6 Reasons Your Slow Cooker Is Not What It Could Be

Sage Risotto Plus review


What's 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. It also has a
Sauté/sear function that makes it easier to cook everything in one pot -- for
Example sautéing garlic and onions as the foundation for a risotto or searing meat

Results are impressive -- its no-stir risotto was almost as delicious as one
That's been slaved over for half an hour, thanks to a clever function that utilizes
bubbles to agitate the rice. The build quality is amazing also. Actually, the only

Sage Risotto Plus -- Layout and Features
The build quality of the Sage Risotto Plus strikes you immediately. It feels
Solid and well constructed, with quality materials and design details such as superb
Handles on the side for moving it to the table or moving it in the
kitchen.
It comes with a rice paddle, plastic measuring cup and a large stainless steel
Steaming tray -- where many slow cookers have a little plastic tray. The
Round cooking pot is non-stick, as is the inside of the cooker itself. Capacity

The controls are easy: buttons at the bottom to select one of five modes:
risotto, sauté/sear, rice/steam, slow cooker low, slow cooker high. There's no
You can not 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, but the cooker will change over to
Keep warm mode once it is cooked. (This common rice cooker feature might
Seem like magic, but it is quite simple: a temperature sensor detects the fact
Your food is getting hotter because all of the cooking water has been
absorbed.)


and spices. Interestingly the instructions suggest it is safe to use from age 8,
Which makes it a safer alternative to the hob for budding chefs.
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 need 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 nearly as deliciously creamy as though the risotto was stirred constantly
For half an hour. And thirdly because it felt when the dish was cooked and
Automatically shifted to keep warm mode.
The sauté/sear mode seemed a little on the hot side -- butter browned slightly
Quicker than you would hope for. But with Heston Blumenthal's name on the box
You can't help doubting yourself: what if you have been sautéing at the wrong
Temperature for years?
Blumenthal has clearly had a hand in the item. He is famously a fan of
Cooking slowly so that meat retains its juices (if protein is heated quickly, it
Contracts and the juices are squeezed out). The stove's design is impeccable
and the accompanying recipes from Blumenthal are surprisingly not too
Bonkers -- there's a disappointing lack of snail porridge.
Should I buy the Sage Risotto Plus?
If you just want a slow cooker or a rice cooker, no, as it's hard to justify
the Sage's price tag. Instead, look at Cheaper options like 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 won't disappoint.
VERDICT
This premium one-pot cooker saves on time and washing up. Superb, if you
Do not mind the hefty price tag.