As title really. A slow cooker is needed – what’s good, what’s bad, any experiences etc?

… asking for a friend 😉

edit: Thanks!

Theyre v basic machines. I wouldnt spend a fortune on one.

I have one of these.

Nice and big (possibly too big if you’re not batch cooking for the freezer and just feeding 2 people) 5.5L

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4232764

£25. Not enough cash to get twitchy about. The bowl is heavy but thats good to dissipate the heat from the heater element. v recyclable when/if it breaks or dies. Ceramic smashed up into landfill, metal in recycling with glass lid.

One that you can take the bowl out and put on the hob so probably metal bowl and not ceramic. This really saves the wash up as things really need to be hot going on the slow cooker. Also at the end sometimes you want to whack it back on the hob at the end to evaporate some liquid quickly to thicken sauce.

Also think about size. we have a family of five and ours is way too big in my opinion, they don’t work brilliantly 1/3 or less full.

A nice small square shape one, so that once you realise they’re a bit shit, you can fit it on that shelf in the cupboard next to the bread maker and the nutribullet. 🙂

instantpot duo. Works as a pressure cooker or slow cooker.

We have a *big* Russell Hobbs one and it’s great – I use it once or twice a week most weeks – for pulled pork chilli, ragu sauce and even for cooking the chicken for Sunday dinner – put an extra large chicken (resting on tin foil balls so it doesn’t end up cooking in a bath of its own juices) in first thing Sunday morning on the high setting with the usual seasoning then turn it down to low after a couple of hours, leave it and get on with my day. Then at about 4.30pm I can get back in from a  day out with the family and do the roasties/Yorkshires etc in the oven without fighting for space.

After Sunday dinner (and after I have picked the carcass apart) I use the remaining stuff to slow cook a stock overnight.

I think anyone that says they won’t be used can’t really be that used to cooking much fresh stuff / be bothered about making the most from their food.

jd – do you give the chicken a skin sizzle in the oven at the beginning or end of cooking?

Stoner – I don’t bother as no-one is bothered about skin in our house.

I think anyone that says they won’t be used can’t really be that used to cooking much fresh stuff / be bothered about making the most from their food.

All our food is home cooked, I just don’t find the slow cooker any more convenient, or any better than the oven, that’s all.

And we don’t eat much meat really either.

*scratches johndoh off approved culinary advisers list*

#oystersandskinforthewin

Another vote for just use the oven. Oven has timer, I can specify start/stop times and I have a cast iron casserole dish that can be used for this and other tasks. A dedicated slow cooker would just be a waste of space.

I bought a cheap generic one from Tesco, it works wonderfully, better than my Mum’s Crock-pot one, which admittedly was expensive either.

I generally detest cooking gadgets, but they’re actually brilliant. It’s easy, but labour saving isn’t really the point of them.

I personally will never use any kind of minced meat in them again though, that DID NOT work well.

We bought the large Digital Crock Pot thats on the Which? recommendations.  About £35 IIRC, it works well.

I love my cheap Russell Hobbs one, but the non stick coating has easily scratched and is now rusting, so I should probably replace it.

As for those using the oven as an alternative, surely leaving that running at 100-120 is far more costly on energy than just heating the container within the slowcooker?

I currently have a spicy lamb hotpot thing going in a cheap Morphy Richards one from Argos. As someone has said, having one with metal innards means you can do any frying off beforehand in it on the hob and just whack it into the slow-cooker bit after.

Oh, and it’s red, to match the kettle.

As for those using the oven as an alternative, surely leaving that running at 100-120 is far more costly on energy than just heating the container within the slowcooker?

How very predictable, well done you.

Ours is also red and matches both the kettle and the toaster. I can’t remember what make it is but it cooks food. Slowly

We don’t have a toaster, we use the one in the oven, which is probably far more costly on energy.

All our food is home cooked, I just don’t find the slow cooker any more convenient, or any better than the oven, that’s all.

There are some great slow cooker curry recipes using pulses.

+1 for instantpot. But we use ours more as a pressure cooker than slow – still handy to have both in one IMO.

more costly on energy

is it more costly on energy to run an oven or is it more costly to produce and transport an additional piece of hardware?

honest question that I do not expect any of us to answer!

We have the red Morphy Richards sear and stew.  Had it about a month, use it once a week.  I think we’ll continue to use it, probably using it more at the weekends as mornings during the week are pretty hectic.

Johndoh, I’d get flung out the house if I ate lentil curry! 🙂

We have 2 as we buy heart, wild boar, wild rabbit etc,. for dogs.  We use them in the garage though as the 6 hours of smell while cooking isn’t great.  The ceramic one is better.

As above they are pretty basic so should need to spend much.

I have a cheapo 3.5l one that feeds myself and my two boys adequately. Only really do beef casseroles in it. Pulled pork was a failure, plus I like it a bit burned and I like proper crackling so that is an oven-only job.

Everything goes in cold. For me, it totally misses the point if you’re sealing meat prior to putting it in the slow cooker or messing about with hobs and ovens either side of the cook. No one’s ever been ill.

Great if you need a ten hour or so cook from morning to evening because of work, but I’m in for 2pm most days so would generally casserole in the oven or on the hob for a 6pm tea.

It’s a lifestyle choice I suppose, and a cheap one at that. If it fits, do it…

I use a cheap one from Aldi which has a metal pot so you can brown meat off on the hob and saves faffing about with other pans, really makes cooking a one pan deal which for me means I use it more.

I also use a cheap timer on it, the sort you’d use on lights if you went on holiday.  This has been really good as it’s now timer controlled

I watched a chef recently who said that anybody who says they are “sealing” meat is talking rubbish. Frying meat does not make it impermeable,its culinary nonesense (his words not mine). Quite a few slow cooker recipes ask for this to be done before using the slow cooker, i dont bother,it always tastes nice to me.

Chicken has to be finished off in the oven though for crispy skin,its the law!

It might not seal the meat but browning it adds flavour and colour for any gravy or sauce.

How very predictable, well done you.

Ooh, did I do something clever? Was a genuine question, but well done for the standard STW derision.

honest question that I do not expect any of us to answer!

I assume overall the construction of it probably isn’t better, but would running the cooker vs the slow cooker for a year would probably negate the cost of the slow cooker. As for whether the construction of a cast iron casserole dish would be better vs an electric slow cooker (again, not expecting stats and a full breakdown and as I own both it’s not really a concern), no idea!

I thought that frying the meat quickly beforehand was to “sear” it not to “seal” it. I sometimes bother.

I’ve got a Crock Pot had it for 9 years now and still going strong. Gets used a fair bit for currys,stews and chilli. I’ll often cook a chicken in it.

blader1611

I watched a chef recently who said that anybody who says they are “sealing” meat is talking rubbish. Frying meat does not make it impermeable,its culinary nonesense (his words not mine). Quite a few slow cooker recipes ask for this to be done before using the slow cooker, i dont bother,it always tastes nice to me.

Chicken has to be finished off in the oven though for crispy skin,its the law!

he was wrong, it really is a thing

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction

I actually recently did my chicken chilli that I’d usually do in the slow cooker on the barbecue for 5 hours in a cast iron pan, no lid so the smoke got to it. It is possible that this is the best way of cooking ever and all other forms of cooking are pointless.