Guest spot: Sauce Maker by Rodney Tibbs
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Kitchen equipment | 99 comments
I recently met Rodney at a dinner party. Like us he is a foodie. He has been a journalist for over 50 years and is still a motoring correspondent. We have just discovered that we live in the same village.
Sauce Maker
There are some things in the kitchen that are so useful you worry that they might break and leave you floundering. In my case that thing is so rare that I wonder how other people manage without it.
I am talking about the Tefal sauce maker or “Le Saucier”. I was reminded of this when I read of your efforts with Bechamel sauce, something Le Saucier takes in its stride.
Briefly it is a gadget which has its own specialised saucepan and its own heat source. You programme time and temperatures from a little window on the front, chuck in the ingredients and let it get on with it. It stirs and heats and generally produces a no fuss sauce or gravy. Now you can concentrate on that tricky recipe or culinary masterpiece without having to spend time stirring away on the top of the hob.
Mine came from Lakeland many years ago so I rang them to ask how much a replacement would cost when mine goes to the great kitchen in the sky. They just didn’t do it any more, they said. So I rang Tefal in the UK who were most helpful but said they did not import it any more.
So I pinned my faith in French cooks and went to the Internet where I found it, but apparently now being made by a different firm. There is no doubt it is the same item although now finished in white instead of a dark gravy brown but getting at it is not going to be quite so easy.
I can negotiate the French websites OK but most of their firms want you to register with a whole host of details before they will consider posting the item to you. I have decided that when I am on holiday in the French Alps this summer I will make a point of visiting the local electrical stores to see if I can track down Le Saucier.
Which leaves us with the mystery of why such an incredibly useful device which frees up so much kitchen time, should be so little known and so little used? To me it is a bit like discovering that when my potato peeler dies there will never be another one.
If any of your readers can shed any light on this I would be very grateful. And should I find the Holy Grail, and if anyone cares, I will bring you up to date with the details.
Update October 2009: Amazon now stocks Le Saucier
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I did phone Tefal UK last year and they offered to sell me La Saucier for £82 inc postage but I managed to get mine working again by taking it apart and spraying WD40 on the gears.
I use a steamer for all my vegetables. Mune is a stainless steel Prestige model. I also use it for hard boiled eggs, 15=17 minutes.
Hello Rodney,
I used the “Saucier” when I was in Europe years ago.
I could not find one here in the States, and asked my cousin to send me one from France. The only thing is it is in 220volt instead of 110v and I cannot find a small converter strong enough for the “Saucier”, so I have not been using it. What a shame, I love to make sauces.
Would you be interested to sell it?
I don’t know what country you are in. but if you google Tefal, you should find an email address and you could ask them if they can supply an English booklet.
I don’t often use mine as there are usually only one or two of us but when we have visitors it is invaluable.
I downloaded your file but have had trouble printing it, as I get a message that I need more memory. I will have to try at a lower resolution or fewer pages at one time.
Hi David,
I downloaded a set of instructions as I thought it would be quicker than scanning the whole book. I discovered the download was in French and it didnt take me too long to work out that scanning the whole book would probably be a little quicker than learning french.
Hi I have recently bought a le saucier but with no instructions would be really grateful for anything you have instruction wise please. Thank you regards michelle
Thank you, sandercruz.
I have copied that to my PC and will print it out later.
I bought SEB le saucier in France, it is Idendical to the Tefal model, Tefal being on of the trading names of Groupe SEB. It is the old model with a mechanical timer and heat switch.
I have the French Instruction and Recipe books and can work out most of the time, and when I can’t I sak my wife who speaks French, but this all takes time. My early problem was that here in England we use litres and mililitres. The French use Litres and centilires. 1000 ml = 1 Litre, 100 cl = 1 Litre. Although this is obvious and was quite well aware of it, when reading the recipes, I sometimes read cl as ml with disatrous results.
I am pleased to be abale share it. I was given the Le Saucier by a lady who had bought a newer model. She thought she had thrown the new instruction & recipe book away so the deal was I copied the old book for myself and gave it back !!! so here it is.
Thank you for posting that Sandercruz. I just got a Le Saucier on eBay but it didn’t come with any instructions. You have saved the day!
Tefal LE Saucier 8360.
Copy and paste this link to your address bar. you should be able to view the Instructions, save them or print them from there.
https://acrobat.com/#d=MNAp5gQPqVMGdYBQh-PSsA
In 2008 I contacted Tefal and they offered to supply a le Saucier for about £82.
However I managed to get my original one working by taking it apart, spraying the gears with WD 40 and when it didn’t work after reassembling, I bashed it on the worktop and it worked, and still does.
I would like the Enlish Instructions, please.
I have copied instructions recipes in English for the Tefal Le Saucier 8360. I can email the .pdf file (7.8mb) to anyone looking for a copy.
can you send me the le saucier recipes as a pdf file please? I have lost mine and I really miss it. I can’t find it on the Tefal website. Thank you!
Hi Karen,
The original link via acrobat has been deleted but I still have a copy of the file if you have an email address you can post so I can try to send the file that way.
Hi
I could not believe it when I looked up reviews of Le Saucier that one of my favourite sites, we love your “last minute Christmas cake”.
I too only this Saturday came across this devise at a friends kitchen. I cannot believe I have missed out all these years. Please may I have a copy of the pdf file of recipes as I too have bought one on E bay.
Thank you for your help.
Jo
could you please mail me the tefal recipes you mention. I have just bought one on ebay but with no book.
thanks
Steve.
Hi Steve,
The original link via acrobat has been deleted but I still have a copy of the file if you have an email address you can post so I can try to send the file that way.
I would really appreciate it if you could email me a pdf file with the le Saucer recipes in English. I have a battered copy in French, but my translating sometimes has awful results!
Thank you,
Gillian
Hi Gillian, I need your email address to send to you. The original link I posted to the file download does not work now as Acrobat no longer offer the service free. I am trying to find a site that offers a free service that actually works.
In the meantime if you are happy to post an email address I can forward a copy to you.
Ok, I think you will find this link works. But it will expire in 7 days. It is safe as I have tried it myself, my virus scan asked me if I was sure I wanted to go ahead but as I created the file I know its clean.
I can reset the link if anyone wants to download after 05-02-2013.
Copy and paste this link into your browser-
http://www.fileconvoy.com/dfl.php?id=g498f0d671f292cbc999211771dfcf7e6a4ed887c3
Having just purchased a secondhand le saucier, I’d be most grateful if you could send me a copy of or link to a pdf file for the saucier instructions/recipes in English. Many thanks, Jill
Hi Jill, This link should work and does not expire. Let me know if you have any trouble downloading it. Ximena.
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=950831DD56DCEB87!124
I bought le saucier on e bay without instructions. I can only find French on line. I would be very grateful if you would e mail me the instruction file. Thank you.
Hi Sandercruz,
I have just bought a second hand Le Saucier, I would love a copy of the instructions PDF if you still have it.
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay, you should be able to download it here from my skydrive.
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=950831DD56DCEB87!613&authkey=!AN83pYKjaJ4Cx4s
The download can be found on my skydrive here.
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=950831DD56DCEB87!613&authkey=!AN83pYKjaJ4Cx4s
Hello. Have just acquired an old but unused Tefal Le Saucier 8361, but no instruction book or recipes. Would really be very grateful for a PDF copy of either if you can help, and would happily give donation to charity of your choice, as don’t know how to use it without guidance. Would be very pleased to hear back from you. Hope this link works. Best regards, and thanks, Judy
Hi Judy,
The download can be found on my skydrive here.
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=950831DD56DCEB87!613&authkey=!AN83pYKjaJ4Cx4s
I read your comments posted on 18th June 2010 re the Tefal Le Saucier and have just acquired one on Ebay – if you still have a copy of the .pdf file I’d be most grateful. Hoping you’re still responding to queries after this time. – Many thanks Alan Clarke
For some reason I dont get all the notifications of messages so sorry this is a little late but you can download instructions and recipies from this link to my OneDrive.
http://1drv.ms/1sOGyTF
We recently bought a saucier on eBay but have never used one before. I would really appreciate it if you would send me a copy of some recipes. Thank you.
For some reason I dont get all the notifications of messages so sorry this is a little late but you can download instructions and recipies from this link to my OneDrive.
http://1drv.ms/1sOGyTF
If you still have a recipe file for the tefal saucier I would be grateful. I have just found a second hand one and it would save a few brain cells if I had a few recipes that had been tried out! Many thanks, I hope you can help
I hope you still have the recipe file, I have found an second hand machine, just waiting for seller to send missing bit. A pity there is no supply of new ones in this country. If you have a recipe file I would be very grateful. Many thanks
You can download instructions and recipies from this link to my OneDrive
http://1drv.ms/1sOGyTF
I have tagged this onto my original message as some of the links are no longer active.
The link below is still active on 12 Aug 2014
http://1drv.ms/1sOGyTF
Please e mail me the copy. Tha ks
sehvok@gmail.com
I am desperately looking for the instructions manual for tefal le saucier. Will you please mail it to me. Antoinette. Namibia. dec3226@gmail.com
Would you mind emailing le saucier to riksherwood@gmail.com please? Cheers
I’m not sure what exactly you want me to email?
You would save my sanity,please send the Le saucier instructions in english
Hi sandercruz,
I have seen this and wonder off it’s still available? I see it was posted in 2010 so I hop3 this reaches you.
Thank you very much
Heather
Hello Heather
I think that they’re only available as a seconf hand item now.
I have found that a good stick blender makes sauce making a whizz!