How to use a Multi Cooker? Useful Tips and Advice

Unlocking the huge potential of your multi cooker is based on understanding its possibilities and its limitations. If you learn how to use it as it was meant to be used, not only will you be able to serve up the best and most delicious meals, you will do so in the shortest possible time, prolong the life of your multi cooker and even save on your power bills.

Here is our list of essential tips and advice you can use to ensure all of that.

1. Read the manual

Yes, we know – this can seem like a mammoth task! However, it is also the single best way to understand the capabilities and best practices to ensure that your multi cooker serves you safely and well for many years to come.

There is a lot of advice on the internet on how to operate your multi cooker. Unfortunately, they are generic articles that cannot compare to the advice and general guidelines that the manufacturer of your device has compiled.

The best part? The manuals usually contain a list of the best recipes tried and tested for the best result, accompanied by very precise instructions. Your first few multi cooker test meals should usually be one of these.

2. Maintenance is essential

Every machine deteriorates from environmental factors and use, be it your car, your mobile phone or your multi cooker.

Because of the high temperatures involved, constant contact with hot solids and liquids, the presence of valves and protrusions which may become encrusted with residue, a multi cooker needs to be cleaned regularly.

Certain components like escape valves and rubber seals are magnets for trouble – ensure that you clean them and other removable components after every use.

We put 'Read the Manual’ at number 1 for a reason – all the exact instructions and best practices will be listed there.

3. You Will Need Trial and Error

Despite the very precise instructions in recipes, even those specifically for multi cookers (and even specifically for your model), differences in ingredients, ambient conditions and even power supply can affect the end result.

You will have to do some basic trial and error with different ingredients and recipes to get the best idea of what works for your multi cooker. Keep in mind also that seasonal changes may affect the cooking characteristics of the same ingredients over the course of the year.

4. Experiment!

Yes, after you have learnt all the basics and followed all the recipes, throw them all out (figuratively, not literally, please)!

The multi cooker is a cooking tool so diverse that it will be a pleasure to explore all its capabilities. Besides the common uses, people have used their multi cookers to prepare:

• mulled wine;
• brownies;
• yoghurt.

You can do all those and even more.