Age 40
Conditions Rheumatoid Arthritis, Gastroparesis (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), anxiety
These conditions have been with me for 19 years
I know the difficulties that inflammatory arthritis can present in the kitchen.
My fingers, specifically my thumbs and knuckles, are the most painful and inflamed area. I find cooking difficult because of this.
Rheumatoid arthritis can also cause brain fog and systemic fatigue. Sometimes, I find cooking overwhelming.
Multo by CookingPal intrigued me because it seemed to address all three aspects of my rheumatoid arthritis issues in the kitchen. It was a one-stop solution that eliminated the need to carry around many parts and reduces lifting and carrying requirements. It also reduced fatigue and hand pain.
What is the Multo by CookingPal
The device is a kitchen appliance that can be placed on the countertop. It includes a large base (a bit larger than a standard stand mixer), and a bowl. There are also additional accessories such as a computer tablet connected to the base and other accessories. It can perform more than 15 functions including steam, saute and chop, scale, scale, boil, whisk mix, stir, clean, and grind.
Here’s what happened when I tried it
My excitement soon turned to dread when I realized that I had to carry the Multo into my home. Those with RA will be familiar with this feeling. My husband was able help me unbox the Multo.
Although some of the pieces were quite heavy, once everything was arranged, it was easy to turn on Smart Kitchen Hub tablet and link the main unit with the Smart Kitchen Hub tablet. This involved connecting both to my Wi Fi and Bluetooth.
After I had figured out how to use the interface, I found cooking with the Multo easier than traditional cooking.
Three Things I Loved About the Multo
- It is very easy to use, even if your hands hurt after the parts have been inserted. The design is very accommodating for arthritis. You can pour the ingredients directly into the main bowl to measure their weight.
- If you have brain fog, the Smart Hub can make cooking easy. Smart Kitchen Hub guides you through the steps of preparing a recipe and provides visual aids such as pictures of how the food should look after it’s been chopped. This helps me to reduce the mental demands of cooking by not having to rely on my work memory to remember which step is next.
- Multo can perform many functions in one product. The Multo can be used as a food processor to blend ingredients, steam meats and vegetables, make chicken stock, and many other functions. The Multo turned out some of my favorite recipes better than they would in the oven. For example, the pesto chicken.
Three Things I Hate About the Multo
- Some parts can be heavy and difficult to move. It has suction cups at the bottom of its large base to hold it to the counter. This is great for keeping it in place. However, it was difficult to move because of the product’s weight and strength. The main bowl you use to chop and mix, steam and knead the food is very heavy and difficult to lift into and out of the pot. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was only necessary to move the bowl once per recipe. However, for almost all of the recipes I tried it had to be moved multiple times in order to make one dish. As an arthritis patient, this is the most frustrating thing about my situation. For cooking at home, I have all the lightweight pans, skillets, and pots I need. I also own a stand mixer with a lightweight bowl. It is much easier to lift my stand mixer bowl into and out of the sink than the Multo bowl. The Multo bowl is heavier, but it also has an electric component that cannot get wet. It was tiring and painful lifting the bowl from the base for certain recipes like chicken with pesto. I then had to rinse the bowl and then fill the sink with water. Once it was cleaned, bring it back into the sink to pour out the water.
- Instructions and the user interface can be confusing. It was sometimes difficult for me to locate things when I had brain fog. When I tried to make the stuffed chicken breast recipe, I initially found the instructions too simple. However, I eventually was able find the “detail directions” option, which was in small print. After watching the tutorial, I realized that I needed to steam the chicken. The steamer had to heat up first. This took 10 minutes and cooked the chicken partially. At this point, I was confused about how long the steamer tray should be kept the chicken. Then I realized that clicking “download recipe” would take me to the most user-friendly option, which walks you through each recipe. Although this was a huge improvement in my enjoyment of Multo, it wasn’t intuitive enough for me to understand.
- It can be difficult to measure ingredients for recipes. I’m used to measuring ingredients using cups and teaspoons. The Multo recipes, however, give measurements in ounces or grams. The icon for “scale” in the directions indicated a traditional scale. However, with the Multo you use your main cooking pot as a gauge, which I found confusing at first. You can measure the device, which is great for gourmet cooks.
My personal take
Overall, I feel mixed about the Multo’s utility for someone suffering from rheumatoid and hand pain. This kitchen gadget could prove to be very useful if your pain is under control and you are able to lift the main bowl into the base. This could be especially useful for those who want to cook multiple dishes with one gadget, as opposed to having several different ones. It can also help with brain fog and difficulties with concentration. Once they understand how to navigate the menu, it will be a great tool! ).
The main mixing bowl’s weight is the most problematic aspect of this device. This is especially true since many recipes require you to move the bowl back and forth between the base and the sink. Crock-Pots are great for making chicken stock. You just need to put all the ingredients in the pot and turn it on. Then, you can clean it up once it is done. The Multo required me to move the bowl several times in order to clean it between steps. This was not only less convenient, but also more difficult on my joints. People with active arthritis might find this a problem if they don’t have someone to move the bowl. They might also love to make a few recipes that don’t require much lifting.
How I manage cooking with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Simple kitchen tools like opening aids are great for hand pain. To reduce the force exerted on my hands when lifting, I use lightweight bowls and pans. Pre-chopped vegetables, grocery delivery, ready-made meals and many other workarounds are all options I use.
- To combat fatigue, it helps to break down tasks and pace myself. Preparing some ingredients in the morning, and then the rest in the afternoon or evening, spreads my energy. To combat fatigue, I make simple recipes and bulk cook. Then, I freeze the rest to conserve energy.
- Brain fog is also something I like to avoid. Simple recipes are better than complex recipes, and you should make the same recipes over and over again.
Important: Everyday Health’s views and opinions are not the author’s.
