can someone explain a slow cooker ?

Sarahwx

I have been veggie since the age of about 17 so my cooking skills are very veggie based! A slow cooker is not something I have ever used -is it worth the outlay for a veggie family? ( kids eat meat but I do not cook it for them -they only hve it in a take out or meal out )

Also , while im asking questions! is a bread machine worth the money?
x

geordie_joe

The answer to both questions is "it depends on how often you are going to use them".

A slow cooker will do veggie meals, but are you the type of person to prepare the meal in the morning and have it on all day?

Some people think slow cookers are the best thing since sliced bread, others think everything that comes out of them tastes the same.

I have one, it does great soups and stews and I would not put a joint of meat in anything but the slow cooker.

I did have a bread maker, and it made great bread, but the bread soon goes dry and for one person it wasn't worth it. I don't eat a lot of bread, 4 slices per day for sarnnies at work and that's is, so i ended up throwing away more than I ate.

Addiscomber

A slow cooker is like a casserole, it cooks things in liquid for a long time at a fairly low temperature. It uses less energy than having an oven on for the same period of time, and is safe to leave cooking away whilst at work or shopping or whatever, so can be convenient for having a meal practically ready for when one returns. I have no idea whether one would be useful for veggie meals, and would suggest that you see if your local library has any veggie recipe books that use the method and see if they are the sort of meals that you might cook.

cooking_mama_2

Yes you can cook veggie meals in a slow cooker - I have done delicious things - ratatouille, butter bean casserole, bombay potato, thai curry, I even did a nut bake once, and it worked very well. Tins of beans are fine, they do not break down, just remember to use less liquid than you would normally, and I find it works better if you fry the veggies first a bit.