slow cookers. Not the cheapest way

[Deleted User]

se999 I have a pressure cooker and it cooks a luscious stew in 20 minutes so I fully agree with you. I don`t have the gas quite as low with the pressure cooker but nevertheless I believe that a pressure cooker used sensibly on a gas hob is cheaper than a slow cooker

I remember on an old thread that someone said how nice and warm her kitchen was to come back to after leaving her slow cooker on all day so there is quite a lot of energy wastage. It isn`t that well insulated

Of course energy usage is about
energy in = energy actually used + energy wasted

so it depends on the appliance, outside temperature etc

all in all and only speaking personally, my newish pans are bright stainless steel and are therefore very good at keeping heat in so need very very little top up to keep the inside temp at simmer

[Deleted User]

se999 I wouldn`t be without a slow cooker if I were working and/or I had children to look after. The food is lovely

se999

The one thing I can't cope without is my electric steamer. I loved lightly steamed veg. So put the veg in the layers according to how they need to cook.

Then put the first layer on and set the timer, when it pings you add the next layer and reset the timer.

I assume it must be quite efficient too as it only uses minimal water, and the timer means it doesn't waste time by being on too long. The other benefit is you can get on with other things as it pings to let you know when it needs attention.

I even take it on holiday with me when we're self catering.

ViksB

My slow cooker is free to use, but thats because it is based on the old fashioned hay box method.
Basically it is a big polystyrene box, filled with lots of polystyrene sheets which have a saucepan sized hole cut out in them.
I get the pan boiling on the cooker and then transfer it into my big polystyrene box, where it is covered in a few inches of polystyrene sheets, which insulate it.

It was free to make and is free to use and I love it.
We always check the temperature of the food before removing it, but have never found the temperature below 85C, often higher.

nodwah

Thanks to LILme for effort put in there, my SC is 120 W high and 60W low and I've always believed there's no way a cooker would use that little electricity. If' modern SCs are higher rated then you've put me off buying a bigger one, I'll stick with my wee ancient and perfectly adequate one. It also makes the best chicken stock I've ever made
BTW my gas bil doesn't have KWh on it I think!

geordie_joe

IMO a SC would not be using electricity all the time. It will heat the food to the correct temprature then either stop heating or heat the minimum it can.

Once the correct temprature is reached the SC would only need to provide enough heat to replace that which is lost through the lid and walls. I think a well insulated SC will use a lot less power than the maximums stated on the box. Might even find that over 8 hours it is off more than it's on.

The same way a water heater works. It heats the water to the required temprature then switches off. After a while the water cools and when it gets down to the threashold temprature the heater kicks in and brings it back up to the right temprature.

Of course a SC would have a narrower upper/lower temprature band but the principle is the same.

[Deleted User]

well insulated is the key

energy in = energy out (+lots of wasted heat if not insulated)

the old hay box method mentioned above is the best system but not practical for most

my sc does increase the ambient temperature in the kitchen therefore there is a considerable amount of wasted energy. My ss pans retain most of the heat input and are more energy efficient in my home than my sc. I can only speak personally and it is a work/cost/life balance thing

energy loss is also dependent on the thermal properties of the pan/sc and the amount of liquid. All to do with specific heat capacity

geordie_joe

kittie wrote: »

well insulated is the key

energy in = energy out (+lots of wasted heat if not insulated)

the old hay box method mentioned above is the best system but not practical for most

Maybe we should be knitting "tea cozys" for them.

wilfred3

The majority of posts on this thread state slow cookers are cheaper to run then an electric hob or electric oven or gas hob or gas oven. I'm going to start using my slow cooker during the night when electricity is cheaper from now on, to save even more money.

bluebag

Check out the wonder bag , after the initial cost it cost's nothing to run, can be prepared like a slow cooker is portable and safe.

Basically a huge hollow bean bag that uses a similar principle to a hay box, but much more chic and practical.

Initial outlay at £60 a bit high, but I am sure a few enterprising souls would be able to make a home made one easily and at less cost.

Forgot to add my slow cooker costs less than 2p an hour to run.