Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

Vampgirl

What a useful thread! I've been after a slow cooker for ages (and hopefully I'll be getting one for christmas after all the hints I've been dropping *lol*) so I just need a teensy bit of advice from you very knowledgable lot!

There are just the two of us, we're not particularly big eaters and we don't really want to have any leftovers so I'm guessing that a 3.5l one would be too big. Which leaves me to choose from the very few 1.5l ones I've seen.

I really like the look of this one (seeing as its going to hopefully get used so much it lives on the worktop I'd like it to be steel to match everything else), plus most Lakeland things are pretty decent quality: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/!10722
Has anyone got one of these and would you reccomend it?

bellaquidsin

Hi. Yesterday I cooked a gammon hock in my new MR oval slow cooker. It was just about OK but was certainly not falling off the bone. I did it for almost 8hrs on medium, will try it on high next time. I covered the joint up to the recommended level with liquid but had steam escaping round the lid and the whole thing was sitting in a puddle on the work surface.

Today I am going to do a whole chicken, will try that on medium too as chicken does not need as much cooking as gammon. I'm hoping this will be a sucess. Will keep you posted.

I will get the hang of this. I will, I will.

Bella

Churchmouse

bellaquidsin, that doesn't sound right!

If your cooker is sitting in a puddle you've got a lot of leakage, the lid can't be fitting properly. You say it's new, I'd be tempted to take it back and get it replaced. The steam should form a sort of water seal with the lid. You certainly shouldn't see steam escaping.

bellaquidsin

Thanks Churchmouse, That's what I thought. I'll give it one more try and won't use quite so much liquid next time. This is the fourth slow cooker I've had in my long life and I've never had any trouble before. Is it my age or are the old ones truly the best?

Bella

Churchmouse

bellaquidsin wrote: »

Thanks Churchmouse, That's what I thought. I'll give it one more try and won't use quite so much liquid next time. This is the fourth slow cooker I've had in my long life and I've never had any trouble before. Is it my age or are the old ones truly the best?

Bella

Can't help on that one, as despite my *mature* years I've only had mine for a year or so:rotfl: Mine's a MR and I love it:D

mummysaver

trying-very-trying wrote: »

I am so well chuffed:j and so is my dd. Why buy?? I just got a free slow cooker(cordon blueu) from freecycle. It's 3l, 130w. It's the same as my own, but a slightly older model, the woman even had a recipe book for it. I hadn't even heard about freecycle until I started reading this site, so I placed a request for a sc(for my dd getting first home) and got one today. I was so excited, I just had to tell someone(who wouldn't think me sad).

I've just replaced mine and I was singing as I opened the box it came in! Perhaps I'm a bit sad :rolleyes: Was really excited over my new breadmaker too - funny how nobody I know shared my excitement

bellaquidsin

Oh yes, I would be excited about a new slow cooker for FREE. Please educate me what exactly is 'freecycle'

Bella.

bellaquidsin

Churchmouse, sorry to be a pest but if you have a MR cooker perhaps you could tell me how long you would give a whole chicken and at what setting?

Thanks in anticipation,

Bella

bellaquidsin

Hi. Looks like there's only me doing this. Am I getting boring? Just to report that the chicken was lovely. I have to admit that after three hours cooking on medium it didn't seem to be doing much so I turned it up to high for two hours, then back down to medium again. It had 7 hrs 20 mins.

I will start it off on high in future or maybe just cook it on high for less time.

Thanks everyone,

Bella.

Churchmouse

bellaquidsin wrote: »

Churchmouse, sorry to be a pest but if you have a MR cooker perhaps you could tell me how long you would give a whole chicken and at what setting?

Thanks in anticipation,

Bella

Sorry Bella, only just come back online:o I've never done a whole chicken in mine so you're way ahead of me:rotfl:

I did some lamb chop stew in mine today. Very late getting it started (long story) but I just adjust as I go along. Started it on high for 2hours then turned to low for another 2. It was yummy. Your timings seem way too long to me. I really don't think yours is working properly. Must declare that I always sweat my veggies first, and they are the bits that take longest. And I always sear my meat too, but that's just because that's how we like it:D

Of course that's because I don't go out to work so I have the time to do this preparation. For people leaving for work at 8am it'd be too much.

No you are not boring Bella:D