Remoska Advice Please.....

[Vanderella]

We have decided that its time to visit Lakeland for our first Remoska! Only problem is, we can't decide which size to buy, the Standard or the Grand.

John favours the Standard, but I am tempted to go for the larger one. We want to use it at home (to reduce the use of our fan oven), and of course in the camper van.

Have just ploughed through about 50 pages of the 118 page discussion thread on Money Saving Expert but still undecided. Many people say they wish they had gone for the larger one.

Any advice from experienced users would be very welcome......and then of course there are the accessories, are the rack, shallow pan, and pan separator also essential?

Definitely want the Remoska and not one of the alternatives, and definitely want to buy from Lakeland (love their no quibble guarantee). But it's such a huge expense, do not want to get it wrong!

Its just the two of us, but I sometimes like to cook big batches and freeze some for later.

[Artoo0]

Hello
we bought our Remoska a few years ago and after much consideration decided on the Standard one for two of us. We also bought the half-size pan which is the one we use most of the time for cooking chicken, chops, fish, sausages, omelettes etc.We only use the full size pan that came with it for cooking larger batches of chillis, stews etc although we recently bought a slow cooker and have switched to using that for the stews.

We also bought the grill rack but have rarely used it so I would not recommend buying that, at least at first - maybe you will decide later that you have a use for it. We bought the cook book which has some good recipes but you can get by with the basic recipes that come with the Remoska and adapt your own recipes as you get used to it.
Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.
Sue

PS we have not used it in the Roma yet - if that is your plan I certainly would not go for the Grand version as I took ours outside to test for space and I think any bigger would be awkward both to use and store. You need to make sure you have a heatproof mat (I favour the silicon ones) ready to rest the lid on and also a short extension lead as the plug will not reach the socket unless you plan to stand the Remoska on the floor - I reckon I will use it on the wooden board over the sink to avoid training leads.

[Artoo0]

Hello
we bought our Remoska a few years ago and after much consideration decided on the Standard one for two of us. We also bought the half-size pan which is the one we use most of the time for cooking chicken, chops, fish, sausages, omelettes etc.We only use the full size pan that came with it for cooking larger batches of chillis, stews etc although we recently bought a slow cooker and have switched to using that for the stews.

We also bought the grill rack but have rarely used it so I would not recommend buying that, at least at first - maybe you will decide later that you have a use for it. We bought the cook book which has some good recipes but you can get by with the basic recipes that come with the Remoska and adapt your own recipes as you get used to it.
Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.
Sue

PS we have not used it in the Roma yet - if that is your plan I certainly would not go for the Grand version as I took ours outside to test for space and I think any bigger would be awkward both to use and store. You need to make sure you have a heatproof mat (I favour the silicon ones) ready to rest the lid on and also a short extension lead as the plug will not reach the socket unless you plan to stand the Remoska on the floor - I reckon I will use it on the wooden board over the sink to avoid training leads.

sorry - by half-size pan I mean the shallow one, not the pan separator which we did not buy although I have thought it would be useful when cooking something dry plus a separate sauce for example. Instead I bought a set of small metal dishes from Morrisons which I place in the middle and arrange the meat or whatever around them, but check the measurements before you buy anything similar (pyrex will do if you can find anything to fit) especially if using the shallow pan, as the heating element may stop the lid closing if it rests on the rim of the metal tray.
Another thing I found useful was to cut a circle of telfon sheet to size to cover cakes to stop them burning as the cooking takes places from above. It can also be used at the bottom of the tray if you think a dish may scratch the pan.
Sue

[Vanderella]

Thanks Sue, your answer helps.

We also have a slow cooker which we use quite a bit. How many portions of chilli etc do you get from the standard Remoska pan?

No problem with using it in the van - we have a power point just over a little work top. But very aware that we need to sort out a heatproof board for the lid and working space is limited. Storage might be a problem - the kitchen equipment seems to be growing apace, might have to rationalize what we carry around with us! Getting to the point where the van kitchen is better stocked than the home one

[Artoo0]

... How many portions of chilli etc do you get from the standard Remoska pan?

...

When we do a standard panful we usually eat one portion immediately and freeze two more (that's two-person portions!).

[Vanderella]

Sounds like the standard size would be more than adequate for us :so happy:

[Graham]

We've got a standard one which we use in the van and also at home, it's fine for the two of us. We haven't got any accessories yet but Pauline said the other day she wouldn't mind a separator.

Have you seen our video http://youtu.be/KlYBvPCkwt8

I don't think you'll be able to buy it anywhere else, it is exclusive to Lakeland.

[Vanderella]

Hi Graham,

Yes, we have watched the video, it was very helpful!

Yes it is exclusive to Lakeland, but there is a slightly different/cheaper Czech cooker model around, sold by QVC. Don't really fancy it, and we are very loyal to Lakeland! And of course, there are always a few 'unwanted gift, hardly ever been out of the box' models on the bay!!!!

[VonUK]

We use the standard Remoska in the van. It coped with baked potatoes, medium sized for 4 of us who were travelling together, also cooked a scofa loaf in it using a bread mix from Sainsbury's, good for cooking part baked rolls, which come in sealed packs and will keep for months (these were really useful in France on a couple of occasions when we ran out of bread), and it managed a casserole for 4. For the 2 of us we find it ample.

[gadgetman]

Iv'e had the standard Remoska now for two years, use it most days at home and it always comes with me in my MH, I couldn't do without the rack very usefull, I also purchased the pan separator but only used it once, really not needed. the remaska cook book is also very usefull for ideas. Once you have a remoska, don't leave home without it, it does what it says on the box. :so happy:

[Vanderella]

Its my birthday at the end of the month so I have sent a circular email to friends and family asking for Lakeland Vouchers!! The more I get, the more accessories I can afford :so happy:

We have just signed up to pay our gas and electric online (gives us a small discount). John has discovered the most amazing graphs and pie charts of our power use, compares it month by month to the last year. So far we have managed to reduce our consumption by 17% on last year. Saw a 4% drop in electric use when we got a new fridge. So just imagine what a Remoska will do..................

[Ian.C.S]

If only you could get a remoska or chek cooker for one,its too big for me.

[Vanderella]

Lots of single people do seem to use it very well. Have a look at the very long thread on MSE. You could cook a couple of days food at a time. I love doing that, creating a couple of days 'ready meals' in advance. Not sure how you cook at the moment but it would probably reduce your power bills.

[gadgetman]

Since I purchased my remsoka I have hardly used my cooker oven, infact only to make fruit a cake now and then, so I have saved a lot on my electricity bill, always take it in my MH, wouldn't leave home without it. one of the best buys I have made, certainly paid for itself over and over. :so happy:

[Vanderella]

Cant wait, want one NOW. Got to wait till the end of the month to see what vouchers I get for my birthday!