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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

  • Chicken Cacciatore made easy with HomeCooker

    Yesterday I decided to have a go at Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Cacciatore recipe. This recipe requires quite a lot of time before it is ready to serve on the dinner plate so I actually started the meal around 2.30pm. The prep time is meant to take 5 minutes but really took me about 15 minutes – plus it requires 60 mins + to marinate the chicken so this is not a recipe to start too late in the day. I had trouble getting fresh bay leaves and went to two places to buy Chianti but ended up having to use a bottle of red from home as I couldn’t find any Chianti.

    Well the HomeCooker was perfect. The chicken pieces I cut a little too big but the stirrer still seemed to manage OK despite this. The recipe required the ingredients to cook for 90 minutes so I used the time to mop my floors and then went and picked my daughter up from daycare.

    I came home to a gorgeous smell and my son was really excited to give it a taste. Unfortunately the fact that I used old red wine meant the taste was not as good as the smell. My husband and I still ate all our dinner but we did notice a slightly funny taste to the dish and the kids turned up their noses. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the sauce was a great consistency but it’s unfortunate that I was unable to go down to my local shopping centre and buy a bottle of Chianti to really test the full potential of the recipe. The bottle shop couldn’t even offer me an alternative!

    This is a bit of an issue for me with some of Jamie’s recipes in his HomeCooker cookbook. Many recipes have ingredients that I am not familiar with or have had trouble buying at the supermarket or local shops. I’d love to see an Australian version of his HomeCooker recipe book including popular Aussie family meals.

    NEXT: I’ll be searching online for some other family meals to whip up in my Jamie Oliver HomeCooker (ones that do not require red wine!)

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

  • Out with the Old, In with the New

    I received my Jamie Oliver Phillips HomeCooker yesterday, and even though I haven’t unpacked it yet, the box is huge. Wanted to share a pic of the box, next to my old slow cooker! The old slow cooker is a hand-me-down, and I must admit, I could never be bothered using it. It has gone to the Bric-a-Brac stand at our children’s school fete today. I don’t think I will have time tonight after a big fete day to even buy food let alone cook, but look forward to cooking the Bolognese tomorrow and will report back. I am sure after a few wines tonight I will have fun opening the box though:)

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

  • Cooker fantastic easy clean up, recipe OK

    Cooker – Fantastic: I got so much done whilst the cooker did the stiring. Clean up was amazing, there was no baked on muck, we just gave the pan a quick rinse and everything went in the dishwasher with nothing to hand wash. Great for pre-preparing then helping the kids and leaving you free after dinner for the bedtime routine then a relax.
    The recipe – OK: I do need to start this recipe a bit earlier next time as the preparation stage did take a bit longer than 5 minutes (maybe 15 minutes?) – especially the first time when it involved lots of checking the recipe (my memory is very short term at times). The taste was good although it was enhanced lots by some fresh rosemary sprinkled on the finished dish. The family decided that with a bit of onion and some mushrooms it could be even better.
    I’m eyeing the Old Fashioned Rice Pudding next
    Stay tuned

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

  • Thumbs up to the HomeCooker and Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

    The Jamie Oliver HomeCooker was the extra set of hands in the kitchen that I had desperately longed for. I’m pleased to say it did not let me down.

    The Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese recipe has a cooking time of 125 minutes and without the HomeCooker I would have been stuck in the kitchen (or close to it) the whole time. Instead I trusted the HomeCooker and it helped create a yummy meal suitable for all members of the family. I was unable to purchase ‘Tagliatelle’ from the supermarket and so I substituted this for pasta spirals – these are readily available and my 19 month old finds them the easiest to eat. The meat sauce will also be handy for using as a base for other meals – such as shepherds pie or lasagna so this is one I will make again for sure.

    NEXT: Chicken Cacciatore is on the menu!

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

  • First impressions

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMQtCPbf_oQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
    Click above or copy paste the above url to your browser to see a video first impressions overview that I did when I first opened it.

    I got my homecooker today and I am really excited to use it. When I picked it up from the post office the girls at the post office also took intetest in it as the box was quite huge. I was happy to explain the features of the machine to them. They were impressed too.
    I straight away unboxed it after work. I must say it is really easy to assemble..
    Came with steam baskets,stainless steel pan,cutting tower,discs and the homecooker recipe book.
    Phillips offers 2 years warranty on this machine, I feel that iis pretty decent, you have the peace of mind ithat if anything happens to your machine phillips is there to look after you.
    Really impressed that the machine is made in Poland and designed in the Netherlands.

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

  • Crispy Potatoes (almost cleaning disaster)

    Raced home from work, excited to see my husband after 10days of travelling & keen to use the Home Cooker! Flicked through & decided to make the Crispy Potatoes as teenager would be home from a hard long tiring day of learning (thats what they tell me). One teenager needed to go to work & only had 40mins to eat & get ready!
    The recipe used whole crushed garlic cloves but I had run out. I substituted crushed garlic but quickly realised this was a mistake! The garlic baked on the bottom of the pan! It looked like one of those pots that you leave to soak overnight & hope that the cleaning fairy will come along. I left the potatoes cooking, hoping that the baked galic wouldn’t ruin the potatoes.
    The potatoes – I used sweet potato as well, tossed in a spanish onion & capsicum turned out to be a hit with the teenager! Told me that he wasn’t very hungry as he had just eaten a big salad. He just wanted a few. Turns out a few was the whole bowl. “That was SO delicious.”
    Arghhh – then it was onto clean the baked on garlic. I just filled the pan, brought the water to the boil & turned the timer to 10mins. Added a dishwashing tab & the baked on food was a breeze to clean off! The pan sparkled yet again. So next time I will definitely be using the whole cloves of garlic.
    My kids always ask me to make crispy potatoes but have always found it messy & uses a lot of oil. Loved that I only used 3tbs and the stirring arm was constantly turning my veggies for me. Normally I would use a lot more to fill the wok & forced to stand there & turn the potatoes myself. It was a matter of chopping, adding to pan, setting the timer & walk away! My extra set of hands!

    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 alla Bolognese impressed my mum!

    Made Jamie’s bolognese sauce for dinner tonight. Was Spaghetti as I didn’t have any Tagliatelle! Took a lot longer than my normal bolognaise sauce does but it was super delicious! The thing with the HomeCooker is that as long as you actually have the time to start it early you do spend less time in the kitchen than you normally would, but I’m finding Jamie’s recipes al least, do tend to take a long time to cook. Was good though as I was able to play a good long game of hide and seek with my kids, feed my 8 month old dinner (leftover risotto from the other night), bath her and unpack the dishwasher while the meal was cooking. Once I had started it off I was just required back in the kitchen a few times when the buzzer went off to add the next ingredient and otherwise the HomeCooker took care of the rest. Tonight’s recipe certainly wouldn’t be something I would be able to make on a weeknight once I’m back at work as all up it took just over 2 hours to cook but for now it is great as I could start it while my baby has her afternoon nap and pretty much let it go until it is time for dinner!

    My mum came over for dinner tonight and kept asking if there was something she could do! She wanted to stir the sauce and I had to say “no, Mum, that’s the whole point, you don’t have to!”. I think she was impressed!

    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

  • Another hit with the family!

    We just tried the Chicken Korma, I used butter chicken sauce instead. It was DELICIOUS!!! I whipped it up whilst doing a girlfriend’s make-up! My family loved it and they can’t believe that we had a home cooked meal on a Friday night…..very rare in our place, I am usually on strike by Friday & take-away is the norm. My son enjoyed helping me which is another rarity! This was easy, healthy and delicious! I still can’t believe that stirring feature!! Must be seen to be believed!

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

  • Has potential

    So my home cooker arrived yesterday. I had to head out just after it arrived but got home to find my husband had unpacked it (he’s excited too). I took some time to sit down and read the instructions. It all looks easy enough to use.
    The cutter discs came with a sheet of paper to tell you what to and (more importantly) NOT to cut with them – I kinda wished they’d stamped little pictures on the blade or the cutting tower as I’m sure I won’t remember and the piece of paper won’t last long. I had to work yesterday evening so have started today.
    I’m cooking Chicken Cacciatore from the recipe book. I had no idea where to buy fresh bay leaves from, but noted that a few of Jamie’s recipes call for them so a trip to the Nursery solved the problem and, if I remember to water it, I’ll have bay leaves for a long time to come. Chianti I googled and decided that a Grenache would substitute nicely.
    Following the recipe, I did note that the stirring arm didn’t turn all the chicken over but none of it burnt or got over brown, so I let it run.
    I’m entering this as it simmers away all by itself. The kitchen is clean and I’m off to water my new herbs. Dinner will be ready in an hour, but it does smell devine. My friend has popped in and she totally agrees – there’s plenty for everyone so she’s staying. We can relax whist the cooking gets done.

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

  • FIrst dish!

    I got my home cooker today! As I took it out of the box my initial though was “how in earth am I going to work out how to put this thing together or use it?”

    Once I had a good look at it and looked at the stickers on each part it was easy! I didn’t even have to look at the instructions (true me style!). The only thing I struggled with was put the blade on the cutting tower which wasn’t too bad.
    My 4 year old son and I looked through the cook book and decided we felt like pumpkin risotto with crispy sage and pancetta so after a quick dash to the local shops we were ready to get cooking!

    Couldn’t believe how easy it was, I chucked the onion and celery through the cutting tower which goes straight into the pot, chuck the rice in and stock, set the temp and timer and walk away. Usually when I make risotto it’s a pain, 40 minutes of constant stirring- argg. None of this anymore! Was perfect timing too as my youngest had just woken up, needing a feed and nappy change so did that and volia 20 minutes later our risotto was ready!

    Success! It’s lovely! The grains are exactly the right consistency and not stuck together in a horrible clump like other risottos I have eaten. We both ate two bowls, next time I will make a double batch for lunch left overs. Can’t wait to make more yummy things over the weekend.

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

  • wow! today I received my Jamie Oliver home cooker,such a heart warming feeling to open and see it first time.found very easy to assemble and to start with.Information booklet is also easy to understand and follow.Now I am thinking ,what to cook to start with,a healthy and light lentil mix soup! Yes,will be back soon with photos to share!

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

  • The Cutting tower - QUICK...but with some issues

    I’ve been really keen to try out the Cutting tower so the first recipe I decided to try was Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese which required grated onions, carrots and garlic. To begin using the tower I first cut the vegies so that they fit into the feeding tube and then off I went. Well it was quick to start grating but unfortunately bits of carrot and onion were missed by the blades and started spinning around on top. Of course while I was playing with it trying to work out what I did wrong I then moved the Cutting tower slightly away from the HomeCooker without realising it, so the next thing I knew there was grated bits on my counter instead of in the bowl! This could be ‘user error’ (ME!) with the Cutting tower but I wanted to be honest and let you know I was having some teething problems with it.

    Once the food was in the HomeCooker – that’s when the magic started. The spinning arm started moving about and mixing the ingredients and nothing came close to sticking to the bottom.

    I’ve included a picture of the HomeCooker in action so you can see how it looked as the Stirrer went around and cooked the first lot of ingredients for the Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese.

    NEXT: My opinion on the Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese recipe – cooked by 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

  • Quick and easy to assemble

    You will be pleased to know that the Jamie Oliver HomeCooker and Cutting tower are both very easy to assemble – infact I assembled them without following the instructions (but double checked the instructions afterwards of course!).
    The Cutting tower comes with 5 cutting discs and when I first looked at them I wondered how I’d tell them apart. It would have been nice if Philips had imprinted the blade names on each of the cutting discs to save my confusion!

    I’m happy that the two appliances do not take up too much of my bench space as I intend to leave them set up throughout the trial and kitchen bench space is usually something we all have in short supply.

    My overall first impression is that the product seems to be very good quality. It comes with a 2 year guarantee and a Jamie Oliver Cookbook. The cooking instructions are basic but reasonably easy to follow so I was quick to dive in and start cooking with it. I just wish Jamie’s cookbook had more recipes catering to families with fussy little eaters!

    NEXT: Using the Cutting tower and HomeCooker to replicate Jamie’s Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

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

  • My Jamie Oliver HomeCooker has arrived!

    The courier driver who delieverd my Jamie Oliver HomeCooker this afternoon was reluctant to hand over the box! As he unloaded it from his van he couldn’t help but pause when he noticed Jamie Oliver’s face on the side and he was intrigued as to what this appliance could do.

    Well that’s what I intend to find out!

    And of course I will share it all with YOU – providing reviews that reflect my honest opinion, whether it be positive or negative

    So to get started I will share with you a picture of the Jamie Oliver HomeCooker alongside it pal and cooking partner – The Cutting Tower – as well as the box (with Jamie’s face) so you know what to look out for at the shops!

    NEXT: I will post a picture of the HomeCooker sitting on my kitchen counter and will discuss the assembly procedure/instructions and first impressions.

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

  • With Jamie Oliver's Home Cooker, I now have another pair of hands!

    With Christmas just around the corner, my husband and I were discussing the gifts we planned to buy the family. Then he asked me what was on my wish list, and I told him that, perhaps unlike some women, I embraced the idea of getting more appliances for my kitchen.
    “What?” he exclaimed in surprise. “Where are we going to put them? And what more could there be?”
    Well, we do have a space issue in that kitchen. But the problem is now solved, and I find myself no longer wanting kitchen appliances for Christmas. Jamie Oliver’s Home Cooker fell into my hands to review, and I am thrilled to be giving away all my unneeded pots and pans. We now have room in the kitchen cupboards and Jamie Oliver’s Home Cooker sitting proudly on clean and uncluttered shelves—all on its own!
    You honestly won’t believe how magnificent and practical this Home Cooker is. It definitely makes light work for a busy mum who has the “5pm wails” happening around her ankles. Somehow it’s always around dinner time that I am at the end of my tether and the kids start needing you most, and it’s always the time you have to be stirring the gravy or the béchamel sauce. Now I can have my hands free and just look after my little wailers while Jamie’s homecooker works for me. It’s like having an extra set of hands!
    I have not had the chance to get the chopping tower going yet, as the homecooker arrived this afternoon and I just sort of started up the main part of it. At first there looks like a lot of parts to get your head around, but they are all tabled so clearly, it’s easy just to put it on the bench top and have the dinner cooking within minutes of sitting it there. I found it quite straight forward once it’s all out of the box.
    We made a quick thai curry tonight, and I just loved the way I didn’t have to think about stirring the onions and capsicum as they happily sizzled away under the guidance of Jamie’s homecooker. I set the timer and went and bathed the kids, then didn’t know quite what to do with myself! (I did have to stir the onions once, as the stirring mechanism doesn’t flip the food over to brown both sides–cant have everything can you! Certainly not complaining)
    So far I am just in love with this new contraption, and I can’t wait for tomorrow night to get stuck into Jamie’s cookbook and his delicious french onion soup!

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

  • Large bowl, easy to clean in dishwasher!!!

    Excited! The Home Cooker has arrived. Eager to get cooking, I read through Jamies recipe book, made a shopping list & headed to Coles. The Korma Chicken Curry looked like a great tester to experiment with. The chopping tower was a godsend for the onions. No tears & done in seconds. I was pleasantly surprised how much free time I had cooking tonight. It was like I had an extra set of hands helping me. The only hitch I had was forgetting to buy Korma Curry Paste & deviated from the recipe with a yellow curry paste! Round 1 has ended with 2 very content smiling teenagers, fascinated with the Cooker & enough leftovers to freeze for another night! Very impressed at the bowl size. Will be great when friends come over for a Curry .

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

  • It really does do it all

    Whilst I am sitting here my Homecooker is stirring away on Jamie’s Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese. I really found it very easy to set up and get started. It is a real time saver in that I can now spend some time helping the kids with homework while it can be safely left on a timer and do all the stirring for me….that stirrer is really amazing! There is a beautiful aroma drifting through the house and we can’t wait to enjoy it and decide what recipe to have 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

  • Granola was yummy!

    Had my granola that I made last night for breakie this morning, it too was delicious! Unfortunately I am out for dinner tonight (to celebrate my sister-in-law becoming an Australian citizen!) so I won’t beagle to use my HomeCooker tonight, but looking forward to using it again really soon! Think I will try a bolognaise sauce next, a standard dish in our house but I’m sure the HomeCooker will take it up a notch! Here’s a pic of my risotto from last 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

  • One pot wonder! Love that stirring arm.

    Used my Homecoker for the first time yesterday evening and cooked up storm!
    We had french onion soup to start, followed by butternut risotto. Check out my pic of the risotto. Both were really easy – the stirring arm is fantastic. Means you can get on with the next step in the recipie, or even go and give the kids a bath whilst it keeps the pot cooking evenly with no sticking or burning. The flavour of the soup was really lovely and rich from the onions having cooked down and caramelised so sweetly. The risotto was a revalation actually. You dont have to stand over the pot for half an hour adding stock a little at a time. Just chuck it all in and leave for 20 mins to absorb.
    My only negative comment so far was with the chopping tower. It sliced the onions and grated the cheese for the soup beautifully. But when it came to grating the onion and celery for the risotto, it just didnt seem up to the job. Kept getting jammed, and stopped working entiirely! That was a bit of faff as I had to keep unclogging it and resorted to the old fashioned grater out in the end.
    Overall very happy with my first nights results though!

    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 ‘They Taste Amazing, I’ll Definitely Be Stocking Up Again’

‘They Taste Amazing, I’ll Definitely Be Stocking Up Again’

Having three young kids, juggling their commitments and her own as a school teacher means Kristie Young’s days revolve around snacking on-the-go. And she admits she’s not always reaching for the best options! So she was thrilled to try out new Nice & Natural Deluxe Protein Bars and says she’ll be restocking next time she’s shopping.

Kristie is right in the middle of one her busiest seasons of life – juggling three kids (two at school), a job, partner and household. But this year, she’s made a commitment to herself.

“I’m always running around. Always a million things on my to do list, but wouldn’t have it any other way.” Kristie told Mouths of Mums.

“But I’m turning 40 this year and I thought I really need to start prioritising myself, because for the last seven years, I’ve been pregnant, breastfeeding, busy with the kids, I have not looked after myself at all.

“So this year, I’m really starting to get back into my own fitness journey, health journey, and eating a lot better and starting to eat more regularly and eat more protein filled meals and snacks that will fill me up. So I’m not just reaching for sugary snacks, especially around that afternoon, where I’m getting tired from being awake with the baby all night and just finding myself reaching for junk in the cupboard.”

A self-confessed snacker, Kristie says her snacking habit is worse during school holidays when she’s constantly making in-between meals for the kids. So she decided to give Nice & Natural Deluxe Protein Bars a try, as part of the Mouths of Mums review team.

“They were actually filling. I like that they had eight grams of protein, because that’s something that I’m really trying to increase this year, having more protein. And they taste amazing, which is obviously great and I like that they have chocolate, because normally in the afternoon, I’m reaching for something sugary, something chocolatey, and this way I know I’m getting that protein hit as well. So they’re a bit more filling.

“They help me last until dinner time without reaching for all these other little snacks in between.”

“I also like that they’re easy to take out and about. So when I’m doing kinder drop off, dancing. I always pack snacks and food for the kids and forget myself. It’s been good put myself first and have something in the bag and on the go for me too.”

Nice & Natural Deluxe Protein Bars not only satisfy those constant cravings throughout the day, they’re temptingly tasty. With layers of nuts and soy crisps and enveloped in milk or dark chocolate, it’s every sweet-tooth’s dream.

“I’ve tried quite a few different protein bars, and some of them I don’t like the aftertaste or the textures too hard. Whereas I found this had a nice amount of crunch, the flavour was really nice, and the perfect amount of chocolate too.”

With three delectable flavours to choose from, Nice & Natural Deluxe Protein Bars make mum me-time an indulgent treat, with no artificial flavours or colours:

Salted Caramel, Cashew & Choc: Crunchy cashews, peanuts and soy crisps, topped with a delicious caramel layer and coated in rich milk choc.

Cookies & Cream Dark Choc: Crunchy peanuts and soy crisps, topped with a delicious cream layer and coated in rich dark choc.

Almond & Double Choc: Crunchy almonds, peanuts and soy crisps, topped with a delicious white choc layer and coated in rich milk choc.

How amazing do these flavours sound?! Kristie tried a couple of the flavours, and for her the Salted Caramel, Cashew & Choc was an absolute standout!

“I’ve got the Almond & Double Choc, which I love and Salted Caramel, Cashew & Choc. And at first I thought this one might be too sweet with the salted caramel, but it’s actually not. It’s perfect, the perfect balance. Probably my favourite!’

nice and natural deluxe protein bars salted caramel, cashew and choc

“They’re so good for having the desk draw at work, those little snacks. I’m not just reaching for sugary rubbish. I know they’ve got protein, especially in the afternoon, when I am running low on energy from being kept awake all night. It’s good to have these in the drawer and just have one each day, which I’m enjoying, something to look forward to at work.

“I’m putting them on the shopping list, so when I run out of these, I’m off to get some more for myself. My partner tried them, and he’s approved them. He wants some too. I said he can’t have my stash, so I know I’ll definitely be stocking up again at the supermarket. I’m recommending them and really enjoying them.”

Purchase Nice & Natural Deluxe Protein Bars from Woolworths and Coles.

This Real Story was provided as part of a paid sponsorship opportunity. Kristie was chosen to share her story because she was sent out and tried Nice & Natural Deluxe Protein Bars and genuinely loved them!

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