Gourmet Simplicity Standard Cooking Master

Friends and I have enjoyed what we warmly call this "Stir Chef" and the Chef's Stir Pan from Overstock. Great for Soups, Chili, Sauces, Browning Meat/Potatoes, Kettle Corn, Popcorn, Entertaining and Cooking for a group of 4 people with 2 Qt. of food; Chef's Stir Pan for up to 6 people 3 Qt. food. By this Personal Chef doing the Stirring for me, my hands are free and I make meals for Basic Cooking or some Gourmet like Risotto, also have friends tell me that while disabled with an injury and others battling Arthritis, the assistive Stir Chef aided them. Like many independent Seniors, they know how to cook well and just appreciate a bit of an extra hand around the kitchen. Healthy cooking for Vegetables and Fish is easy too; I keep the Lid on while Sauteeing or for Stir Fry; results in Moist, Tasty food. Who can afford a Home Chef like Oprah, I'm happy for my friends and I that found this Stirring Cooker.

I like the product, as it definitely saves me a lot of time. Cooking a dish of rice, meat and vegetables now takes no longer than 30 minutes, including the preparation. I like that it stirs the ingredients, so that everything cooks evenly. The downside is that it is mostly meant for stir-fries and relatively small portions, so you can cook a meal for two at most. Nevertheless, I believe it is a good value for money.

I get it now, this thing is great. It would usually takes hours to make a curry, now I can do it in under 20 mins. I am sold, ordering another one for second home today!

All the positive reviews prompted me to write this one, and they're all correct. Inside the canister there is a removable pot with a stirring paddle on the bottom, much like the stirring paddles on bread making machines. There are 2 different settings, one for stirring and one for simmering, when the stirring paddle does not move. The stirring function can be set for 4 or 2 minutes (4 minutes stirring is considered the main function.) The simmering can be set for 6, 9 or 12 minutes. If simmering, the stirring paddled does not need to be removed. When I received it, I was flummoxed by the recipes...not what I wanted to cook. But I tried my own recipes and quickly learned exactly what this cooker does. You can throw in a packaged, frozen stir fry mix or similar mix from the grocery store, and after 4 minutes of cooking, it's done from frozen. If it is not quite done, add another 2 minutes. The directions said when making, say, a stew, with potatoes, cook them a bit first, on the stove top, so they finish when other veggies do. However, I just throw the potatoes in first with a bit of liquid and simmer them for a few minutes before adding other items. I've made recipes in the cooker that I used to make on the stove top. Even former favorites come out better in the cooker. Somehow, the sauce is more evenly distributed and everything is all around moister. The downside is the inner capacity of the pot. (By the way, the pot has a non teflon but teflon-like easy to clean surface that really does clean beautifully, easily and quickly.) The directions say not to put more than 4 cups of ingredients in the pot. I haven't measured, just checked that it is not overfull. I don't think overfilling would hurt the machine, but the recipe wouldn't cook evenly. I don't really mind the small capacity, because it's easy to cook something for 4 minutes then empty it and cook more for another 4 minutes. However, my family is small. It might be frustrating to cook for a large family using this. I recommend it along with the Sunbeam Rocket Grill, another great new kitchen gadget that I find priceless. Between the two, I cook far fewer hours than before, with tasty, even tastIER results.

I haven't cooked any meals in this yet. We love making kettle corn in it. I love toasting nuts and also toasting them with sugar for our favorite salad which has pears, gorgonzola and candied walnuts. We were surprised that the actual cooking pot is pretty small compared to the size of the appliance. But, it is a fun thing to have and seems like it will be durable. I am looking forward to cooking a dinner in it.