions are not followed.
The operating principles of the devices are designed differently. A slow cooker cooks food much slower than a double boiler. The ability to open the lid during cooking exists only with a multicooker, which is very convenient when preparing a multi-stage dish that requires periodic stirring or adding ingredients. Under no circumstances should the multicooker-pressure cooker be opened during cooking, since the valve creates a certain pressure inside the container, which facilitates rapid cooking.
Self-adjustment is an additional function present in both the pressure cooker and the multicooker. However, its availability depends on the price of the model. The more expensive the device, the more functionality.
The number of dishes that can be cooked in a pressure cooker is very limited, but as for the multicooker, thanks to its numerous functions, the number of dishes that can be cooked in it is much greater. Many people know that a pressure cooker is only suitable for cooking and is certainly not suitable for baking. A multicooker will adequately cope with this task. Its recipe includes the preparation of cakes and biscuits. The controls are very simple and intuitive. It is not always possible to set up a pressure cooker the first time and the result is an unsuccessful dish.

Usefulness and necessity

Every housewife is concerned about the question of which device is best for cooking. Where are the beneficial properties of products preserved to the greatest extent? If we talk about a multicooker and a pressure cooker, then the palm should be given to the first. In a pressure cooker, food is exposed not only to high temperature, but also to high pressure. In a slow cooker, food is processed more gently and naturally, the resulting dish is much healthier than food from a pressure cooker.

Food in a slow cooker languishes and stands, similar to the principle of a Russian stove. This method of cooking gives food excellent taste and retains beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Caring for dishes

But housewives should not forget that any kitchen appliance requires care - thorough cleaning and cleaning of the lid and bowl, special spoons and utensils included in the kit:

It is not recommended to use hard sponges or aggressive detergents to clean a ceramic or Teflon bowl. Sponges or microfiber cloths are ideal;
After washing, the bowl must be wiped dry;
The lid of the device should be wiped after each use;
To get rid of the ingrained smell of previously prepared dishes, you should dilute the juice of half a lemon in one glass of water and pour it into a bowl;
When cleaning the internal parts, you must disconnect the device from the power supply. Allow the multicooker and pressure cooker to dry thoroughly before plugging it in.

The lid of the device should be wiped after each use.
With proper care and careful handling, such a modern gadget as a multi-cooker or pressure cooker-multi-cooker, regardless of the manufacturer’s brand, will serve for a long time and conscientiously, performing its functions.