Tefal Wikook June 2009

The £100 Wikook may sound like a computer game but it’s actually Tefal’s latest kitchen product – a ‘fast cooker’. 

Tefal claims the Wikook will reduce cooking times by a quarter, so we’ve given it a First Look test to see how it performs.

We found it similar in use to a pressure cooker. Our tester found it took some getting used too, although the instructions are helpful (for example, make sure the lid’s steam valve is pointing away from you before opening it).

The Wikook comes with a 27-page recipe book and we tried out some, plus one of our tester’s own recipes, to see how quickly it cooked.

We found that 550g topside of beef well done, took 35 minutes compared with 50 minutes in the oven.
Fresh mixed vegetables took around eight to 10 minutes and the timing for the pork medallions with apples was exactly as the recipe book said.

Our tester also cooked one of her favourite recipes (Italian bean stew) – which did cook faster than usual (32 minutes instead of 45). 300g of long-grain white rice took 15 minutes to cook to our taster’s liking.

The non-stick pot has a thick aluminum base which Tefal claims helps distribute heat evenly. It makes the pot quite heavy, though. The patented ‘Power’ lid is heavy too and creates pressure to cook food faster.

We found a good grip is needed when locking the lid in place and our cook liked the clear icons but felt the small red pin, which shows when the lid can be removed safely, could be tricky to see.

The chunky handles help when moving the pot about but also make it more difficult when draining water away from vegetables.

The four-litre pot is fairly deep, so watch you don't burn yourself on the hot sides when you're tasting food.

It's available from Lakeland from July.

Pros: Easy to clean, reduce cooking time in some recipes we used

Cons: Fairly heavy, pricey