Slow Cooker - Should I get one?

se999

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a slow cooker, but never had one before, reasons for getting one would probably be to bulk cook for a meal & freeze the rest.

So basically need some ideas on the pros & cons. Especially things to watch out for when buying one. e.g. Cleaning & durability.

Also I don't know how versatile they are, can you do more than just casseroles?

I am also trying to be 'energy efficient' for enviromental and cost reasons, so are they an energy efficient means of cooking?

Hope some you MSE experts can help!

elona

Have a search for the slow cooker thread - it is over 40 pages long.

I swear by my Morphy Richards 6.5 oval slow cooker as it will take whole joints or a chicken.

It does great soups and curries as well.

Zziggi

I recently bought a morphy richards 4.5l one from ASDAs (£28). I love it, it's brilliant and wouldn;t be without it now. I especially like the fact you can chose to set it at low/med/high. With hindsight i would have bought the morphy richards 6.5l one for £33 if i had thought about it. The one i have is plenty big enough for me currently and i can fit an 'average' sized chicken in it to cook. I think if i were to buy it again i'd spend a fiver more and go for the bigger one - jsut in case i need to cook more.

Ticklemouse

Cleaning - the crocks can be washed in the sink or some even in the dishwasher. Just don't soak the whole pot in water as the base isn't fully glazed, but you can fill the pot up to soak overnight etc if you want. Wipe the outside unit with a damp cloth.

Durablilty - I have one slow cooker that is 21 years old (admittedly not much use until recently), one that is probably 30 years old (mum's old one) that had a lot of use and a new MR 6.5L one. Basically, there's not a lot to go wrong on them and you can usually get replacement lids/pots if you do break one.

Ease of use - couldn't be easier. Put your food in, put lid on and cook all day. A bit of trial and error needed if you are a slow cooker virgin, to get used to your cooker and how you like your food cooked, but so simple, I know most people wouldn't be without one once they get into the swing of it.

Versatility - I have just bought a slow cooker cook book for £5 from one of those discount bookshops - it gives recipes for soups, marinades, casseroles, braising, pot-roasting, poachings, cakes, puddings, fondues, preserves, drinks ..... a huge long list.

Energy efficient - modern ones are slightly higher wattage than older versions, but even the new ones don't cost much more than a light bulb to run.

Safe to use, meal ready when you get home, cook in bulk, the best chicken and lamb joints you will taste - what more do you need to know to convince you?

martinpike

And if you're near a Robert Dyas, they often have amazing deals on them. Mine was half price at £20 I think.

se999

Elona & Zzigi - Thanks for the info, it does seem like Morphy Richards 6.5L is the ideal one. I found a thread which says Morphy Richards are good for spare parts too if you drop lids etc!!

Ticklemouse - Thanks for your detailed tricks & tips. I'm already looking around the bargain bookshops, but not found a good slow cooker book yet.

Thanks again.

Hunnymonster

Durability: I'm still using mine from when I was a student (I graduated in 1992)

Versatility: Stews, Casseroles, *Steamed Puddings*, cakes, soups - plenty of other stuff too - and even been known to make soup and steam the pudding standing it in the soup for ultimate saving/savouring experience

If you have a Borders or similar near you se999 they had 4 or 5 slow cooker recipe books in last time I looked (including Slow Cooking Properly Explained - which I've been using since I got the slow cooker, and just replaced my copy that was very likely to be a health hazard - I'm a messy cooker)

kingshir

Bought myself one for £2 at a bootsale last weekend and I've used it everyday since! I checked out the thread on here and got likes of recipes and ideas.

swizzle_2

Argos have a clockworks 3.5l in the sale at £8.99, I have this one although I paid full price.

I find it`s more than enough for 2 adults, not big enough to cook joints or chickens in, but a cheap place to start if you can`t get one from a boot sale etc.