Cracking The Slow Cooker Secret

PROS

Sautés/sears ingredients
Impressive build quality
CONS
Pricey
No timer delay
KEY FEATURES
3.7-litra capacity
Modes for risotto, rice, saute/sear and slow cooking
Manufacturer: Sage

WHAT IS THE SAGE BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL
RISOTTO PLUS?
The Sage Risotto Plus is a multi-cooker that promises to cook fluffy rice and creamy
Risotto without stirring, as well as being a slow cooker.
That makes it easier to cook everything in one pot -- for example sautéing onions and
Garlic as the base for a risotto or searing meat for a stew.
Results are impressive -- its no-stir risotto was almost as delicious as one that's been
Slaved over for half an hour, thanks to some smart function that uses bubbles to agitate the
rice. The build quality is exquisite too. Actually, the only thing that rankles about the Sage
Risotto Plus is its price tag.
Sage Risotto Plus -- Layout and Features
The build quality of the Sage Risotto Plus strikes you immediately. It feels solid and well
Built, with quality materials and design details such as superb handles on the side for
Moving it to the table or simply moving it in the kitchen.

Tray -- where many slow cookers have a small plastic tray.
Non-stick, as is the inside of the cooker itself. Ability is 3.7 litres, enough for 20 cups
of cooked rice.
The controls are simple: buttons at the bottom to select one of five modes: risotto,
sauté/sear, rice/steam, slow cooker low, slow cooker high. There is no countdown timer
You can't program the cooking time, only switch it on in the morning
And off again when you get home.
If you're cooking rice or steaming, however, the cooker will change over to keep warm
Mode once it is cooked. (This Frequent rice cooker attribute might seem like magic, but it's
Quite easy: a temperature sensor detects the fact that your food is getting hotter
Because all the cooking water was absorbed.)
The former provides a high heat for

Interestingly the instructions suggest it is safe to use from age , making it a safer

The risotto mode controls temperature through a number of stages to create tiny
Bubbles which encircle the rice, releasing starch to give the dish a creamy texture without
The requirement to stir.
SAGE RISOTTO PLUS -- WHAT'S IT LIKE TO USE?
The no-stir risotto was remarkable. Primarily, because the sauté/sear mode meant there
Was no need to use another pan. Secondly, because the results were almost as
Deliciously creamy as if the risotto had been stirred constantly for 30 minutes. And
Thirdly because it sensed when the dish was cooked and automatically switched to keep
warm mode.
The sauté/sear mode seemed a little on the other hand -- butter browned slightly faster
Than you'd hope for. However, with Heston Blumenthal's name on the box you can not help
Doubting yourself: what if you have been sautéing in the wrong temperature for years?
Blumenthal has obviously had a hand in the product. He is famously a fan of cooking gradually
So that meat retains its juices (if protein is heated quickly, it contracts and the juices are
squeezed out). The cooker's design is impeccable and the accompanying recipes from
Blumenthal are surprisingly not too bonkers -- there is a disappointing lack of snail
porridge.
Should I buy the Sage Risotto Plus?

If you just want a slow cooker and/or a rice cooker, no, as it is hard to justify the Sage's
price tag. Instead, look at more affordable options such as the Lakeland Brushed Chrome
Family Slow Cooker or the Tefal 8-in-1 Multi Cooker (the latter is especially good for
cooking with a time delay).
But if you love risotto, or you simply want to make slow-cooked dishes without using
Another pan to sear/sauté first, the beautifully made Sage Risotto Plus will not disappoint.
VERDICT
This premium one-pot cooker saves on time and washing up. Superb, if you don't mind
The hefty price tag.