Slow cookers - opinions please

[twentythirteen]

My mother had one when I was young. I haven't seen one for years. I was just reading the thread about making stew andn this made me wonder whether my inability to cook cheap cuts of beef, or even a roast, would be improved if I had a slow cooker. Do you have one? Do you like it? How often does it get used? I try to live reasonably applicance free so is it in anyway better than a good stove top pot???

Hi, I have two slow cookers! They are fantastic if your out of the house for a longtime or if you need to keep food hot at a dinner party

Yep, I love mine. Just a cheapo one, morphy Richards I think. Love it.

I think they are a nice to have item, but not a necessity. I have a large one that I use several times a month. In fact, I plan on doing pulled pork in it tomorrow. Honestly, I would take a good coated cast iron dutch oven over a slow cooker if forced to pick, but having both is nicer.

Hi OP - there's a thread over here where people have been sharing recipes and you can see the sort of thing us slow cooker newbies have been cooking :)

Personally speaking, I'm especially impressed at how my joints of meat have come out; beef, pork, gammon etc and also stews and curries.

Go for it

My views on SCs are a bit mixed. Have done some awesome curries and 'roast' chicken in a slow cooker, followed by a quick blast in a hot oven, is lovely. However I just cannot get the hang of stews even though that's practically what they were invented for (veg is always rock hard). I also find the food itself looks unappetisingly brown even when it tastes nice. Finally they do not really save you time because to prepare something decent you are still chopping etc... You're just swapping standing by the stove for twenty minutes with leaving it an slow cooker for six hours. So it is a redistribution rather than a saver of time. On balance, I'm happy I've got one, but if it broke I would not replace it.

If veg are hard, its not been cooking long enough! Works best on med, or low temp for a really long cook (10hrs), fantastic for cheap cuts of red meat or pork, not so great for chicken (unless you cook it whole).

Ignore sc instructions to add lots of water or stock, most dishes don't need any liquid added at all. And nothing needs to be browned off, that just wastes time!

We have 2 sc and they are used 2-3 times a week. They are great for really busy days, 10 min prep in the morning and you can walk in the door to cooked ready to eat dinner in the evening.

Scotch, I might try ten hours then next time. Although after eight all the meat in the stew was looking quite dried up atop aforementioned rock hard veg! I think it may be partly due to having a crockpot which I am told run hotter than other brands. And also partly due to my own incompetence.

Chicken can dry out even on lower temp but red meats should be fine- best to use high temp just at the start of the cook time, if at all! Fatty cuts cook really well - lamb hocks, pork shoulder etc, so economical too.

I've never owned one because my regular oven has a self-timer which I can set to start during the day so that the dish is ready in the evening. I don't think slow-cookers are suitable for roasts which need a high heat for a relatively short time. If you struggle to make stews you might find a pressure-cooker more successful.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, and I'll have a look at that link!

I have got 2 lamb shanks cooking in mine as we speak and they smell gorgeous. I browned them first, put them on about 2 this afternoon, have cooked them on low for about 8 hours and will leave them to cool overnight. Tomorrow I will warm them through and glaze with a little redcurrant or mint jelly.

I find mine really useful for days when I know tea will be a rush. It is brilliant to get home and find tea done.

It's also worth noting that you can use frozen veg if you are really short of time, one of our favourite recipes is boneless skinless chicken thighs, a packet of mixed veg, half a cup of stock, cook on low for 8hrs-ish then finish with a sploosh of cream or creme fraiche.