All in one cookers

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I've been wanting to get a pressure cooker for a while now and have also been considering getting a new yoghurt maker. the cheap one I picked up second hand has started to play up. now I was looking at getting separate devices but my husband wants to spend Aussie $175 on a slow cooker that is a rice cooker, yoghurt maker, pressure cooker device (made by Philips) and I was wondering if the concept is any good. does it do too much? is it worth it? do you use yours?

I guess I would be using it to make yoghurt several times a week, cook beans from dried pulses especially when I've forgotten to put them on to soak and cook rice in it (though this last bit remains to be seen). I'm hesitant because I know I've often got yoghurt on the go at the same time as other things are cooking such as a stew or chickpeas etc and with one device doing it all, I'll only be able to do one thing at a time.

This is the one he is thinking of getting me
http://www.philips.com.au/c-m-ho/cooking/all-in-one-cooker

 

[Cinisajoy]

I will say that one looks much nicer than the Instant Pot everyone on another site is bragging about.
Now I don't own one because I don't pressure cook or make yogurt. Although the big reason for not getting one is I like you do several things at once.

I guess you should be asking yourself a couple of things.
Will you use it enough to make it cost effective?
Do you have the space for it?

 

[Morning Glory]

I've been wanting to get a pressure cooker for a while now and have also been considering getting a new yoghurt maker. the cheap one I picked up second hand has started to play up. now I was looking at getting separate devices but my husband wants to spend Aussie $175 on a slow cooker that is a rice cooker, yoghurt maker, pressure cooker device (made by Philips) and I was wondering if the concept is any good. does it do too much? is it worth it? do you use yours?

I guess I would be using it to make yoghurt several times a week, cook beans from dried pulses especially when I've forgotten to put them on to soak and cook rice in it (though this last bit remains to be seen). I'm hesitant because I know I've often got yoghurt on the go at the same time as other things are cooking such as a stew or chickpeas etc and with one device doing it all, I'll only be able to do one thing at a time.

This is the one he is thinking of getting me
http://www.philips.com.au/c-m-ho/cooking/all-in-one-cooker

Looking at conversion to pounds that £100! A hell of a lot to pay for something unless you use a lot.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I've been wanting to get a pressure cooker for a while now and have also been considering getting a new yoghurt maker. the cheap one I picked up second hand has started to play up. now I was looking at getting separate devices but my husband wants to spend Aussie $175 on a slow cooker that is a rice cooker, yoghurt maker, pressure cooker device (made by Philips) and I was wondering if the concept is any good. does it do too much? is it worth it? do you use yours?

I guess I would be using it to make yoghurt several times a week, cook beans from dried pulses especially when I've forgotten to put them on to soak and cook rice in it (though this last bit remains to be seen). I'm hesitant because I know I've often got yoghurt on the go at the same time as other things are cooking such as a stew or chickpeas etc and with one device doing it all, I'll only be able to do one thing at a time.

This is the one he is thinking of getting me
http://www.philips.com.au/c-m-ho/cooking/all-in-one-cooker

I just want a regular pressure cooker, 8-qts.

 

[Cinisajoy]

Looking at conversion to pounds that £100! A hell of a lot to pay for something unless you use a lot.

We can get cheaper ones here for $60.
I agree with you when it comes to $100+ small appliances, the main question becomes will you use it enough to make it cost effective. Note: that dollar amount corresponds directly with your income. Not so many years ago, that figure would have been $10.

Now I have confidence that SatNavSaysStraightOn will use hers.
The ones that leave me shaking my head are the ones that say "I don't like anything to do with cooking" so I bought this really neat appliance I saw on TV.
The sous vide cooker seems popular right now too. (In years past before the fancy gadgets, it was known as boil in a bag.)

 

[classic33]

Compromises will be made with any multi-use item. They'll not be as good in actual use and/or durability as the individual items.

You may also find yourself paying for something you don't actually need, but it's use is included anyway.

As for the price, paid £60 in '85 for a deep fat fryer that saw daily use for six years. So price isn't that steep when compared.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'm still umming and arhing over it to be honest. I can't make up my mind. The yoghurt maker I wanted was $50. It was much better than the one that is giving up the ghost at the moment and cooking my yoghurt rather than fermenting it. The rice maker side in that model can only be used for the specified time which is basically plain white rice which we don't eat. The only rice I can see that would work in it is white basmati, again we don't eat. It is the slow cooker, pressure cooker side of life that is more interesting to me. I need both, I have the space, space here isn't an issue. Work surface space is another matter, but it can and would be stored elsewhere. I just wanted other people's opinions on them - if they even have a multi cooker/all-in-one cooker as they are called here and as to what use it would get. I can see the pressure cooker side of it being used very frequently, the yoghurt side at least once or twice a week (it depends on me making 1 or 2L at a time. At the moment I can only make 1.4L (7 pots of 200ml) and 1 gets reserved as the starter for the next batch, so you don't get 6 days especially with me sometimes eating it in the evening as well as over my breakfast cereal. It's a difficult one. Something cheaper is likely to break through being use too much by me - as the yoghurt maker has! We do prefer to purchase quality because it lasts so much longer and this one in particular has a conventional mains adaptor which can easily be swapped out for a UK one when/if we return. Something we have become very aware of since entering Australia and having to try to swap out/rewire plugs here (illegal to do so!).

 

[Morning Glory]

this one in particular has a conventional mains adaptor which can easily be swapped out for a UK one when/if we return.

My italics.

I'm afraid I have no experience of multi function appliances. But my feeling is that if you are trying to use it as a yoghurt maker as well as the other functions, then you will have time conflicts and you may find it frustrating. Why do you need a pressure cooker BTW? I have one but almost never use it... the slow cooker I use sometimes.

 

[Morning Glory]

I'd also add that a rice cooker function is a waste of time - particularly if you don't cook white rice!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

The pressure cooker side of life is for dried beans and pulses which am constantly forgetting to put on for an overnight soak at the moment. it's difficult to do so when everything had to be sealed and liked away at night because of the mouse issues, the cockroach issues (variety of sizes and just a fact of life here) and the old potential for rats (previous tenants but we have irradicated them from the house and possibly the chook house and barn as well). mice attract snacks so we really don't want to help them, such to the point that no veg waste is put out in the waste and all is kept in a sealed bin in the fridge until it is burnt. a compost heap is out of the question. I'm considering a meal wormery but still thinking that over a well.

I think we'll pass of this model, I can't see the features getting much use. The lack of adjustable times is the biggest issue. the next model up just released has more adjustable times. it will give us something to think on...

 

[Morning Glory]

I was also going to ask what you use a slow cooker for. I mean, obviously you can cook veg and beans in it but is there a particular advantage as these things don't take long to cook on the stove. I use mine (and I suspect most people do) for cheap cuts of meat which would require slow cooking. Also, a lot of people use them if they are out all day...

 

[Cinisajoy]

I was also going to ask what you use a slow cooker for. I mean, obviously you can cook veg and beans in it but is there a particular advantage as these things don't take long to cook on the stove. I use mine (and I suspect most people do) for cheap cuts of meat which would require slow cooking. Also, a lot of people use them if they are out all day...

I think we are talking two different kinds of beans. Pinto beans take hours to cook. If you soak them overnight, then you are still talking 2 hours. If you don't soak them at least 8 hours.
Now I have heard you can pressure cook them in a few minutes.

I use my slow cookers mostly for roasts, beans and reheating soups.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I was also going to ask what you use a slow cooker for. I mean, obviously you can cook veg and beans in it but is there a particular advantage as these things don't take long to cook on the stove. I use mine (and I suspect most people do) for cheap cuts of meat which would require slow cooking. Also, a lot of people use them if they are out all day...

The slow cooker side of life was the ability to cook some of my bean based stews or other stews/soups/casseroles when put all day which does occasionally happen. certainly before my back went, I used to be put all day most days and would have to get up earlier when I needed to get a meal cooker so we both had something to come home to in the way of did.
For example if I have a doctors apt, right now my husband has to come home early from work, pick me up, then drive back into the local town and attend the apt with me before bringing me home. now there is no reason why, once I have my fitness back, I couldn't cycle into town myself and have that apt, before coming home again. not is there any reason, long term, as to why I couldn't cycle into the city to join him on a Friday night, do the shopping and come home with him... it would save the issues we have on a Saturday at the moment, not to mention nearly 100km of fuel and driving on a Saturday. right now, if we need more than 2 shops on a Saturday, so for shopping as day grain for the girls (chooks) plus want to go somewhere else, we are out all day covering lunchtime as well. we will leave home at 8am and not be home until 3-4pm sometimes much later. if i need to cook on a Saturday at the moment I'm doing it on a Friday even if I already have a Friday nights evening meal cooked and ready, simply because I won't have time on the Saturday. the hope was that something like a slow cooker would add extra time into the day and mean we come home to a cooked meal.

But we talked ourselves out of that model at the very least. right now, we are back to the drawing board and are rethinking the concept. the model above was simply not flexible enough for our needs. the rice cooker, useless for example, the cake mode not flexible enough (my birthday cake would have cooked in it, my Christmas cake would not) the yoghurt maker side people day with time you'll need to put the yoghurt in a separate container inside the machine because the bowl picks up a curry flavour to it etc....

One interesting tip I did read was regarding non-dairy yoghurt making. in order to get the yoghurt thicker and more set like Greek yoghurt was to put 1tbsp per litre of milk into the milk and culture at the start to help the bacteria. I tried it today and it worked which rather surprised me!

 

[GadgetGuy]

I think we are talking two different kinds of beans. Pinto beans take hours to cook. If you soak them overnight, then you are still talking 2 hours. If you don't soak them at least 8 hours.
Now I have heard you can pressure cook them in a few minutes.

I use my slow cookers mostly for roasts, beans and reheating soups.

For pinto beans, I just use the pressure cooker eliminate all that hassle.

Bang, boom, Done in an hour! No soaking required!

 

[Kake Lover]

If you buy a pressure cooker, you will quickly find lots of other time saving ways to use it. I can't imagine life without mine. It's the complete opposite of a slow cooker! For example, I do mince, veg and pearl barley at 20 mins full pressure, then quickly thicken it slightly with a little cornflour.
It's heavy though. Not a problem if you release the pressure slowly on the hob, but to stop cooking and quickly release the pressure you have to lift it and put it under cold running water for a few seconds.