Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

jcr16

i've got a matt stainless steel from from sainsburys. i paid £10 but i think they are £19.99. it's oval 4.5ltr. fantastic for doing a whole chicken in as it is oval. has a low, high and warm setting. Been fantastic. i am going to later on up grade to a 6.5 ltr one as our family grows. i also have the round cookworks 3.5ltr one from argos cost £9.99 few years back. this was my first one and was a god send. never had a problem with it. i only changed because i wanted and oval one and a bigger one. i kept the little one as a just in case.

SailorSam

I got one from Argos, Cookworks stainless steel for about £20, don't know the size but can fit a whole chicken, it has ; high; low; and warm. The lid is a little loose but it's ok. I'm very pleased and use it a few times a week even though i'm here alone.

shammyjack

I have 2, a modern Anthony Worral Thompson oval stainless one with removable pot and a 20 years+ Tower with the fixed pot.

The old Tower is by far the best cooker as on low setting it uses only 40watts of electricity, can be left on overnight or all day and never burns anything + the top is a much better fit so very little evaporation.

Keep your eyes peeled at charity shops or car boots for one.


shammy

Mk1MR2

The ones i'm looking at are::

Morphy RichardsOval Stainless Steel Slow Cooker 6.5L 330 Watt
Model Number: 48715

Cookworks Signature 6.5Litre slow cooker 320 watts.

Rachel Allen 6.5L Slow Cooker. 340 watts.


Which would people recommend or are they basically all the same except there power?

I get the general opinion Morphy Richards are a good make to go for?

Trinny

Hello All

I have finished reading this entire thread as i have been "quote the op" swayed by the magic of slow cooking.

It seems to me that i need

Oval shaped SC - tick
Darker colour to avoid marks - tick
Removable pot for cleaning - tick
3.5l if there are only two of us - tick
glass lid so you can see whats going on without removing the lid - tick
adjustable controls (high low medium) - tick

I am shortly to be the proud owner of a black Morphy Richards Slow cooker that meets all these requirements - payed for out of rewards earnt doing surveys:T

I just wanted to say a BIG THANKYOU:D to everyone who added their ideas and experiences to this thread.

YOu helped me choose wisely

Trin

MunsterGirl

Hello,
thanks to everyone for the info here about slow cookers. I've just ordered the Morphy Richards 3.5L one from Amazon. It's reduced to £17.10 , and I've paid for it with vouchers from doing surveys, so it hasn't cost me any 'real' money. :j

M

Pollycat

Oh no, peeps - my lovely Prestige Crock Pot, given to me by my Mum-in-Law in 1974, has gone to the great kitchen in the sky.

I used it every week and it cooked dishes much better than the Morphy Richards larger one I bought a few years ago - like this:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4232805/Trail/searchtext%3ESLOW+COOKER.htm

It was the circular type with bright orange plastic base and brown removal dish.
I think was was the first of its kind on the market.

I'd like to replace it with one of a similar size for when I'm just doing enough for 2 but have no idea what the capacity was and I lost the recipe book years ago.

Can anyone help out - and recommend a decent replacement no bigger than 3.5 litre and preferably not the same design as the 6.5 litre I already have (which Breville, Morphy Richards, Cookworks etc all seem to be).

Thanks.

angeltreats

It might be worth asking on Freecycle to see if anyone has a similar one. You might even be able to find one the same as your old one.

nixinixi

Pollycat I have just been given one of these by my Mil - it had never been used before!!! Unfortunately I don't know the capacity but if you still have the dish could you fill it with water from a jug to measure it??

I love mine even though I have only used it a few times! Sorry yours has broken, sad for you. In fact I popped over to look for recipes for it! So I'll go and carry on looking. Good luck buying a new one.

Pink.

Hi pollycat,

I agree with you, the older slow cookers were much slower and way better than the more modern ones on sale at the moment. My (25 year old) tower slow cooker is much better than my two year old morphy richards one which cooks too quickly in my opinion. Even though I smashed the lid a couple of years ago and have to use an upturned plate instead, I prefer to use it if I'm making something without potatoes where I don't need the 6.5ltr capacity.

This thread may help give you an idea of what others think of the newer slow cookers:

Buying a slow cooker (which? & why?)

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink