What slow cooker do you have?

[Pawport]

Hi, I know I’m a million years late but I’m just thinking about getting a slow cooker. I’m so bored with the dinners we have over and over, I think I might be able to make some different things in a way that isn’t too difficult or time consuming.
If you love your slow cooker, which one do you have please?
Would also love to know, in general, if a slow cooker has made life easier. Has anyone not got on with one?
Thanks :)

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MNHQ

Just whatever basic one they had in Tescos - Morphy Richards I think.

We do mostly stews in ours because those taste good being cooked for a long time on low. I think people sometimes don't like them if they are trying to cook things that benefit from faster cooking. I find it good for the days that I have to do a long nursery pick up on public transport and we arrive home with DC starving and unable to wait patiently for me to cook. It's just basically about being able to relocate that prep time to another part of the day. Also useful for when (teen) DS1, DH and I all want to eat at different times due to different arrival times and evening activities.

Instant pot. It’s a pressure cooker as well amongst other things. I can recommend. Cooks a full chicken in 30 mins

Ninja foodi. Love it. Slow cooker plus other functions in one. Hardly ever use cooker now and is much cheaper on fuel.

I've been using the slow cooker functions on my two instant pots, gave my other crock pots away

I love mine, can't believe I was scared of pressure cookers before

Got mine from a charity shop 7 years ago and still going strong (brand is Tower).
It's personal preference I prefer a wide rather than tall one. Mine is a family size one so can make up to 4 meals for 4 of us at once that I can then freeze. It makes life so much easier, I'm disabled and so can't stand for long /don't have much energy or strength but the slow cooker means I can cook lots of healthy meals easily.
When you use it just reduce the amount of fluid in a standard recipe (you can always add it in later). Also at the end if you need to thicken it up leave on high and take the lid off.
We have curry's, chilli, bolognaise, stews, joints of meat. I probably use it twice a week but then that makes meals for several other days.

We have a Crockpot, I think we've had it at least 10 yrs and still as good as new. The bowl and lid go in the dishwasher so easy to clean.

Ninja foodi. It also does pressure cooking, air fryer, steam and a few other functions. I use it more often than the main oven,

Morphy Richards basic one that was bought with nectar points ages ago. Really love it.

When this one bites the dust however, I will be super lazy and get one that has a sauté function so it cuts down on washing up. Sometimes a recipe requires browning things off before slow cooking.

It is also worth looking for one with a timer if you can afford an upgrade but I've never personally had one and it isn't a deal breaker.

I have a slow cooker and an Instant Pot. I'm cooking large quantities of beef stew today so am using both, with the IP on slow cooker setting. If you've never had either I would probably start with a slow cooker as they are relatively cheap. If you can afford it, worth getting one you can brown meat in. Otherwiseor use a good frying pan in conjunction with it. Not everything needs meat browning first, but it gives better results for lots of things. Also look at bigger capacities so you can cook a meal plus extras for the freezer.

I have a large John Lewis one and love it. Yes it has worked for me, although it does take some planning. I use it to double up on meal prep at weekends, so I cook one dish on the job or in the oven whilst the other is in the slow cooker. Amazing for lentils!

Morphy Richards one with an aluminium inner that you can take out and use to brown meat, onions etc on the hob top and then pop straight back into the slow cooker. Saves washing up. Literally a one pot wonder.

I have the smallest crockpot one.
It's perfect for the 2 of us.

This is the one I have - I always get everything fried/browned while I chop many vegetables, then up to heat on the stove, then just lift it off and into the slow cooker casing. I definitely use it way more than I would if I had to use multiple pots.

How large? What kind of dishes?

I just broke my slow cooker pot (30 some years old) and went looking for a new one.

I found a 3 litre tall/deep one at Dunelm for £20. It has a blackboard surround that the am sure I will never use. But it is narrower and deeper than my old one. I look forward to finding out what difference that will make to old recipes. And I'll be able to try a few new ones, my old pot was to wide and shallow for!

I have an Instant pot and also a Russell Hobbs multicooker which I mainly use as my slow cooker as I find it better for slow cooking than my IP.
Saying that my cheap supermarket slow cooker performed just as good just didn't have the saute function which saves on washing up if you prefer to brown the meat first

I have the Russell Hobbs Good to Go
Multicooker which I love. You can sauté everything then put it on 4 or 8 hr slow cook. You can also use it as a sous vide and roast. It does other stuff but I've only used the sous vide and sauté and slow cooker functions.

I have a 6.5L crockpot, I love it.

Lakeland one. It's lasted years and is excellent.

We had a cheap, unknown-branded one for years which worked well, but the outside metal got really hot. I always hated leaving it on with the DCs around. We have recently bought a Ninja Foodie max 9-in-1, which slow cooks amongst its many talents. I used the pressure cooker setting (followed by the bake setting) for our Xmas ham, and I see no reason why the slow cooker setting wouldn't be equally as good. It has a capacity of 7.5l, which is plenty for our family of 4.

I have had my Russell Hobbs large oval slow cooker for nearly 30 years now.

It has a ceramic inner pot that you can put under the grill or in an oven.

I'd really like one that sautés but after all these years I'll just make do now.

I have on Instant Pot that I have given up on wasting good food in and it sits in the cupboard and never comes out because it magically produces liquid from nowhere and makes everything taste watery even when you add no water!

@Survey99 this is why I hate the idea of slow cookers and now love my Russell Hobbs multi cooker which is totally different. I had a slow cooker years ago which produced watery tasteless food, totally put me off.

If you are just after a slow cooker rather than a combo pressure cooker (such as instant pot) I highly recommend getting one with a metal insert rather than a ceramic crock pot as then you are able to sear meat etc on the hob in the metal pot rather than dirtying another pan. I use my slow cooker with metal insert so much more than my old ceramic one as I can genuinely make one pot meals.

Morphy Richards sear and stew here, the metal pot makes such a difference as it makes it so much easier to brown stuff first.