The Tefal YumMeal is an innovative appliance for single-person households who want to cook meals from scratch without having to use multiple appliances and dishes. Just one enamel bowl is used for prep, cooking and serving. The appliance essentially replaces both a cooktop and an oven (when cooking very small quantities) by offering both air fryer and induction cooktop modes, which can be used independently or in combination for all sorts of recipes. Results are impressive, but the 1.2L capacity is small, so it’s not for huge family meals and you can’t see the food while it’s cooking unless you open it. You may also need to buy a timer and scales for best cooking results.
Years ago, when a friend of mine moved into their first one-bedroom apartment, I excitedly (and somewhat naively) gave them a cookbook called “Meals for One”.
Turns out they were a bit miffed at being reminded of living a solitary existence, and the whole mortifying incident lives rent-free in my head decades later. But the truth is, there are now more than 2.3 million lone-person households in Australia according to the 2021 census. This number is steadily rising, representing more than a quarter of all dwellings.
The Tefal YumMeal is a compact one-bowl cooking appliance combining both an air fryer and induction cooktop
And when it comes to meal prep, cooking and cleaning, there’s often a lot of effort involved in making one serving of something more glamorous and nutritious than beans on toast.
Sad cookbooks aside, there’s now a new gadget that tries to heal the hardships of solo chefs: the Tefal YumMeal, which is a compact one-bowl cooking appliance combining both an air fryer and induction cooktop. Our kitchen lab expert Fiona Mair borrowed a review model to see if this is just a novelty, or something actually useful to have in your kitchen.
The YumMeal is a relatively small appliance, measuring 24cm (H) x 21cm (W) x 36cm (D). It comprises an induction cooktop at its base and an air fryer cooking element on top. Sandwiched between is a small enamelled cooking bowl with a 1.2L claimed capacity, which sits in an insulated outer base with heat-resistant side handles. This slides in and out like a typical drawer-style air fryer.
A control panel at the top of the unit lets you cook in either air fryer or induction modes, or both (combi mode). You can also use successive modes (for example induction mode to cook a frittata, then air fryer mode to brown cheese on top).
It weighs 4.75kg and is whisper-quiet when in use. There are three heat settings, with the highest reaching 180°C in air fryer mode, and 120°C for induction. All sorts of recipes are possible, including Asian noodles, cakes, pasta bakes and curries.
Fiona conducted YumMeal performance tests in air-fry mode, induction cooking mode and combi mode to see how well it fared.
Air-fry mode
Fiona cooked frozen chips, nuggets and chicken wings using the standard tests that we use to assess all air fryers. While these aren’t complex meals, they’re good at finding out how good an appliance is at producing even and crisp results.
The chips turned out firm and crisp with fluffy insides, which impressed Fiona. When cooking the crumbed chicken nuggets, we could fit just seven in the small cooking bowl, but this is reasonable for a one-person serving. The bowl sealed well during cooking and and the nuggets came out very well cooked, with a moist centre and mostly crisp crumb.
You need to slide the bowl out of the appliance and toss or turn food gently
The chicken wings turned out tender and moist with a cooked centre and golden appearance.
Like all air fryers, you’ll still need to shake food halfway for even cooking, but the shallow bowl means you can’t do it as vigorously as you would with a typical drawer-style air fryer. You need to slide the bowl out of the appliance and toss or turn food gently.
Steam is expelled through vents at the back of the unit, so enough space behind it is required for adequate ventilation.
Induction mode
To test out this mode we cooked Asian chicken noodles and mac and cheese, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Mac and cheese was simple to make in 15 minutes.
Mac and cheese simply involves adding macaroni, water, pre-made white sauce and seasoning to the bowl and cooking it on induction mode for ten minutes. Then, cheese is sprinkled on top and air fryer mode runs for five minutes to give it a golden brown finish.
The Asian noodles are also fuss-free. We simply combined instant noodles, coconut milk, water, curry powder, a couple of handfuls of vegetables (we used fresh instead of the recommended frozen) and slices of our preferred protein (chicken in this case) in the bowl and cooked for 15 minutes.
Fiona says the flavours of both meals were good, and tasted “fresh, just like homemade”.
“Really simple to make,” she says. “I recommend a set of scales to measure out the ingredients.”
Combi mode
This mode is where the “one pot” cooking concept comes into its own.
Fiona cooked a white chocolate lava cake, creamy carbonara potato bake and long grain rice in this mode using the recipes on the Tefal app and website.
For the cake, butter and dark chocolate is first melted in combi mode for a couple of minutes, then flour, sugar and eggs are combined into the mixture. White chocolate squares are then pressed into the batter, and the whole thing is cooked in combi mode for six minutes. Fiona says the result was delicious, although a little too molten in the centre and the white chocolate squares didn’t fully melt.
Next, Fiona tried a creamy carbonara potato bake which was simple to make (just three sliced potatoes, thickened cream and bacon strips), resulting in tender yet firm potatoes.
Finally, long grain rice is also possible in this mode. Results overall were excellent, with no browning at the edges, although a few grains did stick to the bowl.
The YumMeal is very straightforward to use and it is particularly easy to clean. The unit is compact, with its small-capacity bowl suitable for one- or two-person households. The bowl locks into the insulated outer base which lets the user carry it away to start eating straight from the bowl.
The Tefal YumMeal has a small 1.2L capacity and is designed for solo servings.
However, there’s no viewing window to see how your food is progressing during cooking, which can be annoying. And while touch controls on the panel are obvious and easy to understand, there is no audio feedback to confirm your control selection and no prompt to shake or turn the food, so you’ll need to set a timer to do this halfway through cooking.
In terms of cleaning, there’s minimal mess to clean up as all cooking is done in the one enamel bowl/pot. While the bowl is dishwasher safe, the manufacturer recommends handwashing “to preserve the aesthetic”. The stainless steel grid that covers the element and fan is removable, so any accumulated greasy residue can be cleaned.
Some of the diagrams in the instructions could be confusing, and the recipe booklet provided is quite basic. The app does contain more recipes, which Fiona says are easy to follow. You will need scales though because the capacity of the bowl is so small that slight variations from the recipe in terms of quantities could cause food to burn or results to be poorer than expected.
The Tefal YumMeal appliance is a clever concept, with the induction cooking factor giving it more versatility than a typical air fryer. While it’s not designed for large families, it could stretch to a two-person household for making light meals and side dishes and may also be ideal for families with allergies as you can prepare a single meal away from any other ingredients or appliances.
It really is designed for a single-person household though, which Fiona says it is perfect for. While it isn’t cheap, it could pay for itself soon enough if it means cutting down on takeaway meals or it could be a great solution for a renter with a poor-performing old oven and cooktop.
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Kim Gilmour is a Senior project officer. She manages a range of product tests such as coffee machines, stick vacuums, bassinets, high chairs and ovens, which are all tested in our in-house labs.
Kim’s work gives people access to robust, independent advice and helps consumers make informed decisions about their purchases. Her work also helps to keep manufacturers in check, by regularly exposing product flaws which can result in better and safer products.
Prior to CHOICE, Kim spent 16 years working as a technology journalist in Sydney and London. With several years as a senior researcher/writer at our UK sister organisation, Which?
Kim has authored how-to technology books such as Spotify for Dummies and Digital Photography for the Older and Wiser.
Kim has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from Charles Sturt University. LinkedIn
Kim Gilmour is a Senior project officer. She manages a range of product tests such as coffee machines, stick vacuums, bassinets, high chairs and ovens, which are all tested in our in-house labs.
Kim’s work gives people access to robust, independent advice and helps consumers make informed decisions about their purchases. Her work also helps to keep manufacturers in check, by regularly exposing product flaws which can result in better and safer products.
Prior to CHOICE, Kim spent 16 years working as a technology journalist in Sydney and London. With several years as a senior researcher/writer at our UK sister organisation, Which?
Kim has authored how-to technology books such as Spotify for Dummies and Digital Photography for the Older and Wiser.
Kim has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from Charles Sturt University. LinkedIn
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