Modern living places all kinds of pressure on our time, energy and space, and it can sometimes feel like the latest technology is only making things more complicated. Multi-cookers are today’s latest innovation that simplify life and save you time and hassle.
Multi-cookers make it easier than ever to prepare healthy, varied and delicious meals at home – even when time isn’t on your side. They guide you step by step through the cooking and baking process, has many settings ready and cooks your ingredients slowly and gently with the slow cook function, so that very many nutrients are preserved.
Some multi-cookers offer up to 15 functions including cooking, roasting, boiling, baking, frying, grilling, stewing, and steaming. Imagine having a steamer, fryer, stove, oven, slowcooker, pressure cooker, ricecooker, breadmaker and yoghurt maker in one.
These cookers are incredible value for money and offer versatility for those who need space-saving appliance solutions.
We have created this guide that will help you select the best multi-cookers for your kitchen.
Our Picks for the Best Multi-cookers
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
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Power: 1000 watts
Capacity: 5.7 litres
Size: 33 x 32 x 31 cm
Accessories: Stainless-steel Cooking Bowl, Steam Rack, Soup Spoon, Spatula
Price: £83.30
The Instant Pot has become one of the most well-known name in the constantly expanding multi-cooker market, even though plenty of other companies make multi-cookers, too.
There are a number of different models of Instant Pot, but this model is the bestselling one. You now have access to 7 kitchen appliances in one item as it has the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker & warmer.
The Instant Pot Duo comes with 14 built-in smart programs (Soup, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Sauté, Steam, Rice, Porridge, Multigrain, Slow Cook, Yogurt, Pasteurize & Jiu Niang).
It also features a “keep warm” and a “delay start” function.
The Keep Warm button turns on automatically once the cooking period is over, which means it will keep your food warm at a safe temperature until you’re ready to eat it.
The Delay Start function allow you to program the unit to begin cooking at a later time.
The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 has more than enough functions for the everyday home cook and does all of them pretty well for the price.
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Ninja Foodi 11-in-1
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Power: 1000 watts
Capacity: 6 litres
Size: 15.67 x 15.39 x 16.14 cm
Accessories: Cook & Crisp Basket, Reversible Rack, Recipe Guide
Price: £229
Ninja offers some of the most popular multi-cookers on the market, and despite having only launched its first multicooker with air frying capabilities in 2018, Ninja has continued to innovate and now come up with a whole new design that’s more convenient than ever.
The Ninja Foodi multi cookers hast three main cooking modes – pressure cooking, combo-steam and air fry – are selected by moving the ‘SmartLid Slider’ from left to right, and each main mode is subdivided into various cooking functions.
As the name might also suggest, this model has 11 programmable cooking functions, allowing you to cook a variety of dishes. These include: Pressure Cook, Air Fry/Air Crisp, Steam, Slow Cook, Yogurt, Sear/Sauté, Bake/Roast, Broil, Dehydrate, Sous Vide & Keep Warm.
The Ninja Foodi is a must for any kitchen, especially in these times, where cooking at home is more frequent and where time spent cooking is precious. In less than an hour you can have all sorts of complete dishes with this versatile device that can go from pressure cooking to crisping easily (perfect for a roast chicken!).
Last but not least, the Ninja Foodi Mini Multi-Cooker accessories are coated with a special non-stick ceramic that makes them easy to clean, as they are both hand and dishwasher-friendly.
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Sage the Fast Slow Pro
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Power: 1100 watts
Capacity: 6 litres
Size: 34.3 x 32.3 x 34.8 cm
Accessories: Stainless Steamer Basket, Stainless Rack, Recipe Guide
Price: £198.95
Sage The Fast Slow Pro is a multi-cooker that emphasises pressure and slow cooking capabilities with several other handy functions. It comes with 11 Pressure cook settings – soup, stew, rice, risotto, vegetables, beans, meats, etc – plus a custom setting to suit your favourite recipes.
It has large and Interactive LCD which tells you when the cooker is pressurizing, cooking or releasing steam.
The Fast Slow Pro also offers Three-way safety system features a locking lid, hands-free steam release and a safety valve for worry-free pressure cooking.
Delay start and keep warm functions will help if you’re leaving it to cook while you’re out of the house, too.
The excellent instruction manual is well written and easy to follow. Also included is a recipe guide with over 40 recipes.
Hinged and removable lid that is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning after use.
While it may cost more than twice, the Sage The Fast Slow Pro is 5-10% better than the Instant Pot Duo. Its quality and stylish design more than makes up for its premium price tag.
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Tefal All-in-One Multi-Cooker
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Power: 1600 watts
Capacity: 6 litres
Size: 13.39 x 13.39 x 15.63 cm
Accessories: Steam Basket, Trivet, Measuring Cup, Spatula
Price: £119
There are 25 unique one-touch programmes about to choose from, including pressure cook, slow cook, steam, brown, simmer, reheat, bake, rice, porridge and baby food. DIY Chef mode lets you set the cooking time and temperature to suit your own recipe.
The cooking performance is impressive, producing tender and flavoursome chicken dishes and fluffy basmati rice.
Furthermore, it has a 24-hour daily timer that allows you to set a time when you want your food to be cooked (when you’re getting home from work, for example) and leave the cooker to handle it.
The Keep Warm function helps keep food hot once it finishes cooking until you’re ready to serve it.
Best of all, it comes with a very affordable price tag, making it a worthwhile consideration.
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Crockpot Express Multi-Cooker
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Power: 1000 watts
Capacity: 5.6 litres
Size: 34.4 x 30.8 x 34 cm
Accessories: Steaming Rack, Stirring Spoon and Recipe Guide
Price: £88
Crock Pot is a well-known brand in America and is beginning to expand the market here in the UK, too.
Priced at under £100, the Crockpot Express Pressure Multi-Cooker offers excellent value for money. This multi-cooker does almost everything more expensive models do, at the same level and it’s easy to use, too.
Containing four different methods of cooking, this multi-cooker can be used to pressure cook, slow cook, steam vegetables, and brown or sauté meat. This pressure cooker features eight cooking presets, including meat/stew, beans/chili, rice/risotto, yogurt, poultry, dessert, soup and multigrain.
It features plenty of safety precautions, like an airtight locking lid that only opens when the pressure has been released so you can feel safe using it.
On top of that, a delay timer (max four hours) and a keep warm (for up to four hours) function mean you can have food ready for a time that suits you.
Moreover, the control and interface are clearly laid out and simple to use.
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Drew&Cole CleverChef Multi-cooker
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Power: 860 watts
Capacity: 5 litres
Size: 31 x 24 x 23 cm
Accessories: Steaming Rack, Stirring Spoon and Recipe Book
Price: £69
Priced at under £70, the Drew&Cole Multi Cooker offers excellent value for money. With 14 pre-set cooking functions – You can slow cook, roast, sauté, bake, stew, steam, keep food warm, make bread rise, and make soup, rice, yoghurt, and more.
The Drew & Cole CleverChef features a removable and non-stick inner pot, which you can clean easily and dishwasher safe.
Furthermore, the Drew&Cole CleverChef Multi-Cooker comes with delay cooking and keep warm functions also mean that it will fit into your busy schedule.
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What to Look for When Buying a Multi-Cooker
Capacity
When looking for the right multi-cooker for your kitchen, the search starts with size. Consider the average number of people you’ll be preparing meals for. 6-litre capacity also provides enough room to feed a family of up to seven. But if you’re used to cooking for larger crowds, you’ll likely need an 8-litre capacity.
Safety Features
Consider a multi cooker with safety features such as a locking lid, pressure release mechanism, lid lip vent, temperature control and auto shut-off. An auto-shutoff feature will shut the device off if something goes wrong. If your multi-cooker can pressure cook, safety is an extra important consideration.
Functions
Some of the more pricey models can replace your air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, dehydrator, vegetable steamer, rice cooker, and more. For many home cooks, slow-cooking, searing and pressure cooking will be enough. Check the specifications before purchasing to make sure the model can do what you need most.
Conclusion
However, if we’re to pick an overall winner from our best multi-cookers reviews, then it will be our editor’s choice, the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 multi-cooker. It is ideal for everyday cooking, but it can also be used to either slow cook or pressure cook. Additionally, it can keep your food warm thanks to its auto keep-warm function.