Westinghouse SA21950 Counter Top Chef Multi-cooker, Stainless/Black

by Westinghouse

• Fully programmable with automatic settings for specific foods
• 24-hour preset digital timer with countdown function as well as a large lcd display for easy viewing
• Large 4.2-quart capacity, removable cooking pot that is dishwasher safe and non-stick
• Instructional DVD and manual including recipes
• Comes with a steam rack, ladle, spatula, measuring cup, spoon holder, and detachable power cord for portability

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12 x 12.5 x 16.5 inches ; 11 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 13 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0057RAHO0
• Item model number: SA21950
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,451 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)

Product Description

The Westinghouse SA21950 Counter-Top Chef is a revolutionary and versatile multi-cooker that has 10 cooking programs all in one stylish, space-saving appliance. Simple to use, the CT Chef will fast become your kitchen's meal maker as it can steam, slow cook, bake, quick stew, braise, saute, cook rice, boil, re-heat, and keep your food warm until you are ready to serve. Its sleek, compact design is beautiful and small enough to be kept on the counter or tucked away in a cupboard, leaving your kitchen clutter-free.

Product Features:

10 different cooking functions in one appliance: steam, slow cook, bake, stew, braise, sauté, cook rice, boil, reheat, and keep warm

Fully programmable with automatic functions

24-hour preset digital timer with countdown function

Automatic keep-warm function for up to 2 hours

Super-large LCD display panel

Large 4.2-quart (4-liter) capacity

Removable steam valve

Detachable cord

Built-in carrying handle

Included Accessories:

Steaming rack

Soup ladle

Food spatula

Spatula holder

Measuring cup

User manual and recipe booklet

Instructional DVD

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 129 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy with the Product March 21, 2012

By T. Hampton

Amazon Verified Purchase

Manual and DVD:
The manual is detailed and the information is well organized (starting out, cooking modes, cleaning and maintenance). It also provides a few recipes for each cooking mode that I have yet to try but will. You don't have to watch the DVD; the chef basically does short demonstrations of the instructions listed in the manual.

Utensils:
The extra utensils include a spatula, a ladle, a steam stray, and a measuring cup. Satisfyingly all but the measuring cup are made of thick, durable plastic. I've used the ladle and spatula repeatedly with the cooker with hardly any signs of wear & tear which is good considering the manual tells you not to use metal utensils in the cooker. We already have stainless steel measuring cups so the somewhat flimsy measuring cup provided isn't an issue.

Cleaning and Maintenance:
Like advertised the pan is truly nonstick. You have to clean the pan and inner lid after each use, and most of the time I just thoroughly rinse out the steam valve after every other use since you need to unscrew one bolt with a spring next to it in order to dismantle the whole thing and I usually don't have time for that. All the pieces I just mentioned are fully detachable which is very convenient. You can simply wipe down the rest of the cooker with a slightly damp cloth. My main cleaning utensil is a rag, but sometimes I have to use a *thin* nylon-mesh sponge to wipe away thick sauces. I don't scrub hard though because the manual states not to use a nylon-scouring pad which could damage the nonstick surface. So far I haven't seen any scratches or smelled strange fumes after *gently* using the nylon-mesh sponge.

Cooking Modes:
Since I'm a college student and my mom works we're both on the go, so up to this point we've only used the RICE and SAUTE modes. RICE is pretty obvious. Just set the mode to RICE, put your rice, water, etc. in the cooker, press START and the cooker will prepare it. The rice is perfect each time for us. The manual recommends cleaning the entire unit after fixing rice because of the residue it leaves behind. We use the SAUTE mode to cook frozen pre-packaged meals like "Wanchai Ferry's Complete Meal for Two" or "Bird's Eye Voila!". The most important thing you need to know if you do this is the SAUTE mode is one of the four modes where you can't control the temperature and the temperature change is determined by which food you select to cook (fish, meat, or vegetable). Regardless of which food you pick there's a good chance the Westinghouse Multi-Cooker will prepare the food faster than an average stovetop. I suggest closely watching the food you're cooking to determine whether or not you need to take it out earlier than what the food's instructions say. Other than that we haven't had any problems.

This is a great cooker and you should be able to prepare many different foods with it. The only annoyance is the loud beep that sounds every time you push a button, but we're getting use to it. We've had this cooker since February so I'll update this review when we use some of the other cooking modes.

89 of 93 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good buy July 30, 2012

By R. Srinivasan

Amazon Verified Purchase

Good multi cooker. Bought it about 2 weeks back, through Junglee in India.

I needed a single one for rice, vegetables and the occasional cake that I bake. I had a separate rice cooker and Morphy Richards OTG before, but this is a single cooker which does it both. I save tremendously on counter space.

Rice comes out nice and fluffy. Cakes come out very well.
Have not tried vegetables yet, will do so soon.

Does require some cleaning every time you cook rice, since the boiling water tends to flow out of the steam valve. But otherwise low maintenance.
Worth it.

Update : Tried out scrambled eggs today (the Indian type, with vegetables and cheese) - came out really well.

Further Update : The text on the buttons tends to rub off with use. That's the only slight problem I have faced. Otherwise, awesome product.

71 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome device! January 31, 2012

By N. Wiegelman

I've had my Westinghouse multi cooker for several months now and I absolutely love it! I've been cooking soups non stop :-). And boy, do they come out good. In about 1 hour and 15 min of total cooking time you'll have a soup that tastes like it's been cooking for hours and hours.
The pot is big enough for my family of 3 to eat food out of it for at least 3 days. It washes easily in a dish washer.
I really have not found any cons with this machine yet.
I do not like cooking, but now it's actually fun with this wonderful device.