Slow cookers - worth it or not?

[Jilljams]

I had a slow cooker about 15 years ago but gave it away as everything I made came out a bit watery and had an odd taste. Now I’ve got two children and hardly any time to cook I’m wondering if it’s something that would make life easier. We do like to eat stew, curry, chilli etc. Or is going to be yet another item that sits unused on my worktop. If I do get one, what size would I need for 2 adults and 2 kids and are there any features I should look out for? Is one make better than the rest or are they all the same?

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[SheShriekedShrilly]

If you eat that sort of food, I’d say it’s worth it.

Get a 6 litre one (I prefer the metal liner, rather than the ceramic one, as it’s not so heavy and you can brown stuff on the stove first if you want) and then you can do enough for all of you plus a batch for the freezer.

I don’t think they’re very different, the choices are:

• size
  
• ceramic versus metal
  
• whether it has other bells and whistles (eg Instant Pot style)
  

The tip for things not being watery is to put in much less water than you think, because it doesn’t evaporate.

I have a stew in mine now on high, I’ll turn it down in the late afternoon and then when we’ve all eaten (kids eat earlier than adults) I’ll put the leftovers in the freezer for a midweek meal. Tomorrow I’ll probably put the chicken carcass from last night’s roast in it, and it’ll quietly make stock all day while I’m at work, and in the evening I’ll turn it in to soup ready for Tuesday..

[UnaOfStormhold]

I'd say get an electric pressure cooker like an instant pot - since I got mine I haven't used my slow cooker at all as the results are so much better! You can still have problems with too much liquid but because you can saute in the pot you can reduce down quickly, and overall I find the flavour is even better if you do pressure cook and then leave on keep warm setting. You can also make no-stir risotto or dump and go meals which are brilliant when you have kids. Oh, and mine makes yoghurt too which is great!

[Pilot12]

I have the Murphy Richards Sear and Stew, the large one that feeds 8-10 so our family of four can eat half and I freeze the rest for another day. If the slow cooker is less than half full you just cut a third off the cooking time so I can easily cook for four as well.

I have the BBC Food Slow Cooker Recipe Book which has some nice and simple recipes in it. Schwartz also sell slow cooker sachets in the supermarket and they have a recipe on the back.

[Jilljams]

This is all brilliant information, thank you. I suspect I was putting too much liquid in, maybe that’s why I found it a bit tasteless.
I didn’t even know pressure cookers were still sold, I remember my mum using one when I was small.

[BronteSisters]

Smoked gammon joint, brown sugar, honey, whole grain mustard and 10 whole cloves with a splash of water and that one dish will make all slow cooker owning worth it. My family go nuts when they smell it when coming home from school and work.

To be honest I don't use mine a lot but there are thousands of wonderful recipes out there on the Internet that are lovely. I once made the mistake however of doing a whole chicken though. Ew. NOTHING like a proper oven roasted chicken.

Too much liquid will ruin most things in there.

My next purchase may be an instant pot. They sound interesting and I'm dying to give one a go.

[catlady3]

Definitey InstaPot (or similar) over plain slow cooker as you have so many more options. I use mine all the time.

[handbagsatdawn33]

I've got both pressure & slow cookers, in regular use.
If one goes wrong, I'd get an Instant Pot to replace both of them as it's so versatile.

[Jilljams]

Probably sound really stupid but what is a pressure cooker? I mean how/what do you cook in it? Is an instant pot just a pressure cooker?

[UnaOfStormhold]

An instant pot is an electric multi cooker that has various settings which achieve and then maintain a particular temperature. It does cook at pressure but unlike your mum's old cooker it does it all automatically and can switch itself off and on so it's effortless. You can pressure cook pretty much anything as long as you have 250 ml of liquid in the pot (needed to generate the steam and thus the pressure). It's great for doing pulses with no need to pre-soak, as well as making meat very tender. Depending on model it also has a keep warm setting (maintains 80C), slow cook settings, a yoghurt setting (maintains 40C so you can make yoghurt), a saute setting (for browning things before cooking) and a setting for steaming. You can also make delicious cheesecakes, jam, clotted cream and loads more,

[Jilljams]

Sounds like an instant pot is what I need then. Is there a recommended brand/model?

[Disfordarkchocolate]

I love mine but having got my son an Instapot for Christmas I'm looking at getting one of those next time I see a good deal. He keeps telling me about the amazing and quick food he's made and I'm jealous.

[Jilljams]

What sort of things does he make?

[UnaOfStormhold]

Instant pot is a brand name - there are others like pressure king pro but I think the IP is worth it - more functions and reaches higher pressure. It's mostly available via amazon or directly from instant pot in the uk but definitely worth waiting for offers as it gets heavily discounted on black Friday and prime day (you can see on camelcamelcamel).

[Disfordarkchocolate]

My son has made bolognese, whole chicken and brisket. He's made more but I can't remember the rest; these take me hours and he can now start them when he gets in from work instead of starting in the morning.

[Jilljams]

I joined an instant pot Facebook group but it’s put me off a bit. Not many of the photos posted actually look that appetizing and some of the recipes seem to take just as long or longer than using an oven. It also seems that it’s complicated and takes a lot of time to work out how best to cook things.

[UnaOfStormhold]

Which group did you join,as there are lots out there ? The UK instant pot community group is good and has some handy tips, plus lots of tried and tested recipes (many of which look great!)

[just5morepeas]

Slow cookers do have the advantage that they are very cheap to run. Don't know if instant pots are the same - I wouldn't have thought so given they must cook at a higher temperature.

[UnaOfStormhold]

Running an instant pot as a slow cooker is similar energy usage to a dedicated slow cooker - they're pretty well insulated. Yes pressure cooking will use more energy but then it gets the cooking done much more quickly so saves energy that way.

[thirdtimeluckythen]

couldn't live without mine. At least twice a week our evening meal is served from it. Sometimes its the only way we can all get a homemade meal in an evening due to evening activities

[MoltoAgitato]

Pressure cooker all they way - slow cooker food tastes bad IMO. An instant pot allows you to hedge your bets if you’re not sure about pressure cooking- there are great pressure cooker recipes on Dad Cooks Dinner and also here:

www.seriouseats.com/2016/10/why-pressure-cookers-are-better-than-slow-cookers.html

[mummaminnie]

I have an InstantPot and a slow cooker but tend to use the IP more. I've only used the slow cooker for gammon which comes out really tender. I love the IP but not used the slow cooker function as a friend said it wasn't as good as a proper slow cooker. However the great thing about the IP is the keep warm function. Nothing ever dries out and it means that you can set something cooking and come back to it later. I don't think it's much quicker than a lot of conventional methods. However, I'll make various curries, risotto, mince for cottage pie, sauce for pasta bake (takes 2 mins once it comes to pressure), pork stroganoff, soup, and so on. I've also made lemon curd and cheesecake and would like to try youghurt, porridge (with steel cut oats as I've heard these are better for you) and proving bread. I got mine from Amazon in their Prime Day sale when it was cheaper.