slow cooker V cooking on hob?

nixinixi

Hi

This might seem an odd question but at the moment I don't NEED a slow cooker (not out of the house for long periods) but I was wondering if the there is a taste benefit and a cost saving over cooking, for example, a bolgonaise or a curry on the hob?

I am very tempted to try one as but need to know if it will save me any money now...I can see all the benefits otherwise as I have spent a long time reading lots of SC threads.

Thank you :T

valk_scot

I don't like simmering for long periods on the hob because of the risk of a pot drying out and the contents burning. So I use the oven at gas mark 2 or 3 instead. Actually, I very much prefer using the oven to a slow cooker because I can control how thick it gets by taking the lid off near the end, I can add igredients over the course of cooking plus I think that after a while everything you make in a slow cooker starts to taste the same.

Of course it does cost to heat and run anoven. I'm lucky in that I have both a single and double oven so don't have to heat a huge cavity oven for just one pot. Usually though I make sure the oven is full ie make baked potatoes or rice pudding, or even soup or another slow cooker dish for the freezer. If I'm using the big lower oven the top one gets warm enough to proove bread in. So I save money by maximising the use of the oven. It takes a bit of organisation but really, it's nice to do a big cook once per week I think and get ahead of yourself. I do this on Wednesdays, same day as I do the laundry.

geordie_joe

nixinixi wrote: »

I don't NEED a slow cooker (not out of the house for long periods)

You don't HAVE to be out of the house for them to work, you can put them on while you are doing other things.

I'm not sure about any money savings, but I think my SC is worth having even though I only use it for joints of meat. Another good point is you put it on and forget about it for hours.

I've heard many people say everything seems the same in a SC, but others have said "That's because you are cooking the same things in it".

gizmo111

I wouldn't be without a slow cooker now. I use it for chillis, bolognese, meatballs, casseroles, fish as well as soups and joints of meat and whole chickens.

OrkneyStar

I don't really like my SC tbh, I'd rather use the hob or oven every time!

nixinixi

Mixed views.....maybe I should be making more of what I do have, which is a large capacity single oven. I am terrible at maximising the use of it but can see that it could be my solution also, just need to find more time for the kitchen ....hard with a 4 1/2 year and old and 3 year old always wanting attention. Need to work harder at my meal planning I think....

Thanks everyone,

thriftlady_2

valk_scot wrote: »

I don't like simmering for long periods on the hob because of the risk of a pot drying out and the contents burning. So I use the oven at gas mark 2 or 3 instead. Actually, I very much prefer using the oven to a slow cooker because I can control how thick it gets by taking the lid off near the end, I can add igredients over the course of cooking plus I think that after a while everything you make in a slow cooker starts to taste the same.
.

Ditto

Apparently my message is too short -that better?

Bronnie

I much prefer to use my oven rather than slow cooker or hob.

I understand the 'everything tastes the same' comment to refer to the 'stewed' taste that slow-cooker dishes can have, no matter what the recipe. Some modern slow cookers just don't seem to be slow enough causing the 'stewed' taste.

Casseroles can be cooked in a low, slow oven the night before if anyone is out all day, cooled overnight and refrigerated and taste even better reheated for dinner the next day. You can fill the oven and batch cook for the freezer in this way too.

Rebekah24

I am planning on getting slow cooker next month

Have turned off cooker at mains now.

Does it work out cheaper to use slow cooker??

Melonade

My Nans stew made on the hob is gorgeous, nicer than mine made in the SC even though we both use the exact same ingredients If I had a better cooker I'd probably use the hob for a lot more cooking. The rings are too fierce even on the lowest setting and the oven turns itself off for no reason. I'd be stuffed without the SC.

geordie_joe

Rebekah24 wrote: »

Does it work out cheaper to use slow cooker??

It can be cheaper, but not always.

If you do a casserole in the SC and an identical one in an oven then the SC will be cheaper. But if you put 4 casseroles in the oven then the oven will probably work out cheaper per casserole.