Getting the most from your Tefal Cuisine Companion

The basics for using your Tefal Cuisine Companion

I thought I would share with you some of the ways to get the best out of your Cuisine Companion machine as a new owner and even for those of you who have had it for a while who may benefit from some tips and tricks.

The Tefal Cuisine Companion is an all in one Thermal Cooker much like a Thermomix or any of the other Thermal Cookers on the market…..but with its own unique features
A Thermal …. All in one cooker is a machine of some description that can perform a variety of tasks in the kitchen. The Cuisine Companion is a machine that can perform these tasks for you – chopping, whipping, mixing, kneading, cooking, steaming, blending, stirring, emulsifying, whisking, searing, crushing, milling and precise heating.
A Truly multi functional appliance that can replace so many kitchen appliances.
The Cuisine Companion has a number of automated programs and it can be used in manual mode

So lets talk about receiving your machine … You have purchased your machine in store or line and its arrived – YAY Delivery day and its so exciting !
You open the box and YAY it’s even more exciting with more boxes to unpack !

 

                               

       

       

 

Inside you will find a Large Tefal Box which has the Cuisine Companion Machine , Bowl , Blades , internal steamer, cleaning brush and if you ordered online a Welcome Pack which contains a digital kitchen scale, an apron and a fridge magnet with handy hints on how to best use your Cuisine Companion. If you purchased your Cuisine Companion in store you just need to redeem your Welcome Pack online at Tefal HERE

NB please note as of May 2017 there is not a seperate ” welcome pack ” You will receive your scales and handy hint quick guide with your machine.  The bonus apron is discontinued . Some stores may still have the welcome pack . If you do not receive your scales please contact Tefal Customer Service 

Once you have unpacked everything you will need to find a suitable place on your bench top near a power point ( preferably so that you are not continually moving your unit  ) and start to set things up.
All pieces ( except the actual unit with motor )  will need to be washed . The bowl , lid , blades and spatula.

To separate the lid parts the best way to do this is by using the handle of your spatula.

    

To remove the Grey seal from the inner lid you just pull the seal out a little away from the clear plastic and it will then easily pull off.

To resemble the lid – Place the grey seal back on the inner clear lid and then click the inner lid onto the inside of the outer lid part on each side of the sides .

When placing your lid on your Bowl make sure that the < Arrow is pointing to the left side of the Bowl or you may break the inside of the lid. Don’t force your lid on ! It will easily glide on so long as it is in the correct position .

You will have the 4 attachments which can be stored elegantly in the storage box on your bench close to your machine.  The ultra blade and Kneading Crushing knife are sharp so you really don’t want to have them stored anywhere else

The Inner Steam Basket can be kept inside the bowl and if you add to your Cuisine Companion with the Grater /Shredder attachment and external steamer these can all mostly be kept neatly in and on the Cuisine Companion.
With the Grater Shredder attachments these store neatly on a black stand that then sits inside the Internal basket. I keep the White Grater/Shredder Lid with the Pusher and spindle in a cupboard underneath . I store the spindle inside the pusher which sits inside the chute

With the External Steamer attachment – that sits neatly on top of the Cuisine Companion .

So now that you have everything set up you will want to use your machine.  This can be daunting at first but like any new appliance purchase when you read the instruction guide and find out as much as possible before you commence using it you will find it a lot easier.

Start off with making something that is easy so that you can get the feel of the machine.  You will receive a recipe book with your machine which has a few hundred recipes for Entrée/Starters , Mains and Desserts. There are also dedicated facebook Cuisine Companion groups Mine is HERE and pages that have recipes and of course you will find lots of awesome tried and true recipes right on this page – under the Cuisine Companion Category HERE

Try some basics like sautéing Onion and Garlic at speed 12 for 10 secs. I find the Cuisine Companion gives you a much better and more even chop  You then have to slow cook the onion & garlic with the Oil/Butter – this is at a higher heat and will actually sauté the food ! Something that other Thermo cookers don’t do – this is done with an automated programme which is fantastic .
Use Slow Cook P1 at 130 degrees for anywhere from 3-5 mins depending on how sautéed you want it to be

 

 

Try the Vegetable Stock Paste which is a base for many recipes and the Chicken Corn & Noodle Soup which is also easy to make. These Bread Rolls are easy and delicious to make as well.

Want to convert other recipes ? My recommendation when looking at other Thermo Cooker Recipes is look at the recipe as a whole and break each step down.  Work out what how the recipe might transfer to a traditional method of cooking and then translate it into your Cuisine Companion.  It can be tricky to start off with but once you become comfortable with your CC machine and what each of the functions are you will be able to convert recipes in no time. However just let me say here please don’t be disheartened if that doesn’t happen easily for you because for some people they really are just more comfortable with following recipes and not trying to adapt other recipes to suit.. and that’s ok !

I have recently written a new post with a helpful conversion chart to convert Thermomix recipes to Cuisine Companion recipes You have have a read of it and see the chart Quick Reference guide on converting from the Thermomix to the Cuisine Companion

Looking for some more information to help you decide whether to purchase a Tefal Cuisine Companion ? I have a more detailed post over here that contains some of the information from this blog post but a lot more in regards to the unique features of the Cuisine Companion.

 

Want a fabulous decal for your Cuisine Companion to protect and also display a bit of your personality ? You can check out all of the various designs here in the decals section in the online store 

 

 

 

 

#tefalaustralia #cuisinecompanion #mixingfoodandlife