Please or to access all these features

Product tests

Here's where users test and review products and give their feedback. If you'd like to run a product test please email [email protected].

Mumsnet users review the Tefal Cook4Me Connect

603 replies

JustineBMumsnet · 30/06/2017 16:18

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

Mumsnet users review the Tefal Cook4Me Connect
OP posts:
Thread gallery
24
piggypoo · 15/07/2017 08:14

Non-tester, I'd love to try to make a Risotto, but I've always shied away from them, they just seem too hard, I know I'm missing out, but I am just scared I'll end up with a mess on my hands!

saltedcaramelhotchoc · 15/07/2017 08:21

Tester popping in...

Tried the bacon and leek risotto- it's much nicer than the squash risotto! It was lovely. I added wine....

I am going to try lamb Rogan josh later.... and more Dahl. I've made three types of dhal so far...

SSCRASE123 · 15/07/2017 08:47

Soup - Have wanted to try but worry it's all going to end up watery and/or separating once it's served.

nonnyno · 15/07/2017 08:49

non tester. I would love to try risotto with this piece of equipment. I love risotto when eating out, but have never been brave enough to attempt it at home. When i cook rice it turns out different every time. sometimes it is sticky, sometimes it sticks to the pan, sometimes not all the water is absorbed. Sometimes it is perfect. If I cooked risotto i would be afraid that either the rice did not cook properly or that the liquid was not absorbed.

Sallyflups1 · 15/07/2017 08:58

I'd love to try the Korma Chicken wings but way to scared....I'm always overlooking chicken as it is to make sure it's cooked through! Need to put my big girl pants on and be more daring!

molly57 · 15/07/2017 09:55

I am a non-tester. I think I would like to try risotto. To get the rice just right would be a challenge.

kay071 · 15/07/2017 10:45

I have always wanted to try to make curry from scratch. I get told often it is easy but to me making the sauce sounds tricky.

cathyov · 15/07/2017 10:56

I would love to be able to make a Jambalaya - one of our best meals out when on holiday but never been brave enough to reproduce it.

allibaby · 15/07/2017 11:45

Pea and ham soup
My mum used to make the best pea and ham soup but I'm worried mine won't taste as good.

lorka · 15/07/2017 12:06

Non tester - I'd love to try the risotto - worried about stodgy rice if I tried it. Shock

ell5454 · 15/07/2017 15:04

Non Tester
I love to make something with Lamb never seem to cook it right.

Deeceeha · 15/07/2017 15:32

Non tester. My grandmother used to make the lightest fluffiest dumplings, I have never had any success with mine but I'd love to as they are the ultimate nostalgic comfort food.

toniuk · 15/07/2017 16:28

Non tester veg hotpot

jacqroberts68 · 15/07/2017 17:53

Non tester. I've always wanted to make and try Bouillabaisse

purplepandas · 15/07/2017 19:55

Just cooked the pea and mint risotto. Really really easy to do but the risotto was a bit gloopy and lacking in taste. Less water and more flavour needed next time.

TheJiminyConjecture · 15/07/2017 20:43

1. How easy or difficult did you find Cook4Me Connect to use?

So easy. The step by step instructions on both the app and the Cook4Me itself were simple. The instruction manual was clear and concise (no wading through hundreds of pages before you get started) and we were up and running in no time

2. Which recipes did you try? What did you think of them?

We had the bacon and leek risotto (twice!), chicken curry and tacos. The risotto was a huge hit, clean plates all round. We never have risotto due to the amount of effort required so it was fab to just whack it in and let it crack on.

The other two recipes were basically bang in a jar of sauce/mix with a few additional ingredients. I felt that the added water in both cases made the sauce very runny. This wasn't an issue with the curry but I ended up training out the excess for the tacos. There was a full bowls worth!

3. What were your thoughts on the cooking results of the Cook4Me Connect?

Like other testers I found that the preheating took a lot longer than I was expecting. It would have been nice to have a guide re the time for preheating on the app.

I was impressed that the meat didn't go stringy or chewy when cooked at speed. This is always a concern for me when cooking a chicken curry dish or similar but i was pleased with the moistness and the end result.

4. Would you recommend the Cook4Me Connect?

I would definitely recommend the Tefal Cook4Me Connect. I'd prefer a few more 'from scratch' recipes programmed in as I prefer to cook that way but I'm looking forward to experimenting further with our own family recipes.

Thank you so much for choosing us to test this product, we love it and even DH has been expressing an interest in cooking as he loves a gadget!

Babycarmen · 15/07/2017 21:02

Non- tester!

So gutted I never got to test this I would of LOVED it.

I would love to use it to try cook a risotto, it's one of my favourite meals but I've never dared to make it at home before.

GeorgeW78 · 15/07/2017 23:39

Non tester. I'd like to try making a risotto in it cos mine have been a bit hit and miss so I sort of gave up. I'd love to give it another try!

MidnightVelvetthe7th · 16/07/2017 10:22

I received mine a week later than most other people so I'm still testing it, but here are the answers so far. I'll keep updating the thread as trying lots of new ones this week.

  1. How easy or difficult did you find Cook4Me Connect to use?

It was unfamiliar at first, but the instructions were clearly set out for removing the lid & all the bits, I really liked the paper manual so I didn't have to keep referring to my phone for instructions. I've always been a bit terrified of pressure cookers ever since I saw a pic on Buzzfeed where a pressure cooker had exploded & sunk into the oven & the lid of it was embedded into the roof & I had this in my mind when I used the Cook4Me for the first time Grin but after the first time I was fine, it feels safe & solid & the step by step by instructions were reassuring. If you do something wrong like try to close the lid to brown, it will tell you & it would be difficult to make a mistake with it, its well thought out.

I liked the notes section on the app where previous people can add notes on what worked for them, I used the notes before I cooked & acted on some of them, like adding peas to improve the end result.

The non stick bowl is actually non stick, its fab.

I like the display on the pot & its user friendly, for such a modern interface I found the retro OK button a strange choice though, its not really a retro style & doesn't fit with the rest of it. I liked the black/purple, equally I'd also like more colourways in the future.

The audio sounds are fine, not annoying at all they are reassuring as is the screen.

  1. Which recipes did you try? What did you think of them?

Spaghetti bolognese & chilli - could not get these to work, tried it twice each & both times got an error 24 or error 21 & in the end I tipped it into a pan on the hob every time. But I'm used to making these with much less water so even though I followed the recipes I don't think there was enough liquid. Maybe I'll have to do these on manual mode as I also added the whole 500g of mince, not 450g.

Chicken & rice - absolutely beautiful, really yummy & made a good lot of it in 6 mins, this is going to be one of my weekday staples from now on, it was lovely. I did microwave some frozen peas & add them at the end though.
Pesto chicken risotto - again this was lovely, it was the first time I'd made a risotto as I get home after 6pm, have to immediately cook for 4 people & can't faff about with ladling for 45 minutes. This was a game changer for me, a beautiful risotto done quickly.
Light chocolate cream - left a review on the app for this one, the texture is seriously weird! I made 4, 2 of them were set lightly but the other 2 were liquidy & had bits of skin in them a bit like rice pudding but offputting. Once you get past the odd texture the taste was very nice, will probably try chilling them a bit longer next time.

This week I'm trying: tacos, rogan josh, fish with coconut, pea & mint risotto for my vegan sister & maybe the chocolate puds if I remember to measure my ramekins. Will update on these later.

I'd like to make an observation on the amounts in some recipes though, for example given that the most common amounts of beef mince to buy are 250g/500g/750g some recipes called for 450g so what do you do when you have a pack of 500g, do you chuck the whole lot in like I did (see comments on spag bol & chilli above) or do you measure it exactly & waste 50g of perfectly good food? Same with the 2tbsp of coconut milk in the fish with coconut recipe I've just shopped for, coconut milk comes in 400g tins so what I'll do is take 2tbsp & freeze the rest but this has the capacity to become really wasteful until you're a creative & confident cook withe left over components.

  1. What were your thoughts on the cooking results of the Cook4Me Connect?

I LOVED the browning function, I didn't realise I'd been browning stuff wrong my entire life until I saw how this browns. Usually I just brown until it changes colour but this did that & carried on so it became lovely & separated & the taste was so much better.

I was confident that it would cook the food properly & well, the first couple of times I cut open the chicken etc so make sure it had cooked but there's no need, now I just trust it.

I found that the best results were with recipes that were new to me, so I had no subconscious ideas of how much liquid to use. I was blown away by things I'd never tried before that just seemed so easy.

  1. Would you recommend the Cook4Me Connect?

Yes, my dad has already asked to borrow it for his holiday this year & if he likes it he will buy one! I'm taking it on our family holiday to the seaside as the speed is so incredible & will be useful for hungry children. I'd recommend the connect one, I like that you can follow the instructions either on the app or on the pot screen so if you're wifi is dodgy you can still use it provided its downloaded already. I'd totally recommend it.

NerrSnerr · 16/07/2017 12:43

None tester
I'd love to make a chicken tikka masala- the ones I have made have never tasted right.

Satsunday · 16/07/2017 16:07
  1. How easy or difficult did you find Cook4Me Connect to use?

Very easy - it's like a magic cauldron! Whoever invented this is a genius. I don't have to actually do a lot when using it which is exactly want I wanted - I don't particularly enjoy cooking so I'm always looking for ways to get it done more quickly. I do want to cook nice meals for my family though, of course, and this machine allows me to produce nice meals but in a pretty short space of time.

The only thing I still haven't quite worked out is the preheating and browning step. It asks me if I want to start browning and I click yes, put the ingredients in and then it starts preheating for quite a long time. I don't mind the preheating time at all but now I know not to put any ingredients in until that bit is finished.

I love all the different recipe options and I'm excited to try more. I have no issue with the use of jars, in fact I'm actually quite glad to see them! But I'm not a natural cook so I can understand why others might not like this.

I found the display easy to follow and I love the look of it and have no problem with the size (as I've found a good place for it to live on the kitchen surface). It's also easy to take apart and clean.

  1. Which recipes did you try? What did you think of them?

I tried the chilli first which was amazing. It is the nicest one I've tried and the whole family liked it. Even better is that it was extremely easy to do (once I'd got my head round the preheating versus browning step as mentioned above). I didn't have any red wine so put extra water in. And somehow I ended up putting two tins of tomatoes in instead of one. I will do the same again next time though as the taste, texture and consistency were perfect.

I tried the bacon and leak risotto next. My husband liked this but I wasn't as keen (I'm not a big fan of bacon so I think that's why, rather than anything to do with the cook4me or the recipe). We didn't find there to be too much liquid at the end, just right I think. I followed the recipe exactly for this one.

So far, I haven't tried anything which wasn't successful and I find the app easy to use as well.

  1. What were your thoughts on the cooking results of the Cook4Me Connect?

I think it's an amazing machine and I have no complaints about the cooking results whatsoever. Everything has been cooked perfectly every time - I was a bit concerned that the food wouldn't be piping hot, but it has always been cooked through. And not overcooked either.

  1. Would you recommend the Cook4Me Connect?

Yes I would, definitely. I think it's expensive but worth it as I personally will be using it every week. Someone above mentioned it taking the joy out of cooking but for someone like me who has never had much joy when cooking, it has actually given me a bit of joy back! I can hardly believe it but for the first time ever I look actually forward to cooking. I've had it for 2 weeks and I still feel excited about trying new recipes.

I would actually recommend it to everyone, especially for people like me who have found it normally takes a great deal of effort and energy to cook from scratch. I don't feel drained after using this! Thank you to Tefal and Mumsnet - it's an amazing bit of kit.

UpOnDown · 16/07/2017 17:17

non-tester: I would love to be able to make a risotto

persianpeach · 16/07/2017 19:49

Non-tester

I would love to try making a paella but not sure I have the confidence with all the many ingredients it requires.

Ulysses · 16/07/2017 20:12
  1. How easy or difficult did you find Cook4Me Connect to use?

Fairly easy. I worked between the app and the on screen instructions and a couple of the recipes wouldn't synchronise. I was happy using the on screen instructions though but it would be useful to flick back for things like ingredient weights. Would have liked a timer for the browning function as well.

  1. What recipes did you use?

I'm just back from 2 weeks so holiday so only had the opportunity to try out 3, which was the butternut squash and pea and bacon risottos and also the lentil and bacon soup. The butternut squash risotto and soup were delicious both 5 star. The other risotto was a bit stodgy but this maybe because I added too much Parmesan.

  1. Hope the above answers question 3!

4.would I recommend - yes though at a reduced price.

I'm honestly just back from holiday so am just completing this to meet this deadline! I will be absolutely be using it in earnest now that I am back and will continue to post updates on this.

CalypsoValdez · 16/07/2017 20:55
  1. How easy or difficult did you find Cook4Me Connect to use?

Very easy. And it takes up less space than my existing slow cooker but does more things, faster.

  1. Which recipes did you try? What did you think of them?
I tried risotto and it was great not to have to keep stirring it. Also chilli and again, great not to have to keep coming back to it to stir. And lentil and bacon soup which was very tasty and quick.
  1. What were your thoughts on the cooking results of the Cook4Me Connect?
I really like it. In future I will be trying more of my own recipes as the ones included rely too much on jars. I plan on trying most of my own recipes that I am used to doing in my slow cooker as I am sure it will be easy to transfer them.
  1. Would you recommend the Cook4Me Connect?
Yes I would as it is really very quick and easy to use.