Breville Fast Slow Cooker

An impressive all-in-one appliance.

Breville Fast Slow Cooker BPR200
Price: $300
Rating: 4 stars

The Breville Fast Slow Cooker doubles as a slow cooker and a pressure cooker, so one appliance can give you the best of both worlds. You can also use it to sauté, sear, and steam.

What we found

We used it as both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker to cook lamb shanks and chilli con carne. We also steamed rice in the pressure cooker and steamed corn cobs using the steam-only function.

The lamb shanks were excellent cooked either way – the meat was perfectly tender and the sauce was full of flavour (although slightly watery). You could thicken the sauce at the end by removing the lid, turning on the sauté/sear setting and allowing the liquid to reduce.

The chilli con carne was also excellent in the pressure cooker. But the meat and beans were a little undercooked when we tried making it in the slow cooker.

The instructions said to cook the rice in the pressure cooker for only 4 minutes. This slightly undercooked the rice – but even if you cooked your rice slightly longer, the pressure cooker would still be faster than other cooking methods.

Steaming the corn cob gave an excellent result but took longer than more traditional methods.

Too hot to handle

You have to take care when removing the cooker’s lid, especially after using it as a pressure cooker. Before opening the lid, you need to press the steam-release “button” – but use a towel when you’re doing this, otherwise the steam’s likely to burn your hand. Keep releasing the steam until the pressure indicator rod drops.

Removing the cooking bowl when it’s hot can be tricky – the bowl has no handles.

Ease of use and cleaning

The touch controls are easy to use and the digital display is clear. Assembling the cooker was straightforward. The safety lid was simple to lock into place and unlock.

The non-stick bowl is dishwasher safe (although hand washing is recommended). But the stainless-steel exterior requires extra attention – and cleaning around the lid can be fiddly.

Our verdict

• We give the Breville Fast Slow Cooker a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Its “fast” (pressure) mode is perfect for something quick and hearty; its “slow” mode means you can come home to a piping hot meal. And its generous 6-litre capacity can feed a large family while still leaving enough to freeze as leftovers.
• You can adjust your favourite recipes to suit “fast” or “slow” cooking – the instructions come with a guide for converting conventional cooking times.
• We’ve seen the Breville Fast Slow Cooker on sale for as little as $190. That’s a good price for an appliance offering four functions in one.