The Best Multicookers of 2026: Pressure Cook, Slow Cook and Sear in One Pot

For most households, a multicooker is the better value: it handles stews, soups, rice, beans 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 doesn't pressure cook, and its working bowl holds about 2.1 qt (2 L), versus about 6.3 qt (6 L) 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 counter and cabinet space. Keep in mind that a multicooker heats mainly from the base, while 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 win is speed on the days you forget to start dinner in the morning, since pressure mode cooks a stew in under an hour.

Very little: a stew that takes 40 minutes in total, including coming up to pressure, uses at most about 0.8 kWh on a 1,200 W model. That's roughly 16 cents at an example rate of 20 cents per kWh. The real figure is lower, because the element only runs flat out until pressure is reached, then cycles to hold it. For comparison, a slow cooker drawing about 200 W for eight hours can use up to 1.6 kWh. Work out your own cost with wattage in kW × hours × the rate on your utility bill.

Ninja Foodi multicookers combine pressure cooking with an air-fry crisping lid, while most Instant Pot models focus 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 doesn't replace a dedicated air fryer for big batches of fries. Ninja models tend to be bulkier, heavier and pricier; Instant Pot is simpler and sells an air fryer lid for some models. Choose based on what you cook most, not on the number of presets.

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 and pasta. Replace the ring as soon as it's cracked or stretched or lets steam escape around the lid; silicone also holds on to odors, so some cooks keep one ring for sweet dishes and one for savory. Never force the lid open: let the pressure drop naturally or use the quick release with your hand away from the vent.