The Fast Slow Pro Multicooker Review

EVERY now and then here at BiaMaith, we are given something to try that really excites us. It could be some delicious Mountain Lamb like we got from the lovely people at Achill Mountain Lamb or the amazing free range pork we were sent by Pigs on the Green based near Tullamore. We saw the Sage by Heston Blumenthal Fast Slow Cooker Pro on Amazon one day and fell in love.

It isn’t just a great looking cooker, it is packed with features many unique to the brand. 

• With its 6 L capacity, the Sage Fast Slow Pro can pressure cook, slow cook, steam, reduce, sauté and sear with the press of a button. Rely on the fully interactive LCD to tell you when it’s building pressure, cooking and releasing steam.
• Dual sensors at the top and bottom monitor ingredients for more accurate temperature and pressure control, while the hands-free steam release automatically varies across foods to maximise flavour and texture.
• 12 smart menus and eight pressure levels range from low (10 kpa) for delicate foods to high (80 kpa) for extra fast cooking.
• Eight smart programs and three heat settings allow slow cooking from 2-10 hours and automatically switches to keep warm at the end of cooking.
• Stainless steel construction with three-way safety system – safety locking lid, hands-free auto steam release and safety valve.

The name says it all really: multicooker. It’s a small kitchen appliance that slow cooks, pressure cooks, steams, boils, sautés and sears with the press of a button or two.

If you’re familiar with slow cooking, you’ll know it’s a method that gives you fantastic results with very little effort. Pressure cooking is the same, but it cooks food up to 70% faster. You can use beef that’s as tough as old boots and end up with a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth stew 45 minutes later. This is something that would take hours in a pot or casserole dish.

Slow and pressure cooking save you time as well as money, as they use very little energy as a conventional oven or stove.

I have been using this model since before Christmas and I can’t believe how useful it has become. I use it all the time. I have made everything from stews to curries and desserts, all with fantastic results.

First Impressions

I was like a child on Christmas morning when the courier rang to say they had a package for me, I knew it was my new Multicooker from Sage.

It finally arrived and I couldn’t wait to start using it. Firstly I was blown away by how great the cooker looks. I have had a few others to check out and none compared to this. It looks great, lets hope it works as well as it looks…

The first thing I made was a chicken stock, this is something I have made many times over the years. It is a staple in any professional kitchen so any chef should be able to make a great stock. The problem with making stock is it is time consuming, a great stock can take days to make. The literature and advertising blurb for the Sage by Heston Blumenthal The Fast Slow Cooker Pro said the pressure cooker feature will make a fantastic stock in minutes. Upon reading this claim I had to try it for myself.

As usual I browned the chicken bones in the oven then added them to the pressure cooker with water. One of the cool things about this model is you have an easy to read display that tells you everything you need to know at a glance. Another great feature is the pre programmed settings. I simply choose stock from the display and pressed start. A bell sounded to let me now I had to close the lid, which I did and the cooker started it’s work.

It took time for the pressure to build up as is the case with all pressure cookers. Once it did the timer started, 45 minutes and counting.

When it was finished the stock was nice, a basic chicken stock. With many other multicookers I would have had to change the stock into a pot and reduce (boil) until the flavour has intensified. However, with the Sage by Heston Blumenthal The Fast Slow Cooker Pro I simply choose reduce from the settings then choose 15 minutes and pressed start. This time a bell sounds to let you know to open the lid if closed.

15 minutes later I had a stock as good as any I spent days making in a professional kitchen. I was amazed at the end results.

The automatic steam release is another great feature you won’t find on most other multicookers. This is a great safety feature and also really handy. Once the timer is up the steam will release one of 3 ways from natural to fast depending on the food you are cooking. You can set this yourself or allow the cooker set it for you based on the cooking settings you have chosen from the menu.

Faster Cooking – Better Results…

I love running this site and our Facebook page, the only thing is I don’t get to start dinner until late most days due to you keeping me so busy every evening. Most chefs will be used to eating late so I am fine with it. The only problem is when I planned on making a dish like a stew or casserole which takes hours. There have been times when it is past midnight when I finally get to eat. The Sage by Heston Blumenthal The Fast Slow Cooker Pro changed all that. Now I get to eat when I want, even if making a stew or casserole.

Using the pressure cooker setting for casserole I can now have a beautiful stew in 45 minutes rather than the hours it usually takes on the hob. The meat is so tender it melts in the mouth, even after only cooking for such a short time.

Food cooks so much faster in a pressure cooker, in fact up to 70% faster! Not only does this save you time, it also saves you on your electricity bills.

Slow Cooking

As most of you know I am a very big fan of slow cookers. They are so handy, make food taste better and save on time and electricity. There are a few things that always got to me about them. Many lack a timer and once many dishes are made they can be a bit watery as steam doesn’t escape while cooking and so falls back down into the cooking liquid throughout the cooking process. This can be fixed by leaving the lid off for the last hour of cooking or placing the dish into a pot and reducing (boiling) until thickened which also intensifies the flavour.

This isn’t the case with The Sage by Heston Blumenthal The Fast Slow Cooker Pro. You simply choose the slow cooker settings from the display then let the cooker do all the work while you get about your busy day. When it is ready you open the lid then choose sear or reduce from the menu and allow the sauce to reduce for 10 minutes to end up with a beautiful dish that is the right consistency and bursting with flavour. The whole process can be set exactly how you prefer or you can use the pre-set cooking times from the menu. This is great as all the guess work it taken away for basic cooks while advanced cooks can use the custom settings to get the precise results they want.

I could go on and list the dishes I have made and the many useful features of this multicooker but I think you get the idea, I love this particular multicooker.

It looks great and works very well, far better than expected or than any other models I have tried out so far.

So, if given the choice would I splash out on this particular multicooker. Yes I most definitely would. It very quickly became my most used kitchen appliance and will be for a very long time to come. Unlike others I was given to try this one actually got used all the time.

My verdict, it is easily the best Multicooker on the planet right now and well worth the investment. It costs more than other models by other manufacturers, but once you compare other models side by side you will soon see why and, just like me, think it is well worth the extra money.

Pros: It looks amazing, the stainless steel finish shows this is no ordinary multicooker. It works, the end results speak for themselves, the menu with pre-programmed settings makes cooking very easy even for those who think they can’t cook. It saves on your electric bills. It saves you a lot of time and effort.

Cons: Price, only available online in Ireland for now.

Verdict: 10/10

PLEASE NOTE…

BiaMaith does not and never will take payment for reviews. You cannot buy a BiaMaith recommendation. While we do get most of the products we review for free, this is for review purposes only. We only ever post reviews after using the products in our own homes for a minimum of 1 month, in most cases this is usually 3 months especially with kitchen appliances like in this review. I fail to understand how someone, as many do, review products after using them for mere hours or days. It is far more important to us that our reviews are honest so you can make informed choices based on our honest opinions and not because we make money from your decisions.

If you do choose to purchase one of these Multicookers then please do so using the links below. We will get a small commission from Amazon for each sale which helps us keep this site going.