- How easy or difficult did you find Cook4Me Connect to use?
I found it very easy and intuitive to use. Connection with my device via Bluetooth was simple and the on screen menu was foolproof. The cooking steps for recipes were easy to follow. I also found it easy to adapt to my own recipes using the 'ingredients' option or by adapting cooking times from similar recipes in the app.
I found it easy to switch between browning and pressure cooking when using the device in manual mode - everything just seemed very obvious.
- Which recipes did you try? What did you think of them?
I tried a risotto, the sausage and bean stew and the bolognese from the app. I also used recipes to suggest cooking times for my own recipes such as a tagine and a curry.
I found the recipes to be a good base but made my own adaptations. However, I'm a confident cook and the kind of person who always has to fiddle with a recipe! The risotto was particularly excellent and the texture was lovely, I couldn't believe I hadn't stood over it stirring constantly! It's one I will make again and again with different additions as it was a real hit with my children too. I made enough for leftovers and shared done with a friend for lunch the following day and she described it as 'restaurant quality' and couldn't believe it was made in a pressure cooker.
I found the 'ingredients' menu especially useful and used the Cook4Me a number of times to make vegetable side dishes for other meals with great results.
I agree with other posters that I'd like to see more recipes that don't use jarred sauces etc. I'm diabetic and limit sugar in my diet and jar sauces are generally high in sugar so I try to avoid them. More use of fresh and basic ingredients such as passata would encourage me to try more recipes. However the browning function gives it more versatility than a slow cooker to adapt your own recipes, for example from the point of view of toasting my own spice blends for curry.
- What were your thoughts on the cooking results of the Cook4Me Connect?
I was very impressed. Vegetables always turned out well and the meals I cooked were flavoursome with good texture, particularly of the meat ingredients. I have used a slow cooker for years but am often underwhelmed by the results for some meats, particularly chicken. The Cook4Me gave very good results.
Sauces could sometimes be a little thin for my personal tastes, this was easily remedied with a little cornflour and flipping the device to browning mode for a few minutes to thicken things, again it was really easy to work out how to do this, it's a process I'm familiar with from my slow cooking adventures but the higher heat of the browning mode made it much faster and gave better thickening results.
- Would you recommend the Cook4Me Connect?
Definitely, and already have done so. Personally I feel that as a confident cook who is happy adapting recipes or going 'off piste' on my own, the Connected function and additional recipes don't really add a great deal of value for me, I also feel that for the extra cost the additional library of recipes could be a lot more extensive.
However regarding the function of the device, I have found it brilliant. I suffer from a chronic pain condition and standing in the kitchen at the end of a busy day is often too much for me. I had been relying on freezer and convenience food more than I'd like of late, and the Cook4Me has helped us diversify our meals and our consumption of vegetables has definitely increased, both by adding them to whole meals cooked in the device and also by making it easier and faster to cook additional side vegetables to serve with oven cooked meals. Broccoli turned out especially well.
Being able to make dishes like risotto, which I just wouldn't be able to stand and stir for 20 minutes, has been amazing. My two children have loved everything I have made and have been really interested in the workings of the Cook4Me, my seven year old loves running to the kitchen to se how much longer dinner will be! My 11 year old has downloaded the app onto her own phone and has been making lists of meals she would like to try in the future - whilst they're both pretty good eaters I feel the novelty of the Cook4Me has made them both even more open to trying exciting new things.
I have in the past used a friend's electric pressure cooker, a different popular brand, and it was a bit confusing and scary! The Cook4Me is so much easier to use and I was confident with it very quickly rather than being intimidated by it! It has had a lot of use already and will continue to be a key contributor to family meals.
I found the Cook4Me very easy to clean too, which is a massive bonus. It looks sleek and stylish despite being so big, and I'm happy to have it out on my kitchen worktop.
I was really pleased to be selected to test the Cook4Me and as a busy and very exhausted single mum I really feel that it's been a huge help in preparing healthier family meals without painful and tiring standing around in the kitchen. As a bonus I have lost 5lb in weight over the testing period thanks to reducing our reliance on convenience foods and takeaways.
My seven year old has asked to chip in with his opinion too - he loves that it cooks food so quickly and thinks it makes tasty dinners and says he gives it ten out ten stars for helping Mummy!