Delia Smith...tut tut tut!!

raeble

Article on Delia's website on the pro's and con's of slow cookers and pressure cookers. To be honest I really can't see the point of a slow cooker but then it's only me and I'm not feeding the five thousand. Cutting up food and chucking it in a cooker the night before and leaving it cooking all day. Seems like a bit of a waste of energy to me. We're forever being told to switch our tv's off and not leave them on standby because it wastes energy and there we are using slow cookers that probably use more energy than a tv on standby for hours on end. I'm not convinced by these assertions that you save energy doing it.

angel-delight_5

thriftlady wrote:

I love my salad spinner,it's magic

Slightly off topic, but when I lived in my little flat, I used to use my salad spinner to spin my net curtains in. So I guess it could be regarded as a dual use item and therefore very useful!

nabowla

I bought a mini slow cooker last autumn but I really haven't used it very much. Not quite sure why - I just never seem to get terribly inspired. The couple of meals that I have tried have been far too liquid, more like soup than stew. The SC recipes on this site look great but are all for family-sized cookers. There's no way I'd get a whole chicken in my pot! TBH I'm beginning to wonder whether my SC was a sensible purchase.

Sarahsaver

raeble wrote:

Article on Delia's website on the pro's and con's of slow cookers and pressure cookers. To be honest I really can't see the point of a slow cooker but then it's only me and I'm not feeding the five thousand. Cutting up food and chucking it in a cooker the night before and leaving it cooking all day. Seems like a bit of a waste of energy to me. We're forever being told to switch our tv's off and not leave them on standby because it wastes energy and there we are using slow cookers that probably use more energy than a tv on standby for hours on end. I'm not convinced by these assertions that you save energy doing it.

If a slow cooker is the equivalent of leaving a lightbulb switched on surely it must be cheaper than having the oven on?
Each to their own eh?
I don't like microwaves and am trying to wean myself off using it because it uses so much space. Got rid of the toaster couple of monts ago because I have a perfectly good grill which can do the same job.

Essex-girl_2

I used to have a slow cooker many years ago used it a couple of times and eventually threw it away (pre MSE!) since coming on here I have bought a new one and use it a couple times of week at least. I think the receipes on here inspired me . I am lucky to have enough space to store it.

I will still use it in the summer though not as much - probabley for gammon and whole chicken, its not a necessaty (sp) but I wouldnt let it go without a struggle.

thriftlady_2

Sarahsaver wrote:

I don't like microwaves and am trying to wean myself off using it because it uses so much space.

I tried to wean myself off the microwave.I put it in the garage and didn't use it for ages,then I did my neck in(recurring problem) and needed my wheat bag-neck roll thingy.I'd forgotten it needed to be heated up in the microwave.If ti wasn't for that I would manage without the microwave :rolleyes2

We got rid of our electric kettle a few months ago.I hated the amount of work space it seemed to take up,and the fact that we were always reboiling it.Now we've got a hob kettle that whistles loudly so you can't ignore it.I'm not sure whether it is more fuel efficient than an electric one.

Burlesque_Babe

For me, my SC has been a success because I've aved money by using cheaper cuts of meat.

I'm in the house from 2pm each day, so lack of time isn't an issue, but I've saved a fortune for the £10 outlay on the SC.

There are 2 of us and we eat meat every day - I used to buy pork loin (at about £6.50 a go), now it's pork shoulder (£6.50 for the big vaccuum packed one in Tesco, does 3 joints!), beef was rump, sirloin or boneless rib, now I use skirt, brisket and big slabs of braising steak, chicken was usually breasts, I now use thighs much more.

greentomato

This has been an interesting thread to read, thanks.
La Redoute have sent me a voucher for a free 'Multi Cooker' (which I think is the same as a slow cooker) when I next order something from their catalogue. I couldn't see the point of it until I read this thread, as I often make stews etc. (Although it will probably be a rubbish slow cooker, as its free!)

HOLsale

angel-delight wrote:

Slightly off topic, but when I lived in my little flat, I used to use my salad spinner to spin my net curtains in. So I guess it could be regarded as a dual use item and therefore very useful!

i once lived in a flat with a dishwasher... it was rubbish at actually getting the stuff off the plates so i never used it for dishes BUT after hearing of someone else doing it i discovered it was great for washing my smalls

thriftlady_2

Holsale can you enlighten me about toaster ovens?Are they a useless gadget too?