13 best multi-cookers, expert tested (original) (raw)

Best multi-cooker

Instant Pot Pro Plus Multi-Cooker

Score: 96/100

With 10 different functions, our winning multi-cooker is an impressive and versatile appliance, which can feed up to six people, making it perfect for large households or hosting guests. It can double up as a rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yoghurt marker, sous vide, food warmer and canner, and it performed well across all our tests, but recorded its best results for pressure and slow cooking.

Minimal moisture loss in its pressure cooker mode meant it produced a chilli that was evenly cooked, moist and packed full of flavour. While it did take a while to build pressure, resulting in a 20-minute cook time, the low energy usage meant our tasty chilli only cost us 8p to whip up.

This cooker’s USP is that you can control it wirelessly from your phone with an app. As well as being easy to set up and use, the app includes a whole library of recipes with step-by-step instructions. And most of the ones we tried resulted in delicious, evenly-cooked meals that were full of moisture and flavour – is it dinner time yet?

Key specifications

Runner-up multi-cooker

Our Place Wonder Oven

Score: 94/100

Black boxes, be gone! While this colourful countertop cooker merits pride of place in your kitchen for its looks alone, it also proved itself an outstanding sous chef on test. That's why, although it's not a traditional pot-style multi-cooker, we wanted to include it in this list.

It has six functions – including air frying, baking and roasting – and to put it through its full paces, our experts cooked everything from chicken wings and chips to salmon and roast vegetables. They even baked a loaf of bread.

Overall, they were pleased with the consistently tasty results but noted that it does take a little trial and error at the start. It’s speedy and doesn’t come with cooking guidance, which means that the first time our testers whipped up a batch of cupcakes, they burnt the bottoms. But they swiftly adjusted the settings and voila, they had golden cakes in 11 minutes.

It’s lightweight and relatively compact (although there’s still room inside for a full roast chicken!), and testers found its responsive controls simple to use. There's no child lock and the accessories aren’t dishwasher safe. But it's not too time-consuming to clean, and it's worth a little extra washing up, given the flexibility (and style) it will bring to your kitchen.

Key specifications

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best compact multi-cooker

Ninja Foodi Mini 4.7L Multi Cooker

Score: 90/100

A high scorer across the board, this six-in-one multi-cooker impressed when roasting vegetables and air frying chicken and chips. It also pressure cooks, slow cooks, sears, sautés and steams. And despite its roomy interior, it’s compact overall, making storage relatively easy.

When it comes to energy consumption, it was the most efficient air fryer we tried (making chips used just 8p of electricity while chicken wings used 7p). It comes with a comprehensive cooking guide too, which makes getting started a doddle.

You'll need to take care when releasing steam after pressure cooking due to the position of the release valve and the crisping lid (one of two lids included) isn’t the easiest to clean. Overall, though, it’s a real all-rounder.

Key specifications

Best multicooker for slow cooking

Sage The Fast Slow Go 6L Pressure Cooker

Score: 90/100

With 14 settings, including sauté, risotto and slow cooking, this cooker does a lot more than its name suggests. It scored highly on test for its pressure-cooking capabilities with a notably moist vegan chilli, making it worth the 20-minute wait for the pressure to build.

It was also a top-performer for slow cooking, with a melt-in-the-mouth brisket. In fact, we found it cooked nearly every ingredient evenly and it was also fairly energy efficient – slow cooking the brisket for eight hours cost us 14p, for example. ‘Delay start’ and ‘keep warm’ functions will help if you’re leaving it to cook while you’re out of the house, too.

Note that you can’t put the cooking bowl in the dishwasher and, unusually, you must set the altitude before you can start using it so the pressure is suitable for where you live (you can find your altitude here). It is a large machine, but we think it’s a reliable and robust cooker that's ideal for big families.

Key specifications

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best for ease of use

Crockpot Turbo Express Multi Cooker

Score: 89/100

For truly effortless cooking, turn to this versatile Crockpot, which impressed on test for producing fluffy rice and delicious roasted veggies. Its slow-cooked dishes were top notch too, locking in moisture, and it didn’t consume much electricity – 19p for four hours on high and 20p for eight hours on low.

When it came to pressure cooking, we measured substantial moisture loss – 6.6% from our beef brisket and 13.8% from our vegan chilli. The latter wasn’t affected by this though, emerging with an appetising taste and texture, but the beef had dry spots.

What makes this multi-cooker stand out, though, is its user-friendly design. It’s intuitive from start to finish, with a well-placed steam release knob that minimises the risk of burning and 14 clearly labelled functions to choose between, making it simple to switch from rice cooker to sous vide. It even doubles up as a steriliser and has a capacity to serve six. A great value buy.

Key specifications

Best multicooker for range of pre-set functions

Smeg 10 in 1 Multifunction countertop oven with Steam & Air Fry

Score: 88/100

Another stylish mini oven… Consider us obsessed! And not just because of its looks – its cooking performance more than lived up to its first impression. Chips browned evenly, roast chicken was golden, and vegetables were cooked through. Testers tried the steam function too, which produced sweetcorn with a good bite. Just open the door carefully to avoid a rush of steam.

Each test needed longer than planned to reach the desired result, though, and the controls weren’t the most intuitive, which meant testers had to refer to the manual to find the right setting among the ten programmes and 33 pre-sets. However, once you know what's what, this offers style and versatility in spades, albeit at a hefty price.

Key specifications

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

ProCook Electric Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer 4.5L

Score: 88/100

For speed, this pressure cooker and air fryer is a smart pick. It has six other functions on its list of talents, including slow cook, sous vide and steam, while its detailed manual will help get you started.

Our air fried chips cooked well and cupcakes came out well-risen and golden brown. Chicken wings took slightly longer than expected but had a deliciously crisp exterior that made them worth the wait. The pressure cook and slow cook functions both struggled to lock in moisture when we cooked our chilli recipe; however, the pressure-cooked tender beef brisket impressed.

It’s not the biggest multi-cooker we’ve tested, but there’s still plenty of room for feeding a family.

Key specifications

Best best budget multi-cooker

Lakeland Mini Multi Cooker 1.8L

Score: 86/100

This mini multi-cooker is ideal if you’re tight on space or catering for households of one or two. You can move it from cupboard to counter with the help of its carry handle, while its timer is simple to set and adjust. And it cleans up easily – we couldn’t find any obvious dirt traps on test.

As for performance, it’s an excellent slow cooker, producing a chicken curry with fall-off-the-bone meat and a tender beef brisket. Any moisture loss we measured wasn’t evident in the finished dishes and it was the most energy efficient on average for slow cooking.

It impressed with rice too, and the baking function provides a low-cost way to make cupcakes; it cost just 4p for 40 minutes of cooking time. There wasn’t the same golden colouring you’d get in an oven, though.

Any niggles? Well, the buttons need to be pressed firmly to work and the body marks easily. It also only has eight cooking programmes but it does have a keep warm function, and for the price, we think these are justified compromises.

Key specifications

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best for steaming and cooking rice

Tefal Turbo Cuisine 4.8L Electric Pressure Cooker

Score: 84/100

This compact cooker can feed a family of five thanks to its 4.8L capacity. Well-designed handles mean it’s easy to grip and move too, plus the bowl hand-washes well thanks to the brand’s beloved non-stick coating.

It performed best when cooking rice, leaving us with beautifully fluffy results with no grains stuck to the bottom of the bowl. We had to play around with the slow cooker setting to get it right, as the machine doesn’t come with clear guidance on how to set the temperature (meaning our first attempt resulted in raw meat!). But once solved, the results were a delicious chicken curry, which only required 15p of electricity to make.

Impressively, when we pressure cooked our vegan chilli it was done in just five minutes – although, as a result, you pay more in electricity (about 25p). To use the steam release, you must hold down the button continuously until all the steam has escaped, and this can take a few minutes. But it’s well positioned so you won’t be in the steam’s way.

Key specifications

Ninja Foodi Max 15-in-1 SmartLid Multi-Cooker with Smart Cook System 7.5L

Score: 84/100

This is a significant investment, but the sleek appliance has 15 different functions. It excels at air frying, impressing on chicken wings (crisp yet moist inside) and roasties (perfectly cooked), while our slow-cooked beef brisket retained its moisture for melt-in-your-mouth results.

Its ‘combi-steam’ tech also deserves an honourable mention, as it allows you to cook all elements of your meal at once. Its accompanying smart meat probe takes any guesswork away too, as it monitors your food to ensure it’s cooked just the way you like it, no timer required.

Yes, it’s a sizeable machine that’s heavy to move, but it really does do everything.

Key specifications

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Best for families

Russell Hobbs Good To Go 6.5L Electric Multi Cooker

Score: 83/100

Big enough to feed up to eight hungry mouths, this Russell Hobbs multi-cooker isn’t as fancy as some we tested but it’s reliable. Our testers praised its simple design, which is sturdy and easy to clean, with no pesky dirt traps.

It fared well in our slow cooking tests, particularly impressing with its moist chicken curry and beef brisket. The vegan chilli was dry but cooking for a shorter period may help there. It prepared rice perfectly too, which is no easy task.

You’ll need to press the buttons firmly, and you may need to refer to the manual when first using the machine, as the functions are only labelled with symbols. It wasn’t the most energy efficient either – slow cooking for four hours cost us 25p and for eight it was 21p. But that’s still less than it would cost to run an oven for the equivalent time.

Key specifications

Best large capacity pot

Instant Pot Pro Crisp 11-in-1 Electric Multi Cooker

Score: 82/100

The biggest pot we tested, this is the one to go for if you like bulk cooking or often feed a crowd. It was also the best baker on test, using 5p’s worth of electricity to whip up delicious cupcakes. And we found it was a reliable pressure cooker; our brisket was perfectly cooked.

Its air frying function also excelled, producing mouth-watering wings in just 30 minutes, and for just 8p’s worth of electricity. Its slow cooking function was a tad inconsistent, however, as the brisket was over cooked while our chilli contained under-cooked beans.

It’s user-friendly, with a simple steam release function and its accessories can be stored inside itself. Overall, a versatile and easy to use multi-cooker.

Key specifications

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Drew and Cole Pressure King Pro

Score: 82/100

This intuitively designed machine has all its programmes pre-set, making it a speedy pick; simply select the cooking mode you need and let it do the rest. This worked well for pressure cooking, as well as steaming and cooking rice.

For slow cooking, the inability to set a temperature meant that some dishes still weren’t cooked after four hours, but we’d just use this function for longer next time. It’s just as energy efficient as other models, and you can wipe it clean, though there are a few dirt traps.

Key specifications

Is a multicooker worth it?

The short answer: yes. Multi-cookers tick all the boxes for making dinner time quicker, easier, and more cost-effective.

Besides their efficiency, they're also space savers and are easy to use. You can just throw everything into the one pot and select the required programme – you don’t even need to keep an eye on your food thanks to their handy timers and keep warm functions.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Which is the most energy efficient multi-cooker?

.

It’s hard to categorically say which is the most energy efficient multi-cooker because each function consumes energy at a different rate – a slow cooker, for example, may run on a lower heat for hours whereas an air fryer often cooks in minutes.

However, we’ve measured the energy consumption for every test we carried out and using the latest electricity price of 24.5p/kwh, you'll find the most efficient energy appliance for each function we tried below.

• Air frying: The Ninja Foodi Mini 4.7L used 0.35kwh to cook chips, which would cost 9p.
• Slow cooking: The Lakeland Mini Multi Cooker 1.8L used an average 0.44kwh 11p across the three tests, costing 11p worth of electricity.
• Pressure cooking: Sage’s Fast Slow GO 6L Pressure Cooker cost 10p on average, using 0.4kwh.
• Roasting: The Instant Pot Pro Crisp 11-in-1 cost just 5p to roast vegetables, using 0.21kwh in 40 minutes.
• Baking and cooking rice: Making cupcakes in the Tefal Turbo Cuisine 4.8L used 0.18kwh, costing just 4p, while rice will set you back 3p after using 0.1kwh of electricity.

For comparison, if you have a 2000 watt oven, using it for 30 minutes would cost up to 24.5p.

Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.

Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.

Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.

Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s homes writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market. When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her cooking, running and exploring London’s foodie hotspots – or trying to make friends with every dog she passes. Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall and on X @megan_geall

Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. Blossom’s most notable accomplishment in the lab has been toasting 528 slices of bread in her quest to find the best toasters money can buy. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.