What is the temperature in the quenching mode in the slow cooker. Modes, programs in multicookers

It is necessary to understand what temperature to choose for cooking. Redmond in the instructions for his multicookers gives a table of temperatures for the multicooker. You can focus on it when you use a multi-cooker and in other multi-cookers. See the table at the bottom of the article.
General recommendations are

What to cook in the multicook mode at a temperature of 35-45 degrees

Redmond also suggests making vinegar at 35 degrees. This is the right temperature for making vinegar, but it's not really clear how you can actually use a slow cooker to make vinegar, since it takes several days to cook. It is difficult to imagine a hostess who will take a slow cooker for vinegar for several days, however, such a theoretical possibility of cooking vinegar in a slow cooker exists.

What to cook in the multicook mode at a temperature of 50-80 degrees

At temperatures above 50 degrees, it is convenient to cook all kinds of confectionery - melt chocolate, cook fudge

Temperatures of 70 - 80 degrees are good for making drinks from wine - such as punch, mulled wine
Redmond also suggests brewing tea at these temperatures. Of course, under normal conditions, when you have an electric kettle, it makes more sense to use it to heat water. However, a multicooker for making tea can be used in semi-camping conditions - for example, in the country.

The same temperatures are suitable for pasteurization. We remind you that pasteurization is a way of destroying harmful microbes by heating liquids (wine, beer, milk, marinades, sour compotes for canning) to temperatures below 100 degrees, which allows you to save useful substances.

What to cook in the multicook mode at a temperature of 85-100 degrees

At temperatures of 85-95 degrees, products are prepared according to the principle of slow languor, that is, the temperature is high, but below the boiling point of water. A temperature of almost 100 degrees is good for milk porridges. But, as a rule, in modern multicookers, porridge is cooked on special milk porridge programs, and not on a multicooker. See the list of programs for multicookers
Jam is prepared at 100 degrees - that is, at a constant boil, and for baking, a temperature of 100-110 degrees is good for making meringues.

What you need to know when using multicook temperatures above 100 degrees.

Temperatures above 100 degrees are baking and frying temperatures. That is, the preparation of solid foods. If you want to cook soups, stew vegetables or meat at temperatures above 100 degrees, then your slow cooker should be a pressure cooker. That is, work under pressure. It is the pressure that can ensure the boiling of the liquid at temperatures above 100 degrees, and thus speed up cooking. And such cooking takes place with a blocked lid.
If you do not have a pressure cooker function in your slow cooker, then use temperatures above 100 degrees only for baking and frying.

At a temperature of 130 degrees - it is good to fry foods - for example, to make frying for soup

At a temperature of about 160 degrees - fry steaks, poultry. Cakes are baked at the same temperature.
A temperature of 170-180 degrees is used for deep frying when it is necessary to boil the vegetable oil.

Temperature table for a multicooker (from the instructions for Redmond multicookers)

The main problem with baking in a slow cooker is uneven baking. Often the bottom of the baking is obtained with a thick crust, while the top is not baked. To correct this shortcoming, it is usually recommended to turn pastries, but we will go the other way.

First, let's take a quick look at why baking in a slow cooker is uneven. Let's look at Fig.1:

Rice. 1. The dough lies at the bottom of the multicooker

This figure schematically depicts the process of conventional baking, when the dough simply lies on the bottom of the bowl. It is clearly seen that the heat from the heating element is transferred from the walls of the bottom of the bowl, first to the bottom layer of the dough, and then from it to the next layers. It is obvious that the overlying layers of dough receive less heat energy than the lower layer. This is due to the low thermal conductivity of the dough (for example, compared to water). Due to the low thermal conductivity of the dough, the temperature drops at the bottom of the bowl are also much higher relative to the set one (the heating element, after all, periodically turns on and off). If there were water in the bowl, it would dampen these differences due to the high thermal conductivity, in the case of the test, the temperature peaks can be much higher.

So, we have decided on the main reason for uneven baking - this is the adhesion of products to the bottom of the bowl, i.e. to the main source of heat in multicookers. What to do?

I tried just lifting the food so that there was a layer of air underneath the food. Thus, the air must be heated and, according to the laws of physics, it must rise up. That is, we must ensure the free passage of hot air from the bottom up.

Rice. 2. The dough is raised and surrounded by hot air

On fig. 2 shows that the dough is raised above the bottom and is washed from all sides by hot air. The main thing is that in this case there is no adherence of products to the bottom of the bowl. And the temperature difference in the air is small, since there is a constant movement of hot air from the bottom up.

Warning! Use this method if the multicooker instructions do not prohibit use with an empty bowl.

To lift the dough and at the same time ensure the free passage of hot air from the bottom to the top, I used this silicone mold:

It fits multicooker bowls almost perfectly in diameter, only the rim prevents the lid from closing, so I cut it off, and also cut (shortened) the central trunk through which hot air should pass freely from bottom to top. Thus, hot air should more or less evenly wash the products that are in this form. But this needs to be checked.

In the bowl, this shape sits like this:

But there is a drawback: if the silicone mold is loaded with products, it will fall to the bottom of the bowl. To avoid this, you need to put some kind of stand under the form. This stand should be metal and pass air well, i.e. it must be some kind of lattice. But I used a steel sieve of a suitable diameter as a stand:

Here it is in the multicooker bowl:

The photo clearly shows that the sieve is raised above the bottom of the bowl and passes air well - and this is what we need.

I went the easy way and for the experiment I took a ready mix for making a cake:

I beat this pair of packages according to the recipe with four eggs and a pack of Belarusian butter. Put the whipped mixture into the form:

I remind you that the steel sieve under it holds the silicone mold in weight, and the hot air from below will enter the upper part of the bowl through the hole (trunk) in the center of the silicone mold.

We put the bowl in the multicooker:

And bake at a temperature of 160 degrees for a little more than an hour. Since the dough does not touch the bottom and will be washed by hot air, the temperature must be set higher (150-160 degrees), at which it is allowed to cook in your slow cooker with the lid closed - the air temperature will be 20-30 degrees lower. Those. in the end we get a classic oven.

Cooking... Turning off... Let's see what happened... from all sides:

Well, what can I say? Everything was baked on all sides very well and evenly, there is only a hint of a crust, which is very good for health. [pictures can be clicked to enlarge]

True, since the cupcake itself is dark, it is difficult to judge the crust from the photo, but I also tried to bake the simplest pies with cabbage. Raised the pies above the bottom of the bowl also with the help of a steel sieve:

Just do not close the entire sieve with pies - you need to leave holes for hot air to pass up.

Here is the result:

This is how the pies are baked on top:

And this is how the pies are baked from the bottom:

And here is the light brownie:

In general, I am very pleased with the result. But keep in mind that the baking process takes a little longer and the multicooker must be able to cook at high temperatures (from 145 degrees and above). Also, I think, for massive products, the power of the multicooker may not be enough, i.e. a chicken or a large piece of meat in this way is unlikely to be baked. But I haven't tried.

I want to warn that the use of high temperatures during baking is essentially equivalent to the prolonged use of the FRY mode, which theoretically can affect the durability of the bowl, so you should not set the maximum temperatures, it is better to limit yourself to 145 - 160 degrees and only if such temperatures in your multicooker can be used with the lid closed. Also, according to the instructions, check if the manufacturer forbids using the multicooker with an empty bowl (in our case, the bowl is not completely empty, but still) - some multicookers may not work correctly in this mode.

I also tried to cook chicken wings on this sieve. I didn't take a photo, but the wings turned out very tender.

Total:

I am waiting for the Steba DD2 XL multicooker with a six-liter steel bowl to go on sale. The pan is taller in it and there will be more room for experiments with raised pastries.

So, you have decided that you should buy a slow cooker, and now you have it in your kitchen.
I wrote earlier about how to make a decision to buy it (or vice versa, refuse it).

How did you decide to start using it - from searching for recipes on the net?

You will find that there are many types and models of multicookers, recipes are often associated with a specific model, and how much these recipes can be trusted is also unknown ...

I will reveal to you a secret, a terrible secret that only those who write recipe books attached to appliances know!

Here it is, the secret (are you ready?):

There are no special recipes for the multicooker.

Any recipe can be adapted to cooking in a slow cooker.

Moreover, all recipes "specially for multicookers" from books and the network are divided into two unequal parts.
Most of the recipes are illiterate in terms of culinary technology and often give a dish that does not correspond to the name at the end.
A smaller part are recipes based on the real capabilities of the device, competent and giving a quality dish at the end.

In order to cook well and tasty in a slow cooker, you need:
- be able to cook in an ordinary pot/frying pan, on an ordinary stove/oven;
- find out all the information about the technical parameters and all modes of a particular model;
- forget everything that you have so far read on the net about the wonders of the multicooker ("tastier than ...", "cooks it yourself ...", "put everything together and left ...") because this is a bluff;
- roll up your sleeves, stock up on time and patience, master a new device in order to get the most out of it.

Shall we start?

First of all, find a suitable place for your multicooker.
As a matter of fact, this should have been thought about before the purchase, and not after.

My experience is that if the appliance is intended for permanent use, it should be placed so that it is always available - not in a pantry, not in a closet, but on a working kitchen table.

In addition, you must have an outlet for connecting the device to which you have constant access, since the device will need to be regularly disconnected from the mains (this is a design feature of most multicookers of all companies).

And finally, the multicooker should stand so that the steam valve is not under the kitchen cabinet. The steam from the valve has high temperature and pressure, falling on the kitchen cabinet, turns into condensate and will cause a fair amount of damage to your furniture over time.

So, the device is standing and connected to the network.

You opened the manual, and there .... Nothing is clear!

In any case, the instructions for my multicooker give a minimum of information, which at first reading seems to be completely abracadabra.
As for the recipe book attached to the device, it does not so much answer questions as it provokes new ones.

Put the papers aside for now, we will deal with what the multicooker can do using the example of the Philips HD3039 model.

The multicooker model Philips HD3039 is very typical and differs little from multicookers produced by other companies, the difference can only be in the name of the modes.

The slow cooker has simple controls (a big plus) and has the bonus of 3D heating.

A simple control panel makes the price more affordable, and the device is more reliable and durable in operation.

3D heating means that the bottom, walls and lid are heated. The wall and lid heaters are not very strong, but, nevertheless, the heating is more uniform. However, the slow cooker, even with 3D heating, does not give a baked crust on top due to the weakness of the upper spiral, so the usual baking (as in the oven) will not work in the pan.

In order to find out how this or that mode works, I stocked up on a bottle of the cheapest vegetable oil and a cooking thermometer.
In all multicookers, the buttons for automatic modes are located on the left, and we will start from this side.

1. Heating mode.
I poured water, turned it on for 20 minutes, opened it and measured the temperature of the water.

60 degrees C is just the temperature at which it is usually recommended to store ready-made meals before serving. The mode turns on automatically upon completion of any program and works for 2 hours.

Is it good or bad?

Let me remind you that multicookers in their other reincarnation were rice cookers. A temperature of 60 degrees C prevents the development of pathogenic bacteria and at the same time does not impair the quality of the finished rice or other cereals.

However, the multicooker is an excellent thermos, so if you do not open it immediately after the end of the program, the temperature inside the pan will drop gradually and slowly and will be above 60C for quite a long time.

This should be taken into account when setting the cooking time or leaving the appliance in automatic mode if you are cooking fish, meat or vegetables.
Their stay for such a long time under heating conditions (albeit gentle) leads to a deterioration in the quality of the finished dish, because the cooking process continues!

2. Rice / buckwheat mode (and any other cereals that require long cooking).
This is the main mode for which the device was created.

Automatic mode. The device stops working at the moment when all the water boils away and the temperature inside the pan rises.
The slow cooker perfectly cooks friable rice and buckwheat (which is mistakenly considered a quickly boiled cereal).

At first glance, everything is very simple and really "everyone fell asleep and went for a walk."

But in fact, it should be understood that each type of cereal requires its own amount of water so that the porridge comes out both ready and crumbly.
For example, for red, black and brown rice, you need to take more water than indicated in the instructions in the program by 20%. Let's say, for 4 measuring cups of cereals, pour water up to the 5 mark, and not 4, as for buckwheat and white rice.

3. Spaghetti.
There is nothing in the instructions about this mode at all. The title means nothing. The program runs until all the liquid boils away (you can only learn about this from the recipe book that comes with the multicooker).

What is the difference between this program and the "rice / buckwheat" program could not be clarified, although I tried to compare the results when using the "rice" and "spaghetti" programs.

I took the same amount of pasta, added the same amount of water, both programs worked for the same time to completion, the result was also the same: the paste was ready, but due to a small amount of water they stuck together in a lump, and was covered with a sticky shell of starch. I had to rinse, after that, of course, the taste of the paste deteriorated sharply.

Conclusion: there is no point in using the program. If necessary, all the same can be cooked on the "rice / buckwheat" program.

4. Boiling.
Everything is clear here: active heating, rapid boiling. The default program run time is 10 minutes, but you can set the time in the range from 5 to 30 minutes. The countdown timer starts after the water boils, so the program time is the actual boil time.

However, if you need to quickly bring the liquid to a boil during cooking, this can be done in the fry or steam mode.

Conclusion: the program has practical application only in the absence of a kettle in the house or the need to boil something for a specific specified time.

5. Steamer.
Everything is clear too. Being able to choose between vegetables, fish and meat actually means choosing the cooking time.
The same mode can be used for cooking in a water bath.

In the "steamer" mode, vegetables, fish and meat are cooked, as well as various steam soufflés (forms for them need to be purchased separately).

6. Frying.
I checked by pouring oil and measuring the temperature after 20 minutes of warming up.
Oil heating temperature - 160C with an open pan, 180C with a closed pan.

Given the small bottom area, high walls and relatively low heating temperature, I think it is right to use the mode only for frying a small amount of vegetables (the so-called "frying" for soup) or frying spices and / or cereals in oil before pouring water.

However, this mode is convenient to use for deep-frying - the oil will not warm up above the set temperature and, therefore, will not burn.
Fans of french fries and other joys of unhealthy food condemned by doctors can buy a special wire basket and fry whatever they want.

7. Baking.
I checked by pouring oil and letting the program run for 20 minutes.
The program time is fixed - 45 minutes. Temperature in the range of 130-160C.

Baking process can be called a stretch. The main heating comes only from the bottom, while the pan is hermetically sealed and there is almost no evaporation of moisture.
However, we all know that protein coagulation occurs with any kind of heat, be it dry heat in an oven or wet heat in a steam bath.

You can "bake" the cake in a conventional microwave oven, and in a frying pan on a fire. The question is what kind of pie is this ...

However, if we are talking about the fact that there is no oven, but you still want some kind of dessert, then it is quite possible to use a slow cooker for this purpose.
Especially good in it are "cupcakes" and "cakes" from dough containing cottage cheese and / or a large number of eggs, since the temperature for such "baking" is just in the range of 160 - 180C.

8. Extinguishing.
In this mode, the multicooker maintains a heating temperature of approximately 100 degrees C. The duration of the program is controlled by a timer, the minimum program time is 1 hour, the maximum is 8 hours.

However, the broth turns out to be quite cloudy, because the boil is violent and the pan is tightly closed.

The situation is better with puree soups, since vegetables in them should still be completely boiled.

When stewing meat, the sauce should be added very little, since evaporation of the liquid is minimal and a large amount of sauce will make the meat boiled and not stewed.

For the same reason - a tightly closed lid and little evaporation of water - stewed vegetables turn out to be too watery.
To evaporate excess water after opening the lid, you need to keep them in the "frying" mode for another 15-20 minutes, constantly stirring. Total - 1 hour 20 minutes, in my opinion - too long for cooking vegetables.

Stewing fish for an hour is generally nonsense.

And do not forget that just leaving the pan to stew vegetables or meat and leaving the house will not work, because at the end of the program the multicooker will switch to the heating mode, which I wrote about above.

In order to "fight" with the automatic transition of the device to the heating mode, you can buy an additional outlet - a clock and program it so that the device turns off from the network immediately after the program ends from the network at a specified time.

9. Warm up.
Active heating, time can be set from 8 to 25 minutes.

As I wrote above, the multicooker has the properties of a good thermos.
If you put a bowl of food in the refrigerator in the evening (so that everything cools together), rearrange it in the multicooker in the morning and program a delayed start, then the food will not go bad and will be hot by the right time.

That's just who needs it today - I do not know.
A microwave will heat up a dish in a few minutes, while a slow cooker will run for 30 minutes using 10 times more electricity...

Even if we assume that you need to heat up food for an elderly person or a small child, who are afraid to let them near the stove, the question remains - how can they then get food out of a hot pan ?!

My conclusion: the regime has no practical use.

That's probably all about the multicooker modes.

Next time I will talk about specific dishes cooked in a slow cooker and how to adapt any dish for cooking in it.

The Pilaf mode is designed for cooking rice and any type of pilaf: with meat, with vegetables, with seafood, with dried fruits. The principle of its operation is the same as that of the Buckwheat mode. However, there is one caveat: in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, the intensive frying function is activated.

First, the program boils, evaporates moisture, and then lightly fries the bottom layer (zirvak), for example, from meat and onions. Using this mode, you can cook not only pilafs from rice and its substitutes (wheat, noodles, buckwheat), but also baked potatoes, and naval pasta, and fried dumplings. In a word, a wide variety of dishes, the preparation of which combines boiling and baking (roasting). Especially tasty is pilaf cooked in a slow cooker. It even has a special mode - Pilaf.

Manual modes

Manual modes in multicookers appeared as a response to ever-increasing user requests to move away from standard modes and recipes. The Redmond brand became a pioneer in satisfying the wishes of the multi-ditch, and then manual modes appeared in models from other manufacturers.
Setting the parameters manually allows you to freely set the time and temperature of cooking. This mode is called differently by different manufacturers: Manual, Your choice, Your recipe, Multicook. They all have different temperature ranges and time steps.

First of all, differences in manual modes appear in the temperature range. Its lower limit for such programs is almost the same - 25-40°C. This temperature may be needed for the preparation of yoghurts, proofing of yeast dough.
But the upper limit varies greatly among different brands. It can be either 100 or 180°C. The last temperature allows deep-frying, high-quality baking of dough products. At the same time, it must be remembered that the ideal temperature for cooking varies from 35 to 160 ° C, so you should not set the temperature above 160 ° C for a long time, as this may be dangerous for the multicooker body. In addition, different models of multicookers have their own characteristics in this mode. So, there are devices with a step of 5, and there are with a step of 20 ° C.

The smaller the step and the larger the temperature range, the more possibilities.
Changes in the cooking time settings for different models of multicookers are also not the same.
The most commonly used range is from 5 minutes to 16 hours with a change step: in the range from 5 minutes to 1 hour - 1 minute; in the interval from 1 hour to 16 hours - 5 minutes.

It turns out that the manual mode allows you to cook all the dishes like on the stove. Are you used to cooking a portion of porridge in 20 minutes on the stove? The same method and recipe can be used in a slow cooker by setting the optimum temperature so that the milk does not “run away” to 70 ° C, for example. Also, the main modes of the multicooker include six built-in programs: Pilaf, Buckwheat, Baking, Steaming, Stewing and Milk porridge. The most commonly used of these are Baking and Stewing. How do modes work?

Extinguishing
The Simmer mode, by its nature, resembles conventional cooking in an oven at a low temperature. It is great for making jellied meats, broths and any cereals that need "languishing". In this mode, all dishes are whole and incredibly fragrant, which is achieved precisely due to the low temperature. The stewing time of the dish can be set from one to twelve hours. Although the manufacturers obviously overdid it over time: it would be much more convenient if the quenching time started from ten minutes. Expensive multicooker models have more flexible time settings.

Pilaf, Milk porridge and Buckwheat
These are automatic cooking modes that cook a dish using a special technology. That is, during the cooking process, the multicooker itself changes the temperature regime of operation, observing a certain technology. For example, if you decide to cook buckwheat or rice separately on the stove, then you first need to bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat, leaving the porridge to simmer. For a multicooker, it is enough to set the program Buckwheat or Cereal porridge and it will bring the porridge to a boil, and then lower the temperature itself. What if there is no Pilaf mode in the multicooker? The Pilaf, Milk porridge and Buckwheat modes can be replaced by the Stew mode, but then the possibility to use the timer to delay the start of cooking is excluded. Cooking in the Pilaf and Milk porridge modes takes one hour, and in the Buckwheat mode - forty minutes.

Steam cooking mode.
As a rule, low-calorie steamed foods are cooked in this mode (it is important for those who follow a diet): vegetables, meat, fish, steamed dumplings, manti, eggs in a steam basket, various side dishes. Also handy for reheating food. "Steam cooking" is also preferred by those who have small children. Children under 3 years old are not recommended to eat fried foods. There is no alternative to this mode, only partly it can be replaced by the “Cooking” mode.

Multicook mode.
A rather rare mode, but it has very wide cooking possibilities. With the help of the Multicook you can make dishes that need to be cooked at high temperatures and for a very long time. It works at temperatures from 40 to 160 degrees, and the operating time of the mode is from 5 to 12 hours. Includes 18 different modes.

Paste mode.
Using this multicooker mode, you can cook dough dishes: pasta, spaghetti, pasta, dumplings, dumplings. "Pasta" can be replaced by the "Cooking", "Buckwheat", "Porridge" or "Rice" modes.

Updated 09/21/2017

Multicookers are versatile devices that have many different functions. They know how to cook, fry and stew food, as well as cook for a couple. There is a special program for each process, and a specific temperature is provided for each of these programs. More on this below...

Baking mode. When this mode is activated, the system sets the temperature in the range of 118-122 degrees (this value may vary slightly in different models). In this case, the user will not be able to set his own temperature parameter. In this mode, it is set by the program, and it is no longer possible to change it during the cooking process. This mode with this temperature is excellent for cooking pies, pizza and various biscuit cakes. Do you want to make a delicious charlotte with apples? Choose the baking mode - it is designed for this.

Steam cooking is the second program. Don't confuse it with a steamer. There are a lot of differences between a multicooker and a double boiler and it is pointless to compare these devices. The steam mode works at a temperature of 115-120 degrees. Depending on the type of dish, the cooking process lasts from 10 to 60 minutes. This mode is suitable for cooking diet food, steamed cutlets, for example.

Frying. In this mode, the heating temperature is 100-160 degrees. Unlike other modes, this one works with the lid open. This program is powerful, so you need to handle it carefully. It is better to start frying with low temperatures and add it as it cooks. Otherwise, the dish may simply burn out.

Pasta - The program works at a temperature of 116-120 degrees and can last 8-20 minutes. Suitable for making sauces and gravies.

Special mode for cereals - 110 degrees. It does not allow you to adjust any parameters, but the program itself is correct. With its help, you can make the perfect loose porridge.

Milk porridge - a program with heating up to 95 degrees. Usually the mode works for 30 minutes, but for some cereals this is not enough. You can simply re-activate the mode or add minutes if the functionality supports it.

Extinguishing - 95 degrees. This function assumes operation from 2 to 8 hours. Judging by the reviews, this program is not the best, because. works for a long time. Its excellent analogue is the "multi-cook" - this is a similar mode that copes with the carcass much faster.

Soup - a program for cooking soup, assuming a temperature of 95 degrees. She works for 8 hours. You should have already made sure that the slow cooker is not for quick cooking.

Yogurt - works at a low temperature of 38-40 degrees. In fact, the device only maintains this parameter and activates or deactivates the heating every 20-30 minutes. The preparation of yogurt is described in the recipe book that comes with the slow cooker.

The "multi-cook" mode at a temperature of 40-160 degrees with the possibility of adjustment. This is a universal program that allows you to cook anything: pastries, soups, stews, etc.

Dessert- for making caramel, sweets and other sweets. The temperature can be adjusted according to the recipe.