Red Copper 5 Minute Chef Reviews

About Red Copper 5 Minute Chef

By HighYa Research Team

Published on: Jul 29, 2017

Claiming to be able to cook your meal in five minutes or less, the Red Copper 5 Minute Chef is a double sided powered countertop device coated on the inside with 100 percent pure copper. It is designed to make cooking as simple as possible with a non-stick, scratch resistant body that hopefully eliminates some of the mess that comes along with traditional pans.

Bulbhead (the manufacturer of the product) bill it as a convenient alternative to traditional fry pans. The company is a division of Telebrands, who manufactures hundreds of different As Seen On TV products, including many we’ve previously covered here at HighYa. They held a C+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, as of 7/25/17.

So, what can you actually make with it?

In the product’s commercial, we are shown a variety of foods being cooked in the Red Copper 5 Minute Chef. Main courses like omelets, pizza, steaks, pork chops and fried chicken are shown, as well as desserts like chocolate cake and fruit pie.

Unfortunately, customer service had no information on the exact size of the cooking area when we asked. Judging from the commercial alone, it looks large enough to fit a standard steak or chicken breast, but smaller than an average toaster.

Now that we know what can be made in the pan, how much will it actually cost you to add one to your kitchen?

5 Minute Chef Pricing & Returns

Currently, the 5 Minute Chef is available on the product’s main website. It comes in two packages; the regular and a deluxe version. The biggest difference between the two is the double coating offered on the latter, which customer service told us means the product will be more resistant to scratches on the cooking surfaces.

Here’s the breakdown:

Standard 5 Minute Chef Package - $39.99 (free shipping & handling)

• 1 - Red Copper 5 Minute Chef
• 1 - Spatula
• 1 - Recipe Guide

Deluxe 5 Minute Chef Package - $49.98 (free shipping & handling)

• 1 - Deluxe Red Copper 5 Minute Chef
• 1 - Spatula
• 1 - Recipe Guide

With both of these, you’ve got the option to upgrade your order to a double offer, making your total $69.98 (or $89.96 for the deluxe). If you opt for this, you’ll also receive a Red Copper Flipwich, a product we’ve previously covered.

As for the return policy, Telebrands offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on all products, excluding shipping & handling fees. To initiate a return, you’ll need to reach out to customer support at 1-855-668-1655.

5 Minute Chef vs. Other Specialty Cooking Solutions

The Red Copper 5 Minute Chef certainly seems like a convenient solution for cooking those busy weeknight meals, but is it the best one? And do other products exist that offer similar functions?

While we didn’t find any products that were branded similarly to the 5 Minute Chef, we did notice that there were a large amount of omelet makers that appeared to be very similar functionality-wise to the product in question.

For instance, one product, the Dash DOM001RD Nonstick Omelette Maker, features an almost identical design, though it lacks the copper finish found on Bulbhead’s offering. That being said, it is still non-stick, and is actually cheaper, sitting at $28 on Amazon as of this writing.

We also found a variety of unpowered products, many of which were meant for stovetop or microwave usage. With these products, you might be able to achieve similar results, which is noteworthy due to the meaningfully lower prices they carry.

However, many of these (especially the microwavable products) might not be ideal if you are looking to cook more than just eggs, as the microwave is unsuitable for cooking most meats, as well as many fruits and vegetables. Finally, we found some double sided omelet makers that had more surface area than the 5 Minute Chef, which might be ideal if you are cooking for two or more. Some of these options also included temperature control functionalities, which is another notable feature not included with the Red Copper product.

Ultimately, when searching for the perfect new addition to your cooking equipment, consider the following questions:

• Does the product fulfill a need I have that my existing cookware does not?
• Does it have the functionality I need the most?
• Is the price fair and competitive?
• Do customers seem to be enjoying the product?
• Does it feature a solid, easy to understand return policy?
• Is the material it is made from sturdy? Will it last a long time?

Keeping these questions in mind when shopping can help you align your needs with a suitable product, hopefully saving time and money over the long run in the process.

Parting Thoughts On The 5 Minute Chef

Looking at what we’ve learned about the Red Copper 5 Minute Chef, it’s clear that the device is unique in its own right. While other cookware options exist that are similar, no products (that we encountered during our research, anyway) provided the same exact form factor or functionality.

Deciding whether or not to purchase the 5 Minute Chef will likely come down to what you already own in your kitchen, as well as how willing you are to experiment with new cookware in general. If you feel as though the examples shown in the commercial are compelling, it may be well worth it to add the product to your collection.

That being said, if you cook for the whole family each night, the smaller form factor here might not be what you’re looking for. You’ll also need to consider the speed of what you put in the 5 Minute Chef. If you’re cooking more than one thing at once (such as a steak and some peppers, as shown in the product’s commercial, you’ll have to time it just right in order to avoid cold meals while waiting for everything to finish.

Finally, weren’t able to find any verifiable, real world customer reviews to speak of, so we’d recommend keeping the return policy in mind going into a potential purchase, just in case you decide that the device isn’t for you.

If you’re looking for a highly specialized, fast-cooking product for easy, quick meals for one, the Red Copper 5 Minute Chef might just fit the bill.

Have you used the Red Copper 5 Minute Chef before? Leave a review below and share your valuable experience with other HighYa readers!