Talk to me about SLOW COOKERS please.

[YoureaFlutteringCunt]

I saw a recipe for a chicken tikke masala in a slow cooker and it looked amazing.

Do you have any recommendations?

I was just having a look at the different options online, do you need a timer? I see the ones around £30 don't have one...how does it know when to shut off, or do you have to do that yourself?

Never had one before so am clueless.

Also we are a large family so need a 5litre+ one I think.

They're in Aldi atm for about £15 iirc.

You don't need a timer, if you find you want one use a timer plug but tbh you shouldn't have food just hanging around in them waiting to be cooked anyway.

I cooked a whole chicken in mine last , it was delicious!

I have a morphy Richards sear and stew, so you can take the nonstick dish out of the cooker and brown on the hob and put it straight back in again

I usually turn it off myself but if I have ever needed the cooker to be switched off when we're not around then I have used a timer plug

I meant a timer for it to turn off. I would prepare and start it before school but if theres no timer how does it swutch off after 2/4/6 hours?

A timer plug would do that

You won't need it to switch off, food takes 5-8 hours to cook. Put it on low and it barely simmers.

I wouldn't want the cooked food sitting around for too long either though

Ah Ok. I see now. No it wouldn't be left. I'm a SAHM but was just thinking if it need to stop whilst I popped out to school or the shops or something.

Are there any good recipes floating about I could pilfer?

Thanks

No it doesn't need to be monitored, just put it on and leave it - go out, to work, school run what ever. Don't turn it on and off out you'll give yourself for poisoning.

**or not out

And put no or very little liquid in it as it makes its own. I put none in with my chicken but still had tons to make gravy with.

You may only need a cheap one. The timer etc may or may not ever be useful - I keep meaning to buy a timer plug but have never got round to it....30 years and counting

Check the cleaning details, are there any restrictions on cleaning the pot? There are with my latest one (I have had 2 in 30+ years) but I bought it knowing it wasn't dishwasher safe. Most are, but do check.

Different heat settings Warm, Low and High are necessary... don't get on with just the 2, the Warm is more useful than you might imagine. With it you can switch it on as you go to work, turn it to Warm when you get back and hold it for hours without worrying.

There is Auto as well, Which think it is a good idea but expensive!

Shape of the pot, with/without handles... think about what you want to cook in it. Whole chicken? Get an oval shaped pot, you won't believe how much easier than a round pot it is! Stews only, then a round pot is fine.

Lid... many people say you need a glass lid, so you can see how the food is cooking. I have never bothered, you just leave the food alone for X hours and then eat it! If you lift the lid to look/stir you are supposed to add 15 minutes to the cooking time... makes no odds to me as I lave stuff in for longer than the recipe says, as we are usually out for longer than 6 - 8 hours - which is why I keep thinking about a timer switch.

And then you need a book/website that explains how you slow down normal recipes... usually reduce the liquid content by a third!

That's it, I think!

Ooh! Long time typing....

... Don't worry about overcooking stuff. That rarely happens. So if the recipe say 6 hours and you leave it for 8, meh.

But that is why Which like the Auto, it turns itself down... and apparently makes a noticeable taste difference.

If you're not very confident to start with they do packet mixes in super markets. I've never tried one but there are loads so must be popular!

Love mine I use it a couple of times a week - no more fat chewy worms of beef mince. I leave mine in overnight if making stock. Knowing me it was the cheapest one in offer in Tesco or argos, I doubt I paid more than £20. I do gammon, bolognaise, chilli, stew and stick in mine. I want a pressure cooker next!

I do understand your fears of say switching it on at 8am before leaving home and then not arriving home until 6ish. I've also found chicken can overcook. It's for this reason I'm going to get a timer as I did get panicky recently when I got delayed and was out of the house for around 10 hours ( nothing on fire or anything like that but mostly dried up and not that nice)
Got it on at moment with chicken thighs, sliced sweet potato and ordinary sliced potato in a mixture of honey and soy sauce, garlic basil and oregano, will add some green veggies half an hour before dinner time. Lovely on cold wet days like today

Oh and mine's a crock pot, very happy with it

I've got a cracking pork chilli recipe somewhere that I make on bonfire night if we have people round.place marking til I find it...
I heart my slow cooker.it was about 20 quid from tesco years ago, and it gets used 3 times a week in Autumn/winter. By far the best kitchen item I have.
I'll go and look in my recipe book now....

I never got on with cheaper slow cookers, but paid more for a morphy richard supreme precision 3 in 1 and I love it. Worth every penny. Its also very pretty to look at.
It has a sear setting but can also go on hob to brown. It has variius setting for heating and timing but i use the quick 1.5 hour setting a lot as well.
You cant use a timer with it to start as you have to choose setting, but it automatically turn to keep warm for 2 hours once the cooking cycle has finished. You cold put it on the hob to quickly heat it if longer than 10 hours

my slow cooker
Comes in two sizes. I have smaller one and can cook whole chicken in it

I checked in Aldi- big slow cooker , warm,low and auto settings for 12.99.

Just cooked a whole chicken in the slow cooker - i had seen it recommended on here and it didnt sound that nice but oh my i was wrong.

Just bunged it in with a free pack of spices i had, took it out after 5 hours, used the juice to cook some carrot and butternut squash in and served it in big bowls with the sauce. Will be making that again.