Is a multicooker harmful to human health?

The benefits of a multicooker

What is the use of a multicooker? What advantages does the device have? A multicooker is one of the most multifunctional appliances that is in demand. What attracts buyers to it?

Benefit:

• Quick and easy to use - the appliance prepares meals independently. There is no need to add or stir food during cooking.
• Easy to control - on the device itself, and in the instructions for using the multicooker, the cooking modes are described in detail. Just press a button and the dish begins to cook at the desired rhythm.
• Functionality - the multicooker will cook almost any dish. Soup, porridge, pies, casseroles. She can bake apples and make yogurt.
• Safe use - the device is hermetically sealed, which reduces the risk of burns and other damage.
• Saves space - the device becomes a replacement for an oven, pressure cooker, bread maker, convection oven and electric frying pan. The device is portable and small in size.

The multicooker has a delayed start function, which allows cooked dishes to remain warm for a long time. The multicooker does not require special care. The inner cup, which can be removed, is subject to regular washing. Less often it is necessary to wipe and ventilate the lid, bottom, moisture collector and steam valve.

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Multicooker harm

What are the health risks of a multicooker? Food from a modern electrical appliance has the juiciness, aroma and taste of the oven, but is there any harm from such preparation? What are the disadvantages of a multicooker?

The multicooker requires careful handling of the Teflon coating of the bowl. The material is easily damaged, and therefore it is recommended to purchase devices made of silicone (scoop, spatula) so as not to accidentally damage the surface. When a Teflon bowl is used for more than five years and damage occurs on it, the risk of harmful substances escaping from the material increases.

The device can cook one recipe in one cycle, which can cause inconvenience. To prepare the next dish, you need to remove everything from the bowl or buy an additional container.

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To eliminate the shortcomings, manufacturers are improving their devices: minimizing the chemical composition of the bowl; stabilize the Teflon coating and reduce the maximum heating temperature inside the multicooker.

Is Teflon harmful?

What is Teflon?
Teflon is a plastic substance that has rather rare physical and chemical properties. The compound is often used in everyday life as a coating for non-stick items, including bowls in a multicooker. What properties does Teflon coating have? Can it harm human health?

It is known that at high temperatures Teflon is capable of releasing carcinogenic substances. The temperature in the multicooker reaches 400 o C due to its sealed properties.

When heated, the coating releases a toxic substance (perfluorinated carboxylic acid), which leads to the development of malignant tumors.

Currently, multicooker manufacturers are working to reduce the harmful properties of Teflon. But if you buy inexpensive models, the bowl coating of which consists of budget ceramics, plastic and stainless steel, the health hazard increases.

Coverage type

One of the important criteria on which the service life of the device depends, although, in fairness, it is worth noting that the bowl is in any case a “consumable”, which, whatever one may say, will have to be changed. As mentioned above, in modern multicookers, manufacturers use two types of non-stick coating: Teflon and ceramic.

Let's look at the disadvantages and advantages of each in a little more detail.

The strengths of Teflon are:

• lower cost;
• ease of care;
• Dishwasher safe;
• excellent non-stick properties.

Here are the weaknesses of the coating:

• low scratch resistance;
• fragility (the average service life with careful use rarely exceeds three years);
• Immediately after the first noticeable damage appears, the bowl must be replaced, as it begins to release harmful substances.

Advantages of ceramics :

• longer service life;
• the coating is not so capricious regarding the stirring blades used;
• You can safely continue to use the bowl even after scratches appear - this will not cause any harm to health; over time, only the non-stick properties suffer.

Among the disadvantages are the following:

• impossibility of washing in the dishwasher;
• higher cost;
• fragility.

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Food from a slow cooker - benefit or harm?

Is there any harm from a multicooker to human health? It is known that food from a modern electrical appliance is healthier than food cooked on a gas stove. Children under three years of age are not recommended to cook in a slow cooker.

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It is advisable for adults to cook only quick meals in the device, so as not to cause the Teflon cup to overheat. You can cook in a slow cooker during pregnancy; thanks to the variety of dishes and the preservation of beneficial properties, the device will be a good helper in the kitchen.

Housing material

The body of modern multicookers can be made of either plastic or stainless steel. The second one looks more attractive and has better scratch resistance, but weighs more and costs more. Experts say that this is exactly the case when you can save money - the material of the housing does not affect the taste of the food or the health of the eaters. The main thing is that the plastic itself is of good quality; it should not have a strong odor, wobble or creak.

Note! White products have the unpleasant property of turning yellow quite quickly.

How to reduce harm from operation

Is it possible to reduce the harmful effects that a multicooker brings in operation?
How to care for Teflon coating? There are rules that, if followed, reduce the danger of the device. How to use a multicooker correctly? Rules of use:

1. When handling the device, use only special cutlery that will not damage the coating when stirring or removing food.
2. Replace the Teflon inner bowl every five years.
3. When washing, use only soft sponges. Hard particles damage the Teflon surface of the bowl.
4. If the coating is damaged, it is not recommended to use the bowl.

It is recommended to buy multicookers no older than 2000. From that moment on, manufacturers began to pay attention to the safety of the bowl material. It is not advisable to purchase electrical appliances by hand and without documents.

How to choose the right multicooker

A multicooker is a widely used device these days. How to choose a kitchen appliance? What features might be useful?

Properties:

1. Power – high power ensures fast cooking.
2. The capacity of the bowl is an important indicator; it ranges from two to ten liters. The required volume is calculated based on the number of people in the family or the frequent arrival of guests; one and a half liters per person.
3. Multifunctionality - choose a multicooker that does not have too many programs. Why pay for something you won't need? Necessary functions: cooking popular cereals, baking, steaming, soup and multi-cook mode.
4. The presence of handles on the cup is an important criterion when choosing a multicooker. Some devices do not have holders, and instead they are offered with special tongs or potholders, which makes them inconvenient to use.
5. Lock - if there are children in the house, the “lock on when the cup is empty” function will be useful.

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There are induction multicookers that consume half as much electricity. The cost of such devices differs significantly (three to five times more expensive). Some multicookers have a three-dimensional heating function added, so the food is heated from all sides at the same time.

Required Features

Most multicookers have 7-20 programs, but there are some that have about a hundred programs or even more! Of course, such “uniques” can do more than their less sophisticated counterparts, but they also cost many times more. The only question is whether it's worth paying extra for features that you may never use, or even even remember their existence.

However, if opportunities permit, why not get a device that can delight you with cheese or chocolate fondue, homemade halva or risotto with the ideal consistency. In addition, such devices are multifunctional and can replace not only a stove and oven, but also a deep fryer, smokehouse, sterilizer, steamer, bread maker and yogurt maker.

If you are not ready to spend impressive sums on purchasing, albeit a very smart, but still a pan with a heating element, then here is a list of programs that, in our opinion, are absolutely necessary. Fortunately, most of them are also available in budget models.

• “Stewing”: the most versatile of the modes, in which you can cook almost anything, from vegetable stew or soup to jellied meat;
• “Grains”: rice, buckwheat and other grains, if the proportions are observed, turn out ideally;
• “Pilaf”: provides not only the correct consistency of rice, but also the necessary degree of frying of the ingredients;
• “Porridge”: it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to cook semolina without lumps here, but the oatmeal will turn out exactly as it should be;
• “Baking”: can be used not only for its intended purpose, but also for frying with the lid open;
• “Frying”: however, a program specially designated for this will also not be superfluous;
• “Multi-cook” : this mode can be considered vital, but it will definitely appeal to those who like to experiment and add something of their own to standard recipes. With it you will be able to independently regulate the temperature and cooking time.

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to the entry “Benefits and harms of multicookers for human health”

1. Diets.Guru:
   01/11/2019 at 01:15

   Is it possible to consider that because of this microwave oven is harmful to health? No. On a regular stove, you can cook food just as poorly and become infected with salmonella or other pathogenic bacteria. The benefits and harms of a microwave in this case are determined not by the method of processing the products, but by the correctness of the culinary process.

   Answer

2. Pohudet.Guru:

   01/20/2019 at 01:00

   Is it possible to consider that because of this microwave oven is harmful to health? No. On a regular stove, you can cook food just as poorly and become infected with salmonella or other pathogenic bacteria. The benefits and harms of a microwave in this case are determined not by the method of processing the products, but by the correctness of the culinary process.

   Answer

Bowl volume

A very important criterion, especially if you have a large family. Calculating the optimal volume is as easy as shelling pears. Multiply the number of eaters by 1.5-2 and get the number of liters you need. You should also take into account how often you eat at home, in what portions, whether your household prefers to see new culinary delights on the table every day or whether you cook for several days in advance, how often you have guests and other similar features of the lifestyle adopted in your home. family.

The volumes of models on the market vary from 2 to 10 liters.

Note! Be sure to ask the seller or independently find the working volume of the bowl in the specifications, since the total volume is often written on the packaging.