To not really see the point in a slow cooker?

[Hippodisk]

I keep seeing slow cookers recommended on quick or cheap meal threads. I've also noticed that good food mag has started including slow cooker recipes.

How is it any quicker than cooking a casserole in the oven? You still have to chop veg, brown meat etc. Is the appeal that you can leave it on while you're out?

I will say I'm probably biased as I used one years ago to cook a casserole and it was bland and watery, I also cooked a whole chicken and ended up throwing it in the bin it was vile.

So did I try the wrong recipes, are they really that much of a time saver?

Convince me to give it another go

Mine's lovely. I can throw stuff in at breakfast time, and come home to a house smelling delicious and eat straight away. I can get eight portions out of my slow cooker so there is plenty for the freezer plus a couple in the fridge! I bought it when I first got involved in something that involves a lot of evening meetings, and it is a godsend for the days when I'm not in until late. It also doesn't rely on my being home at a set time because it doesn't seem to dry out!

Each to their own though - I have a vegetable steamer which my dad swears by and I used for the first time this year...

I have three slow cookers and a pressure cooker and use all of them. One slow cooker is for preparing animal food like hot mashes or cooked potatoes (by law has to be kept separate from domestic cooking, so slow cooker in the back porch). The difference between the days when i use the slow cooker and the pressure cooker is very often my memory- if I remember to get everything ready in the morning, it's the slow cooker, whereas last minite panics need the pressure cooker.
The biggest slow cooker is mostly used for legs of mutton or huuuge rice puddings. The third one is used for making hot process soap-speeds up the curing process no end, but not something you'd want added to your chilli!

I hate cooking.

I love my slow cooker. I mainly do stews and chilli in it.

I do tend to buy pre-chopped veg, because I'm incredibly lazy.

Today, 26 hours without gas fucking useless National Grid and my slow cooker has saved the day. I'm a bit concerned having not browned the meat balls first, but it smells nice!

Also for us as a family of 6 there is at least one night a week where either we have something done in the slow cooker where people can dip into it when they are ready or I cook three or four times in a night. I know which I prefer!

Quite a few people eating "soap"

To the slow cooker fans: do you have any recipe books or web pages you'd recommend?? I'm a recent convert. Thanks.

Agree with U2. My slow cooker got chucked as soon as I got my Instant Pot pressure cooker, which I use on a daily basis, it's amazing! Everything I cooked in the slow cooker turned out mushy with a metallic taste. Good riddance to it!

U2HasTheEdge Can a pressure cooker deal with ending the cooking though? ie release all the pressure and prevent any more cooking but just keep it hot enough to be in the safe zone from "having meat sat around". As the flexibility to not know exactly when you'll be wanting to eat is the useful thing, not just the not having to do anything to get it.

The whole point of slow cooking is that the food is kept at a safe temperature where bugs cannot grow, it's not "sat around".

Soups, stews, whole chicken, jacket potatoes, pearl barley.

Never brown anything first. Never spend more than 30mins getting it ready. Uses pennies to cook, with no worries about gas going out or power cut messing up settings (both regular occurrences here). Cheap, incredibly flavoursome cuts of meat.

Only things that don't work well for me are mince-based sauces and sausages. Probably need far shorter cooking times.

I use mine to make yoghurt. Much better than yoghurt maker.

Yes sirfred, there is a Warm function on the Instant Pot pressure cooker that does just that.

It frees up the oven for a roast, it smells nice when u get in and warms the kitchen, you can leave it on all day and go out and it WILL NOT BURN. You can do jacket potatos in them, they are very cheap to run. Takes a bit of practice tho or its just mush.

Here's a nice jumping-off point for slow cooking.
www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-easy-shredded-chicken-in-the-slow-cooker-231481

Also, yes it's perfectly safe. Yes, it's possible with some pre-browning to get meat and veg that's aren't just mushy and tasting all the same!

gerbo You don't need a special recipe. Your own favourite casserole recipe can be done in the slow cooker. Just adjust the time and liquid.
So for a traditional beef stew for example. In the oven you'd probably cook it for 2 or 3 hours. In a slow cooker on high I'd give it 5-6 hours or on low 7 to 9 hours. That's what I meant above about it being very forgiving.

I find it easier to cook in the mornings when I'm less tired, so I cook what I would normally bolognese sauce, curry, whatever, I can remove the pan from the slow cooker and start everything off on the hob (you need to soften onions IME) then stick it on to serve with rice or pasta later. I just don't have the time or energy to do that after school/clubs etc. or in the evenings when they're in bed, or at weekends when I want to be doing other things.

Alternatively I might just put a big gammon in there and do a salad or something. The food I cook in there is no different to usual; I don't follow specific slow cooker recipes - the only difference is it allows you to make use of your time differently. I don't 'love' it any more than I love my regular oven or stove top, but I do find it very useful on occasion.

Also, yes, great for mulled wine.

Our favourite meals tend to be the sort of meals that work well in a slow cooker and since I don't get home until 7pm I'd much rather shove it all in in the morning so it's nice and tender for when I'm back. Many of the recipes I use in my slow cooker are ones that should be cooked on the hob but I've adapted them (basically cut down on the liquid and increased the spices/flavours).

I NEVER brown meat beforehand and am pretty sure I wouldn't notice a difference if I did (I'd imagine sausages would need browning but we don't have them).

For me the slow cooker makes life so much easier but I know many people who never use theirs- they do seem to be a bit of a marmite appliance.

DH does the cooking here but I love slow-cooked casseroles. The meat is so tender, and I think it works out cheaper because he can use the scraggiest cuts and it will still taste amazing. So nice to go out for a long winter walk and come back to the house smelling of deliciousness.

Agree chicken isn't as good as meatier meat (lamb, beef, mutton, venison - whatever's reduced/on offer) but sausage casserole works well.

Jointhejoyrun75 Cheers! Although I see it describes itself as a slow cooker too - a good combination, other than the buying cost difference I think it would be a very good flexible option.

Search for 'Tasty' on Facebook and youtube has some great slow cooker recipes

For me it's precisely because I can leave it on while I'm out - it never burns unlike some casserole in the oven disasters! It also consumes less electricity - I can't have the oven on and other household appliances as I have a limit on the amount of power I can use, but the slow cooker is ok.

I would love to get one but DH is veggie and I am not sure how uselessful it will be. I can certainly see the advance when I return from maternity leave.

I just wouldn't have the time or inclination in the mornings to prepare a casserole, but the main reason a slow cooker wouldn't work for us is that we very rarely eat casserole style meals or meat. DD is vegetarian and OH can't eat very much at a time due to having had stomach surgery so It would be a complete waste to cook joints of meat.

The veggie meals I cook don't need a slow cooker. Also, I just don't have kitchen space for one.

I can see why they work for a lot of people though.

I can see they have their uses. But the one thing I cannot get my head around are slow cooker cakes

What's the point in slow cooking something that is literally ready in 20 minutes? It's like slow cooking a fucking pot noodle. What is the point.