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Ok so the princess is keen on getting a slow cooker. What should we be looking at in terms of features, size and price?
We are just two of us, if that matters. We don't have oodles of space but can fit one in I am sure. We don't mind spending a bit to get good quality.
Thanking you
This one is good (not cheap).
The timer is useful but the real thing is it doesn’t make everything taste of slow cooker which some of our previous ones did.
On our 3rd one and it has metal "crock" so can stick it on the gas hob to do onions and things before dumping in the slow cooker , can also heat right up to get the lot going.
That’s the one I linked to too.
We are for now unanimous.
It won’t last.
For an alternative view I've been using the then equivalent of this Cheapo has the metal pot so can be used on the hob too. It has never exhibited a 'taste of slow cooker' that I'm aware of. Only fault is that the non-stick coating has been damaged by a pork bone, probably more my fault than it's.
With a cheap time switch you can replicate the timer feature and all you really need are a low, medium and high setting, if they are simple there's less to go wrong with them.
3.5l will feed 4 and perhaps have leftovers by the way.
We have a Crock-Pot 4.7L and there's only 2 of us. It's ideal for making dinner for today and freeze the leftovers.
It just gathers dust in the summer but gets used a lot in winter
I'm all for nice kitchen stuff but a slow cooker is the last thing I'd upgrade over the basic ones. I can't see what the extra features beyond a hi/med/low setting add? All it needs to do is keep things nearly boiling for a long time. We've got an old cheap tesco one and it's been used for years and keeps on making adequate warm meals through the winter.
My mum got one of the fancy Morphy Richards MyPot combined slow cooker/pressure cooker things. It's pretty cool, on offer at the moment for £60. If you also don't have a pressure cooker that would be where my cash would go over a fancy slow cooker.
Get a bigger one than you think you'll need as they are great for lots of things other than the obvious stuff. Sunday chicken dinners are great done in them and you can bung the carcass back in after dinner and make a stock ready for the next meal's gravy (or whatever you wish to do with it). They are also great for cooking shoulder of pork for pulled pork meals (we do a lovely pulled pork chilli regularly in ours.
Got a couple, both cheap ones, bought from a charity shop. They are item that people buy and not use. Not an option at the moment, I appreciate. Anyway, cheap one seems fine to me. Put stuff in, turn it on, leave it for a bit. Seems to work OK and make nice stews and curries.
wow this is all great info, many thanks
I’m all for nice kitchen stuff but a slow cooker is the last thing I’d upgrade over the basic ones.
I would have agreed until my wife, having looked into them, suggested going for the Crockpot one with the duraceramic pot.
She was right.
The food’s just a bit better and, or perhaps because, it cleans really easily. And the start on the hob for the onions and browning the meat bit too.
That said we both cook, like food, and are willing to spend more than average on food, food tools and ingredients.
I've a combi thing very much like this (different branding and a noticeably lower price but now can't find it.)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016QRW71K/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_JKFHEbX1JXEWH
It's very good for what I paid, the bain marie function gets lots of use (I bought it for sous vide mainly), fry and slow cook in one is good, keep warm is very useful for "I'm off out on me bike love" evenings.
Stew function is a boil followed by low hold.
We bought the same as this one about 8 years ago. It works, is easy to clean and is cheap.
^^^^ That's exactly the one we have @nickthegreek. It gets used constantly.
Last one I had my mum got free with a catalogue. Worked perfectly. And being the cheapest possible I don't see what benefit I'd get from a pricey model. I've only stopped using it cos mother bought me one of those new fangled King pressure cookers and that has a slow cook setting as well as all the other functions. So I'd say get one a them.
I've never had a problem with a basic £20-30 one. However if I was buying one today I'd seriously consider a fancier one with other functions like pressure cooking etc. (unless you already have those things covered)
same as nick the greek link, add in an old fashioned rotary/clicky light timer and bosh job jobed
Tips:
1. Don't spend £100 one, they all work the same. Our cheap Asda one (£20?) can also be used on the hob if needed.
2. Get an oval one cos you can fit a leg of lamb in it and this is fantastic when slow cooked.
They are item that people buy and not use.
This is my experience also.
I'm on my second Crock-Pot (long story, don't ask) and between the two I can probably count the number of times they've been used on the fingers of one hand. Might be more versatile for the carnivorous amongst us, but as a veggie I've been underwhelmed by it so far. Could just be me I guess, maybe I just need more recipe inspirations.
Yeah I'd imagine it's much less useful for veggie food, it's all about the meat I think.
Oh, they do cook beans nicely though. Soft and smooth, like the ones in tins.
@Vader - not sure if anyone mentioned this but be brave with the garlic, chilli and spices. They lose intensity over the long cooking time e.g. 8hr shin of beef stew.
A general rule of thumb is double the amount. I triple it to live dangerously. 😉
Adding spices or at least some of them at the end works as well.
I've just fired the slow cooker up to day. Some cheap cuts of pork, a few veggies, some stock and good amount of BBQ sauce. Cook for the afternoon and mix the meat up into pulled pork. Always a winner.
Oh, they do cook beans nicely though. Soft and smooth, like the ones in tins.
No sure about this for all beans, IRC there is a specific warning not to slow cook dried kidney beans. Apparently there's a toxic protein in them that isn't broken down at the lower cooking temp.
I've got the oval version of the cheap Russell Hobbs one above. Anything with a removable pan which can go on the hob to seal meat first would be ok in my opinion.
Probably the simplest, and my family's favourite, recipe in one is to put a decent sized smoked gammon (one of the cheap, round £5 ones from Aldi is great) and pour a can of pineapple in juice over it. Leave it on low for about 10 hours or medium for 8 and it's delicious... Don't eat the pineapple though, it soaks up all the saltiness from the gammon and is rank!
Adding spices or at least some of them at the end works as well.
Yes. I lobbed a joint of beef in the other day with the intention of making pulled beef as a base for chilli. The beef would take 6 hours on high to get to the pulling stage, but that time and heat would kill the fruity flavours of the chillis, tomatoes and peppers. So with the meet I put some barbecue sauce, which would reduce down to a smoky molasses type flavour, salt, pepper, hot sauce, marmite and bovril. All flavours that will reduce to a savoury base. Then after it was ready to pull apart I put it in for another hour with the pre soaked beans.
That sounds ace Molgrips.
It was doing some of CurryGuy non-slowcooker recipes that got me better at putting spices / meat / veg /herbs in at the best time. I was guilty of lobbing it all in once for years.
IMO - get an Instant Pot or similar. They do the slow cooking well but are brilliant for all sorts of pressure cooking stuff. Chuck things in, lid on and walk away. It’ll come up to pressure, cook for x minutes then keep warm till you’re ready. If you have onions to fry etc before then you do it straight in the pot before putting everything else in and lid on. Much more handy for us than something that only works when you’ve planned several hours in advance. Ours is used most days.
I've got a russel hobbs 'sear and stew'..metal pan bit is brill as you can brown off mince etc.
It has just 4 settings... off-low-med-high, BUT....
Use a smart plug (I use TP link Kasa ones) and you can control it from anywhere.
Browned off some mince last night, and then popped it all in the pan this am, to come on mid morning (once it was no longer cool from the fridge).. That's tea sorted!
DrP
Look up Foresty Forest on YouTube.
He’s done all sorts in his.
**warning, you can spend days afterwards dreaming of being foresty. And I guarantee his voice will empty your living room quicker than a bad fart**