Tell me why I should get a slow cooker

[Selenium]

My MIL has offered to buy me one for my birthday - says it will save me time now I have 2 dcs. It's never occurred to me to get one before and I know nothing about them. I was just wondering if you could tell me why you love yours, if you have one. Is there a good recipe book for slow cookers out there too? Thanks!

We're having a sauage and passata type dinner from the slow cooker tonight - The best thing about them are you can prep dinner in morning and when you get home knackered you can just serve it up

I waS literally about to buy a slow cooker on my way home this eve. Woo, my life rules. Can I put uncooked sausages in them and just bugger off to work, or do I have to brown my meat first? I am slow cooker noob

you can do either, its a preference thing, i just put them in, because i'm pretty lazy, but there will be more fat with them unbrowned.

They are handy though if you like stews and things and there are tons of recipes online

Thanks for your replies. Perhaps one could be useful as I seem to run out of steam by the evenings! Do you tend to do literally one-pot meals in them, so don't even have to do rice/veggies separately?

Chicken curry cooked in the slow cooker . Chilli cooked in it tomorrow . I fill it up in the morning when I am not tired and when I am worn out or been out all day dinner is ready .

Nice one, thanks for the reply. I do loads of stews and casseroles

As well as one pot meals you can roast a whole chicken or a joint in one. I once cooked lamb for a friend in mine, she now has a slow cooker, as does her brother who she cooked lamb for.

There are loads of recipes on here, ham in coke seems popular but I'm yet to try it.

Another I have not tried is buttering the inside and cooking baked potatoes and chicken portions.

You can also cook breakfast overnight.

I'm about to make a beef and mushroom pudding which will steam all day in mine.

Roasts, soups, stews,one pots, rice pudding, steamed puddling, er, mulled wine

It's brilliant. between 4-7 is when DC get more needy and crotchety, not the time to be cooking. They seem to go from not hungry, to starving in seconds and WA la it's ready to serve anytime after three and the rest can wait, still hot for me and dh of an evening

Wow - loads of ideas, thanks! You have inspired me! I like the idea of serving up a meal for the dcs at 5-6 pm and then the rest will still be hot later for dh and I. Mulled wine is an interesting one to try too! :) Mind you, I've just told dh what his Mum is planning on buying me and he laughed out loud as he can't imagine how I'd ever use one. I'll just have to prove him wrong!

Not quite an answer to your question but I have a slow cooker and rarely use it except for the occasional rice pudding or piece of brisket if I'm organised enough to prep on the morning for evening meal.

My pressure cooker however is used daily, I definitely recommend fast cooking over slow.

The same tender result for cheap cuts of meat, but super fast.
I can make a soup, stew, bolognese, ragu, curry, casserole etc in 15-30 mins.
Cooks pulses etc in record speed and potatoes/ rice are done in minutes.

As said before you can throw your chosen food in on a evening/morning and its waiting for you, nice and hot, just serve and enjoy, yes oh yes get one

I love my slow cooker, but I also love my GF grill, my pressure cooker, my microwave, my breadmaker, my oven. I use all them and love them all for different reasons. I have two slow cookers big one and little one and use them both equally.

I couldn't just cook with only my slow cooker and I wouldn't want to, it has it's place and I love to use it but probably only use it once or twice a week in winter and rarely in summer. Could I live without it? Probably but I wouldn't want to. I admire those that can use there slow cooker every day, my family would get bored as it is not as the slop maker, the food only requires a fork to eat with.