Jamie Oliver in My Kitchen

I'm one of those women who gets to the end of the day and feels exhausted. Who on earth doesn't? The kids have become ratty and are swinging from your legs hungrily wailing, the house is hot with the summer heat, and you turn to the stove reluctantly.
Must it be so? Must it?
If it wasn't for the children and my husband, I'd look to a plain old cup o' soup sachet and a jug of boiling water. I know. I've never been a very good eater, especially when just thinking about myself. The joy in cooking comes through creating for others, for me. Then things get gourmet.

You know those businesses called Hire A Hubby? It's one of those services where a handyman comes around to potter about your place fixing things. Well, I'm about to tell you how you can "Hire A Hubby" Jamie Oliver to come and let you put your feet up while the meal is magically cooked for you.

It sounds too good to be true. Does he bi-locate?
Sort of.
I had the honor of reviewing a prodcut brought out by Phillips and Jamie Oliver. Its called the Jamie Oliver Home Cooker.
It's a dream come true. Jamie, you're winning mother's hearts all over the country with the Homecooker!
Seriously, I didn't know what to do with myself as the Homecooker set to work stirring my risotto--I was actually able to leave that hot kitchen, sit on my red leather sofa with my children and sip a glass of bubbly while I read a story to those grumpy souls. I didn't even have to get up to check to see if the risotto was done--the timer made its perfect little chime to tell me dinner was served!

Okay. Lets get down to facts and business.

First of all, this is me just after my Homecooker arrived by courier. Weeeeeeeeeeeee! I am super excited to get this all put together. As you can see it looks like there are lots of parts, but it's really very simple to put together. You don't even need the manual. 

WHAT YOU GET:

A Jamie Oliver Cookbook "Jamie's Homecooker Recipes" featuring mouthwatering dishes including
-Chicken Cacciatore
-Home made toasted Granola
-Cream Chicken Korma
-Butternut Squash Risotto with sage and prosciutto
-Classic Pan Cooked Breakfast
-Smoked Fish Chowder with spicy grilled prawns

just to mention a few!

A Homecooker, featuring

-Pasta/rice Insert
-Steaming Basket
-Glass lid
-Stirrer Insert
-Large Stainless Steel Pot with handles

The Homecooker all ready to plug in

The stirring arm fitting

Digital temp control panel and clock/timer

A Chopping Tower, featuring

-An extra large feeding tube
-A selection of 5 different stainless steel blade inlays for chopping variety (fine grating, coarse grating, thick slicing, thin slicing and Julienne)
- Spout that allows chopping directly into the Homecooker
- Easy to clean parts
-two chopping settings

WHAT IT DOES: (What doesn't it do?)

The Homecooker:
Stirs for you
Keeps time
Has digital screen with digital time, temperature and clock
Melts
Simmers
Keeps warm
Boils
Steams
Fries

Bonus features: Made in Europe, also has 2 year global warranty. Has easy to assemble and understand labels for setup.

The Chopping Tower:
Chops in 5 different ways
Chops straight into the Homecooker saucepan
Chops both hard and soft foods
Simple to assemble and dismantle and clean


OVERALL PROS:

-Stirring arm fitting makes life so easy...just let it cook and leave, return when the alarm goes off.
-Easy to assemble
-Easy to clean all parts
-Homecooker heats quickly
-Does not heat up the whole room
-Can be used anywhere that there is a power point
-Digital settings make for an accurate temperature and accurate timing.
-Large style saucepan for big meals
-Compact arrangement for chopping tower sitting along side
-Quality appliance, made in Europe with a warranty of 2 years worldwide
-Suitable for most cooking, including desserts and sweets
-Can cook something in saucepan and steam veggies etc at the same time with stackable steaming basket
-Stays at temperature you desire
-Shuts down automatically
- Chopping tower spout allows chopped food to shoot directly into the Homecooker
-Mess free chopping tower with efficient, sharp blades
-Chopping tower gives you five different chopping blade options

OVERALL CONS:

- Rissoles stuck to the base on one occasion--I had to soak the pot overnight. I have had no other sticking or cleaning problems at all.
-The price may be a problems for some people's budgets.
-Plastic inside the chopping tower had some discolouration after chopping onions--however, this disappeared after washing and drying it.
-Some substances caught in the chopping tower around the blade when in use, but did not slow or stop the process.


CONCLUSION

There is very little I have to say in criticism of the Homecooker and Chopping Tower. In short, they have both been a lifesaver to me and my little family, giving me extra time and less stress and happier children at the end of the day.
I had a few small teething problems I suppose, but it is really quite easy to use. Like any new equipment, it takes a little time to get used to and master, but it's the appliance for every busy man or woman in any home, it requires no special skills. It is also suitable for a cooking wide range of foods--almost anything! Jamie Oliver's cookbook gives an introduction to cooking with the Homecooker to get you on your way, and then you're set...you need no further instruction, and this becomes everyday, easy to use, hassle free, time-freeing equipment.

One thing I would change:
Some markings imprinted onto the Chopping Tower blades so I can remember what vegies to chop with it and whether its the thin or the thick slicing blade, for example.

Favourite thing about it: 
Stirring arm. Hands down. There is no standing over a hot stove, no heating up of the house. I don't have to worry if something's burning when I'm bathing the kids, because I know it's being stirred and it's being timed and will buzz when it's ready.

Would I recommend it?
Absolutely and without hesitation. I believe every household should have one!

Where can I buy it?
Places like Myer, The Good Guys and such stores will stock Jamie Oliver's Homecooker for about $529.95

I reviewed the Jamie Oliver Homecooker to Mouths of Mums, so pop over and see more of my reviews for the Jaime Oliver Homecooker on their site! A sample follows:

No more Tears Thanks to Chopping Tower!

Last night I set up the new chopping tower. It was easy to put together, and the manual diagrams are very straightforward and quite good. I was very keen to have this set up, because I was to make Jamie Oliver’s onion soup, and it requires plenty of onion chopping and I don’t fancy crying over the dinner! I did have a small problem, but having said that, it was the first time I had used it, and you have to expect some teething problems. Everything new will take a little time to get used to, regardless of what it is.
I had trouble getting the cutting blade into the chopping tower. It took a little figuring out trying to get the blade to lock in—and the removal afterwards was quite difficult. I ended up with a few small cuts (not from the blade, from just trying to pull it out.) The chopping feature is fantastic though! What would have taken me 15 minutes took a maximum of 5 minutes, and there was no snagging of food on the blades, it all ran very smoothly. (Having the blades marked might have been useful, as it’s a bit hard to tell some of them apart from each other) Then I skittled off while it was all cooking and did my hair and makeup for a night out, while the home cooker did all the stirring and timing for me. I love that you don’t even have to pop back to check on it—you’re guaranteed it’s all cooking perfectly without any burning or sticking! Here I have to say how wonderful the stirring mechanism is. It runs very close to the bottom of the generously sized pot, and is like having another set of hands. Fabulous.

To read more of my reviews on this items, check out my page at MoM