Slowcooker or breadmaker cheaper to run

t0rt0ise

To the OP: I've got a Panasonic breadmaker and there's a rapid option which takes 1 hour 55 minutes. The bread is perfect, you should have the same option. It would then be cheaper than the other machine for sure.

ariarnia

Spoonie_Turtle said:

ariarnia said:

what type have you got that you shouldn't cook sausages in?

It's a Cook's Essentials one, looks very similar to the one you've linked although I'm not sure on size; I'd hazard a guess that it might be 4l.  The fan is above the element in the top.  Mum thinks the recommendation is so oil doesn't splatter the element.  Maybe a larger - maybe specifically deeper - tray is needed to cook oily stuff safely?  Not sure.

thats weird. i've just looked online and if i got that one on free cycle or marketplace i'd cook sausage in it without even thinking about it. 

i can't find a 4l on the website but in the questions and answers to the 1.5l; people talk about cooking sausages. that's people using it rather than the manual but no one seems to have reported a problem. 

https://www.qvcuk.com/Cooks-Essentials-15L-Compact-Touch-Screen-Digital-Air-Fryer-Preset-Programmes.product.814534.html 

maybe send them a message and ask them what the problem is? could be it voids any warrenty. 

Slinky

I checked our slow cooker last week with a Tapo 110 energy monitor. Not at the start of cooking as I was doing something else, but with all the ingredients up to temperature, it was drawing 158 watts on low, 243 on high and 98 on keep warm. Not really the 'lightbulb' figures we've been quoted for years, even allowing for comparison with incadescent lightbulbs which was where the quote originally came from.

ariarnia

Slinky said:

I checked our slow cooker last week with a Tapo 110 energy monitor. Not at the start of cooking as I was doing something else, but with all the ingredients up to temperature, it was drawing 158 watts on low, 243 on high and 98 on keep warm. Not really the 'lightbulb' figures we've been quoted for years, even allowing for comparison with incadescent lightbulbs which was where the quote originally came from.

do you think it would make a difference if what you were cooking was very dry or very wet. i'm thinking heat conductivity. stew might be different than bread because of the air?

GaleSF63

t0rt0ise said:

To the OP: I've got a Panasonic breadmaker and there's a rapid option which takes 1 hour 55 minutes. The bread is perfect, you should have the same option. It would then be cheaper than the other machine for sure.

I've got the same 1 hour 55 minutes. At first I used the standard ?4hour setting but after once using the quicker setting I've never used the long one again in about 20 years - I couldn't tell any difference. 

@wittynamegoeshere I can't eat a loaf before it goes hard. I cut it into 3 and put 2 portions in the freezer.

Slinky

ariarnia said:

Slinky said:

I checked our slow cooker last week with a Tapo 110 energy monitor. Not at the start of cooking as I was doing something else, but with all the ingredients up to temperature, it was drawing 158 watts on low, 243 on high and 98 on keep warm. Not really the 'lightbulb' figures we've been quoted for years, even allowing for comparison with incadescent lightbulbs which was where the quote originally came from.

do you think it would make a difference if what you were cooking was very dry or very wet. i'm thinking heat conductivity. stew might be different than bread because of the air?

Could make a difference I guess, but of course it's a guess.

EssexHebridean

GaleSF63 said:

t0rt0ise said:

To the OP: I've got a Panasonic breadmaker and there's a rapid option which takes 1 hour 55 minutes. The bread is perfect, you should have the same option. It would then be cheaper than the other machine for sure.

I've got the same 1 hour 55 minutes. At first I used the standard ?4hour setting but after once using the quicker setting I've never used the long one again in about 20 years - I couldn't tell any difference. 

@wittynamegoeshere I can't eat a loaf before it goes hard. I cut it into 3 and put 2 portions in the freezer.

The rapid gets a slightly looser crumb - in fact interestingly I'd put the taste & texture of it at closer to shop bought "packet bread" when it's still very fresh.  We usually work o the basis that if we're setting overnight we'll use the long programme -  as it doesn't cost much anyway with our off-peak rate and for our money it does give nicer bread. As for it keeping - anything that's left after day 2 gets sliced, popped in the freezer and that's toast for the following weekend. 

I'll set our Panasonic up o the Tapo at some stage to get an accurate up to date idea of usage. 

molerat

Slinky said:

ariarnia said:

Slinky said:

I checked our slow cooker last week with a Tapo 110 energy monitor. Not at the start of cooking as I was doing something else, but with all the ingredients up to temperature, it was drawing 158 watts on low, 243 on high and 98 on keep warm. Not really the 'lightbulb' figures we've been quoted for years, even allowing for comparison with incadescent lightbulbs which was where the quote originally came from.

do you think it would make a difference if what you were cooking was very dry or very wet. i'm thinking heat conductivity. stew might be different than bread because of the air?

Could make a difference I guess, but of course it's a guess.

The "light bulb" figures are for the old fashioned slow cookers, mine is about 30+ years old and is 75w/90w with a solid earthenware pot and lid.  The newer ones seem comparatively energy hungry with a thin glass lid.

matelodave

For anyone who is interested we've got a Tefal Multicooker which is used to make soup and stews, either as a pressure cooker or as a slow cooker (I've no doubt it also bakes and does the washing up as well, but we haven't tried that)

It's rated at 1200w but, on the slow cook mode we can cook enough for two meals each (one to eat and one for the freezer) and over eight hours it used 604w watts which probably compares pretty favourably with a 90w slow cooker on for 8 hours.

Not tried measuring the consumption in pressure cooker mode - that'll have to wait a week or so untill a new batch of soup is being made when we can make enough for three meals each (one to eat an two for the freezer)

We do have a Panasonic bread maker and I usually use the 5 hour programme. A medium loaf gets cut into four and frozen, so we take out a quarter when we need bread. It's less disruptive to my wife's digestive system which reacts badly to shop bread so we aren't really all that bothered about whether its more or less expensive than a shop bought loaf. I'll do a definitive measure of consumption the next time I make a loaf.

As a matter of intellectual curiosity, I did a power measurement on the washing machine and dryer today as well.

A 40-degree quick wash with 1400 spin (approx 45 mins) used 507watts (15 year old 7kg LG direct drive washing machine).

Tumble drying the bedding used 1521 watts and tumble drying a full load of towels was 2114watts.(3 year old 8kg Beko dryer)

Measurements done with one of these - Power Meter Energy Monitor, Electricity Usage Consumption Monitor with 7 Monitoring Mode, Electricity Usage Monitor Socket with LCD Display for Home Hotel : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools