10 best multi-cookers that genuinely do it all, expert tested

Score: 93/100

This large capacity multi-cooker features seven programmes and four customisable preset buttons for quick access to your favourite recipes, making it a great buy for family midweek dinners.

It took almost 20 minutes to pre-heat on the pressure cook setting, but it delivered a moist, tender beef brisket and well-cooked chilli. Our slow-cooked chicken curry retained its moisture too and was packed full of flavour.

We had to refer to the website to work out the egg and steam functions but, again, our testers were pleased with the outcome: evenly cooked boiled eggs within 10 minutes. We’d have liked the alarm to be a little louder (you could miss it if you’re in another room) but it was hard to fault the easy-use controls and intuitive design.

Score: 90/100

A high scorer across the board, this six-in-one multi-cooker impressed when roasting vegetables and air frying chicken and chips. It also pressure cooks, slow cooks, sears, sautés and steams. And despite its roomy interior, it’s compact overall, making storage relatively easy.

When it comes to energy consumption, it was the most efficient air fryer we tried (making chips used just 8p of electricity while chicken wings used 7p). It comes with a comprehensive cooking guide too, which makes getting started a doddle.

You'll need to take care when releasing steam after pressure cooking due to the position of the release valve and the crisping lid (one of two lids included) isn’t the easiest to clean. Overall, though, it’s a real all-rounder.

Score: 90/100

With 14 settings, including sauté, risotto and slow cooking, this cooker does a lot more than its name suggests. It scored highly on test for its pressure-cooking capabilities with a notably moist vegan chilli, making it worth the 20-minute wait for the pressure to build.

It was also a top-performer for slow cooking, with a melt-in-the-mouth brisket. In fact, we found it cooked nearly every ingredient evenly and it was also fairly energy efficient – slow cooking the brisket for eight hours cost us 14p, for example. ‘Delay start’ and ‘keep warm’ functions will help if you’re leaving it to cook while you’re out of the house, too.

Note that you can’t put the cooking bowl in the dishwasher and, unusually, you must set the altitude before you can start using it so the pressure is suitable for where you live (you can find your altitude here). It is a large machine, but we think it’s a reliable and robust cooker that's ideal for big families.

Score: 88/100

Another stylish mini oven… Consider us obsessed! And not just because of its looks – its cooking performance more than lived up to its first impression. Chips browned evenly, roast chicken was golden, and vegetables were cooked through. Testers tried the steam function too, which produced sweetcorn with a good bite. Just open the door carefully to avoid a rush of steam.

Each test needed longer than planned to reach the desired result, though, and the controls weren’t the most intuitive, which meant testers had to refer to the manual to find the right setting among the ten programmes and 33 pre-sets. However, once you know what's what, this offers style and versatility in spades, albeit at a hefty price.

Score: 88/100

For speed, this pressure cooker and air fryer is a smart pick. It has six other functions on its list of talents, including slow cook, sous vide and steam, while its detailed manual will help get you started.

Our air fried chips cooked well and cupcakes came out well-risen and golden brown. Chicken wings took slightly longer than expected but had a deliciously crisp exterior that made them worth the wait. The pressure cook and slow cook functions both struggled to lock in moisture when we cooked our chilli recipe; however, the pressure-cooked tender beef brisket impressed.

It’s not the biggest multi-cooker we’ve tested, but there’s still plenty of room for feeding a family. A great value all-rounder.

Score: 86/100

This mini multi-cooker is ideal if you’re tight on space or catering for households of one or two. You can move it from cupboard to counter with the help of its carry handle, while its timer is simple to set and adjust. And it cleans up easily – we couldn’t find any obvious dirt traps on test.

As for performance, it’s an excellent slow cooker, producing a chicken curry with fall-off-the-bone meat and a tender beef brisket. Any moisture loss we measured wasn’t evident in the finished dishes and it was the most energy efficient on average for slow cooking.

It impressed with rice too, and the baking function provides a low-cost way to make cupcakes; it cost just 4p for 40 minutes of cooking time. There wasn’t the same golden colouring you’d get in an oven, though.

Any niggles? Well, the buttons need to be pressed firmly to work and the body marks easily. It also only has eight cooking programmes but it does have a keep warm function, and for the price, we think these are justified compromises.

Score: 84/100

This is a significant investment, but the sleek appliance has 15 different functions. It excels at air frying, impressing on chicken wings (crisp yet moist inside) and roasties (perfectly cooked), while our slow-cooked beef brisket retained its moisture for melt-in-your-mouth results.

Its ‘combi-steam’ tech also deserves an honourable mention, as it allows you to cook all elements of your meal at once. Its accompanying smart meat probe takes any guesswork away too, as it monitors your food to ensure it’s cooked just the way you like it, no timer required.

Yes, it’s a sizeable machine that’s heavy to move, but it really does do everything.

Score: 83/100

Big enough to feed up to eight hungry mouths, this Russell Hobbs multi-cooker isn’t as fancy as some we tested – but it’s a great value, reliable model. Our testers praised its simple design, which is sturdy and easy to clean, with no pesky dirt traps.

It fared well in our slow cooking tests, particularly impressing with its moist chicken curry and beef brisket. The vegan chilli was dry but cooking for a shorter period may help there. It prepared rice perfectly too, which is no easy task.

You’ll need to press the buttons firmly, and you may need to refer to the manual when first using the machine, as the functions are only labelled with symbols. It wasn’t the most energy efficient either – slow cooking for four hours cost us 25p and for eight it was 21p. But that’s still less than it would cost to run an oven for the equivalent time.

Score: 82/100

This pot-style multi-cooker handles slow cooking well – our chicken curry, beef stew and lentil soup came out tender and moist, with minimal moisture loss. It excelled at pressure cooking too, taking just 12 minutes to preheat (you can track progress on the app, which also works as a remote control) and creating fall-apart beef brisket and delicious vegan chilli.

Note that this model doesn’t air fry or bake, so it’s best for making high-moisture meals with the slow cook and pressure cook functions. We also tried out the steam and rice settings, and while we wouldn’t recommend it as a rice cooker – our basmati came out mushy – it steamed juicy corn on the cob in 10 minutes.

The picture icons are slightly confusing at first, but text does come up on the screen when you press them. Overall, this is a well-made and energy-efficient machine for batch cooking.