Like a good woman, this thing can really multi-task! (Tefal RK701115 4 in 1 Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer)

Member Name: sakura8

Product:	Tefal RK701115 4 in 1 Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer
Date:	08/04/09 (516 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Produces delicious food, easy to clean

Disadvantages: Timer info for rice would be helpful

We don't have much storage space in the kitchen, so we wanted a multi-purpose appliance and this one can do the following:
* Rice cooking
* Slow cooking
* Steaming
* Porridge cooking

The model I have got has a white metal housing, but it is also available with a brushed stainless steel housing with varnish.

There is an LED electronic control panel with a button for each cooking function, and plus and minus buttons to change the amount of cooking time (or set a delayed start to the Rice Cooking function). The control panel is easy to read and very easy to use, so you won't need to keep referring to the user guide every time you want to use it! There are also Cook & Keep Warm indicator lights.

The 3.2 litre cooking bowl is non-stick and removable so it's really easy to clean with hot soapy water and you also get a plastic inner steam basket, a measuring cup and a spoon.

Whilst most people just use this appliance as a Rice Cooker, I have tried out all the different functions and this is what I think:

Slow Cooker Function:
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The Slow Cooker only has one setting, not low and high like some traditional slow cookers. I've never had a slow cooker before, but judging by the time it has taken to cook the following meals and from reading recipe books, I have made an educated guess that the Tefal cooks at a low setting:
Oxtail Stew = 9 hours
Beef Stew = 6 hours
Lamb Shanks = 9 hours
Lamb Curry = 6 hours
Spare ribs = 6 hours

Everything I have made has turned out brilliantly as the meat has been really soft and tender. I love that I can just throw everything in and walk away and leave it to work its magic. Also, because the cooking bowl can hold 3.2 litres, I can cook quite a large quantity of food and freeze any leftovers (not that there are usually any leftovers!).

I like to have rice with my curries; so I have to transfer the cooked curry to a pan so can use the Rice Cooker function. This might be a nuisance for some people, but I don't mind as this allows me to thicken the sauce as it simmers in the pan on the hob.

One thing that might put people off using the slow cooker function is that it doesn't have a delayed timer like some traditional slow cookers. Apparently using a timer plug won't work with this appliance because of the electronics. I personally don't think it's safe to leave food in a slow cooker for a few hours before you start cooking it, so no points deducted from me for this!


Rice Cooker Function:
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The Tefal 4-in-1 produces absolutely perfect rice! In the past I have struggled to get consistently perfect rice using different methods (steamer, microwave rice cooker, in a pan of water), but using the Tefal I'm now confident that I can make fluffy rice with separated grains.

For plain rice, you simply measure out the appropriate number of cups of rice, rinse the rice and put it into the cooking bowl. Then you add water up to the correct line marking on the inside of the bowl (the line marking will match the number of cups), for example: 2 cups of rice = line 2.
You then press the Rice Cooker function button and it will automatically calculate the exact cooking time depending on the quantity of water and rice placed in the bowl, so there's no more guesswork involved. Once it has finished cooking it will automatically switch to the keep warm function. It is possible to delay the time the rice starts cooking, however this is the only cooking mode for which programming a delayed start is possible.

It would be nice if the control panel did show the cooking time for rice though, as it would greatly help in time management when preparing a whole meal. There are estimated cooking times in the user guide, however they're not very accurate and the copy I received was really confusing, so I contacted Tefal and they sent me a different copy, which confirmed that my guide had a printing error! 2 cups of rice takes about 20 minutes and the user guide estimates 14-17 minutes, so I totally ignore the user guide and go by my own experience.

One thing that isn't in the recipe book is if you want to cook rice and steam something at the same time, so I had to make an educated guess and experiment. As cooking the rice takes about 20 minutes, I guessed that steaming salmon would take about the same amount of time and luckily I was right and produced a lovely Chinese meal, which was incredibly quick and simple - I just love those one-pot meals!


Steamer Function:
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The steaming basket rests within the cooking bowl, so this is why it's possible to cook rice and steam at the same time. This is also handy for storage, as everything fits inside the cooker nicely. However, the basket isn't very big, but you could fit about 4 portions of fish or chicken into it. Fitting a lot of vegetables into the basket is a bit trickier, especially leafy vegetables, so I'd recommend cutting them into smaller pieces. Even so, I only managed to fit half a bag of pre-cut curly kale into the basket, which is enough to feed two people, but this won't suit everyone's needs.

The steamer function is very good though and produces great results and I like that I can put a lot of water in the deep cooking bowl so it doesn't need constant topping up.


Porridge Cooker Function:
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I really liked the porridge I made as it had a nice creamy consistency and it didn't involve standing at the hob constantly stirring it! You just put the porridge oats, milk and any other ingredients you like into the cooking bowl (I added dried cranberries), press the Porridge function button and then enter the cooking time. The recipe book recommends 9 minutes, however the user guide says 4 minutes, so it's something you will have to decide for yourself! 9 minutes was perhaps a bit too long as there was some porridge that had slightly stuck to the bottom of the bowl, but this was easy to wash off.


Cleaning
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The main appliance should not be immersed in water, but it is simple to clean with a damp cloth. All the other parts (the bowl, the steam shield and the steaming basket) can be washed in hot soapy water or they can be washed in the bottom shelf of the dishwasher. The user guide states that special care should be taken not to scratch the non-stick coating on the bowl and the bowl should be wiped with oil to renew the surface after being washed in the dishwasher a few times.


Summary
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I have had the Tefal 4-in-1 for a couple of months now and I have to say that I think it's brilliant and I've used it loads of times, so it's not one of those kitchen gadgets that gets abandoned after a couple of uses. I love its versatility, as it truly is a 4-in-1 machine and not just a glorified rice cooker.

Included:
Recipe book
User Guide

Other info:
Power 630 watts

I was lucky enough to get this for my birthday, but a quick look online and it's available from:
Lakeland for £53.82 (free P&P)
Asda Direct for £40 (£4.95 P&P)
John Lewis for £45 (free P&P)

Summary: Truly a 4-in-1 gadget and not just a one trick pony.