Delivery apps like Uber Eats and Door Dash are everywhere now. During Covid we all started getting everything delivered because going out just plain wasn’t an option. And after we were all let out again we all just sort of kept doing it.
The need became a convenience and so many of us looked past the higher cost and became reliant on food delivery. I was one of those poor unfortunate souls who decided to stop cooking and going out for food so I could be a lazy grub hub addict and for a time, it was good. I never had to really think about what I’d eat next until I was hungry, and even then, all I had to do was tap at my apps a little until food was officially on its way! What luxury! Then one day I decided to balance my accounts.
All told, on food delivery alone in one year I managed to spend nearly 6 thousand dollars. Six THOUSAND dollars!! Needless to say, the habit had to be broken. First I started going out to eat when I wanted to order food. My though process there was mostly that if I’m so lazy I’d be willing to spend 6 grand on delivery, I’d likely not eat out at all if I set a rule that made me get up and leave the house every time I got hungry. Turns out I’m more hungry than I am lazy and I just started going out to eat every day. So that didn’t work, I guess this means I need to go back to cooking. Ugh.
I’m a big fan of cooking now, so much so that I’d even consider myself “good” at it. Back then, though, I was a mess in the kitchen. After much searching for a secret hack to cooking that would keep me out of the kitchen as much as possible while also keeping me out of restaurants, I settled on a slow cooker. Apparently there were tons of recipes that let me just toss a bunch of stuff in the cooker, set the heat and walk away! Turns out there is a lot of prep involved in most of those recipes, so I ended up making piles of dishes every time I cooked, but I did actually really enjoy making the food, so I started looking for a refinement to my classic 35 dollar Crock Pot that could help me contain the process a bit.
Searing and Boiling and Rice-Cooking, Oh My!
This is where the All-Clad 7-in-1 comes in. Reading up on the device, I found that it is a slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, searing griddle, boiler and buffet-style warmer all in one! I think they want us to believe that “reheating” counts as a 7th completely unique feature, but let’s be real, this is more of a 6-in-1. Still, that’s 6 things it can do! That’s 4 more than my old Crock Pot! When it arrived on my doorstep I thought it must have been the wrong product because the box was massive. Turns out this 7 quart cooker is just massive. This big boy takes up a huge chunk of my kitchen counter and makes about as much packaging waste as a small self-assembly cabinet. Ah well, if it really does as much as it says it does, it’s worth it. I washed it up, another thing that the sheer size of the unit makes a bit frustrating, and got to work finding a recipe that would let me use as many of the features at once as possible. I settled on a cream-sauced chicken and rice. Let’s take a look at the recipe, shall we?
You’ll need:
– 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (chicken breast works too but I much prefer the soft rich taste of chicken thigh for this sort of dish)
– 1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed (you are washing your rice, right? Tell me you remember to wash your rice.)
– 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
– 1 cup heavy cream
– 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
– 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
– 2 tbsp butter
– 1 tsp paprika
– ½ tsp ground black pepper
– 1 tsp ground sea salt
– 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Once you have all that, all you should need is a cutting board, a good knife (see my Miyabi knife review), some measuring cups and the All-Clad!
First, get the bits ready, so start cubing the chicken, measuring out the parsley, salt, pepper and paprika (I like to toss them in a little bowl so I can feel like a TV chef when I add my spices in so maybe that’s another dish I make, but that’s just me) crush and mince your garlic and dice your onion. Rince your rice, turn the knob to “sear” and add the butter to the pot. Once it’s melted, add the chicken and sear it generously. Once it is lightly browned, remove from the pot, leave the drippings, and add the onion. Cook while stirring until it’s semi-translucent, then add the garlic, cooking until fragrant. Next, and this might sound a little strange, add the uncooked rice and paprika. Stir it around and toast it for a minute or two, then add the chicken stock and heavy whipping cream. Make sure you scrape the edges of the pot to get the bits off while you stir it all in.
Once the mixture starts to steam, add in the chicken, salt and black pepper, stir it all well once, cover and set the knob to “simmer.” Cover it with the lid and do not touch it for 18-20 minutes, or until the rice looks thoroughly cooked. Once it looks ready, take the ceramic inner pot out of the cooker, set it aside off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when all the residual liquid has been absorbed into the rice. Then fluff it with a fork while sprinkling on the parsley and boom, you’ve got your chicken and rice!
Notice how I never mentioned to pull out a single pot or pan? Notice how the oven was never turned on? Well, that’s the magic of the Gourmet Plus Stainless All-Clad 7-in-1. For many dishes you never need to use anything to cook aside from the slow cooker! The searing, simmering and rice settings really take this thing from “cool kitchen gadget,” to a must-have for folks who spend time in the kitchen.
The thing also just looks great on the counter. The stainless steel exterior, well designed chrome knobs and interface and the heavy Black ceramic pot are excellently designed and make a wonderful kitchen centerpiece. It’s a good thing it does too because, as mentioned, this will take up a lot of space in your kitchen.
TL;DR Specs for the Scrollers
Here is a breakdown of all the technical details about this device.
- Capacity: 7 quarts
- Cooking Functions:
- Slow Cook
- Brown/Sauté
- Simmer
- Steam
- Rice
- Keep Warm
- Construction: Stainless steel housing
- Cooking Insert: Removable nonstick aluminum insert
- Temperature Settings: Adjustable by cooking mode
- Control Type: Digital control panel
- Programmable Timer
- Automatic Keep Warm
- Dishwasher Safe Inner Pot
- Color: Stainless steel
- Serves: Approximately 6–8 people depending on recipe
To Buy or Not to Buy
I’ll be honest, the price tag of $349.99 is a lot. I’d say it was too much if this weren’t a fantastic cooker. Plus, All-Clad is known for their lifetime warranties and customer service, so if it does fall apart on you, you’ll be able to find help nice and easy, assuming you didn’t damage it by throwing it out a car window. I would certainly recommend this cooker, especially if you’re looking for something to make getting back into the habit of cooking easier. It did the trick for me!
George Berger Bio
Ever since a young George was disappointed with a toy that did match up to the advertising, he became a tireless advocate for consumers. He’ll review anything that folks have to spend their hard-earned dollars on. George is grateful that he gets to use his skills as a writer and an artist to help connect with consumers and help them make the best decisions possible.
This article is for informational purposes only and reflects the author’s independent opinion. Readers should verify details directly with the manufacturer or retailer before making a purchase decision.
