Tiger Non-Electric Thermal Cooker Review

The Tiger non-electric thermal cooker is the kind of small appliance you only have to try once to get hooked. It’s a slow cooker that’s easy to use, easy to clean, and oddly enough, it doesn’t use electricity. How can you slow cook your food without electricity? I wondered that too, but that’s the reason they call this device the Tiger Magic Cooker. Here’s how the Tiger non-electric thermal cooker works, and what I thought when I cooked roast beef and potatoes in it.

Appearance and features of Tiger non-electric thermal cooker

The Tiger non-electric thermal cooker (model NFI-A600) looks like a standard pressure cooker or slow cooker. It has a 6L capacity and measures 21.8 cm (8.6″) H x 31.6 cm (12.4″) D x 37.3 cm (14.7″) W. It weighs 4.2 kg (9.25 lb).

• Stainless steel vacuum insulated outer body and 3-layer stainless steel and aluminum inner pot
• Outer pot remains cool to the touch while the inner pot stays hot
• 6-hours of heat retention
• The inner pot heats up with food in it and outer pot seals heat in to slow cook
• Saves on energy bills because it doesn’t use electricity while slow cooking
• Max heat retention of 159.8°F +
• Outer container and inner pot are easy to wash
• Compatible with electric and gas ranges
• Comes with a removable glass lid so you can lift and serve

Testing the Tiger Magic Cooker

I’ve used slow cookers and pressure cookers for years. While I love the results, I’ve always struggled with the set-it-forget-it mentality that’s one of the major perks of using one of these devices. With a slow cooker, I need to work on my own timing. I tend to set the timer for when I think we’ll eat dinner and it doesn’t always work out that way.

For me it usually means the food is ready about an hour after we’re all starving. Timing is easier with a pressure cooker, but I’ve had a few issues with not setting it correctly or forgetting to tap the Keep Warm button and ending up with cool food.

Those are just two of the reasons why I was so interested in the Tiger Magic Cooker. According to the instructions, all you have to do is heat your food in the inner pot and bring it to a boil, let it stay at a rolling boil for a bit, and then put the boiling pot inside the thermal cooker.

Cooking roast beef and nugget potatoes in the Tiger non-electric thermal cooker

When I test appliances I always try to make something that would be a bit difficult or time-consuming. Made in an oven, roast beef is definitely a dish you can easily mess up. Either you let it cook too long and it’s dry, or you don’t cook it long enough and it’s a bit too rare. It also takes hours, and you have to check it frequently.

To start, I put my roast beef in the Tiger Magic Cooker stainless steel inner pot. I added beef stock, garlic, onions, a few bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. As per the instructions to only use up to 80% liquid, I made sure not to overflow liquid in the pot. I added in about 20 nugget potatoes too.

Bringing it to a boil took a few minutes, and I waited about 8 minutes to get it to a rolling boil. Once it was boiling I let it boil for 10 more minutes, just to be sure it was as hot as it could get. That’s when I turned off the heat, put the lid on, and placed the inner pot in the insulated outer container. I made sure the lid was on tight and clamped the lid shut on the inner pot. Now all I had to do was wait. Because the outer pot stays cool you can put it anywhere on your countertop.

Checking the internal temperature at the two-hour mark

You shouldn’t open up the Tiger Magic Cooker at any point during the cooking process. If you do, you risk letting the heat out. Because I was testing it I wanted to check and see what the internal temperature of the roast beef was at the two-hour mark, so I popped it open and used a meat thermometer to see.

The meat looked like it was cooking pretty well, and the water was still steaming. The potatoes didn’t seem like they had cooked very much, but the roast beef registered an internal temperature of 120F. That’s not bad for two hours. I quickly put the lid back on and sealed it up again, and then I didn’t check again until 6 1/2 hours had passed.

When I checked the potatoes were cooked, the broth was still steaming, and the roast beef had an internal temperature of 155F. I usually shoot for 165F, but that’s pretty good for a cooker that doesn’t use electricity. The meat was tender, the potatoes were cooked perfectly, and although I did put the meat in the microwave for a minute to make sure it was cooked through, it was really good.

The verdict on the Tiger Magic Cooker: it really works

The family really liked the roast, and the Tiger non-electric thermal cooker solved one of my issues around serving dinner on time. With this cooker, if I run late and we’re not ready to eat, it just cooks slowly until you’re ready. It won’t overcook your food or continue to use electricity to cook when it should be done.

Cleaning up the Tiger non-electric thermal cooker

Both the stainless steel inner pot and the insulated outer pot are easy to hand wash. I did put the inner pot in the dishwasher and it came out great, but it wipes clean so easily I’d probably just hand wash it along with the outer pot.

Should you choose the Tiger thermal cooker?

The Tiger non-electric thermal cooker is a pretty handy small appliance. Because it slow cooks without electricity, you can use it anywhere. When I thought about practical uses for the Tiger Magic cooker I thought it would be great to take camping, and it’s perfect for spots where you know you won’t have power like baseball games or tailgate parties. You could just boil it before you leave, let it cook for as long as it takes, and you’ve got hot food on the go.

As long as you heat the inner pot to the point where it’s at a rolling boil and you don’t peek and let the heat out, you’ll be able to cook anything you would in your slow cooker and you can do so without electricity.

You can find the Tiger Magic Cooker on Best Buy right now.