Slow cooker?

[chillipenguin]

I have a slow cooker - will it save energy if I start using it? I have a gas hob and an electric oven. Whenever I cook meat in it I have to brown it off in a pan first so I'm wondering if I'll actually save that much using it? I was hoping I could batch cook and then just warm it up in the microwave.

You dont need to brown stuff in a pan on the hob first.
I used to but I tried not browning it because I was fed up of the extra pan to wash. Haven't looked back.
You could try both ways, theres very little differences in taste. Not enough to bother browning anyway.

Oh! I thought it was a food safety thing. Even better!

No, very unlikely. Having a 60 watt device on for 8 hours is just as expensive as having a 1500 watt device on for 20 minutes for example. It's better to consider that it cooks while you do other stuff so there's little food preparation time just before serving.

Ah right so it's more a handy time saving thing than an energy saving thing. Shame. Thanks though.

A slow cooker is more useful for casseroles and things that would be an hour or so in the oven.

We use our slow cooker twice a week. It is

• easy to use/convenient


• good for batch cooking


• cheaper than using our oven (but not the hob)


• food tastes much better (I think food cooked this way is also thought to be more nutritious).

Browning meat first absolutely makes a difference to the taste outcome!!!!

You can get ones with built-in browning so you brown off in the slow cooker crock pot and then flick a switch to slow cook, so you don't need an extra pan on the hob.

They're economical because you can use cheaper cuts of meat, slow cook them and they taste delicious.

Depends what you enjoy eating!

I have a big one I batch cook stews, bolognaise, ragu dahl.. anything that needs to be cooked slowly. It’s great for making beef shin, chicken thigh, mince etc into hearty warming meals. But if you prefer fresher tasting stuff it’s not for you. It’s cheaper than a lot of ovens, I guess depends on the efficiency rating.

If I use my Ninja slow cooker on High for 4 hours it currently costs 8.9p. I have a new A rated oven and having that on for 45 mins costs 19.7p (I think looking at user manual). I'm going to see how much Ninja on low for 8 hours will cost. I think the older your oven the bigger difference it will make.