I used my breadmaker to bake Mary Berry’s banana loaf. While the cake turned out well, it’s worth keeping in mind that bread-maker cakes tend to have a slightly harder crust, particularly towards the bottom.

For me, some of the above – such as making delicious jam by the touch of a few buttons and preparing rice pudding with minimal fuss – were genuine revelations. Others, such as meatloaf, cake and scrambled eggs, felt a little superfluous; they could have easily been prepared the traditional way in the oven – or in the latter case – on the stove. Add all the ingredients into the breadpan and cook for an hour at the Jam setting. Since my bread maker’s shortest jam program time was 1hr 30mins, I set a separate timer for an hour to keep an eye on the sauce. To start making this tantalising meal, chop up the shallots - or the white part of a spring onion - as finely as you can. Then, chop up the celery to give the dish a "mellow herbalism and lightness" which makes a big difference to the taste. Add butter to a pan and cover with olive oil to stop the butter from burning. Next, add the celery and shallot mixture into the pan over low heat - sprinkle with salt to prevent the onions from burning. Let's start with the selection of rice. There are many varieties and some are more suitable than others for preparing risotto. Depending on the shape of the grain and the way it is cooked, the rice is divided into common, semi-fine, fine and superfine. The last two sets are characterized by larger and tapered grains (and a better hold in cooking) because they cook more slowly and remain more al dente, so they are ideal for cooking risotto. Arborio and Carnaroli rice are considered the best varieties. Then there’s also Vialone Nano, a good alternative to Carnaroli. And Volano, Roma, Baldo, Sant'Andrea… How to toast the rice for risotto

Method

In a separate pan, heat the oil and 1 small knob of butter over a low heat, add the onions, garlic and celery, and fry gently for about 15 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Perfect for cooking meals for the whole family, or a big batch of something for the freezer, the Risotto Plus multi and slow cooker from Sage is a slow cooker, rice cooker and steamer all in one compact machine. The controls are simple: buttons at the bottom to select one of five modes: risotto, sauté/sear, rice/steam, slow cooker low, slow cooker high. There’s no countdown timer or delayed start. You can’t program the cooking time, only switch it on in the morning and off again when you get home. There’s no fanciness with this machine, it does what it says on the pot. But if you want something that does the job and is small enough to store in a cupboard when you’re not using it, this is perfect. Unlike the electric machines, it’s all dishwasher safe, too. The instructions are pretty basic it doesn’t, for instance, say how many portions the minimum amount of three cups equals. We found going by 60-90g of uncooked rice per person that three cups (450g) was more than enough for four to five. It cooks all kinds of rice, including wild rice. Although that should be cooked as a mix with basmati, as on its own it requires too much water.

It has 25 programmes, including baking, frying pressure cooking and steaming plus a keep warm button does exactly what it says. It also comes with a steaming basket, trivet and recipe book featuring dishes as varied beef curry, apple and yoghurt cake and risotto. Yet the eggs were entirely edible, if a little overcooked. As such, it’s a decent solution if you don’t have a pan or a stove handy, or need to make eggs for a large group of people.Although it’s called a rice cooker, this also has a facility for steaming, and it can cook a simple risotto, too. You can’t cook less than three cups of rice so it’s probably not a good choice for those on their own. Unless you have freezer space for Tupperware-filled cooked rice. It is, however, good for families or dinner parties. It will prepare up to 1200g of uncooked rice, which provides, on average 18-20 portions. Crucially, if you’re a fan of fancy rice then this one isn’t for you as it only cooks white rice, but it does cook it very well and was one of the simples to use with the best results. After toasting it, cover the rice completely with simmering, hot broth – vegetable or meat broth, depending on the risotto you wish to prepare. Cook over medium heat. Keep the rice consistently covered with hot broth to ensure even cooking. Add a ladle at a time continuously to keep it moist as the rice absorbs the broth. One of the most delicious risotto recipes is sausage risotto. Make it sautéing a knob of butter with chopped shallot. Add the sausage in pieces (casings removed), and brown, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the rice and toast it for a few minutes. Add red wine. Cook the rice, adding hot broth as it is absorbed. Once cooked, remove from heat and stir in more butter and parmesan cheese.