Is it worth buying a slow cooker?

Arrietty

Hello,

just thought I'd add my thoughts to the thread as I used mine for the first time in a couple of years yesterday and was delighted with the results.

We have a small one - just myself and Teen Daughter at home- and I made a beef bourginon, seared the meat first and then added everything else to the pot and left it to cook on low heat for a few hours. Teen Daughter has never really liked steak in the past ...but declared it delicious now and one of the nicest meals she'd ever had!

Also said she'd love a small slow cooker for when she goes to uni!

[Deleted User]

I hope so. Lakeland currently have their 3.5L slow cooker reduced from £32.99 to £16.49 so I decided to treat myself to one since I'm on a mission to become and old style money saver.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/12921/Lakeland-35L-Slow-Cooker

santasgiraffe

Yes, I think it is worth using a slow cooker, because a slow cooker is very economical to use even though they can be in use for many hours in a day, you would have excellent choice on the meals you make, I use mine for making soups, casseroles, curries, breads (sweet & savoury) as well as cakes.

You also have the option of purchasing very cheap cuts of meat and once the meat has been browned, it can be cooked in the slow cooker at a fraction of the price and the food will taste amazing.

I cook a lot of pulses in mine, including marrowfat peas as well as soy beans (dried beans need to be soaked between 8 hours and 24 hours) depending on thier size the beans will swell in size by approximately 30%. I will cook beans on pressure for 25 minutes with a teaspoon of (salt to stop them splitting) then on low in a 5.5 litre slow cooker for 6 hours, and they are amazing! It is always better to soak beans to remove toxins.

You also have the option to batch cook, and once the food has cooled it can stored in the freezer.

I am going to buy a new slow cooker in the January sales so I will be looking for some excellent discounts:D