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

Non tester - Definitely a risotto, i cannot make them very well at all and think this would be brilliant for it

I would love to make risotto in this I reckon it'd be a whole lot. Better than my sorry attempts in the past

I'm still unsure about the preheating. Do the other testers on here click 'yes' for start browning but then not actually put any ingredients in at that point (as the preheating stage then starts)?

Once preheating has finished I put the first lot of ingredients in and then start browning. Then I add the rest of the ingredients and it asks me if I want to start cooking....I click yes.....then it starts preheating again! 5-10 more minutes of preheating before it starts the pressure cooking.

What am I doing wrong? Or does it sound like mine has a fault? The end result it still great but I feel like it's taking longer than it's meant to, possibly due to something I'm not doing right. Help!

Sat mine is the same although I have found that the pre heating process once the lid is down is quicker. Also I found that adding the rest of the ingredients after browning as fast as possible and giving a very fast stir to incorporate them means that less heat is lost so it preheats quicker.

The preheating not being included in the cooking time is probably the single most irritating thing about this unit. It means that you cant accurately time side dishes to go with whatever you are cooking.

Thanks pyon that makes a lot of sense. Will try those things next time - I've always left the lid up when it's preheating (not sure why now I think of it) and am pretty slow putting the ingredients in at the end!

Like previous posters I got an error 24 message while making lentil dhal and the onscreen panel said to clean the lid. I had to wait until it depressurised before I could open it and there was a further message which said that there wasn't enough liquid.

I found the instruction book and the message in there says that there is not enough liquid and doesn't mention about cleaning the lid. I cleaned it anyway and reassembled, added a bit more water and started the process again. I then realised I should have looked overleaf as there were further instructions too but kept on regardless.

Anyway, I got the same error message again but by this time the lentil had cooked enough so I was happy to dish up. I was then making sweet and sour - chicken instead of pork - and thought that if it happened again I would do the 2nd part of the lid cleaning exercise.

However, it was all fine! So I think the issue was with the liquid rather than the cleanliness of the lid, which seemed okay albeit a bit greasy before I washed it. I did guess how much stock I was supposed to put in but I reckon I was thereabouts, but perhaps you really do need to be precise. . I do still love using it but it is a palaver when it goes wrong - okay user error. From what I've read here though it seems fairly common.

Sat forgot to say, dont seal the lid shut, it doesnt like that! I just lower it to try and keep heat in.

it is a palaver when it goes wrong

It really is! I had the same error message despite following the recipe to the letter and ended up with watery curry that I had to reduce on the manual browning setting.

Non-tester here

I would absolutely love to cook a slow-cooked lamb curry in the Tefal Cook4Me Connect. I've heard slow cooking brings out the flavour of the meat and makes it more succulent, and I think it would taste especially good with all the spices. I'm actually feeling hungry thinking about it!

Non tester

I would love to make a Thai green chicken curry (it's my husbands favourite food when we go out) and never tried to make.i even see the Cook4me does it in 4 mins

Non-tester.

I love authentic Mousakka. Would that work in one of these?

Risotto or anything rice based. I always really struggle with this and it really frustrates me!!! I've actually never heard of this appliance before. I'm intrigued!!! Oo oo can it do paella????!!!

I've always wanted to make a cheese soufflé but I suffer from "open oven door to peak at food" so too scared to try as it would no doubt go poooof and collapse. I'd love to give it a go!

Non tester - a soffule is something I wouldn't make and would be an interesting choice.

Non Tester

I've always wanted to cook risotto but with 5 kids I'm terrible at remembering to stir things even simple things like beans stick to the bottom of the pan as I get super distracted by all the kids and end up running into the kitchen when I smell burning so not having to watch it constantly would be a huge help !!

Non tester - Ive always wanted to cook curry from scratch so that would be what I'd like to try.

Non Tester - would love to make a risotto

Non-tester : Would love to try goat curry :)

Non tester, I would really love an easy way to make hollandaise sauce.

Non tester.
Always wanted to do braised lamb shanks

One thing I found was that although the chilli and bolognaise are easy and quick to make, they dont get the time to really develop the flavours. I made chilli the other day and left it on "Keep Warm" while I nipped to mum's for an hour and it had a much better flavour. I will try leaving it on longer next time and will do the same with the bolog that I am making tomorrow.

If it works then I will do that in future as it is much less faff than the slow cooker, having to brown the meat, cook the onions etc before putting in the crock pot, and feels safer than leaving the oven on when I go out. Certain dishes really do benefit from slow cooking so hopefully that will crack it :)

None tester

I would love to be able to make a beef bourguigion but wouldnt know where to start to get the flavours right

I'd love to be able to cook a risotto in the Cook4Me

Non tester. A soufflé! I've never made one but always wanted to!

Non tester - lovely creamy rice pudding!

non-tester

I'd love to attempt some kind of slow-cooked pulled pork dish.