My experience with ChefKraft [Coupon Inside]

PL USE COUPON CKSPL2010 - Coupon valid until 5 March, 2015

Ever wanted to cook up a fancy meal, but felt overwhelmed by the number of ingredients required? Also, specialty ingredients that cost a lot, sold in larger packages / bottles, makes one wonder about the cost effectiveness of it all, especially if you are not going to cook that particular cuisine regularly. How do you like the idea of a company home delivering you a foolproof recipe PLUS all the ingredients required to prepare it, all ready-to-cook?

THE SERVICE

This is where a company like ChefKraft aims to fill the gap. You can cook up a fancy menu, with all ingredients accurately measured out, cleaned, prepped and packed. All you need to do is cut open these packs and follow the recipe given in the accompanying cards. They have partnered with First Agro to get you the best quality pesticide free produce. The recipes for the menu have been created by chefs. You can browse through their menu  which is divided into Salads, Minis, Casual Dining and Main Course.

Ingredients for Thai Green Curry

Instead of the overhyped eating out on Valentine's Day, we decided to resort to ChefKraft menus. The husband was the designated cook, of course. He is a (very) occasional cook and will only cook if his life depended on it (or mine). He is also super-organised in his cooking, unlike me. Before you give too much credit to that, let me clarify that it is always possible to be precision driven and super organised when you cook only once in a while (I do hope he's not reading this!) He always ensures that the pans are ready, ingredients laid out etc. before he starts cooking. And me, I'm diametrically opposite (as all good wives should be). I first keep the pan on the hob and then proceed to open the refrigerator and then go hmm....what do I cook now? 

OUR COOKING EXPERIENCE

We asked for a Thai Green Curry - Jasmine rice- Lettuce Wraps menu and a stand alone salad to serve the 3 of us (once you have a kid, and until that kid grows up, Valentine dinners are always for 3, yes! Unless you have a retinue of family members or househelp to take care of the kid, and we have neither).  The package arrived on time. The ingredients were neatly packed in cardboard boxes (which the delivery person took back, I'm happy about this being recycled). The salad and other veggies came packed along with an ice pack to keep fresh. 

Husband's precision style cooking- with timer to calculate simmering time

Husband decided to have a go at (cooking) the curry and rice. The green curry paste, coconut milk, veggies, rice and herbs were all packed separately and all he needed to do was follow the recipe card and keep snipping open the right packet at the right time. The jasmine rice was the real deal. It was incredibly fragrant, and the kind of aroma that makes you want to dig into the food rightaway, even if it was just 5.30pm. I did manage to quell those cravings until dinner time somehow. 

Filling for the wraps in the making

The task of preparing the filling for the lettuce wraps was promptly transferred to me after the curry and rice were ready (husband is all for equal distribution of chores). I went about making it, feeling very 'cheffy', as though an invisible sous chef had prepped all the ingredients for me. The filling could be prepared in advance, and assembled into the iceberg lettuce leaves at the time of the meal.

We also got the green lentil salad with goat cheese. The salad base ingredients came packed in a recyclable box made from corn (which I was later informed). The dressing and cheese came in two different packs. I'm happy to report that it was real goat's cheese and not crumbled paneer masquerading as goat's cheese. The quantity of the cheese to go on the salad was also decent. The salad was said to serve 2 people and the quantity was more than generous.

Dishes are ready

THE TASTE TEST

Like they say, we first taste the food with our olfactory senses. The process of cooking itself held the promise of a great meal from the intense aromas that were swirling around our kitchen. 

Lentil Salad

The salad which I had mixed ahead had absorbed the flavours of the dressing and it was fresh. The quantity of dressing provided along with the salt and pepper was quite perfect, that I didn't have to make any adjustments to the seasoning. The goat cheese added a nice touch of gourmet to everyday ingredient like green moong, potato, raw mango and tomato, and the dressing gave it a good burst of flavour, along with the finely chopped parsley.

Filling for lettuce wraps

The filling for the lettuce wraps had bags of flavour from the Hoisin sauce and the ChefKraft secret sauce and a good crunch from the corn and bean sprouts. I did a quick taste of the tofu in its raw state, before cooking and it was clean tasting, with no funky smells or residual taste, indicating that it was of good quality. This filling inside an iceberg lettuce cup is such a healthy appetiser, and delicious to boot. I often make one such dish, but a raw salad kinda filling instead of a cooked one. 

Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice

The jasmine rice was SO aromatic that it got our appetite all revved up for the main course. The Thai green curry was perfectly balanced in terms of spice and flavour. I do wish they had included mushrooms and baby eggplant, apart from the other veggies included in the pack. The quantities would serve 2 good eaters quite generously. Since we ordered an extra salad in addition to this Thai menu, we had some curry and rice leftover too.

VERDICT

It's a great service for an occasional cook who finds it difficult to stock up on all ingredients as well an enthusiastic cook who finds it painful to source all the ingredients. The salad boxes can also be great to eat healthy at the workplace, where you get everything in a box, just pour the dressing, add seasoning, toss and eat. For corporates, it is worthwhile exploring delivery options with ChefKraft to make your employees eat healthier. The only downside, which I already discussed with ChefKraft was the use of lots of small plastic pouches to carry individual ingredients and I am happy that they are conscious of this and they are already on the lookout for alternatives.

If you want to be a chef, without even wielding a knife (just wield a pair of scissors) this is the service for you. Find the details below. You may follow them on the various social media platforms to keep abreast of new menus and other offers. 

Like all other cool things (umm, except traffic woes), this service is currently available only in BANGALORE. Sorry, the other cities will have to wait :) 

ChefKraft has been kind to offer a discount coupon to the readers of SaffronTrail. After you place your order, don't forget to use CFSPL2010 as the coupon code to get the discount on your first order. This coupon is valid until March 5, 2015. 

Details:

Website: Chefkraft.com

Facebook: Fb.com/chefkraftindia

Twitter: @chefkraftindia

Instagram: @chefkraftindia

This product was sent to me complimentary from ChefKraft. I have shared an honest and unbiased account of my experience.

Review of the Philips Soupmaker + Giveaway + Recipe for Tomato-Red Bell Pepper Soup

When I first heard of the SoupMaker from the Philips team, it got me all curious. A machine where you can just put in all the ingredients, it's cooked into a soup,wow! You get to choose whether you want the soup to be blended or chunky, and it also keeps the soup warm. The principles seem simple enough and something that simplifies our cooking process to a great extent. Whether it is their water purifier, AirFryer, I have personally experienced simple principles put into play in a sleek looking gadget. 

WHAT IS A SOUPMAKER
It is like a kettle which cooks your soup ingredients. The fitted lid comes with a blade that is helpful to blend the soup to a creamy texture (if needed). The body of the soupmaker is like a thermos that will keep the soup warm for 40 minutes. The detachable cord helps take the elegant looking kettle to the table and pour straight out of it, as it has a convenient spout. 

The interface is so ridiculously simple that one might get stumped how to use it (!!) because you are expecting something more complex.
The panel comes with a start/stop button and a function selecting button. Each time you press the button, it moves on to the next function and once your desired function is selected, all you do is press the start button and allow the soupmaker to go about its business.

SOUPMAKER - PANEL

FUNCTIONS
Why 5 functions for soup, you may wonder! 
The first and second functions are for creamy and chunky soups respectively. The creamy soup function uses the blender in the end to give the soup a smooth consistency. 
The third option is for making compote. This is great for converting seasonal fruits into compotes for going on top of toast or desserts. 
The fourth option is for smoothies. So if your health conscious lifestyle demands a soup for dinner, you can have a smoothie for breakfast. Just throw in all the ingredients and hit this function, pour into your glass and you're set! I have a feeling this will be great for lassis, frozen yogurts and even churning ice creams / kulfis.
The last function is the manual blender function. If you feel you want to blend your creamy soup further or blend just about anything, you can select this function and use the start button to blend for as long as you keep it pressed. And blending stops as soon as you release this button.

ADVANTAGES
-I make soups very often and my usual way would be to lightly saute all ingredients directly in my smallest pressure cooker- wait for the stuff to cook, the cooker to cool, then blend them to a puree and bring back to a simmer with the rest of the ingredients. While it is quite effortless, there is a bit of monitoring and waiting around involved. With the soupmaker, there's no need to hang around. Select the function and come back to it just when you need to pour yourself a mug or bowl of soup. 
-The soupmaker is quite a multitasker, if I go by the recipes given in the recipe book -all manner of soups, smoothies, frozen yogurts, compotes etc. 
-It is reasonably compact, fitting easily in a small space on your kitchen counter. It's better kept in a handy location, so that you'll be inspired to make soups everyday, that's the whole point of this gadget - a healthier lifestyle, right?
-The soupmaker makes 4 servings or 2 large servings if you are having the soup as a meal. 
- It makes soups with no addition of fat whatsoever. You can always garnish with some extra virgin olive oil, but those who are counting their calories, this is a blessing. (I don't personally advocate oil-free eating though, just saying :)
- It is easy to clean thanks to a steel jar with straight sides. I added tap water, a drop of liquid soap and used the manual blending function to get it clean in a jiffy.

A word of caution: The soupmaker body gets very hot while it is in use, so use only the handles on the side and on the top to open / handle the gadget while it is in use or when the soup is ready. It does have a 'hot' caution sign as you can see in the photo of the panel above. 
I was wondering if the hot liquid will splash out during the blending process, like it usually does in a blender and I was relieved to note that there were no such accidents. 

HOMEMADE BABY FOOD
Given how it works, the soupmaker can be a great gadget for baby food and weaning foods. New mums have a dozen demands on their time. Some organic vegetables, herbs, lentils and grains put into the soup maker with stock - can be left on chunky mode for the mum, and the soup/meal topped with some spicy seasonings such as black pepper or a tadka and the remaining 'soup' can be blended and given as babyfood. Surely healthier than what comes out of a bottle and with a bare minimum effort.

HEALTH QUOTIENT 
Steaming inside a closed container helps retain the nutrients and since you don't discard any of the liquid in which the veggies / meat has been cooked, you get the full nutritional advantage from your soup. 

A soup is a low calorie, high fiber, high nutrition substitute to a full meal and I'm talking about soups without cream, cheese or any such high fat/calorie ingredients. Replacing dinner with a soup each evening can help cut down considerable calories and thereby aid weight loss, in a healthy way, without compromising on the nutrition.

WHAT'S MISSING
The only improvements I could imagine in this gadget are proper labeling of the panel- such as Smooth, Chunky, Smoothie etc., instead of just a graphic representation so it is easier for new users. An electronic timer that shows the time remaining would have been a useful feature.

I shall update this review soon with the other functions such as Compote and Smoothie, once I have tried them. 

Kitchen gadgets such as these are inspiring. I have been thinking of all the things I can try in this one - a mix of fresh ingredients, seasonal greens and veggies and there are literally tons of combinations you can come up with. 
Since I had just made a batch of Vegetable Stock that morning, I promptly tried a chunky soup (which I shall share a recipe soon) and today for lunch I made a tomato and red-bell pepper soup and to go with that multigrain bread rolls. 

It's super convenient and almost magical, how I simply poured the stock into the soupmaker, the roughly chopped veggies, switched it on and came back to beautiful aromas wafting around the kitchen.

Tomato-Red Bell Pepper Soup 

Recipe for Tomato-Bell Pepper soup in Philips Soupmaker
Serves 3-4
Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
5 medium tomatoes
1/2 large red bell pepper
3 fat cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled
600 ml of unsalted vegetable stock or use water +stock cube  
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oat flour + 3 tbsp water
To garnish
Basil leaves
Mustard flowers
Single Cream

Directions
Quarter the tomatoes. Chop the bell pepper into 2 cm squares (small dice). Slice the onions and finely chop the garlic.
Add all of this along with the stock into the soupmaker. Close the lid properly.
Switch on the power and select the first function (creamy soup). Press the start button.
This will take 25 minutes in all.
Once it's done, add the salt, oat flour + water slurry, and close the soupmaker, select the 'Chunky soup' option. In two minutes, this would have come to a boil, at this point use the Manual Blender option to ensure the oats has mixed into the smooth to give a creamy texture. 
Pour into bowls, garnish and serve with your favourite bread rolls. 

You can check out the Philips Soupmaker on Amazon.in 
The Giveaway
Philips has been kind to gift one of their rice cookers to a reader / subscriber of Saffron Trail blog. Here are the details.

 Philips Rice Cooker  

[GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED]
The giveaway is open to residents of India.

Here is what you have to do to enter the giveaway:

Subscribe to my Youtube Channel. 

Like SaffronTrail and Philips Home Living India

Leave a comment on this post on Facebook with what soup you would like to prepare in the SoupMaker.
If you are not on Facebook, you can leave a comment on my blog itself, but please make sure you enter a valid email address so we can get in touch with you!
The last step is to leave a comment on this post that you have done all the above.
One random winner will be picked from the comments below at the end of the month.

Thanks in advance for your participation :) 

Disclosure: 
I was sent the Philips Soupmaker for a review on my blog, from Philips. I have shared my unbiased opinion and experience. 
The Amazon Link to the Soupmaker is an affiliate link. Your purchase via the link will not cost you more, but will help support the blog in a small way.