UKC

Can anyone give any advice on slow cookers? Ones to avoid? good features? capacity? (family of 5 but 2 young kids and a baby so not big eaters)

I had a look on Amazon and there is a huge choice. Budget up to £50

Thx in advance

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:
Buy the cheapest there is, probably somewhere between £10 to £20. However make sure that it has a little light confirming that it is switched on.

You only make the mistake of not checking that the cooker is on after a long day at work and come home to a pot of raw ingredients once. Doh.


Quick Amozon check and this one looks OK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-48710-Oval-Cooker/dp/B0000C6XOJ/ref...

In reply to The Lemming:
That looks fine, and 700+ decent reviews. So re features...it's an "on" button with light and that's it? Sounds like my type of appliance!

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

Get a big one, when cooking joints of meat (or a whole chicken) space is the limiting factor

In reply to Jenny C:


I have never struggled with my 3.5 ltr slow cooker before with whole chickens or joints of meat. The only time I struggled was with turkey drumsticks but then I just chopped off the knuckle to fit it in.

Slow cookers are the best things since sliced bread.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Cooking-Curries-Spicy-Dishes/dp/0572034067/ref...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Around-Mediterranean-Carolyn-Humphries/dp/0...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Around-World-Carolyn-Humphries-y/dp/0572032...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Cooking-Vegetarians-Annette-Yates/dp/057203387...

The Mediterranean cook book is my favourite as it has a lamb tarine meal that is probably the finest slow cooker meal that I have ever tasted.

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

What are they like for Veggie/Vegan food? I worry about overcook stuff.

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:
Get the biggest you can for the money, they all work pretty much the same. I use slow cookers for producing rillet, and confit duck, often using 6 cookers at a time! They last for a long time, even using them at a commercial level so i would buy a big one now,becuase you'll probably need the extra space in the future!

In reply to The Lemming:


Don't buy the cheapest there is. We have now been through two that were cheap. They are good for a while and then the element thermometer seems to screw up and that 8 hour slow cook is well caramelised by the time you get home after 6 hours.

I would opt for something that has a heavy dish.

In reply to ByEek:

You may be right.

So far my crock-pot, which cost £18, is at least 9 years old. These things aren't exactly rocket science.

In reply to The Lemming:



Yeah - the crock-pot is probably the key. Our current slow cooker has a metal bowl which is good because you can fry off your ingredients in it, reducing washing up and increasing flavour. However, it is very thin and after only 2 years, we are finding we are having to add additional water to the recipe to ensure it doesn't burn dry. This is the second cheap cooker we have been given!

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

I made my own, based on a "Straw box" from the olden days.

Big 6 litre pan and an insulated box to park it in.

Get the stuff hot in the pan, place in box, return 4 hours later and eat.

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

How much more efficient is a slow cooker to use when compared to a low setting on the oven?

In reply to goldmember:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/household-bills/10449285...

Thx for the advice everyone, I just bought a 4.7ltr crockpot.

In reply to goldmember:

Basic advice is that it uses around the same amount of energy as a standard lightbulb, so much less than oven.

The other BIG benefit is that the slow cooking does an amazing job of tenderizing meat, this means you can save money by using cheaper cuts without compromising on the quality of the end dish

In reply to Jenny C:


If it's well insulated. Mine isn't and does a good job of heating the kitchen.

In reply to Turdus torquatus:

good point, my oven is quite well insulated.

I understand the slow cooker is good for cheaper tougher cuts, due to the long cooking. Is it not a potential harbor for nasty bugs if only used on the low setting?

What's it like for cooking veggies and pulses?

In reply to goldmember:

Mine is very similar to the one shown in the linked Telegraph article. Although it has several settings, they all seem to be just different ferocities of boiling, so bugs are not a problem, but I'm not convinced that's the true spirit of slow cooking either. Never done much with veggies. Curried joint of lamb on the other hand, fantastic.

In reply to goldmember:
Mine tells you to only cook chicken on the high setting (although before I read the instructions I have done it on low or auto without any unpleasant results).

Not great TBH on veg, in my (very limited) experience they tend to either not cook, or go mushy - OK in stews or for soup. Never tried pulses.

In reply to goldmember:




I burned some chickpeas once, but I admit that I was "freestyling" and not following a recipe so didn't have enough liquid, so blame probably lies with me rather than the cooker.

But I did make the best lamb dish I've had in my entire life with my slow cooker - blew every other lamb dish I've ever had out of the water.

In reply to SenzuBean:



You should bang a rack of BBQ Ribs in a slow cooker too. Nothing else required other than the ribs + sauce/glaze.

The meat just falls off the bone.

In reply to goldmember:
Slow cookers give you if I was being nice' baby food' or if I were being truthful slop.

I'd find a quality pressure cooker far more useful.

In reply to Indy:

If its coming out as slop you are doing it wrong.

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

I bought a £12.50 Tesco one a couple of years ago.

No complaints - it's great.

In reply to Trangia:

Same here....doing well 3 years later!!

In reply to Indy:


You're using it to make soup then?!

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

I would recommend a shuttle chef (thermos). Modern straw bale cooker that you can move around. Great for camping and parties. For some reason they are fairly rare, I got one from Japan.

In reply to wiwwim:

Kelly kettles are great for brewing up outdoors.

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

Fanny Craddock is probably fairly laid back, these days.


... Hope this helps?