There was much excitement this week, when the lovely people at Sunbeam sent us a VersaCook Multi Cooker X5 to review. It is an all-in-one electronic multi cooker that can be used as a deep fryer, frypan, slow cooker, saucepan, and steamer. 5 Appliances in one – how is that for space saving! One of the best features is that there is no need for separate pans – so if you need to brown meat before popping it in the slow cooker, it can all be done in the same unit, thereby reducing the clean up time. It has an electronic display which makes it easy to select the function required.
To put it through its paces, we made up a big batch of Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 kg minced meat (you can use a combination of pork, veal or beef. We used premium beef mince.)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon oregano
400g crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
700g passata
salt and pepper
parsley and basil to garnish (optional)
Method:
1. Using Brown function, heat half the oil on 190 deg C. When pre-heated add onion and garlic. Cook stirring until soft. Remove from pan.
2. Transfer half the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add mince, breadcrumbs, egg and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. mix to combine. Roll mixture into balls.
3. Using the Brown function, heat remaining oil on 210 deg C. Cook the meatballs in batches until browned. Return remaining onion to the pan with tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and passata.
4. Cover with lid. Using Slow Cooker function, cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours. Garnish with chopped parsley and basil leaves. Serve with pasta.
(recipe courtesy of Sunbeam)
What we loved most about the VersaCook is:
- Compact unit – takes up less room in the kitchen that all 5 appliances. We don’t eat a lot of fried food so would not invest in a deep fryer but it will be handy to be able to deep fry occasionally.(Sarah is keen to make some doughnuts and churros!)
- Reduces the need for separate pans which means less washing up and cleaning.
- Easy to operate with electronic display, temperature control; and timer.
- Slow cooker will keep food warm for 4 hours. This is great for nights when the teens work and we all eat dinner at different times.
- Non stick pot is so much easier to clean than our existing slow cooker which has a heavy ceramic pot. It is also dishwasher safe.
- It comes complete with basket for deep fryer and two racks for the steamer.
OOOOh, what an awesome appliance! I think my food processor, even though it’s tiny, has to be my favorite – it’s a workhorse at my house!
Hi Lisa I thik I may be the first to enter , I hope that’s a good sign !
Love more than one purpose/product – and five sounds great!
I love my slow cooker! But it is super heavy and it would be so handy to have this all in one
My favorite appliance is my crock pot – makes my life so much easier!
My favorite appliance is my crock pot – makes my life so much easier!
This looks great – love the idea of being able to fry and to slow cook in the one appliance.
Gosh this would get a lot of use in our home especially in our small kitchen, one appliance doing the job of many!
My favourite appliance is my thermomix
My favourite appliance would have to be my slow cooker. I love the sound of the multi cooker. Those meatballs look yummy. Thanks for the recipe and thanks for the lovely giveaway.
Looks like an incredible machine! I love my coffee machine, and my husband who makes my coffee!
My favourite so far: thermomix,. Regards Elke
Meatballs are a weekly edition to our menu 😉 Great new appliance!
What a great machine, it would get a lot of use here 🙂 One of the appliances that we use the most at home would be the electric frypan.
I currentlly love the slow cooker so this appliance looks really interesting as it has so many other functions. Living in an apartment as I do, space is of premium and every item that comes into this home has to be able to justify its existence to live here.
my fav appliance is my slow cooker could not survive ballet night and work night without it
My favorite appliance is my slow cooker but could be overtaken by this beauty.
My favourite would have to be my pressure cooker.
My stand mixer 🙂
My favourite appliance is my Miele dishwasher which I could use to clean the pan of the VersaCook Multi Cooker. Having a dishwasher and a Multi Cooker would make my life as a shift worker so much easier; cook whilst I am at work and clean while I sleep!
The VersaCook sounds like a great new appliance to have!
carolpeterbirch@gmail.com
My coffee machine! 🙂 It gets the most use!
I have a little griller/griddler that I use and the trays come off and wash separate not like the foreman that I used to own where I could not take them off to wash them. Oh it is fantastic for me since I cannot function the outside grill to save our lives. When I try to use that the food is either burned or raw.
My slow cooker especially in winter as it retains all the delicious flavours and saves me time when I prepare ahead.
t.boult@hotmail.com
Love my slow cooker but dislike having to brown meat in the frypan before adding it to the cooker. Often skip that step. The VersaCook Multicooker sounds amazing.
I love my slow cooker—and would love to have one of these that you can do it all in one pot. Those meatballs/sauce look yummy. 🙂
What a fabulous give away! My all time favourite kitchen appliance would have to be my Sunbeam dual pump expresso coffee machine, I just love it to bits! Thanks for the opportunity to win the VersaCook Multi cooker.
Oh wow would I love to get my hands on that!
Wow – fabulous giveaway and great post!
This looks like a machine I must have.
My favorite kitchen appliance is my mixer on a stand. I would be lost without it! This looks like a must have appliance!!
My kettle. I can’t live without my mug of steaming hot tea every morning and evening.
My favourite Kitchen Appliance would be my coffee maker…mornings just wouldn’t happen without it but I love the idea of a 5 in 1 appliance! As someone who hates clutter & doesn’t have much cupboard space this would be fantastic!
What a versatile kitchen tool! We love our current crockpots, but this would eliminate multiple cooking tools and would mke more space in our cupboards.3
I love my microwave!!!
what a great recipe!!
I love my sandwich press.. it makes yummy toasted sandwiches!
My fav kitchen appliance would have to be the dishwasher. I. hate. dishes. And I tend to make a lot of them so it’s a no brainer really 😀
my coffee jug it makes the best morning coffee
I recently bought a pressure cooker/rice cooker, really love it, the Sunbeam VersaCook Multi Cooker would be a sweet addition 🙂
my slow cooker is my all time favourite appliance, one pot, no fuss, leave it on all day and dinner is ready!
I love my pressure cooker, cause it’s usually after school pick up when I realise I have nothing planned for dinner and with some quick prep, dinner can be ready on the table within 20 mins!
I would say our coffee maker as I couldnt get through the day without, I can not stand instant coffee, I need the good stuff
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My kitchenaid 🙂 We don’t ever buy each other expensive gifts but for my 30th birthday my super sweet hubby surprised me with one 🙂 It has given me confidence in the kitchen again, and I am starting to really enjoy cooking from scratch for my family! I am very slowly starting to collect the accessories so I can utilise it more!
At the moment my favourite appliance is my pancake maker. I looooooov pancakes and this makes it so easy to clean up afterwards.
My favourite appliance would be this if I won it! lol. My favourite appliance would have to be my microwave. I could do so many things with it and it saves so much hassle when it comes to warming up bottles etc!
I love my bread maker”s”. Had one and house we just moved into came semi-furnished, thus 2 breadmakers.
Having tossed my 27yo slow cooker & bought a replacement with disappointing results, and never having owned a deep fryer, I’m pretty excited at the prospect of this Sunbeam VersaCook.
right now it is my kitchenaid mixer
jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com
I would have to say the kettle – whenever its on means I am having ‘me’ time for a cuppe – might only be 5 mins but its enough to keep me sane 😀
kbelford1985@hotmail.com
I love my waffle maker! We are huge fans of waffles in this house, my slow cooker would have to be a close second.
My favourite is my kettle. It boils water for my coffee (which is my morning pick me up) tea (for my afternoon relaxation break), cup of soup (for a cold winter’s day snack) and hot water bottle water (when it so cold you need something to hug to keep you warm). Its indispensable.
As a busy Mum of four, I LOVE my slow cooker! If I throw my ingredients in at 2pm, dinner is ready to be served by 6pm and the slow cooker has done all the work! Even better in hot weather, when I really DON’T want to be cooking! I think this 4 in 1 would become my new favourite kitchen friend, though…!
trulore@dcsi.net.au
Probably my vege steamer- I use it all the time! 🙂
Jessie Hay
My favourite appliance would be my microwave oven. I don’t cook in it, but since every second day seems to be left-overs it’s gets quite a workout.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
What a terrific appliance. ..this would mak e it so I could get rid of a few in my kitchen …more room.
I guess my favourite appliance is my food mixer. Thanks for the chance to win this fabulous cooker. Hugs Vicki
What a terrific appliance. ..this would mak e it so I could get rid of a few in my kitchen …more room.
I guess my favourite appliance is my food mixer. Thanks for the chance to win this fabulous cooker. Hugs Vicki
Pressure cooker is my favourite, it takes the pressure away cooking in time for a starving family after work each day!
I love my slowcooker, but have just bought a pressure cooker and hoping to love it too
I love my slowcooker, but don’t use it nearly enough!
I love my toaster oven!
oops… that was me above!
My favourite kitchen appliance at the moment would be my Sandwich Pres (also a griller). I’ve just had a baby, so my children have been having a lot of cheese toasties with soup lately. A slow cooker would be an amazing help in this house!
I love my slow cooker.
This would be amazing…. it would help organise my cooking at home!
I love my rice cooker/steamer the most at the moment, but I have other “favourites” too – it just depends on what we are having for dinner!
Love my juicer. Enjoy a carrot and ginger juice every morning.
I love my sunbeam cafe series mix master, my kids love to help pour the ingredients in to make cakes/muffins.
Squiffy@iprimus.com.au
At this very moment, my favourite appliance is my toaster. I’m newly pregnant and can only stomach dry toast, so it feeds me breakfast, lunch and dinner!
I adore my mixer!
My favorite and most-used kitchen appliance is without a doubt the slow cooker.
My bread maker
My Sunbeam Mixmaster!
Deborah
homemakerhoney @gmail .com
Will this help me save money instead of running to my local Chinese for SWEET CORN & CHICKEN SOUP, I can make my own & enjoy the ease of cooking
Probably the toaster. It gets an awful lot of use and it pretty good at multiple functions. Haven’t had a problem with it yet! (logged into rafflecopter as Dianne Childs)
Alice Mitchell. catblack.1@bigpond.com That looks amazing. at the moment my favourite appliance would have to be the actifry, anything that makes healthy chips that taste awesome is ok in my book
I cant decide between my slow cooker and my electric frying pan. Both I use a LOT 🙂
My slow cooker, I love slow cooking.
Love my mixer, its bright blue
my wok we cook almost anything in it they are fabulous
Mine is my husband, when he gets going its great, can even clean up after himself!
I think every kitchen needs a good quality set of knives, the ultimate basic in my books.
I love my crockpot. not that I use it every day or even week but it is so handy to take to potlucks to keep your food hot.
Oops! Sorry, but I didn’t see that this was open to Aussie customers only 🙁
My favourite would be the microwave! Imagine how much longer it would take if you had to use the stove to re-heat everything! Pretty handy when you realise you forgot to defrost something for dinner too 🙂
Love my slow cooker so much in winter!
Big decision between my kitchen aid and slow cooker, I love them both.
My slow cooker as all the work is done and my kettle as I love coffee 🙂
Wow thanks for the great giveaway! My favourite appliance would have to be my my kettle 🙂
My favourite appliance is my slow cooker but this looks SO much better !!!
I cannot live without my KitchenAid !! It’s my most used appliance. She even has a name, Pretty Priscilla because she’s bright pink =D
My favorite kitchen appliance would be my kitchenaid mixer which I coveted for 20 years before my dear children suprised me with one for my last birthday
I love my Slow cooker….but, I’d ditch it for this!
My well used and ever reliable pressure cooker – so versatile and easy to use
Love my Sunbeam steamer and slow cooker as well. They make cooking easier.
Looks like a great helper in the kitchen,which would definitely please the kids as less work for them. I love being in my kitchen. 🙂
Oh this looks great! Yes please!!
Love my bread maker- fills the house with delicious aromas then provides the yummiest bread.
great comp..
Tracey Kruger
My KitchenAid mixer…I don’t say I use it very often but I love it as much as my youngest child.
My kitchen is a little sparse so I would have to say the 4 slice toaster is my favorite.
After madly making toast in a 2 slice toaster for a family of 5 for years its now so wonderful to have a 4 slice toaster on the go.
Mine is my trusty old fry pan, but would love to win this. With 6 kids it would make life so much easier and clear up some kitchen space.
I love my Sunbeam Cafe Series Deep Fryer! In summer I love making tempura prawns, beer battered fish and prawn cutlets with chips! Cooks in a jiffy – great for when unexpected guests pop in too! I’d love to win this to add to my Sunbeam collection!
Nicole W
hi-beautiful1@hotmail.com
I love my kettle. Helps me make the perfect cup of tea everytime
I love my cake mixer
Wow what a great invention, This will replace alot of appliances I have in my overcrowded kitchen!
My favorite is my kettle, without it I couldn’t have my morning cup of tea, I’d be lost without it!
my faveorite appliance is my sunbeam coffee machine…i caouldn’t live without it.
My favourite kitchen appliance would have to be my coffee machine!
My favourite kitchen appliance thats so hard to choose im pretty much a kitchen appliance junkie i love all my appliances maybe a toss up between my slow cooker and the microwave.
I love my quality super-sharp KITCHEN KNIVES! Without them, cooking wouldn’t go any further in my kitchen!
My crockpot has been a real workhorse in the kitchen. To win the appliance giveaway would be a definite upgrade! Thanks for the chance to win!
What an awesome machine!with limited bench space in my kitchen, this would be perfect.
what a great prize…my fave appliance is the microwave; it gets used every day.