Review: Veggie Stew in the Redmond Multicooker

Model: Redmond Multicooker RMC-M4502E

Price: £139.90

First impressions:
I haven’t road tested a new gadget for ages, so I was curious when the Redmond Multicooker landed in the Feeding Boys kitchen. The packaging featured a very glamourous looking lady and the product itself is very shiny and sleek with lots of curvy edges. Size wise it’s about the same in proportions as a bread maker. It’s not heavy and has a handle to allow you to move it around easily. The 3 litre capacity is great for family sized portions. The non-stick bowl that sits inside is attractive enough to bring to the table should you have people over.

Who is it aimed at?
I think it’d be good for people who have busy lives and want a gadget that makes cooking simpler without compromising on what you eat.
It would also work well for those with limited kitchen facilities – students, caravan owners, young professionals, people having their kitchen renovated – as there’s so much you can do with it. The emphasis is on making life easier for busy cooks. By putting all the ingredients in the cooker and letting it get on with it, you can be freed up to get on with other things. Kind of like a slow cooker but it does way more stuff.

So what exactly does it do?

It boasts a long list of different types of dishes and cooking techniques:

• Oatmeal
• Soup
• Stew
• Cake
• Steam
• Rice
• Pasta
• Yogurt
• Fondue
• Deep Frying
• Bread
• Preservation
• Cheese

It comes with a recipe booklet packed with 100 ideas of how to make use of the multi cooker.

How does it work?

It has 34 preset programs – 18 of which are automatic and 16 manual – so you can either follow things to the letter of the recipe booklet, or go off piste once you’ve found your feet with it like I did. You can adjust the temperature from 40C up to 160C , the length of cooking and also set it to come on at a certain time.

So… what did I cook?

I wanted to try using it for the things that I make a lot to see how it would perform, and started with something very simple.

Mashed Potatoes: You put all the ingredients in the bowl and cook for 30 minutes, then mash the potatoes… simple. No need to drain the potatoes or watch for them boiling over on the hob. You simply cook them with butter, milk and a little water with seasoning.

Verdict: It felt like a much cleaner simpler way to make the staple side dish, and it helps save the vitamins often lost when boiling vegetables. I adjusted the amounts of liquid the second time I cooked the mash as it came out far too runny for my tastes. I like my mash to have a bit of structure.

Making a stew

I came up with my own recipe for a hearty vegetarian stew that I could batch cook and freeze for Matthew’s work lunches. You’ll find my recipe at the bottom of this post, but it was super easy. Bung all your ingredients in, switch it on and away it goes. Come back after an hour and it’s done. Or come back a few hours later and it’s been kept warm and ready for when you want to serve it up.

Verdict:  I’m loving this function for the convenience and also for the gentle way it cooks the food which really brings out the flavours. I normally oven bake the veggie meatballs, but they were tender and tasty cooked in the stew.

On a health kick? I’m excited that i’ll be able to use it as a steamer for meat, fish and vegetables for those days when I want to have a bit of clean living. I’m also looking forward to making porridge in it without having to worry about burning it! If i’m really organised this winter I could put the ingredients in before bed, set the timer and wake up to warm porridge.

Quiet: It doesn’t make any noise… in fact it’s pretty much silent apart from the odd click from the thermostat.

Easy to clean: The bowl lifts out easily for cleaning and you can wipe the machine down no probs.

Warming: I love that once it’s done cooking it’ll keep your food warm. This allows me as a family cook to get a meal prepared when i’ve got time during the day, and then once the boys are done with their after school activities there’s a hot dinner waiting for all of us. And better yet, it’ll keep Matthew’s portion warm until he gets home later!

Frying: I also like the naughty little deep fat fryer functionality…  the possibilities for making things like chicken katsu, vegetable tempura and mini doughnuts are highly appealing! I would never buy a deep fat fryer, but to have one within this machine is a real plus point.

Having a baby? You can also use the multi cooker to sterilise baby feeding equipment, warm bottles and to prepare baby food, so it could be a useful gadget for new parents too. Even better that they could also make themselves a delicious stew with minimum fuss for those days when sleep deprivation is taking its toll.

Thanks to Redmond for sending me their Multicooker to try… I would recommend them for people who don’t want to spend hours cooking but still want to eat well. It’s great to have one gadget with many so functions! And with that i’ll leave you with my super easy recipe…

Veggie meatball and chickpea stew

A hearty vegetarian stew packed with vegetables, pulses and meatballs in a rich tomato sauce, cooked slowly to develop plenty of flavour. Perfect for a wintry evening meal, or to cook in batches for the freezer for quick nutritious meals when you’ve not got a lot of time.

Serves 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

1 x 300g pack frozen Quorn swedish style meatballs
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 x 410g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
1 x vegetable stock cube/gel pot
100g Green Olives
half tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
150ml red wine

METHOD

1. Put all of the ingredients in the bowl of the multi cooker and give them a stir.

2. Select Stew using the Menu Button, and then cook for one hour.

3. Serve with pitta or crusty bread for lunch or with mash or fluffy rice for a more substantial meal. If you’re entertaining add a swirl of sour cream, some grated cheddar and a scattering of chopped chives.

Cook’s tip: Try using veggie sausages or just more vegetables and pulses to change things up. If you’re a meat eater use regular Swedish style meatballs and a beef stock cube.

If you want to find out more about the Redmond Multicooker, then head on over to their website: http://multicooker.com/uk/

You can also see what some of my fellow blogger friends have cooked in theirs…

Amuse Your Bouche: Cheesy Mexican Potatoes
A Mummy Too: Fatless Apple Cake

Disclosure: I have been sent the Redmond Multicooker to road test for this review and have also been commissioned to develop a recipe using the gadget. All opinions are my own.

As the recipe for the Veggie Stew is super frugal i’m entering it into this month’s round of Credit Crunch Munch over on Maison Cupcake on behalf of Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All