Which multifunctional pot to choose?

When the kitchen is small and there is no time to spin around the pots, you should consider purchasing a multifunctional pot. Such a device would greatly facilitate cooking and would not take up much space. We'll tell you more about how to choose the multifunctional pot that best suits your needs.

How the multifunctional pot works

To better understand the capabilities of a multifunctional pot, you need to know how it works. The multifunctional pot is an electronic pressure cooker - a pot with a tightly-fitting lid that fits into a special electric heater. A special heater heats the pot from the bottom and sides, and some models even from the top. So the heat is evenly distributed on all sides. As a result, cooking in a multifunctional pan is much faster.
The multifunctional pot is equipped with special heat and pressure sensors, so it is easy to program the pot for certain dishes, such as porridge or stew. The pot rarely rolls, but it is easy to clean, all you need to do is add water and turn on the steaming function for several minutes.
Because everything is electronically controlled, the pot has a lot of cooking features. Some models have dozens of them.

Multifunctional pot programs

The multifunctional pot should be chosen according to your cooking habits and real needs. If the family eats healthy porridge in the morning, you should look for a multifunctional pot with this feature. True, the porridge function has all such pots without exception. But porridge does not match. Buckwheat, rice, millet and other grits are sometimes boiled without milk to make them loose. This requires a special function for cooking bulk products.
One of the key features of multifunctional pots is the steaming of vegetables and meat. Sometimes even special liners are added to cook several products at once.
Other popular features are stew. Vegetable and meat casseroles sometimes differ.

The cooking program is by far the most popular. It is used to cook all soups as well as potatoes, meat, fish and other products.

The baking program is also found in all multifunction pots. It is intended for roasting meat and fish, and for making various casseroles.

Another popular program is food warming. You put the pot out of the fridge at its base and quickly heat up the soup or other dishes. Of course, this is also possible for defrosting frozen products, but usually there is a separate program.

The multifunctional pot is not a microwave oven and therefore does not harm the food in any way.

Delayed operation is one of the most demanding applications found on almost all models. It is possible to set the pot to turn on after a certain time. This feature is useful for evening meal preparation. For example, in the morning you put the products in the stew, set the program, and set the meal to start cooking after 10 hours (if you make a 7 in the morning, the pot will turn itself on before 5 in the evening). This saves considerable time. Some models already have Wi-Fi receivers, so they can be controlled using special gadgets on the phone. Of course, they must be connected to electricity.

Multifunctional pots have even more applications that are designed to prepare certain products. For example, for pasta, yogurt. More expensive models with more applications can even have features such as bread dough raising. Yes, they can make dough for homemade bread, although electric toasters are separate appliances. Want fondue dishes? Some models have this feature. Got homemade milk and want to make curd quickly?

Without problems, the multifunctional pot can do that too. Like boiled jelly or broth. All of these are just a few of the dozens of features that can be useful and needed for your family.

Size and power

Once you have selected the features you need to help your family's food production processes, other important parameters like size and power should be kept in mind.

The size of the multifunctional pot is measured in liters. Most popular models have pots of 4-5 liters, but 6 liters are also available. How many liters does your family need? The calculation is simple - an adult eats at least 1 liter of a delicious soup made with love. If there are 4-5 people in the family, a 5 liter pot should be free. If there are fewer individuals in the family, such a large pot is not required. 

We usually talk about power and power consumption the same way everywhere - a more powerful device heats up faster, performs the tasks assigned to it, so we recommend choosing a more powerful one. This principle no longer applies to multi-purpose pots! The food is cooked for a while, so no matter what the power is, you will cook the soup or porridge for the set 15 minutes. More power may come from preheating the pot before turning on the cooking program. For this reason, we recommend choosing between 800 and 900 watts of power. Higher power can be used economically. Less power will mean that the overall cooking time will be long enough, eliminating the need to compete with traditional pots.

It is also important to read the specifications of the pots and the special accessories that come with your new multifunctional pot. These are usually special jars for yogurt, a measuring cup, a spoon, a tray for steaming products and so on. Some manufacturers also sell silicone pot lids separately so that they can be safely placed in a refrigerator with pre-cooked and chilled food.

The multifunctional pot is a particularly good solution for small kitchens where a double or even single-cooktop is fitted. Of course, the pot can also be taken on a trip so you will also enjoy great food at the seaside cabin. The price of a multi-purpose pot is not very high - from 50 to 120 euros.