Philips All-In-One Cooker Review

I love spending time in my kitchen. There’s something great about spending a bit of quality time creating a meal that I (and hopefully my family) love to eat. I don’t think I’m alone in that. Many dads I talk to these days feel the same way.

Some of my favourite dishes are simple, but effective. And although I enjoy creating many different types of dishes, it’s the slow-roasted meats that are my all-time favourites. Unfortunately the reality is that I rarely have the time to dedicate a whole day to my favourite food. When I came across the Philips All-In-One Cooker, I knew it was something I had to take a closer look at…

Disclosure – Philips sent Blog of Dad the All-In-One-Cooker for the purpose of review. The thoughts expressed in this post are entirely my own, based on my experiences with the Philips All-In-One Cooker. For more information, please visit my Disclosure Statement.

Philips All-In-One Cooker

The first question that you might have is what is an all-in-one cooker? My answer – it’s a work of genius!

The Philips All-In-One Cooker takes a whole range of functions and capabilities and combines them into one very handy device. No more need for separate slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, yoghurt maker… the Philips All-In-One Cooker does it all (and more). If you are like me and have limited space in your kitchen cupboards, that fact alone has probably grabbed your attention.

But all of that raises the question – can the Philips All-In-One Cooker do all of those things well? After all, there’s nothing more disappointing than a product that promises so much, but delivers so little.

I can’t quite answer that question just yet, because I just haven’t had the time to test the vast capabilities of this impressive device, but what I can say is that it has handled the tasks that I have thrown at it very well indeed. Let’s take a look at some of my favourite functions, and why I’m so impressed with what I have seen.

Pressure Cooker

Before the Philips All-In-One Cooker, I had never owned a pressure cooker. I have, however, long coveted them. I have been intrigued by the idea of using pressure to speed up the cooking process. As someone who adores properly roasted meat, the idea of fast-cooked succulent, melt-in-your-mouth beef, pork or lamb has me salivating right now.

As I have never used a pressure cooker before, I was a little worried the first time that I tried to make a roast beef. I did a little research and found a few handy tips that I’m thrilled to say made my first ever attempt a raging success.

Firstly – brown the meat in the Philips All-In-One Cooker by using the sauté function first. That starts the Maillard reaction which gives roast meat that beautiful caramelised outer crust. The sauté function on the Philips All-In-One Cooker was very effective. The pot heated up quickly and maintained its heat when the (substantial) piece of meat was placed in the pan. After a few minutes I had achieved a nice brown seal on the beef.

Second tip – add enough water. Steam is what makes a pressure cooker work. There needs to be enough liquid in the pot to build up the steam that makes the magic happen. I was a little concerned about boiling the meat, but the end result (if done right) is beautifully tender beef.

Third Tip – cook for less time than you might think. I was a little in the dark when it came to cooking times. Once the meat was browned and sealed inside the pressure cooker, it was all guess work. What I had read was that you can always cook an underdone piece of meat for a little longer, but you can’t un-cook it (makes sense really).

Fourth tip – use the natural release method. This means allowing the pressure inside the pot to release naturally for 5-10 minutes at the end of cooking, rather than flicking the valve and releasing the steam. It’s fair to say that I was sceptical. Also, releasing the steam from a pressure cooker is half the fun of using it in the first place! But I followed the advice and I was glad that I did. The meat came out perfectly done. It had a touch of pink and was beautifully moist.

It’s fair to say that the pressure cooker aspect of the Philips All-In-One Cooker lived up to my (fairly lofty) expectations. I can’t wait to try out many more pressure cooker-based recipes.

Low and Slow

While the pressure cooker aspect of the Philips All-In-One Cooker is a revelation, the low and slow method is still my favourite method of cooking. When I have the time, a Bolognese, curry, or slow-cooked meat is a dream come true. Nothing tastes better than slow cooked.

Of course, I can slow cook in the oven and have done so many times. But there are several advantages to using the Philips All-In-One Cooker that I have noticed.

Firstly, I feel more comfortable walking away and letting it do its thing. The All-In-One Cooker is equipped with 9 safety protection systems, which leaves me feeling fairly confident that it will be okay.

Secondly, the Philips All-In-One Cooker is purpose-built. It has a Multi cook menu with recommended cooking times built in for activities like stewing. In addition, the included recipe book has tried-and-tested options that are specially designed for use in the Philips All-In-One Cooker. That doesn’t mean they are the only recipes that work, but it’s a great place to start and also to build your repertoire. I’m currently eyeing off the Massaman beef curry and the Chinese braised oxtail for my next cooking adventures – they both look amazing!

Finally, cooking the meat in the slow cooker leaves the oven free for things like roast potatoes, that need much higher temperatures.

Rice

If you are still like I was, and preparing your rice on the stove top, you really should consider the Philips All-In-One Cooker. Once you have kids, even the simple task of preparing rice can become a challenge. I’ve lost count of the times that I have had to clean that sticky rice-residue off the cooktop after an unwatched pot boiled over. Don’t get me started on cleaning the pot when I’ve let it go too long…

The thing about the Philips All-In-One Cooker is that once you have it figured out, cooking rice is a matter of set-and-forget. And I mean forget. You can cook it hours ahead of when it’s needed and the All-In-One Cooker will simply switch over to the keep warm function once the rice is cooked.

I did have a little trouble with quantities on my first go. I learnt quickly that it pays to use the measuring cup provided with the Philips All-In-One Cooker as opposed to grabbing a random mug from the cupboard. My first batch of rice was a little…crunchy. Once I had wrapped my mind around the importance of standard measurements, however, things got a whole lot better. Now cooking rice in the Philips All-In-One Cooker is one of my favourite reasons for having the appliance. It’s amazing the difference it can make when rushing to get dinner prepared in the evening.

So Much More…

The thing that excites me most about the Philips All-In-One Cooker is world of possibilities that lay before me. While my fist attempts with the All-In-One Cooker have so far been impressive, there are still so many things I’m eager to try.

We go through yoghurt by the kilo in this house, so the homemade stuff is high on my priority list. By all accounts the Philips All-In-One Cooker does an excellent job with this. Then there’s the cakes. Hannah is a little cake-obsessed at the moment and with her birthday coming up – it could just be the perfect time to try my hand at a fluffy chocolate walnut cake.

The versatility of the Philips All-In-One Cooker really is impressive. It certainly lives up to its all-in-one title. That versatility means that it is an appliance that can be used regularly for a range of purposes, rather than sitting in the back of a cupboard and gathering dust.

Cleaning

The Philips All-In-One Cooker is very easy to clean. The non-stick pot wipes clean with warm, soapy water and a soft cloth. It takes seconds. The lid is also fairly straightforward – the two layers easily pull apart to clean in between. In my experience so far no actual food has gotten up between the two layers, just a fair amount of water from the cooled steam. Of course, this should all still be thoroughly cleaned to avoid odours sticking around.

One thing to note is that you should always use plastic or other approved materials for your utensils. The last thing you want to do is scratch that brilliant non-stick surface.

Final Thoughts

The Philips All-In-One Cooker is a compelling choice for busy parents and anyone who enjoys making good food. It is incredibly versatile, and very capable when it comes to making delicious food. It is very easy to use, easy to clean and for the functionality that you get with the device, pretty great value. One thing that I know for sure is that I’m just scratching the surface with the Philips All-In-One Cooker, and that my family needs to prepare themselves for a whole world of tasty food in the coming months.