As a busy mom, I’m always looking for new recipes to cook for my kids, as well as new ways to cook dinner.
If you have a busy schedule or family life like I do, then owning a pressure cooker or slow cooker is a must. Better yet, you need a pressure cooker and a slow cooker combo like the Breville Fast Slow Pro Multicooker. It will be your best friend when it comes to making quick, easy and healthy home cooked meals for your family.
Read on for my review of the Breville Fast Slow Pro Multicooker and all it has to offer.
Initial impressions
Unboxing the Breville Fast Slow Pro Multicooker was probably the easiest kitchen appliance I have ever opened. You literally just cut the tape where the box is closed and pull it out of the box. Everything you need, or that comes with the cooker is neatly tucked away inside the unit. When you open the lid of the cooker you’ll find the power cord, a steamer basket and a rack for supporting the steamer basket, or keeping foods out of the cooking liquid.
Inside the box you’ll also find the Fast Slow Pro instruction booklet, that will show you all the buttons and functions on the machine, and give you easy to follow, step by step instructions for using the different modes of the cooker.
Also included is a recipe booklet full of great meals and desserts if you’re looking for some new meal inspirations.
Charting the key considerations
Is the cooker easy to use?
Yes, the buttons are clearly marked and the interactive LCD screen let’s you know what the cooker is currently doing.
What is a pressure cooker?
A pressure cooker is a way of cooking that seals steam inside a cooking vessel. This trapped steam increases the pressure inside the vessel allowing the temperature to rise and cook your food 70% faster. It’s genius really.
What is a slow cooker?
A slow cooker cooks food for a longer period of time and at a low temperature.
What are the benefits of slow cooking?
Slow cooking is great for stews and tougher cuts of meat. Tougher cuts of meat get broken down in a slow cooker, which allows them to become tender and easy to pull apart.
What can you cook in the Breville Fast Slow Cooker?
There is a fantastic chart in the instruction booklet showing what, and how, to cook on both the pressure and slow cooker settings. You can cook everything from meats, beans, rice, veggies, fruit and desserts. You can also saute, sear, steam and reduce.
Testing it out
Since I’ve used a Fast Slow Cooker before, the second my youngest son saw the box he insisted I make rice pudding. No joke, I would buy a pressure cooker just to make rice pudding.
After he devoured the rice pudding, his next request was chili. Once you have your meal completely ready to cook in the cooker pot, you simply close the lid and turn it until it locks into place with a ding. You then start your meal by push the start/select button, and turn it until you get the setting you want, and then push the start/select button again to confirm your setting. Then press start/select again, and you will see the arrow is now along the right hand side. From here you choose your setting depending on what you’re cooking. Since I cooked chili, I chose the Chili & Stew setting. You will then see on the left side of the LCD screen your temperature and cooking time. I wanted to cook my chili a little faster, so I turned the Temp dial until it said High on the screen and pushed it to start the unit heating. I then pressed the Time dial and changed the time to 3 hours and pressed the dial again to start the timer.
Here’s our family favourite chili recipe that I tested out in the Breville Fast Slow Pro:
| Ingredients: 1 lb of ground beef ( I actually use ground bison from my local butcher)
1 jar of marina sauce 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans 2 tbsp vinegar 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp chili powder 1 tsp dry mustard 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp salt |
Directions
Turn the Breville Fast Slow Pro on the Saute/ Hi heat setting and cook the ground meat until cooked through.
Then add the remainder of the ingredients and stir until mixed well. Close the lid and lock it into place.
Select the Slow Cook method and then Chili & Stew.
From here you can leave it on lo for the designated time or change the settings to Med or High and change the timer as well to your preference.
Once your meal has finished cooking, the Fast Slow Pro will automatically switch to the keep warm setting. It will also start a timer on this setting so if you’re out and come home, you’ll know how long your meal has been on the keep warm setting.
Here’s the video I made testing out the Breville Fast Slow Pro Multicooker:
Final thoughts
What surprised me, and what I loved most about the Breville Fast Slow Pro, is how easy it is to use. The buttons were clearly marked and everything was easy to read on the LCD screen. I love the option to sear and saute your veggies and meats right in the pot before turning it to the pressure or slow cook setting to finish cooking your meal.
Another bonus for me is the amount of dishes, or lack there of, that you need to wash after cooking. One pot dishes are one of my favourite meals just for this reason, and the Fast Slow Pro was so easy to clean after use. The cooking pot comes right out of the cooker base and washes easily with soap and water. In the lid of the unit you’ll see the silicone gasket that just pulls right out for easy washing as well. I love the design of the ring too. There is no “right way” it has to be put in, just simply push it back into the holding area and it’s ready for next use.
Having the Breville Fast Slow Pro Multicooker made my sunday really easy. We had a quick rice pudding breakfast and then I threw in the chili for dinner and barely had to do any dishes after either.
