The Cold-Weather Case for a Multicooker (And Which One Suits Your Kitchen)

Winter cooking hits different with a multicooker

There's a moment every winter where you look at the clock, realise it's already dark outside at 5pm, and wonder what happened to your meal plan. The slow cooker needs eight hours. The oven takes forever to preheat. And standing over a stovetop stirring risotto for 40 minutes when it's freezing outside? No thanks.

This is where a multicooker quietly becomes the most useful thing on your benchtop. Pressure cooking cuts stew and braise times by 60-70%, so that lamb shanks recipe that normally needs a lazy Sunday afternoon can happen on a Tuesday night. Throw in slow cook mode for the weekends, a saute function so you can brown meat without dirtying another pan, and you've got winter cooking sorted in one appliance.

If you've been eyeing one off but haven't pulled the trigger, winter is genuinely the best time to start. Here's what actually matters when you're choosing one.

What winter cooking demands from a multicooker

Not all multicooker features matter equally when the weather turns cold. The ones that really earn their keep in winter are:

• Pressure cook - the headline act. Beef cheeks in 45 minutes instead of three hours. Chicken stock from scratch in under an hour. This is the function that changes how you cook in winter.
• Saute/sear - browning onions, garlic and meat in the same pot before pressure cooking means one less pan to wash. Sounds small, but on a cold Wednesday night it matters.
• Slow cook - for weekends when you do have time. Load up a pulled pork or a big batch of soup in the morning, come back to a warm kitchen.
• Steam - vegies done perfectly while your main cooks. Most models include a rack or basket for exactly this.

Functions like dehydrate, sous vide and yoghurt? Nice to have, but they're not what makes a multicooker earn its winter stripes. Don't pay extra for them unless you'll actually use them. (We've got a detailed breakdown of which multicooker functions are worth paying for if you want the full rundown.)

Matching the right model to your household

The multicooker market in Australia basically comes down to three brands - Ninja, Instant Pot and COSORI - and the right pick depends more on your household size than anything else.

Feeding a family (4+ people): go big

The Ninja Foodi MAX OP500 at $383 (down from $479) gives you 7.5 litres and a TenderCrisp lid that pressure cooks then air fries for a golden finish. It's sitting at 4.7 stars from over 4,600 reviews on Amazon AU, which is genuinely impressive for a kitchen appliance at this price. The 7.5L pot handles a full roast chook or a massive batch of beef stew with room to spare.

If you don't need the air fry function and want to spend less, the Instant Pot Duo Plus 8L at $219 is hard to argue with. That's down from $479. Eight litres of capacity, 4.6 stars from 1,700+ reviews, and a steriliser function that's a genuine bonus if you've got young kids. No air fry, no frills - just a reliable pressure cooker that handles big batch cooks brilliantly.

Couples and smaller households: the sweet spot

COSORI 10-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker 5.7LA$209.61Check Price →

A 5.7L multicooker is the Goldilocks size for two to four people. Two standouts here.

The COSORI 10-in-1 at $202 (was $479) packs an air fry lid, sous vide and 10 cooking functions into a tidy package. It's rated 4.7 stars from over 1,000 reviews and honestly punches above its price. If you want the most features per dollar, this is it.

The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 at $214 is the original classic. Over 4,300 reviews at 4.5 stars. No air fry, no fancy extras - just seven solid cooking modes and the biggest recipe community of any multicooker brand. There are literally thousands of tested Instant Pot recipes floating around Australian cooking groups. For someone who just wants to pressure cook, slow cook and not overthink it, the Duo is still the smart pick.

Singles or tiny kitchens: start small

The Instant Pot Duo Plus 3L at $122 is the entry point. You still get 13 smart programs including pressure cook, slow cook, saute and steam - the same core functions as the bigger models, just in a compact package. Perfect for one to two serves, meal prep portions, or apartment kitchens where benchtop space is precious. At 4.6 stars from 1,700 reviews, it's well proven.

Do you actually need air fry built in?

This is the question that trips people up. Short answer: probably not, but it depends on what else is on your bench.

If you already own a decent air fryer, you don't need one built into your multicooker. Buy a dedicated pressure cooker (like the Instant Pot Duo or Duo Plus) and save the money.

If you're starting from scratch and want one appliance to rule them all, the Ninja Foodi MAX or the COSORI 10-in-1 combine pressure cooking and air frying in a single unit. You'll pay a bit more, but you're replacing two appliances instead of one. The Ninja SmartLid OL550 at $468 takes this even further with 11 functions and no lid swap required - though that's a premium price for a 6L pot.

The winter soup question

Every winter, someone asks whether they should get a multicooker or a dedicated soup maker. Here's the honest answer: a multicooker makes excellent soup. Saute your aromatics, add stock and veg, pressure cook for 15 minutes, then use a stick blender to smooth it out. Done.

A dedicated soup maker like the Ninja Foodi HB150 ($289, 4.7 stars) heats and blends in one jug, which is more convenient if soup is your main thing. But a multicooker does soup plus everything else - stews, braises, rice, steamed vegies, pulled pork. For most kitchens, the multicooker is the better winter investment. (We compared both approaches in our soup maker vs blender guide if you're on the fence.)

What you'll actually spend

Here's the full multicooker price range on Amazon AU right now:

• Instant Pot Duo Plus 3L - $122 (budget pick)
• COSORI 10-in-1 5.7L - $202 (best value with air fry)
• Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 5.7L - $214 (classic reliable choice)
• Instant Pot Duo Plus 8L - $219 (big family pick)
• Ninja Foodi MAX 7.5L - $383 (premium with TenderCrisp)
• Ninja Foodi SmartLid 6L - $468 (top-end all-in-one)

That's a range from a lazy weeknight curry machine to a do-everything kitchen workhorse. Every model on that list ships from Amazon AU with local warranty support.

Winter's the season when a multicooker really proves its worth. Pick the size that fits your household, don't overpay for functions you won't use, and let pressure cooking change the way you handle cold-weather dinners. Your future self, standing in a warm kitchen with dinner done in 30 minutes, will thank you.