Best Breville Multi Cookers

It doesn't get up to pressure. During the early years of ownership it took a very long time to reach pressure but did cook eventually. I rarely… Read more

used it because of this. I didn't know it should not take that long until I got a cheapy pressure cooker recently. I contacted Breville and as it was just outside of warranty (I paid extra for 2 year warranty too) they wouldn't replace the unit or cover repairs or refund. They offered half off a new replacement unit but why would I want that when it takes so much longer to get up to pressure? I wanted a refund or credit to buy a different Breville product from their webstore like their reliable espresso machines I have owned for many years. For such an expensive appliance this is pathetic after sales service. My Aldi pressure cooker at fraction of the price works faster and better.

Pretty happy – I've had the Multi Chef for more than 7 years although it's only been in the last few months that I've used it regularly. First, it was to cook rice,… Read more

and for that it does a great job. I use it several times a week for rice. Simply use the correct water & rice ratio, and the machine will turn itself off and beep when the rice is done. Much better than cooking on the stove top where you have to keep an eye on it and obviously turn it off when it's done, or in the microwave where it would always boil over and make a mess. I sometimes use the steamer basket to cook veggies at the same time as cooking rice, which is very handy and efficient. I also use the slow cooker low & high functions several times a week now, and most of the time I preface the slow cook with the sear/saute. I LOVE that there is a sear function on the machine so that I can brown meats and saute onions/garlic etc directly in the slow cooker, rather than having to dirty another pan. The sear could be a bit stronger, but all in all it's fine. I wish it had a timer/delayed start though, for the days when I go to the office but only need it to cook for a few hours. Without a delayed start, I'm restricted to recipes that require at least 8 hours of cooking. The non-stick coating on the inner pot insert is pretty cr*p though, it's totally scratched even though I only use silicone or wood utensils. I think the bones of meat sitting in the pot is enough to scratch it. Luckily it is possible to buy a replacement pot as a spare part - I think that's really important and it's great that Breville offers this, rather than forcing consumers to throw away the whole unit because of one damaged part.

Edited to add on 3/4/2024: My machine has stopped working now, after owning it for 8 years and using it regularly for 1 year. The heating element stopped heating. I won't repurchase because of the non-stick coating on the inner pot, which flakes too easily and I can't imagine how much of it has gotten into our food. That was by far my biggest complaint about this machine. I would easily have repurchased it if the inner pot was stainless steel.