Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

freyaluck

I would say get one

I love my slowcooker.
today we are having stew in the slowcooker
yesterday I cooked a duck in the s/c
the day before was soup
the day before was curry
the list is endless
I even made blackberry jam in there in october.

once you have it you will love it. I promise

calleyw

freyaluck wrote:

I even made blackberry jam in there in october.

Do tell I am interested in that. Is it in the mega list. if not then please tell me how you did this.


Yours


Calley

squeaky

The other advantage to buying a bigger slow cooker than you might otherwise think you might need is to allow you to deliberately make extra food in order to set some aside and freeze it so that you in effect have a collection of "ready made" frozen meals available for days when you might not be able to cook. Or just plain not feel like it

We have a long running thread on the why's and wherefore's of buying a Slow Cooker and I'll merge this thread with it shortly.

Please remember that posts are listed in date order and so you'll need to read from the beginning to catch up

[Deleted User]

I have just been out and bought mine. The MR 3.5 litre size from tesco. I have had two others, different makes, in my lifetime, both much bigger. This one is perfect for two of us as it will cook a meal and I will have enough over to freeze now and then (I only have a teeny amount of freezer space these days). It also takes up only a small space. I have done all the research and the MR SC is a quality cooker

:j :j :j

kylah16

I've tried to look through all of the slow cooker threads but I havent found the answer. This is going to sound really stupid but what exactly is a slow cooker and why are they so highly rated.

I know that you put food in it and it takes all day to cook but why is it so much better than cooking the regular way on a stove.

I don't even know what they do but I want to rush out and get one - and a breadmaker after reading the threads.

Please excuse my stupidity I'm only young!

black-saturn

It only uses about the same amount of electric as an energy saving lightbulb. You can put cheap cuts of meat in it and because it cooks it really slowly even the chewiest of cuts comes out tender. You can make enough for 2 or 3 servings and freeze it for another day so you only have to heat it up, thus costing even less electric. Also I find it takes the edge off the coldness of the kitchen in the winter when it's on, acting like a small heater, but I have a small kitchen. You can put everything in it when you go to work and leave it there all day thus not having anything to do when you get in.

squeaky

kylah16 wrote:

I've tried to look through all of the slow cooker threads but I havent found the answer. This is going to sound really stupid but what exactly is a slow cooker and why are they so highly rated.

I know that you put food in it and it takes all day to cook but why is it so much better than cooking the regular way on a stove.

I don't even know what they do but I want to rush out and get one - and a breadmaker after reading the threads.

Please excuse my stupidity I'm only young!

Right. A slow cooker is an electrically heated pot often the size and shape of a large pan or alternatively an oval casserole dish that is very cheap to run and, because it cooks things slowly, makes cooking casserole type dishes very easy and makes a wonderful job of cooking the cheaper cuts of meat.

We have a large thread about which cooker to buy and why which will give you more information and so I'll merge your post here into it. Since posts are listed in date order you'll need to read it from the beginning.

HTH

Burlesque_Babe

my slow cooker is too small .... :-(

I thought I'd got a real bargain - a Hinari Lifestyle for £6 with a code from MSE.....I didn't realise the size, and it is only 1.5 litres.....

There are only two of us, but it will only just fit in a small piece of beef or pork (got a tiny piece of pork in there now) and had to shoe horn in some chicken legs the other day.....no room whatsoever to add any veggies etc, so I have to cook them all separately ....defeats the purpose almost!!!

I think I need to get a bigger one...but I don't want to pay too much. Maybe a 3.5l one?? Although the thought of putting in a whole chicken is tempting, so maybe one even bigger??

I've had a look around and there are a couple under £20, but wondered if anyone had seen any bargains (as I've only literally just bought the smaller one!!!!!)and if 3.5l or larger is the way to go???

Really kicking myself for buying the one I did - although it is fab for rice pudding!!!! :rolleyes:

toozie_2

There is a couple of reduced ones on the Argos site:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4226206.htm

I'm no expert on makes, or models, mine is an ovel 3.5 Morphy Richards, and I've been using it for about 5 years. I would recommend a glass lid, so you can look whats going on, and high, low and auto settings.

Hope you find a bargain soon!

Loadsabob

You slow cooker fiends!!! There was an article in the Independent on Sunday magazine this weekend about how they are the fastest growing kitchen accessory in terms of sales...up 15% in the last year!! Who do you suppose is responsible for that, then?!...

I am tempted sometimes, but I always think meat-eaters will get more of the benefits (slow cooked meat being tender and delicious, but slow cooked veg being much the same as any other cooked veg?...).