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Jamie Oliver HomeCooker by Philips. Louise's Review.

  • Creamy Pasta Sauce

    So today I decided to test the Jamie Olive Homecooker to cook a creamy pasta sauce.
    Usually cooking a pasta sauce that involves fresh cream requires constant stirring to prevent the cream from sticking to the bottom of the pan as well as prevent it from separating.
    The stirring arm played a good part in this recipe.
    First it browned the chicken well without sticking and burning. While it was doing this I had time to sit with my kids and look at their homework. i had set the time to 20 minutes and the machine beeped when the time was up. Secondly when I added the freah cream cheese to my pasta sauce the stirring arm helped to combine the sauce together into creamy goodness.
    I tried out the steamer basket to steam pasta ravioli, this was a hit and miss as it required a lot of time to steam the ravioli then I had anticipated. I learnt that in order to cook pasta ii really neededtoboil it rathe than steam.
    i learnt that food such as pasta reauires a lot of time so it is best to boil pasta using the pasta insert ove hot boilling wate in the homecooker.
    The steamer basket worked perfectly fine to steam vegetables ove a hot simmering curry though..
    I loved the results and would definately reccomend the homecooker to anyone.
    I have uploaded a video of my cooking experience on youtube which you can view by copying andpasting the url below onto your browser.
    Cheers
    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_m9Y4BCNIfA

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Chicken Cacciatore with Garlic Mash

    This recipe is one of my favourites. Its so easy to do & follow even the teenagers could do it! Did contemplate that……only for a minute……..but it was cleaning day today & the kitchen is sparkling so I didn’t want mess every where (party on weekend so wanted to try & keep things in order). To spice things up a little I added a few chilli flakes – just enough to give it a little kick. Tasted delicious with the mash – did make it a little chunky & drier than normal so the sauce could be mixed in! All that I can say is YUM YUM YUM! Now while teenagers slave @ part time job, I’m sitting back with a cider waiting for my creamy rice to cook.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Beef Goulash oooh la la!!!!

    I knew I had a busy day today with teenager no2 so I thought I’d better cook dinner in advance! Tonight was going to be Beef Goulash! Everything seem to flow like clockwork. I think I might be getting the hang of the Home Cooker & what it can do! The chopping tower sliced the onions in seconds, I added the spices & oil & I was off with 20mins to prepare the meat & other ingredients. After adding the final ingredients I had plenty of time for something else before I had to reset the timer for the next stage. Arghhh- I had left 5 loads of washing to do. The Home Cooker gave me some time to hang, reload & hang again (hmmm is that what my “another set of hands” has done – more time for housework).
    Recipe was very easy to follow. The best thing was coming home knowing dinner was done. The vote from the contented family was 5 stars for the recipe (no leftovers). The process of cooking was very simple! Its time to clean the pan & cook the beetroots for salads this week 🙂

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • No more creamed rice in a can

    Creamed rice is one of my favourite childhood memories. My Mum made it as it was a relatively easy desert to make but required one of the 6 kids to stand and stir so the milk /rice didn’t stick or burn on the base. It was a job that I quite often got lumped with being the youngest. The older siblings just made it sound so exciting. We always had stewed rhubarb & apple with our rice.
    Jamie’s recipe is delicious! Very creamy & full of flavour! I did add a little extra sugar as I wanted sweet rice. Topped it with a little drizzle of maple syrup. I had never used vanilla beans so was excited to taste & see how much they flavoured the rice. Never will I buy creamed rice again. I will be using the HC for this.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Mastered!

    Well we have mastered the rosemary potatoes! they are so easy & delicious to make that the boys have suggested we make them every night! LOL……have to say that a good hard waxy potato is the best to use to hold its shape & doesn’t get shaved by the stirring arm. Just love to add the ingredients & walk away, come back later to delicious crunchy roasted potatoes. All smiles in this household.

    Have been using the HC to make our Japanese curry. Its so easy now as I’m not constantly running back to stir the sauce & ingredients. No more sticking to the base of the saucepan because I’ve forgotten to stir. Love that I have a “little helper”.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Spaghetti

    The process was very easy to make this sauce. In the past, I would normally be watching & stirring every now & again just so my sauce wouldn’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan. Not today – just walked away & let the Home Cooker do its thing.
    Our sauce just didn’t turn out as rich & full of flavour as I would’ve liked. Not sure why – I did however use Pork mince for the first time ever. Normally only ever use beef mince but someone told me to try the pork. Thats OK – I’ll just use my favourite recipe in future. Teenager 1 has enough sauce for Wednesday school lunch!

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Is it dinner time yet???

    I have just put my crispy potatoes on and the house is smelling so amazing that I am salivating. I am planning on adding in some carrots, sweet potato & parsnip with 30 mins to go so hopefully they turn out ok! I love the fact that having the vegies in the home cooker has freed up the space in the oven for my chicken and fish and I don’t have to worry about having different temperatures. Can’t wait for dinner, will fill you in on how it goes 🙂

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Perfect Risotto

    Wow weeee! Have just finished eating the most delicious risotto ever! I was so impressed by the Home Cooker tonight – 5 stars from me. Have never tempted to make a risotto as I thought it was so time consuming standing there stirring the rice. So just thought “Too hard basket”.
    The Home Cooker along with Jamie’s recipe made life so much simpler. The stirring arm of the Home Cooker fascinates my family (&me). Its quite mesmerising watching it.
    Tonight I spent a bit more time, probably because i was quite nervous tackling a risotto. I did use quite a few extra pieces – saucepan, baking dish & fry pan. I didn’t mind as we have a rule in our house – if you cook you don’t clean up! So I just sat back while the family cleaned.
    The thing I love the most is the cutting tower which I used for the onions, celery & cheese. The celery was a little awkward but I quickly worked out the best way to grate it. It makes less mess with no more little pieces flying around the kitchen (this is usually the kids job). Love the design of the cutting tower, fitting nice & snug against the pan.
    Great recipe! Look forward to making this one again.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Broad Bean & Asparagus Risotto & Chorizo Sausage

    Well I must say I am really loving these 2 appliances. I was going to put them in the cupboard when not in use but I am using them most days especially the chopping tower! I think I have used the chopping tower every night since I received it. Very easy to assemble blades that just click into place & click to remove!
    Tonight was the Broad Bean & Asparagus Risotto (didn’t have the peas so just deleted them). Very simple & easy recipe to follow. I was feeling confident as had used the Home Cooker to create a previous Risotto. Last time I nervously watched & hoped it was going to work. Tonight I just followed the recipe and walked away confidently. The Chorizo Sausage was for teenager No 1 who is not quite sure about the “risotto” meal. I thought if I added the chopped sausage it would appeal to him more. But still had no success in winning him over. Teenager No 2 however enjoyed it thoroughly – which is surprising as he is normally the fussy one. Husband loved the whole minty, zesty lemon flavour.
    Have found the clean up to be easy as have had plenty of “spare” time during the cooking phase to clean up before dinner, just leaving the pan to clean.
    Have found a recipe for some steamed ginger cakes so am thinking I might try that tomorrow night when teenagers are at work :).

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Being brave - Chilli Garlic Chicken & Chorizo Sausage

    Teenager no 1 has always been a big eater! To combat the lunch time appetite has been making a large salad with chicken strips. I thought I might try & cook the strips in the Home Cooker. After infusing the oil with chilli, garlic, thyme & rosemary for about 15mins, I added a chopped chorizo sausage (I didn’t realise how much oil these would release) & fried them for about 10mins, turned the heat down & added the chicken for about 15mins. Probably need to experiment some more but the chicken taste tested by the teenager has got the thumbs up! Teenager cant wait to have his turn on Wednesday for some more experimenting chicken strips. It was much easier than standing by the BBQ and turning the strips. Chicken has remained moist. Lately teenager had been overcooking his chicken. Now with the help of the Home Cooker he will have moist chicken strips with his salad.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Is it dinner time yet???

    I have just put my crispy potatoes on and the house is smelling so amazing that I am salivating. I am planning on adding in some carrots, sweet potato & parsnip with 30 mins to go so hopefully they turn out ok! I love the fact that having the vegies in the home cooker has freed up the space in the oven for my chicken and fish and I don’t have to worry about having different temperatures. Can’t wait for dinner, will fill you in on how it goes 🙂

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Smoked Fish Chowder with Spicy Grilled Prawns - great winter warmer

    I love seafood chowder but my husband isn’t a soup fan and my son doesn’t love seafood but I was keen to try this anyway. It’s a little labour intensive compared to other recipes in that it cooks relatively quickly but you end up using the free time to peel prawns and chop potatoes. At least you aren’t having to stir at the same time.
    I took the potatoes out to blitz it as I couldn’t really get them to sit to the side.
    I served it with crusty sourdough and it was scrumptions. My husband really enjoyed it, my son .. well it was still seafood, our German homestay student thought it was great. Glad I didn’t add the Spicy Grilled Prawns to my sons too – they were HOT!!!! This soup will definately get a revisit next winter as it was hearty and warming.
    I haven’t used the cutting tower yet. I’m itching to try it next

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • DAY 4: CHICKEN CACCIATORE

    Tonight has been the least favourite of my ‘7 Days to Cook Like Jamie Oliver’ challenge. Purely because the Chicken Cacciatore has a red wine base and I’m actually not a fan of red wine. Strange, but true!
    Of course, I could have just chosen another meal to make, but I wanted to see if this dish changed my opinion of red wine (it didn’t).
    However, I will say that the Home Cooker did another bang up job of cooking the meal to perfection. The chicken was tender, the sauce was rich and full of flavour. And after the initial process of marinating the chicken, then pretty much pouring it all into the pan, I didn’t have to do anything after that.
    With a mad (but entirely unnecessary) need to rush back and check on my cooking, I came back at least half a dozen times to see if things were burning or needed extra stirring. Of course, everything was fine. The Home Cooker was busy doing its thing and simply beeped when it was time to serve.

    What I love most about this machine is that I can see it becoming a permanent fixture in the modern kitchen. Kind of like when microwaves were introduced in the 80s. People were aghast. “Oh wow, it cooks things for you? How amazing!”
    While others were asking, “Can we get any lazier?”
    But it wasn’t too long before pretty much everyone had a microwave oven. And in a lot of ways I can see the Home Cooker becoming a similar kitchen staple.
    I’m just thrilled that I get to be one of the first people to try it!

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Mastering the art if one handed cooking

    I didn’t get the chance to use the HomeCooker much over the weekend as I was busy with celebrations for my son’s birthday but I did use it to steam some chicken for the chicken Waldorf sandwiches I made for his party. I also cooked Jamie’s crispy rosemary potatoes to serve with steak for dinner last night, which were very easy and delicious. Was good to not have to turn the oven on to cook the potatoes as well, I’m sure the HomeCooker would use less electricity than the oven, which I didn’t need to cook anything g else.

    Tonight I made Jamie’s creamy chicken korma. Once again, a delicious recipe. I left out the green chilli as my son complains if anything is spicy. The recipe was really easy and apart from chopping up the ginger, coriander stalks and chicken at the beginning (which I did while my baby was having her afternoon nap), I cooked the entire cope with one hand! I know most mothers of young children master the one handed cook, but the HomeCooker really assists with this as you don’t need a hand to stir! Just add the ingredients and it does it all of you!

    I have had more success lately with the cutting tower. It really is not that good grating onion, I wouldn’t try that again. But I have successfully grated carrot and sliced onion now, and it works really well for that. I thinly sliced two onions for tonight’s recipe and it probably took me less than 30 seconds. It lands straight in the pan too, so nice and easy!

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Multi Cooking Layers - Frying & Steaming........

    Roast Lamb night tonight. My mouth had been watering all day thinking about the Leg of Lamb. Felt a bit like Homer Simpson with the “drool”.
    Dual effort with the cooking – left Husband in charge of the Lamb to cook on the BBQ.
    It was going to be my 2nd attempt to cook the Rosemary Potatoes. Last time I had a disaster with using crushed garlic. Made sure that I used the whole cloves & crushed them Jamie style. I added onions- spanish & whole spring onions about half way through the cooking process.
    With about 15mins to go I steamed my carrots & beans on top of the potatoes. Amazing – frying crispy potatoes & steaming veggies with the one appliance!!!!
    Roast Lamb dinner was delicious 🙂

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • and just one more

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • more pics

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Today I had my daughter, daughter in-laws, sister and friend for lunch. They were all really keen to to my homecooker in action and any excuse is a good excuse for us all to catch up.
    The babies played together wonderfully while the Mums chatted amongst themselves and watched intensely as I prepared our meal. Could not resist trying pumpkin risotto as I knew it would cater for all (one pregnant, one breastfeeding and one with medical conditions that prevent her from eating certain food.) It was a challenge as the recipes were for 4, so I had to adapt the ingredients and set times to accommodate the extra volume. I have to say, I struggled with the cutting tower as the onion and celery didn’t seem to go through the coarse grater as suggested in the recipe and I was not sure if it was me or the grater, so will have to practice with that a little more.
    The Risotto was awesome and cooked exactly like it should, needing only a few extra minutes for the extra volume. The ladies loved it. I did find it a bit daunting following the recipe but think once I got used to the process it would be a breeze to make.
    We followed with fresh fruit, brioche, and chocolate sauce. It was amazing and we were all more than a little stuffed. All in all a great success and best of all there’s leftovers for dessert tonight and lunch at work tomorrow.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Helping Hand

    The first day I got my Homecooker I decided to cook Chinese Stirfry and Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup.
    The Homecooker comes with easy setting up manuals and setting up the machine for first time use was a breeze. Each part of the Homecooker had informative stickers on them which helped to set up the cooker faster.
    To make the chinese corn soup I had to make the chicken stock(broth) first. I chopped up chicken breast fillets in small chunks. Put two litres of water in the stainless steel Pan , set the temparature on at 250 degrees celcius and switched on the machine , I then put the chicken in the pan , covered the lid and let the chicken to boil. You can opt to set the timer and switch on the stirring arm , but at this point I did not need to as I was just boiling the chicken and was unsure how long it would take to boil the chicken therefore did not set the timer.
    After the chicken was cooked , I was amazed by the amount of water that was retained in the pan. Almost 1 and 3/4 litre of water was left as broth. Now normally when I boil chicken in a pan on the stove almost all of the water evaporates and in the end I am left with very little broth but the Homecooker retained almost all the water and this time I was left with a lot of broth.
    After shredding the chicken and adding all the ingredients and corn for the chicken soup I switched on the stirring arm, set the timer for 30 minutes and left the machine do to its job while I relaxed and watched TV.
    I was really happy that I did not have to stand and stir the soup while it was simmering . After thirty minutes the machine beeped to remind me that my soup was cooked. Nice and loud I could hear the beep even when the TV volume was loud.
    The soup was nice and thick and cooked to perfection.
    I then emptied the bowl ready to cook the next course.
    For my stirfry, the chopping tower was handy to julliene my capsicums,carrots,slice the mushrroms and onions. I was really happy because all the vegetables were chopped neatly by the machine and the stirfry looked neat.
    The Homecooker stirfryed my chicken and vegetables upto perfection.
    PROS of the machine.
    3 litre stainless steel Bowl handy to make big batches of soup or curry
    Stirring arm helps to stir your food and prevent it from burning or sticking on the bottom . was good for stirring my soup while enjoyed watching TV
    The timer function was handy controls the time the food is being cooked and when the time is up the machine automatically stops cooking and keeps the food warm.
    The bowl was easy to clean ready to cook your next meal.
    I was really happy with the results so far and have already talked to many of my friends about it.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Stirring Arm did Not Want To Stir my Risotto

    I held the dinner party last night to show off the homecooker. I chose Jamie’s risotto for the meal and it was delicious! But we had a problem with the stirring arm. It stopped working. I don’t know if it got jammed because of the directions–you’re meant to have dry rice in there for 5 minutes, and it stopped. Hubby and I got it to work again and it stopped twice more within moments. It seemed to rectify itself when we added the liquid, but we were worried there for a while. I was grateful not to have to stand over a hot stove for 30 minutes stirring though, and as I said, the risotto was loved by all. Everyone was also impressed by the homeooker demo I gave and the chopping tower also. (I would upload pictures of their faces when they saw it but for some reason no pictures will upload for me).
    We had some other issues the night before. I thought I would test out the versatility of the homecooker and took out the stirring arm. I put plenty of oil in the bottom and started cooking my rissoles in there. Big mistake! I went to flip them and there was no way I was getting them off the base! I had to scrape the rissoles out and cook the mangled remains in an old trusty frypan I had to dig out. I had to soak it over night and for a whole day just to get it looking presentable again, and it was not an easy removal. So I think the homecooker is more designed for things that definitely need stirring, like curries, pastas, risotto and stews. Maybe not as good to use for frying. Or maybe it was just something I did wrong? I don’t know.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Old Fashioned Spiced Rice Pudding - Even better with fresh spices

    For dinner with guests I made the rice pudding with fresh spices and it was even better!! I experimented and used long grain rice and found the end product was a lot less gluggy than using the sushi rice but still needed longer than the recommended 35 minutes cook time. I served it with fresh Mango and it was delicious. This might just be my new favourite simple dessert – just throw everything in the pot with no more preparation than a few gratings of Nutmeg then forget about it. How easy it that? I still preferred an extra tablespoon of sugar – and it tastes devine cold later too!
    Next is seafood chowder.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Putting an everyday meal to the HoneCooker test!

    Well my husband was first to experiment with the HomeCooker with a non-Jamie Oliver recipe so I decided it was my turn to put one of our everyday recipes to the test. I decided to have a go at cooking Sweet and Sour Chicken in the HomeCooker and used the Cutting tower to slice up my vegies .

    I ensured the stirring arm was in place whilst cooking the chicken and instead of standing there turning the pieces I was able to get the vegies prepared with the Cutting tower. Because I wasn’t following a recipe from the Jamie Oliver HomeCooker cookbook I did keep an eye on the chicken just to see how long it took to cook. (this is an important thing to become familiar with as I move onto doing more non-cookbook meals).

    I must say that I had much better luck using the Cutting tower the second time around and found the slicing function to be very quick indeed. It still took me a bit to work out which blade to use but I did notice there is actually a sticker on the cutting tower itself (which I’d previously overlooked) to show which blade is recommended (I’m not a big fan on leaving stickers on appliances though!).
    I cut the vegies with the Cutting tower into a standard mixing bowl because I was already using the HomeCooker pot to cook the chicken. A few vegetable pieces ended up on my bench but overall the Cutting tower was still OK to use without the HomeCooker so I’m sure I’ll use it to cut vegies straight into salad bowls in the future.

    It was lovely to be able to cook a quick meal in the HomeCooker and now one of my everyday recipes has been made just that little bit easier and even quicker thanks to the Jamie Oliver HomeCooker.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Yummo Granola was great to wake up to

    Yesterday morning I made the Homemade Toasted Granola. Yummo!!! I made it exact to recipe. It was easy to make using the timer, the stirring arm mixed it all really well, and the Granola was a great start to the day.
    My only suggestion is to update the prep time from 5 minutes. It took me longer than that just to find all the ingredients in the pantry.
    Took some to my in-laws today who even gave their seal of approval.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Pasta night - What do I do now?

    Hi
    We decided to have the Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese last night, which tasted delicious, and had the whole family asking for more!

    Pros:
    Easy to cook, just walk away and listen for the beeps to remind you to add tomatoes etc.
    Stirring worked well with the stirring arm. It is a hard habit to break not to keep wanting to return to the pot to stir it.
    Vegies chopped directly into the pot. Hidden carrot was perfect for my “meatatarian” daughter

    Cons:
    – Grating Onion was impossible. I think I might have got 3/4 of one onion grated, the rest just spun around the top or got stuck in the chute. See picture attached.
    – I didn’t check the cooking time and had to cut it short to eat. Over 2 hours to cook pasta sauce is too long for a weeknight meal for me when we have activities after school everyday.

    Cleaning was easy, although lots of attachments to clean with the cutting tower for little cutting.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • French Onion Soup ready for my husband!

    This is the soup served out ready for my hubbie to try. I put the Gruyere toast next to it, rather than in the soup like Jamie suggests. I must say I am very proud of my first attempt! My husband said it was absolutely delicious with lovely rich flavours – and I have to agree – it was SO tasty and full of flavour. Now I need to think about the next dish… and clean the kitchen!

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • French Onion Soup WIth Gruyere Toast!

    Well, after shopping for the food, using the cutting tower to slice the onions and garlic and having my 5 month old baby napping and my 3 year old happily watching Thomas the Tank Engine, I am finally ready to tackle the Homecooker! After taking it out of it’s very large box I was very impressed with how easy it was to set up. I am normally rubbish at assembling things, but I managed this easily. The only thing I found tricky was finding the on switch as it was hidden away from the front panel! I heated up the pan and chucked my onions and garlic in, making sure I switched the stirring arm on. I followed Jamie’s recipe and found it SO easy to do. I have never made French Onion soup before, and couldn’t believe the lovely smell wafting through my kitchen!! What I really loved was how easy the Homecooker was to use – simply pressing buttons for temperature and duration. It also makes a lovely beeping sound when it has finished to remind me to check on it. It was brilliant leaving the onions to stir and cook by themselves while I had 10 mins to go and do a quick nappy change for my toddler! This really is most impressive and I can’t wait to show off my soup to my hubbie later!!

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Gluggy risotto fear is laid to rest!

    Finally got to use my home cooker tonight, I was so excited all day waiting for dinner time to come so I could get stuck into my risotto. I have to admit, I had more than a few teething problems with the cutting tower, trying to figure out what the different blades did, so I eventually worked it out only to find out the leek I was using was a dud and didn’t slice properly anyway… I soldiered on and got the risotto happily cooking. Managed to get the washing up done as I was going because I wasn’t;t stuck standing over a pan, adding stock and stirring, and even cooked a whole other meal for my 5yo daughter (who was tired and only wanted plain rice) At first I didn’t think the stirring arm was going to do the trick on the garlic and leek as it kept bunching up and getting left around the sides of the bowl, but in the end it was ok. My husband commented that the risotto tasted different than normal, I asked him good or bad different, he said neither, it was good but just different. I thought for sure my signature dish would turn out gluggy being cooked with all the stock added at once, but I stand corrected, I think the combination of the home cooker and cooking it as per Jamie’s instructions, made the texture better than it normally is. I look forward to crispy potatoes tomorrow night!

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • DAY 3: SLOW-COOKED HUNGARIAN BEEF GOULASH

    Confession: At the end of cooking tonight’s Slow-Cooked Hungarian Beef Goulash, I didn’t think I was going to like it. I gave it a quick taste before plating up, but the level of spice gave me a slap to the face like nobody’s business. So I added a little sugar to balance out the flavour and followed the last step of the recipe, which tells you to add some finely grated lemon rind and sour cream, then serve.
    Well, when it all came together it was DELICIOUS!
    Not too spicy at all! Just a really lovely mix of melt-in-your-mouth beef with slow-roasted capsicum, onions, tomatoes and spice that was simply divine!

    Once again, the Home Cooker played a big role in making this dish so tasty. The recipe says that you need 230mins to cook the goulash, but since I started the dish a little late, I had to take an hour off the cooking time. No matter, even with the reduced time it still tasted awesome! I have a slow cooker which I have used many times before, but you can’t keep the food moving (unless you do it yourself), and keeping everything constantly stirred seems to make a BIG difference when it comes to flavour.

    I also used the Home Cooker’s Chopping Tower to slice up the onions and capsicum. The whole process took less than a minute and produced thinly-sliced vegetables that simply fall into the pot (and no onion tears!)

    The only downside to this dish was that you really need to give yourself a lot of time (ie. it’s not a suitable dish to start if you want a quick dinner after work). But the more I use the Home Cooker, the more I realise that its value lies in creating beautifully tasting dishes that take a while to cook, but don’t require much effort.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • Brinner - Classic Pan-Cooked Breakfast for Dinner

    We love Brinner (breakfast for dinner) at our house. Sometimes it’s just scrambled eggs on toast, other times I’ll cook bacon or ham as well. It’s usually something I throw together at the end of a long and busy day when I just can’t get my head around cooking a ‘proper’ meal.

    Monday was one of those days, so we decided to try the Classic Pan-Cooked Breakfast recipe from the Jamie Oliver HomeCooker recipe book. Chipolatas, bacon, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and fried eggs with a little thyme.

    The stirring arm made this a no-brainer meal to prepare. I was even interrupted half way through with a phone call, left the room for a few minutes, then returned to find the bacon crisping nicely as it was stirring around the pan. Interruptions during brinner preparation usually result in the smoke alarm going off thanks to blackened (and sadly wasted) bacon, so this was a big plus for me.

    It was a little tricky to serve up the meal once it was done. I didn’t get a nice clean fried egg like the cookbook photo, but it all tasted delicious. I’m not sure how it would go with more than four eggs, but we might try that next time just to find out.

    I was worried that the pan would be difficult to clean, but I added water to the pot as the heating element was cooling down and by the time I was ready to wash everything up, the pan easily wiped clean.

    Definitely another HomeCooker recipe success.

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use

  • using the chopping tower and first thoughts

    Well, after receiving my homecooker yesterday – yippee!! I have just been shopping with my 5 month old and toddler to buy some wonderful ingredients ready to try out some recipes from the Jamie Oliver’s homecooker recipe book. I have just managed to use the cutting tower to chop 1 kilo of onions and found it very easy to fit together and use. It doesn’t take up too much room on the benchtop and so it might be a permanent addition there as it looks like it will be so useful for chopping and cutting so many different fruits and veggies.I would have been in the kitchen for hours chopping onions otherwise! I thought I might make the French Onion Soup with Gruyere toasts as a first effort, which is one of the recipes in the book. I am looking forward to experimenting with different meal ideas and trying out new ingredients for the whole family. I am also very excited about the stirring arn, as it does all the stirring for me – especially cooking alll those onions! Hopefully my first meal using the Homecooker will be delicious!

    Would you recommend to other mums?
    Versatile & suitable for lots of recipes
    Saves time & makes my life easier
    Simple to understand & easy to use
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Article Mums Reveal Their Fail-Safe Nappy Rash Tips

Mums Reveal Their Fail-Safe Nappy Rash Tips

Whether you’re a seasoned or first-time mum, protecting your baby’s delicate skin is right up there on the priorities list. Because when their skin is irritation-free, it really does make for a happier bub! Anyone who’s had to deal with nappy rash (me included!) knows it’s an inescapable mum truth.

Having skin irritation as an adult is super distracting and annoying. So just imagine what that’s like for our teeny babies and toddlers, who need to focus on sleep, eat and play. No wonder they can be so upset when they have nappy rash.

One thing you do need to ditch when it comes to nappy rash is mum guilt. It happens despite our best efforts. But it is helpful if you can get ahead of the game by doing as much as you can to try and prevent nappy rash in the first place.

We asked our hundreds of thousands of Mouths of Mums members for their tried-and-true, trusted nappy rash tips, and their responses came down to four key tips. So if you’re about to have your first baby, or your fifth, it’s worth popping on the kettle and reading through what’s helped other mums.

Fail-Safe Nappy Rash Tips From Mums

What we love about these tips is they’re perfect for mums and expecting mums, and they’re really simple to do. Everything from what to use and what to steer clear of, to helpful hints on caring for delicate baby skin.

1. Nappy Free Time

“As much free nappy time as possible. Lay baby on a blanket covered with a towel on the floor, without a nappy on, if possible in front of a warm sunny window.” – Joanne W.

We love nappy free time for newborn and toddlers (although it’s a lot harder to get them to stay in one place!). And while nappy free time is one of the most popular nappy rash tips among our mums, using the right nappy also plays a huge part in protecting against irritation on your baby’s skin. For example, Huggies Ultra Dry Nappy Pants have clever Rapid-Dry™ Technology, which instantly absorbs for drier skin. And they’re perfect for day and night, with up to 12 hours of leakage protection.

2. Change Nappies Frequently

“For me, what worked on my two kids is not leaving them in soiled nappies too long. I definitely changed as soon as they were wet and let their skin air dry before placing a new nappy on. I would rather go through more nappies than have to deal with the uncomfortable rash they would feel.” – MoM Member

Frequent nappy changes are a fail-safe way to keep moisture, but it’s not always practical (babies just love to fill their nappies while you’re out and about!) Huggies Newborn Nappies are designed to help protect a baby’s delicate skin with a zinc-enriched layer*, clinically proven to help protect against skin irritation.

3. Use A Barrier Cream

“My mum put me onto Zinc and Caster Oil cream. It is FABULOUS stuff! It’s very thick and sticks like you know what to a blanket hehe I tried literally everything and this was the only stuff that helped.” – Trudes

Using a barrier cream was another really popular tip from our mums. But did you know that Huggies Newborn Nappies are the only nappy with a zinc enriched layer. The zinc oxide in Huggies Newborn Nappies is the same ingredient found in many nappy rash creams, which helps to protect against irritation with visibly less redness on skin. They’re also endorsed by the Australian College of Midwives and the number one choice in Australian hospitals.

4. Choose Gentle

“Don’t use scented wipes. Flannel and warm water is the best.” – Justine F

Using the most natural product possible for wiping a baby’s delicate skin to prevent irritation is a tip that’s been passed down from generation to generation – and it’s still a great one. But something lots of mums don’t consider that a nappy itself can help protect against skin irritation. Huggies Newborn Nappies are clinically proven* to help protect against skin irritation while Huggies Ultra Dry Nappy Pants keep up with wriggly little ones while providing superior dryness, making them perfect for active toddlers.

Nappy Rash Myths & Facts

🚫 Myth: Nappy rash is only caused by wet nappies.
✅ Fact: It’s true that moisture does play a role in nappy rash, it can also be caused by moisture friction, bacteria, and even what the nappy is made from.

It’s why choosing a nappy that’s specifically designed for skin protection is really important.

🚫 Myth: Cloth nappies are better at preventing nappy rash than disposable nappies.
✅ Fact: When it comes to nappy rash, there’s not really any need to compare cloth and disposable nappies, because it’s all about keeping baby dry. The longer baby can stay dry, the better.

Huggies’ Rapid-Dry™ Technology absorbs wetness instantly, reducing irritation risk.

🚫 Myth: Nappy rash creams are the only way to protect against irritation.
✅ Fact: A good nappy with a zinc enriched layer can also help to protect against irritation.

Find Huggies Newborn Nappies and Ultra Dry Nappy Pants in your supermarket nappy aisle today.

Mouths of Mums is working with Huggies to bring you this handy information.

*Zinc as Zinc Oxide. Tested on adult skin as a suitable substitute for baby skin.
*#1 choice in Australian hospitals based on sales data.

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