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Chit Chat / Re: Jamie Oliver Home Cooker
« on: December 15, 2012, 09:36:20 pm »
I have a Philips HomeCooker with tower attachment. Got it at Harvey Norman in Australia. (Carted it home to the US and power it with an unsightly transformer...) I don't own a TM, but have longed for one and attended a demo, so here are some observations and comparisons.
The HomeCooker is indeed reminiscent of the Kitchen Stir, but it does have true temperature control. One difference with other devices is how they get the stirrer to work without having to seal the bottom. The pot has a center post with a hole on the top that the stirrer fits onto. There's no seam at the bottom, and cleaning is relatively easy. Also nice are the steaming attachments, which include a deep pasta/rice basket that fits into the pot, a steaming basket that goes on top of the pot, and a steaming tray that goes on top of the basket. You can use all three at the same time, which gives a lot of capacity.
One drawback compared to TM is the number of temperature levels. The HC only allows a limited set of temperatures, something like 70, 90, 110, 130, 175, and 250C. (This is from memory, I'll have to check the machine itself.) This is fine for most cooking as it can handle almost anything. But what I'd really like is fine control, which would allow for sous vide cooking. Here the TM is better with its finer increments, although even better would be 1 deg C increments. That said, the HC does get hotter than the TM, and the high temps are especially nice for tasks like caramelizing sugar. I do think the stirrer works very well, perhaps better than the backwards cutter of TM.
Of course, a huge difference is in the cutting. I think of the TM cutter as something between a blender and a food processor. The HC is at the other extreme of food processing, more towards slicing than chopping. There are five cutting attachments, for doing slicing, grating, julienne, etc. but nothing equivalent to chopping on pulse like a real food processor. The tower comes apart relatively easily for washing. As a cutter it kind of helpful because it empties straight into the pot, and as a separate item you can more easily cut things of different sizes in any order. (Whereas TM works best if coarser items are added later, unless you are willing to empty the pot after chopping.) But the HC tower cutter is pretty flimsy and not perfectly accurate, as some bits do fall outside the pot. At an extra cost of AU$XXX (price removed at request of moderator) I don't think it's worth it. Might as well spend the money on a dedicated food processor, which would be more flexible and also do some real chopping/blending.
Overall, the HC does have its conveniences and if you dispense with the tower, it is not too expensive at about AU$XXX (price removed). The recipe book emphasizes risottos, and definitely it is great to free up your attention to other tasks while something simmers away at controlled temperature and automatic stirring. But overall it is not comparable to the TM in terms of convenience, which saves you the trouble of a separate food processor and the attendant hassles.
Is the HC worth it? I'm not sure how to judge it or any other kitchen gadget, because it is all about convenience. Like the TM, it doesn't do anything you can't already do in the kitchen, it just makes things easier. I do think the TM has a special appeal because it really cuts down on a number of seeming insignificant steps, by integrating weighing, chopping, stirring, and heating. Put that together and it really is an enabler. The HC only does stirring and heating well, and cutting not so well and with lots of attachments to wash afterwards. In the end, I would forget the tower cutter and just buy the main HC and enjoy it for the particular convenience it provides. But I wouldn't put it quite in the same category as TM.
The HomeCooker is indeed reminiscent of the Kitchen Stir, but it does have true temperature control. One difference with other devices is how they get the stirrer to work without having to seal the bottom. The pot has a center post with a hole on the top that the stirrer fits onto. There's no seam at the bottom, and cleaning is relatively easy. Also nice are the steaming attachments, which include a deep pasta/rice basket that fits into the pot, a steaming basket that goes on top of the pot, and a steaming tray that goes on top of the basket. You can use all three at the same time, which gives a lot of capacity.
One drawback compared to TM is the number of temperature levels. The HC only allows a limited set of temperatures, something like 70, 90, 110, 130, 175, and 250C. (This is from memory, I'll have to check the machine itself.) This is fine for most cooking as it can handle almost anything. But what I'd really like is fine control, which would allow for sous vide cooking. Here the TM is better with its finer increments, although even better would be 1 deg C increments. That said, the HC does get hotter than the TM, and the high temps are especially nice for tasks like caramelizing sugar. I do think the stirrer works very well, perhaps better than the backwards cutter of TM.
Of course, a huge difference is in the cutting. I think of the TM cutter as something between a blender and a food processor. The HC is at the other extreme of food processing, more towards slicing than chopping. There are five cutting attachments, for doing slicing, grating, julienne, etc. but nothing equivalent to chopping on pulse like a real food processor. The tower comes apart relatively easily for washing. As a cutter it kind of helpful because it empties straight into the pot, and as a separate item you can more easily cut things of different sizes in any order. (Whereas TM works best if coarser items are added later, unless you are willing to empty the pot after chopping.) But the HC tower cutter is pretty flimsy and not perfectly accurate, as some bits do fall outside the pot. At an extra cost of AU$XXX (price removed at request of moderator) I don't think it's worth it. Might as well spend the money on a dedicated food processor, which would be more flexible and also do some real chopping/blending.
Overall, the HC does have its conveniences and if you dispense with the tower, it is not too expensive at about AU$XXX (price removed). The recipe book emphasizes risottos, and definitely it is great to free up your attention to other tasks while something simmers away at controlled temperature and automatic stirring. But overall it is not comparable to the TM in terms of convenience, which saves you the trouble of a separate food processor and the attendant hassles.
Is the HC worth it? I'm not sure how to judge it or any other kitchen gadget, because it is all about convenience. Like the TM, it doesn't do anything you can't already do in the kitchen, it just makes things easier. I do think the TM has a special appeal because it really cuts down on a number of seeming insignificant steps, by integrating weighing, chopping, stirring, and heating. Put that together and it really is an enabler. The HC only does stirring and heating well, and cutting not so well and with lots of attachments to wash afterwards. In the end, I would forget the tower cutter and just buy the main HC and enjoy it for the particular convenience it provides. But I wouldn't put it quite in the same category as TM.