Choose a programmable multicooker if you mainly want to start cooking a dish in the pot and then get on with something else. If your recipes regularly involve chopping, blending or stirring during cooking, consider a cooking food processor instead. And if you already own a cooking appliance, a separate food processor may be all you need to prepare the ingredients. Whichever you choose, check how much you can actually cook and which steps your recipes still require you to do yourself.
For rice, slow-cooked dishes or steaming, a programmable multicooker can handle the cooking once you’ve set it going. However, check whether your recipes require you to add or stir ingredients partway through.
If your soups, sauces or doughs also involve chopping, blending, whisking or stirring, compare cooking food processors and their accessories. Available functions vary by model.
If your current appliance takes care of the cooking and you mainly want help chopping, grating or blending, a separate food processor is worth considering. On its own, it won’t cook your food for you.
Choose this if: your meals mainly need to cook in the pot after you’ve prepared the ingredients by hand.
Bear in mind: according to Que Choisir, multicookers don’t usually stir food, so some recipes will still need your attention.
Choose this if: chopping, blending or stirring is a regular part of your cooked recipes.
Bear in mind: check how much space you’ll need for the bowl and accessories, as well as which parts need cleaning after each use.
Choose this if: you already have a cooking appliance and mainly want help preparing ingredients.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to keep your cooking appliance and transfer ingredients between containers.
Start with the steps involved in your usual recipes, then compare them with the functions and capacity of the specific model you’re considering.
| Criteria | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-off cooking | Cooking modes suited to your recipes; time and temperature settings; keep-warm or delay-start functions, if needed. | I want to be able to leave once cooking has started, without assuming the appliance will also take care of the preparation. |
| Usable capacity | The model’s usable capacity and fill markings; any limits for pressure cooking or ingredients that expand. | The amount cooked in one go needs to suit my household’s meals, without filling the pot to the brim. |
| Ingredient preparation | Which chopping, blending, whisking or stirring functions are actually included; supplied accessories; any steps you’ll still need to do by hand. | Do my recipes only need cooking, or do they also involve processing ingredients before and during cooking? |
| Space and cleaning | Dimensions with the bowl in place; accessory storage; dishwasher-safe parts and model-specific cleaning instructions. | I want to be able to set up, store and clean the appliance without making my usual meal preparation more complicated. |
According to Que Choisir, multicookers don’t usually stir food. So a recipe that involves chopping, blending or stirring may still keep you in the kitchen.
Think about the manual steps involved in a few recipes you make regularly. If they crop up during cooking, check the functions of a cooking food processor rather than focusing only on the number of programmes.
Que Choisir points out that you need to leave room in a multicooker. The advertised capacity therefore doesn’t always reflect how much you can cook.
Check the usable capacity, fill markings and the instructions for your chosen recipe and cooking mode.
The tasks you can carry out depend on the tools supplied. You’ll also need room for the bowl and accessories, and to clean them after use.
Before choosing a model, check which accessories are included, the dimensions of the appliance and the washing instructions for each part.
The Cookeo range includes guided multicookers with several cooking modes and on-screen or connected recipes, depending on the version.
Instant Pot offers multicookers with modes such as pressure, slow and steam cooking, depending on the model.
The Cook Expert is a cooking food processor designed to prepare ingredients and cook them in the same system.
These models illustrate two options for this need: programmable multicookers for cooking in the pot, and a cooking food processor that can also prepare ingredients. Their functions don’t remove the need to follow the recipe steps and the appliance instructions.
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Start cooking in the pot and come back to a meal kept warm. The product description lists 28 customisable programmes and automatic switching to keep-warm mode. The stated pot capacity is 5,7 L; check the fill markings in the instructions and note any points where your recipe requires stirring.
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For pressure-cooked, slow-cooked or steamed recipes, the product description lists seven modes and a keep-warm function. The stated pot capacity is 5,7 L; check the fill limits for your portions. The description says the inner pot, lid and accessories are dishwasher-safe.
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For setting cooking in advance, the product description lists nine menus, two pressure levels and a 24-hour timer. It gives the pot capacity as 6 L and the usable capacity as 5 L. Check the fill instructions and whether it has a keep-warm function if that matters to you.
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For preparing a meal in the pot with a delayed start, the product description lists 12 programmes, a 24-hour delay-start function and automatic keep-warm mode. The stated pot capacity is 8 L. Check the MAX markings and any limits for ingredients that expand before deciding on portion sizes.
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For recipes that combine ingredient preparation and cooking, the product description lists accessories for stirring, whisking, kneading and chopping. It gives the bowl capacity as 4,5 L in total and 3 L usable. It also says not to leave the appliance unattended while it’s running, so this model isn’t suitable if you need to be able to leave it throughout cooking.
Usually not: according to Que Choisir, multicookers don’t generally stir food. If a recipe needs stirring during cooking, plan to do it yourself or check that the model you’re considering explicitly has a stirring function.
Not necessarily. Que Choisir points out that you need to leave room in a multicooker. Check the model’s usable capacity and the limits in its instructions, particularly for different cooking modes and ingredients.
Not if your main priority is programmable cooking: a food processor prepares ingredients, but you’ll still need a separate cooking appliance. It may be a good addition if you already have what you need to cook your meals.
No. According to the French Ministry of the Economy, the legal guarantee of conformity applies to new, second-hand and refurbished goods sold by a business to a consumer; the seller must supply goods that conform to the contract. Any commercial warranty is additional, so read its terms before deciding whether it offers useful extra protection.