Mumsnet users review the Tefal Cook4Me Connect

[JustineBMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 30 Mumsnetters who have been testing the Tefal one-pot digital cooker Cook4Me Connect (RRP £319.99).

Here’s what Tefal have to say about the product: “You don’t need to be a masterchef to achieve delicious meals in no time! Tefal have innovated again, and now give you Cook4Me.

Cook4Me is a one-pot digital cooker, ideal for parents looking to make fast and fresh meals:
- It is easy to use and intuitive: Cook4Me comes with 50 built-in recipes, and features a digital screen with guided cooking steps.
- Cook4Me cooks under pressure, which means you will save a lot of time. For example, after browning and pre-heating, it cooks a Chicken Tikka Masala in 3 minutes, a Thai Green Chicken curry in 4 minutes and a Risotto in 9 minutes (and no need to stir!)…
- It is the ideal all-in-one cooker, with up to 6 cooking manual modes: not only does it pressure cook, but it also steams, browns, simmers, gentle-cooks and automatically keeps your food warm. Its dishwasher-safe bowl can feed 6 people, perfect for the whole family or for batch-cooking.

Cook4Me comes in a standard version, with 50 built-in recipes (RRP is £269.99), and in a Connected version, that works with My Cook4Me app, giving access to over 100 recipes (RRP is £319.99).”

Testers, please ensure that you’ve tested the digital cooker using both the recipes and the manual/ingredients modes and then give your feedback by answering the following questions as well as completing the survey we will email to you.

1. How easy or difficult did you find Cook4Me Connect to use?
2. Which recipes did you try? What did you think of them?
3. What were your thoughts on the cooking results of the Cook4Me Connect?
4. Would you recommend the Cook4Me Connect?

All who give their required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Non-testers, please answer the below question. All non-testers who answer the below question will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

• Is there a recipe you’ve never dared to cook and would really like to be able to make in the Cook4Me?

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

It appears I have 3 minutes left of my meatballs in tomato sauce. It smells great.

I found the instructions a bit difficult to start with but I'm dyslexic so that might be why.

Have to make pea and mint risotto for my vegan dd after this and we're having creme brûlée for dessert.

Non tester- my fil had a pressure cooker similar to this and made the most incredible bbq pulled pork. I Dont like pork normally but even I would have seconds. He passed before I ever got the recipe (I think) as despite asking he always said he just bunged it in with some BBQ sauce and left it, (it tasted like heaven so surely it couldn't have been that simple) but maybe it was just the cooker that did it. If we win can we choose a tefal voucher to put towards the cost of one as I think that's what a lot of us who wernt chosen would probably spend it on lol

Oh if it wasn't clear my answer was I would love to try his pulled pork "recipe" but I'm a bit scared it wouldn't taste as good if I used my slow cooker/over so I'm gonna have to save up for one of these

Ok now I'm confused.

My cooker doesn't have the pea and mint risotto recipe on the display so I've attempted to do it manually. I'm following the recipe but when it came to the actual cooking it won't let me put more than 1 minute 40 on the timer and I need to cook it for 6 minutes.

Setting the cook4me up was very easy and I've worked my way through the different recipes on it as well as the app.

I'm going to start with the bacon and leek risotto this evening. I would never bother with making risotto at home because of the faff and stirring...

I am an idiot 🙈 the timer is 1 HOUR 40 minutes! Thank god I realised.
Risotto was a tad sticky and dry for my liking but I could add more liquid. Very easy.

Have cleaned it and it's ready for action tomorrow.

Prep is no quicker obviously but much better to be able to chuck everything in and not stand at the cooker with bolognaise sauce spitting all over the counter top.

A hit so far.

Non tester: I would love to make a risotto , they look so difficult but I'm sure they would be amazing in the tefal cookie.

Non tester: would love to make a souffle! Not sure if that would even be possible in one of these but I would buy one if it was!! Risotto without the stirring sounds great and probably slightly more realistic!

Oh the pressure!! I got a bit confused cooking the leeks bacon and onion so went backwards to check the amount of stock I need to add - this would be really helpful on the screen instructions as it moves forward because I had the app set for a family of 5 but only cooking for 2 tonight.

And the pot wants to re heat again even though it doesn't need to and is over cooking the leeks and now I'm drinking the white wine I was going to add

Cooked chilli con carne and thai green curry.

Chilli was very watery so will be altering the amount when I make it again. Curry was just right.

Set up, connection and use is easy. The manual settings are a bit hit and miss though, the browning setting has things bubbling very hard but the simmer doesnt have a single bubble breaking the surface.

Just my initial thoughts, will be back with more I am sure!

Can't wait to start with mine as it was delivered today. Unfortunately, it's with the neighbour...who appears to be out for the night.

Just checking in. Don't have mine yet but will faithfully update when I do. Can't wait to try it!

Non Tester - would love to cook a Thai Green Curry, but never been brave enough to attempt one

Made the butternut squash and it was delicious. It is probably add white wine, chicken and sage as well for a fuller flavour. Nice and creamy just as risotto should be. It was fairly easy to set up though I was confused with the instructions at one point. Was expecting it to beep when I had been browning for two mins but it didn't appear to just said to add stock afterwards. This could be user error though!

Really please with how easy it was to wash up and have put it in the dishwasher.

It is big so I would not want to keep it in a cupboard however it looks a bit clunky on my worktop.

I made enough for four though it was just my DD and me that had it. I've frozen the other two portions so will see what that's like heated up.

I'm looking forward to using it again.

So am writing this while munching my pesto chicken risotto.... I love this machine!

Prep is a faff, but then the prep would be a faff however you were cooking it so that doesn't count!

Preheating takes ages, I think someone said above that allowing time for that eats into the quickness of it. Suppose that can't be helped though.

But the cooking... so so easy. I'm a pretty lousy cook, in my head I'm better than I am. And I'm also lazy. But this totally changed our evening meal. It really did take me step by step through every single part and was so easy to follow. DH is well impressed and one out of two DDs loved it. DD2 gave the meal 1/10 but she's an awkward so and so .

Could have done with a little more liquid although I did stick to the recipe in the end, and the rice was a little hard still. But more liquid might sort that. But it tastes blummin' lovely!

So first impressions are great. And I love the app telling me when it's done. Now to decide what to cook next...

Should add I've never made risotto in my life because of the faff. Will be making it every night now!

Getting it out of the box was probably the hardest part! Once we got it out the rest was very straightforward, even with an over excited dc watching my every move. My first meal will be Greek lamb on Sunday. I find Sundays a nightmare as we usually go out in the afternoon then I have to do a decent family dinner while getting ready for school tomorrow. I have great hopes for this gadget to make my Sundays easier!

Oh FFS. Ignore most of what I wrote above. I'm a complete turnip. I put 170mls of stock instead of 750mls .

I'm too stupid to be allowed out on my own, seriously... was still nice though!!

Sweet chilli salmon was delicious. Took a bit longer to prepare than the recipe suggested because I had to remove the skin from the salmon, however it was really easy and a bit hit with DH and the children.

Tester.
First impressions - it looks very good quality, it doesn't take up as room as I thought it might and the design is nice, for these reasons I am just going to leave it out in my kitchen rather than packing it away in the cupboard each time and taking it out again (also I have a feeling I may use it a lot!)

Oh yes, the pre-heat isn't included in the recipe times (which might be useful to know) but it was only about 5mins. However I just loved following the recipe on my iPad and having the Cook4Me follow along, it was so easy to do.

Forgot to say I will update once I have used a few different recipes

Tester. First off, thank you for sending it. I'm really very excited. I'm a full time teacher and the most stressful time of the day is the 5pm-6pm 'get in - get kids sorted - prep tea - eat tea' witching hour.

I was really pleased to get it today and made the Butternut Squash Risotto as that was all we had the ingredients for. I was impressed with the machine (though I was surprised by just how massive it is and have had to rearrange my kitchen!) and the ease of using the app, but i found it a little frustrating that it took longer to make than the app suggested because of the preheating time (still much quicker than a normal risotto, but still misleading). The risotto itself was a bit bland. I hope the other recipes are tastier.

OK I've just made the pesto chicken risotto again using the correct quantities and it was perfect. Thought it might be a bit sloppy when I first opened the lid but as soon as I stirred it the remaining liquid disappeared and it was lovely. We're a bit risottoed out now so DH and I had a tiny taste each and it's gone into the freezer for another time. A great success!