Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

stumpjumper

swampytiggaa wrote:

fantastic! will check this thread in the morning and if you have got on ok i will go get one in the morning

and will hold you responsible if H shouts at me for getting a new toy

Well the brisket was fantastic! lovely and tender H2B thought it was great too. Plenty left for butties tomorrow too Was nice to have tea sitting there waiting for us when we got back in tonight.

swampytiggaa

thats it then - I reserved one yesterday to collect today if the report was good so will be off to argos later

I thought it thru and think that the smaller one will be ample for the majority of the time - if when i have used it a while I find that the bigger one would be useful then I will get one and pass the little one onto my mum if she fancies it

rice pudding tonight then with any luck :T

:j thanks everyone - your advice has been fantastic as always! will be haunting the slow cooker threads now for advice

Sarahsaver

Maybe I have missed this but why don't you eat together or at least all eat the same food? More moneysaving i'd have thought not to mention all the other benefits.
In a large slow cooker you can do whole chickens, joints of meat, cook in bulk for the freezer, you would not regret 'going large!'

swampytiggaa

can't all eat together as H gets in from work at 6-30pm so the earliest he can eat is 7ish - the children are 12 4 and 2 and the two little ones are in bed for 7-30pm so that is too late to eat

am hoping with the slow cooker to do at least some meals that we can share - but at the very least it will give me one less thing to worry about in the evenings iyswim.

leonie_2

Hi everyone

Ok, all this talk about slow cookers is making me wonder if I 'need' one!

If im doing a casserole/stew etc, I pop it all into my big cast iron pot with a heavy lid and just leave it cooking in the oven on low for about four hours. The result is a wonderful rich meal.

I've never used a slow cooker, but is my above method just the same, or am I missing out on some wonderful Slow cooker secret and need to rush to Argos right now???

I hate missing out on a kitchen gadget!

Glad

I think it's the cost that is the difference
and also that if you are out of the house for 8 hrs at work etc you can leave a SC for that long
taste wise it would probably be the same, so if you don't need a SC that's fine

comping_cat

I would say the main difference is the cost, i believe a slow cooker is a lot cheaper than leaving your oven or hob on for 8 hours, also i find that food sticks to pans more than it does in my slow cooker.

comping_cat

I would also worry about leaving my oven or hob on whilst i was out, i would think it was a bigger fire risk than the slow cooker.

leonie_2

Thanks everyone!

Looks like I dont need one after all as i'm at home all day. If the taste is same, then thats me sorted and I can spend my savings on a pasta maker for the kenwood....... they look great!

Glad

I think if you can afford it, go for the larger one, you can always do a smaller meal in it, but you can't cook a larger meal in a smaller cooker

as others have said you can cook a meal, take out portions for the younger children and then dish up for the adults later on