Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

jcr16

depends how much you eat hun and if your freeze portion's.

i don't use the big 6.5 for regular meals unless i want extra spare to freeze. i find the 4.5 is great for our family of 5,i can have a couple portions left for freezing.

valentina

Already posted this on another thread, T*sco have a slow cooker on offer at the mo for £10 (in store and online)

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

mummyjane wrote: »

I have to say I am a bit confused now :undecided we are a family of four (six when dss's are staying). I was hoping to be able to make curries and spag bol etc and maybe have a bit left over to freeze for a quick dinner. I saw a nice one in argos today but it was 6.5 litres and I am worried it might be too big?

The 6.5 is big but I prefer not to cook a full meal every day so it suits us as I can just pull a meal out of the freezer. Also the 6.5 I have is ovel which is great for joints of meat.
From memory the largest number of people I served from the 6.5 was 5 hungry adults & 2 kids with enough for some second helpings. This was stew which I served with mash.

misssmcc

i see a lot of threads on here about slow cookers and i really fancy getting one. what kind of price should i expect to pay? and what kind should i choose? i dont know much about them, any advice appreciated

save-a-holic

Hiya :wave:

It depends on the size of your household and what you will be using it for.

If you have a large family or you intend to cook a whole joint/chicken in it then you will need the large oval kind. If it's for casseroles and soups and/or you have a small family then the smaller round one is the one you'd go for.

In my household is me, DH, DD and (every other weekend) step-son and we have the round one. We have also had the oval one but I found it too big and bulky for our purposes.

I'd say £20 would be a reasonable price. Whatever you do, don't fall into the trap of going for a super-cheap one. I bought a £17 from Lidl and it was a total waste of money. The lid didn't fit properly (there were gaps around the edge and it wobbled). This meant that the lid didn't get a seal (the steam and condensation form a waterseal around the edge of the lid) so that all of the steam escaped and the meal dried out/burned. I won't make that mistake again.

I've had a quick look on the Argos website for you and they have a Value round one for £6.74. Ask them if you can take if back if the lid wobbles. Alternatively they have the oval Breville one (good name - my MIL has this one) for £16.59.

Marie

Auzelia

I paid £7 for mine in asda about a year ago, its a fairly decent size.

zippychick

we have an older thread with loads of advice

which slow cooker and why.

Things you need to consider are shape (especially if using for joints of meat - round versus oval) , size and heat settings etc. Do read that thread as it's really useful and I will merge this later

Zip

CH27

Mine is an Argos value one. I paid about £9 & have had no problems with it.

budgetboo

Argos periodically reduces the cookworks and value models to £10-12. They are perfectly satisfactory models, having used branded and these over the years. Periodically I seem to drop the ceramic crock(every 4 years or so) so have used several now.

You do need one with 3 settings High/medium/keep warm or low to get the full value out of them over time so look for this feature rather than digital knobs and whistles. It's much better if the crock pot part is removeable - makes for easier washing up + you can use it as a serving dish when it suits.

The oval shape is better than round for meat joints.

Think about your family size when choosing capacity. I cook for 1-2 adults + a child with hollow legs most of the time and don't mind either eating the same stew 2 days running or freezing 1/2 for a later date. For me 3.5 litres is just right. I can do a decent joint or a stew with enough left over to freeze for another time without cooking so much we get bored iykwim.

About 10 years ago I tried the 6l and found it was best suited for Xmas cooking only when I had guests. 6l I think is better for anyone with teenage sons or more than 3 adults in the house. For the average couple + 1 or 2 under 8's a 3.5l is fine. If you live alone you may find a 1.5l plenty, especially if you don't have a massive appetite.

Don't be tempted to purchase one with a very high wattage - the whole point is that they cook slow & with a low energy consumption. If choosing between 2 otherwis identical models pick the lower wattage appliance.

Amazon & Robert Dyas are the other places apart from argos that are worth window shopping in before making your final choice.

misssmcc

im stunned at the price of them, for some reason i thought they would be very expensive! i have settled on a breville one from amazon, £22 it has an auto function aswell which could be useful for when im at work. this is the main reason i want one, i tend to get home from work starving and microwaving ready meals or eating junk. its an oval, removable ceramic pot 3.5litre so should be perfect for me and DD plus leftovers to freeze (and the fact she has a friend for dinner most nights) cant wait for it to arrive!