Question about slow cookers

Fleetwood_Lad

Lancy Lad.

Fleetwood....Alright m8. B & M still going strong. I've not been in for a while because I've run out of the BO spray needed before admittance.

ASDA have just opened up near the docks and Fleetwood Town won again to go 2nd in the league.

How's Killcoddy? Last time I went there I left socially enebriated. What was that nightclub... Jackio's or summet like that. Full of nurses I seem to remember....and oil rigs.

Off topic.

I've only used my slow cooker once.

Ayeshalush

I bought a Hinari Slow Cooker this week. I have never used one before but since buying this have made a tomato pasta sauce during the week, and a beef casserole today.

Both times I have used the 'low' setting - but the food seems to be cooking much quixker than I would expect. I put potatoes in with the beef casserole and switched it on at 10am this morning - everything was cooked by 3pm - no-one due in until 6pm!! Potatoes are now starting to fall apart! I did notice that while on low the casserole was bubbling/simmering - should it be on the low setting?

I was under the impression that meat dishes would take about 8 hours on a low setting - ideal when I'm out at work all day.

I have read through the slow cooker reads but can't find an answer to my query. Any advice would be helpful.

Thank you.

Ali

bootman

If I put it all in together at that time it would not even start to bubble for 2-3 hours on the low setting.

Mine is a 3L one. Are you using a small quantity? Mine is usually about half full. I would expect it to take 7-8 hours from cold myself.

Take it back.

aimeelister

katglasgow wrote:

I would really appreciate if someone could explain to me what Auto actually does! So far I have bunged everything on at low for 8 hours and that seems to have worked fine. Is auto hotter of cooler or does it change?

My slow cooker is older than me (23+) as my parents got it shortly after they got married. I use it regularly to make not just stews but bolognaise, chilli con carne and the meat bits of cottage pie (i just then add mash on the side, oh i am so lazy). When my mum handed it over to me she said that the auto function was 30 mins of high, before it switched itself to low (i have no idea what wattage or temp that is the book was lost about 15 years ago)

I must say i just use low and bung the ingredients in in the morning and leave it till i get in in the eve, its always cooked and hot!

Smiley_Mum

I have a Morphy Richards slow cooker, 6.5 litre one with the new digital control on it, so it's just high setting no matter what. Here..

http://www.kayslifestyle.co.uk/psnlnet/product.aspx?sid=KHU7VEV515N25FVD80NTHFXSQ18UG82K&brand=KaysLS&prod_id=256437

I put an energy monitor/watt meter on it the other day that I got in Maplin to check the usage and it uses 306 watts and that is on high. I do have another Morphy Richards with the low/med/high settings on it but haven't checked it. My cost of electricity is 9.53p inc VAT per unit so if I was cooking something for the max amount of time that it can be on which is 12 hours and 50 minutes then it would use about 37p. So running on low for that length of time is pennies, 20p maybe, probably less. If you can get an old style Morphy Richards go for that rather than the new style digital ones. See here...

http://www.tesco.com/electrical/browse.aspx?Nr=91&N=202+4294966981

Ayeshalush

bootman wrote:

If I put it all in together at that time it would not even start to bubble for 2-3 hours on the low setting.

Mine is a 3L one. Are you using a small quantity? Mine is usually about half full. I would expect it to take 7-8 hours from cold myself.

Take it back.

That's what I was expecting. Mine is a 3 litre one too and was 2/3 full.

gingerchick

I've just bought one of the slow cookers from Argos, reduced to about £11 and I've fallen in love with it.
Especially with all the lovely recipes you guys have put up on this site. My printer hasn't worked so hard in years.

I just have one question.
How safe is it to leave the slow cooker on, if you go out of your house.
With it being an electrical appliance, isn't there still a risk of fire?
I ask this as someone I know recently had a house fire and it all started from the sky box being on stand-by.

calleyw

gingerchick wrote:

I've just bought one of the slow cookers from Argos, reduced to about £11 and I've fallen in love with it.
Especially with all the lovely recipes you guys have put up on this site. My printer hasn't worked so hard in years.

I just have one question.
How safe is it to leave the slow cooker on, if you go out of your house.
With it being an electrical appliance, isn't there still a risk of fire?
I ask this as someone I know recently had a house fire and it all started from the sky box being on stand-by.

I worry about leaving it on. But only do it for a few hours at most never all day.

I know people who let there washing machines run while they are out at work all day or over night while in bed. I for one will do this as I know someone who's machine caught fire while they where in the house.

I am one of these people who goes around turning everything off. When I go out the only things that are left on are

1)fridge freezer
2)Freezer
3)Answer machine and telephone as I have walky phone
4)Boiler

When I do leave the SC on I make sure it is on a surface with nothing around it. Lots of people do leave them all day. And I am sure there are many on the forum do the same.

Yours

Calley

whiteguineapig

many thanks in advance for any replies. can anyone tell me this.
how much electric do slow cookers use? we are thinking of getting one and as we don't eat meat i would only be cooking veggies and vegi mince in it. would that be cheaper to leave a slow cooker on all day with stew in rather than leaving a casserole in for about 2 or 2 and a half hours on gas 4. i think from what i have read that the slow cooker would be on about 8 hours? i was thinking of buying the argos one thats on offer (would that give 4 meals? )

lilac_lady

I've read that a slow cooker uses the same amount of electricity as a light bulb. Not much really and the feeling of coming home to a ready made meal is great.