Is it worth getting a slow cooker if you're vegan?!

[DeliveredByKiki]

As per title really, new contracted job and rushing around trying to fit it all in, thought slow cooker would be useful but I'm vegan and I thought they generally work best for meat dishes and soup - am I wrong?

I'm veggie, and can't see the benefit, as surely the slow cooking destroys a lot of the vitamins in the veg? If it could cook soaked, dried pulses (other than lentils), that would be great, but as far as I know, you still have to boil them first.

If your oven has a timer, you might be able to prepare a stew/casserole in advance and set the oven to cook it an hour or two before you come home. I've never tried it though, as I'm not that organised!

I'm veggie and I can't see the point...vegetables just turn to mush in them.

Maybe for pulses?

Yeah I figured, oh well

Nope. I've got one and could count on one hand the number of times I've used it (I'm not vegan, but we mostly eat vegetarian meals at home). It just makes everything mushy

They're great for doing pulses in them and you don't have to boil or even soak them first - Google it - the only caution is around kidney beans, apparently they do need to be boiled but I've done chickpeas, black beans, all sorts in mine then portioned and frozen them for later use. Hot pot, chili, spag bol, I use mine all the time. It's like someone's done your tea for you when you get in :D

You can do baked potatoes in them. Root veg are fine and suet puddings are easy (assuming veg suet is vegan).

Do you entertain? Useful for keeping something warm or mulled wine.

If you don't cook any of the above I agree not much use.

Boooooo thanks for input

What about a pressure cooker? Far more useful for pulses and veg won't turn to mush.

No. Get a pressure cooker for pulses instead.

We just got a pressure cooker/slow cooker in one combo thing and it's awesome.

My friend is vegan and makes a lovely lentil curry in her slow cooker but aside from that Im not sure what else she uses it for...

My husband is a vegetarian, not vegan and we can do lots in a slow cooker. Also, with regards to cooking possibly destroying a lot of the vitamins, my friend is a nutritionist and as much as she values certain raw foods, apparently the body can better absorb some nutrients and vitamins once they've been cooked. All anecdotal though, I haven't researched it myself. Try looking at some of the slow cooker groups on Facebook or looking for some of the slow cooker recipe books on Amazon to get a better idea of recipes. Hope that helps.

I'm not veggie but don't eat red meat. I barely used my slow cooker either. I used it to cook beans, but I would get a pressure cooker for that. The beans turn into mush if you cook them all day.

I used mine for curries, chilli's and sausage casserole. I found the sausages from Holland and Barrett can't remember the brand now, cooked well in the slow cooker. I also found it easier to have a smaller two portion cooker, got one from Argos for £10. I love mine.

I'm don't eat meat. I have just binned my slow cooker because everything I ever cooked in it was disgusting mush. It was broken anyway, but I'm not going to replace it.

Discovering that my oven had a timer was life changing though.