The best multicookers of 2026: pressure cook, slow cook and brown in one pot

For most households a multicooker is better value: it handles stews, soups, rice, beans, lentils and roasts under pressure for a fraction of a Thermomix's price. The Thermomix earns its cost only if you also want chopping, blending, kneading and weighing in one bowl, with guided recipes on screen. It does not pressure cook, and its working bowl holds around 2 L, compared with about 6 L (6.3 qt) for a typical multicooker. If you already own a food processor or stand mixer, the multicooker fills the real gap.

Yes, most multicookers have a slow cook setting, so one appliance can do both jobs and free up cabinet space. Keep in mind that a multicooker heats mainly from the base, whereas a traditional slow cooker heats around the sides, so the low setting can run cooler: use the high setting or allow extra time with slow cooker recipes. The big gain is speed on the days you forget to start dinner in the morning, as pressure mode cooks a stew in under an hour.

Very little: a stew taking 40 minutes in total, including coming up to pressure, uses at most about 0.8 kWh on a 1,200 W model, roughly 8¢ at an example rate of 10¢ per kWh. The real figure is lower, because the element only heats at full power until pressure is reached, then cycles to hold it. For comparison, a slow cooker drawing around 200 W for eight hours can use up to 1.6 kWh. Work out your own cost with wattage in kW × hours × your rate per kWh, which depends on your province and utility.

Ninja Foodi multicookers combine pressure cooking with an air-fry crisping lid, while most Instant Pot models concentrate on pressure and slow cooking. The crisping lid lets you brown chicken skin or a gratin topping in the same pot after pressure cooking, but it does not replace a dedicated air fryer for fries in quantity. Ninja models tend to be bulkier, heavier and pricier; Instant Pot is simpler and sells an air fryer lid for some models. Choose on what you cook most rather than on the number of programs.

Keep the steam release and float valves clean, check the sealing ring before every use and never fill above the two-thirds line, or halfway for rice, beans, lentils and pasta. Replace the ring as soon as it is cracked, stretched or lets steam escape around the lid; silicone also holds smells, so some cooks keep one for sweet and one for savoury dishes. Never force the lid open: let the pressure drop naturally or use the quick release with your hand away from the vent.