If you want to set a meal going in advance, choose a model whose instructions confirm it has a delayed start function and the right settings for the dishes you usually make. If your meals mainly consist of rice, soups or slow-cooked dishes, a multicooker rice cooker with a keep-warm function may suit your needs, as long as you don’t mistake keeping food warm for delaying the start. In either case, check the usable capacity, fill limits and care instructions for the specific model.
Automatic programmes can manage the cooking time and heat once you’ve prepared the ingredients and started the programme, as explained by Que Choisir. If you need cooking to start later, check separately that the appliance has a delayed start function, then follow the manufacturer’s guidance on the ingredients you use.
A multicooker rice cooker is worth considering if these dishes make up most of your meals. For the Easy Cook+ RK732100, Tefal lists slow cooking, soup and stew programmes, as well as a keep-warm function. Check that the modes on the model you’re considering cover the recipes you usually make.
Compare the removable bowl, its handles and the cleaning instructions for each component. For a pressure cooker, make a note of its exact model number before looking for a compatible sealing ring, valve or basket.
Start with the dishes you make most often, then check when cooking can begin, how much will actually fit in the bowl and what care it needs.
Consider it if: you want several cooking modes in one appliance and are looking for a model that can start cooking later.
Bear in mind: delayed start depends on the model; pressure cooking means following the fill and pressure-release instructions.
Consider it if: your meals mainly revolve around rice, soups and slow cooking rather than pressure cooking.
Bear in mind: the keep-warm function starts after cooking. If you need cooking to begin later, check whether the appliance has a delayed start function.
| Feature | What to check | What I need |
|---|---|---|
| Programming | Look for the modes you need for your dishes, and distinguish between delayed start and keeping food warm. Check the model’s instructions for preparing ingredients before setting a later start time. | I want to be able to start cooking at the right time without staying by the cooker; a keep-warm function alone won’t meet this need. |
| Usable capacity | Compare the stated capacity with the fill markers in the instructions and any limits for foods that expand. Que Choisir points out that you can’t necessarily fill a bowl to its full stated capacity. | To make my usual quantities, I need to know the permitted fill level for the dishes I cook, not just the capacity shown on the appliance. |
| Bowl and accessories | Check the handles, cleaning instructions for the bowl and basket, and which accessories are actually included. Look up replacement parts using the appliance’s exact model number. | If I often use steam cooking or want to make washing up easier, what’s included in the box and how each part is cleaned matter just as much as the programmes. |
| Pressure cooking | Read the model’s instructions on liquid, the valve, sealing ring, pressure release and maximum fill level. Some foods that expand have specific fill limits. | Before leaving a pressure cooker to handle a meal, I want to know what checks to make and how to open it in line with the instructions. |
You need to leave room in the bowl: Que Choisir explains that you can’t always use the full capacity of a removable bowl. Depending on the appliance, foods that expand or froth may need an even lower fill level.
Compare the quantities in your usual recipes with the fill markers and instructions for the model, particularly when cooking rice and pulses.
The number of menu options doesn’t tell you whether the appliance has the steam, slow-cooking or delayed-start function you need.
Make a note of a few dishes you cook often, then check the cooking mode and when it can start on the model you’re considering.
Cleaning instructions and the compatibility of baskets, sealing rings and valves vary by model. Don’t assume a part designed for another model will fit.
Check what’s included, the washing instructions for each component and the model number you’ll need when looking for genuine parts.
You may need to buy a separate part to replace the bowl, basket or a safety component later on.
A conventional pressure cooker doesn’t automatically offer the automatic programmes or delayed start you may be looking for to reduce the need to monitor a meal.
If you want to set cooking going in advance, check explicitly that an electric model has this function, and always follow the instructions for any pressure cooker you use.
The Cookeo range includes electric pressure multicookers, with functions varying by model.
The Easy Cook+ RK732100 is a multicooker rice cooker that Tefal recommends for rice, soups, stews and slow cooking.
SEB’s conventional pressure cookers are a different type of pressure cooker from a programmable electric multicooker.
This selection includes pressure multicookers and rice cookers for meals that need less supervision. Check each model’s programmes, capacity and delayed-start function individually.
Image unavailableA pressure cooker for a variety of dishes: the title lists 12 preset menus and an 8 L bowl. Before planning meal quantities or a delayed start, check the instructions for the permitted fill level, timer settings and pressure-release guidance.
Image unavailableThis 5.7 L multicooker is worth considering for meals prepared in one appliance. If you need cooking to start later, confirm that this version has a delayed start function; also check the fill limits and pressure-release instructions.
Image unavailableThe title lists nine menus, two pressure settings and a 24-hour timer. Check whether this timer actually lets you delay the start: the stated duration alone doesn’t confirm that it does. For quantities and pressure cooking, follow the limits and instructions in the manual.
Image unavailableFor meals centred around rice, the title lists delayed start, keep-warm and a steam basket. Confirm that the basket is included, then check the usable capacity and cleaning instructions for the bowl.
Image unavailableThe title lists a 12-hour keep-warm function after cooking. If you want cooking to start later, check separately whether it has a delayed start function; also check the permitted amount of rice and how to wash the accessories.
Not necessarily: as Que Choisir points out, the stated capacity isn’t always the permitted cooking volume. Check the fill markers and instructions for your model and recipes, especially when cooking foods that expand.
First, follow your model’s instructions on the required liquid, filling, sealing ring, valve and how to open the cooker after cooking. For example, the instructions for a SEB pressure cooker limit filling to two-thirds of the bowl, or one-third for some foods that expand or froth. Don’t apply these limits to another appliance without checking its instructions.
Check the appliance’s exact model number and look for a part that the manufacturer lists as compatible with that model. Tefal offers baskets, sealing rings and other parts for some electric pressure cookers, but that doesn’t mean every part in the range fits every model.
No: the keep-warm function starts after cooking. To start cooking later, look specifically for a delayed start function and check its conditions of use. Moulinex lists both functions for the Cookeo+ CE851HF0.