Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

Capyboppy

I would say the bigger ones are useful if you want to make large batches of say cassoroles and stews. This way you can split what you cook and freeze some of it. If this isn't important and you are just going to make a meal to eat for the two of you, a smaller one will do fine.

Swan_2

chardonnay wrote:

okay, i am desperate to get a slowcooker after all the talk of them. but which one? i was going to get the 3.5l mr onein argos for £22 then someone mentioned you can get a 6.5l one from amazon for £24. the amazon one seems like a bargain but do i need one that size, does it matter. it's just me and oh most of the time.

the Morphy Richards 6.5l one is £22.49 at Argos just now

bonvonnie

ok, i'm a real newbie to Slow cookers, and the instructions to the Cookworks slow cooker, is limited.

do i put everything in raw? or do i have to heat up in pan, then transfer to slow cooker.
does the slow cooker need to be preheated?
casserole - veg on bottom, meat on top right? will the sauce need to cover everything?

sorry for all the 'dumb' questions? i really havent a clue, and my Mother-in-Law has an ancient one, which hasnt been used in years, telling me i need to preheat my slow cooker first ???!!!

Help me quick! as I'm planning to make my first meal in it later today (Tues 27th)

amanda40

I just put everything straight in mine - Tend to use it to batch cook chicken breasts , before breaking them up and freezing in portion size bags. I just put them in ( maybe 4 or 5 at a time) fill cooker up with water and add a stock cube - then that is it. Take them out about 5 hours later all ready for flash freezing and so quick to defrost too. I just deforst them in the microwave or in fridge durig the day, then heat up ( again in microwave) then just add to sauce at last minute - Better than a take out! I did try doing a sweet and sour in it but it wasn't too good. Sauce drid out too much,

angelatgraceland

I make porridge in mine-lovely to wake up to-or for supper. Never bothered preheating it for anything-just bung it all in as they say and forget about it for the day. Absolutely brilliant on cheap cuts of meat-everything is tender-it just cant be otherwise.

tiff

bonvonnie wrote:

ok, i'm a real newbie to Slow cookers, and the instructions to the Cookworks slow cooker, is limited.

do i put everything in raw? or do i have to heat up in pan, then transfer to slow cooker.
does the slow cooker need to be preheated?
casserole - veg on bottom, meat on top right? will the sauce need to cover everything?

sorry for all the 'dumb' questions? i really havent a clue, and my Mother-in-Law has an ancient one, which hasnt been used in years, telling me i need to preheat my slow cooker first ???!!!

Help me quick! as I'm planning to make my first meal in it later today (Tues 27th)

I always put everything straight in, the sauce doesnt have to cover everything but it should cover the veg. I think the instructions for the MR one say to preheat the slow cooker first, but I just throw it all in, turn it on and away you go.

Swan_2

the instructions for my MR one are confusing ...

in the dos & donts section it says ...

'do not pre-heat before adding ingredients' &

'do not subject the crock pot to suddenchanges in temperature'

then in the recipe section a lot of them have you bringing ingredients to the boil before putting them into the unheated pot

Curry_Queen

bonvonnie wrote:

Help me quick! as I'm planning to make my first meal in it later today (Tues 27th)

I tend to do things pretty much as I would if I was making a conventional casserole - i.e. brown off meat/sausages etc in a pan first then just transfer it all to the slow cooker. You don't need to pre-heat it as such, but I do usually turn it on to start warming up as I'm preparing the food to go in it. If I'm using stock then that is usually boiling too to give it a head start.

One thing to remember with slow cookers is that you don't need to add as much liquid as in a conventional casserole because it doesn't evaporate. What you start out with is basically what you end up with, so if you're following a normal recipe then cut the liquid/stock by half or two-thirds and see how you go. You want to aim for the veggies/meat to be just covered.

If cooking joints in there they don't need to be submerged in water as some recipes tell you - just a bit in the bottom to stop the pot overheating and cracking is fine

Oh, and try not to take the lid off during cooking as you'll lose valuable heat and set back your cooking time by around 20 mins

tiff

Thats what youre supposed to do, but I've never done it. If you preheat the crock before adding ingredients I think it would crack anyway?

Swan_2

Curry_Queen wrote:

I tend to do things pretty much as I would if I was making a conventional casserole - i.e. brown off meat/sausages etc in a pan first then just transfer it all to the slow cooker. You don't need to pre-heat it as such, but I do usually turn it on to start warming up as I'm preparing the food to go in it. If I'm using stock then that is usually boiling too to give it a head start

that's pretty much what I did in the end ... followed their instructions but adapted the ingredients for my stripey sausages in onion gravy

so it's just a matter of sitting back & waiting now


*I had to brown then on my GF grill

Originally Posted by Curry_Queen
Oh, and try not to take the lid off during cooking as you'll lose valuable heat and set back your cooking time by around 20 mins

thanks for the warning, I'm just off to print up a 'DO NOT LIFT LID UPON PAIN OF DEATH' sign for when the kids come round later!