Programmable cookers: from €20 to €1,000, what does each one cook?

Programmable cookers: from the €20 one to the €1,000 Thermomix

Is it worth spending €1,000 on a kitchen robot, or is a €20 electric cooker enough? The question runs through a discussion that starts with someone who wants to throw in the ingredients, press a button and go to sleep while dinner cooks itself. The answer that emerges from the exchange is less epic than the marketing promises: most of these gadgets work, but none of them cooks for you what the person using them does not know how to cook.

The range of prices that comes up in the conversation is staggering. A €20 electric cooker from Carrefour, with a ceramic pot and 6 litres, stews "wonderfully" according to the person who uses it daily, although it does not sauté or brown. At the other end, a €1,000 Thermomix which, according to several accounts, excels at soups, creams, doughs and sauces, but does not replace a cook's judgement. In between, a Cocinera costing €300-400, a FussionCook, a GM cooker, a Cocifacil bought for around €70 at an outlet and a Chef Plus with its own community on social media.

How much does a programmable cooker cost and what do you get for your money?

Price bears no proportional relation to the result. The owner of the cheap hypermarket cooker argues that the electricity consumption is "ridiculous" and that meats and vegetables come out tender and juicy. Whoever paid €400 for the Cocinera admits that the sardines are a surprise and the stews turn out, but the paella "is nothing special". The mid-range version, with a removable stainless steel pot, lets you switch containers between dishes and is easy to clean.

The timer is the most valued antiestéticature and the most ignored. Several admit they have never used it; others take advantage of it so the appliance works during off-peak hours under Spain's time-of-use electricity tariff. A 4-litre cooker comfortably feeds four people, although it falls short for large families.

Does a kitchen robot replace knowing how to cook?

No. The consensus, even among enthusiasts, is that these appliances sort things out for those with no idea and multiply the productivity of those who already cook. The lamb shoulder recipe that is shared says it all: put in the joint, salt to taste, a splash of water, close it and press number 2. No technique, no temperature, no doneness. That is what they are for.

The Thermomix has a nuance nobody disputes: you do not buy it, it is sold door to door. And those who own one agree it is excellent for baby food, doughs and creams, but not for everything. Some argue that with two small children the outlay pays for itself; others maintain that half of buyers never get the most out of it and it ends up on the second-hand market.

Slow cookers, solar cooking and other alternatives

The conversation drifts towards relatives of the invention: the clay slow cooker that confits all night long, the box solar cooker that leaves the stew in the sun without spending a watt, and the conventional oven, which for some is a waste and for others a well-enjoyed tool. The discussion about what responsible consumption means ends where it usually does: being responsible depends on how you use things, not on the price.

In the end, the question we peine with still has no single answer. What is clear is that none of these appliances turns you into a cook. At best, it saves you some time. And that, depending on who you ask, is either worth €20 or worth a thousand.