Slow-cooker recommendations please

[Countingthegreyhairs]

Didn't want to hi-jack other threads on subject so started my own ....

For those of you who slow-cook:

(i) which brand of slow cooker do you recommend?

(ii) do you leave it on when no-one is at home and if so, do you worry about causing a fire?

I saw one in lakeland that can do roasts as well as stews, it was 40 quid and is on my list. It uses the equivalent leccie as a light bulb so there is no fire risk if your sockets and leccie are sound.

Thanks Rebelmum ... is that the Czech Remoska one ... I think I saw a thread on that ... goes to check .....

Here it is but there's only one or two people who actually have used it and recommended it:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=2430&threadid=582495#11887102

No it's another one here The Remoska is more pricey and it uses more leccie than the slow cooker, I was deliberating over the two and the slow cooker won.

thanks again rebelmum!

that does look good and reviews look promising...

determined to get meal planning on track by the time dd starts school again and this is part of prep ....

anyone else?

bumping ...

I just got this one from Amazon to replace the little one I have (so I can know cook for all 4 of us in it). Haven't tried it yet but certainly looks good, and a good price.

now

We got this one. It took a long time to decide to get one by AWT, but it had lots of money off at the time.

It's perfectly good. I leave it on when we're at work, but wibble slightly at leaving it on overnight, fearing fire more while we're all asleep than when we're not in the house. It hasn't burnt the house down yet!

I think, if doing it again, I would buy one which has a timer to switch itself on and off. We also got this book, but it's designed for the slightly snaller slow cookers, but the recipes work fine all the same (the venison recipe being dh's favourite). HTH

thank you for suggestions

(feel same way about AWT!!) good point about timer (in case one is delayed)

De Longhi might be an option because we live abroad (mainland Europe) and I don't want to muck around with plugs ...so going for brands that will be available here ...

They are completely different from pressure cookers aren't they? (Thinks back to childhood - pressure cooker whistling menacingly on floor of scullery - mother approaching to remove lid using dustbin lid as shield)

So far I have never needed a dustbin lid to shield me from my slow cooker (though one may have come in handy when I recently made a horrifically ill-advised sardine dish ). They make a seal with the lid, but don't build up pressure IYSWIM.

that's a relief

dh decided to bbq sardines once but didn't get the coals sufficiently hot. A large evil-smelling blue-green cloud hung over the bottom of our garden for about a week ...our neighbours still wince at the memory ...

any other makes out there that people recommend please?

2happy you could get a timer plug socket thingy like this sort of thig

The one I have got is metal rather than ceramic as most of them are, which means I can put it on the hob to brown meat/onions etc, then add veg, liquid etc and transfer to the slow cooker plate. I think it is morphy richards.

Oh that's a good tip - thanks Bozza - there's nothing more off-putting than pallid meat ...

I have a Crock Pot one, I love it. It can go in the oven and under the grill to brown stuff too.

Mine has plastic handles so cannot go in the oven. You could always brown your meat in a frying pan and then transfer to the slow cooker. It just means more washing up.

That's a good idea, thanks furball!

Thanks again for replies

Starting to compile a list here before my shopping expedition ...much appreciated

There's a big review of them on Which? which we consulted recently after dh broke my old one.

They thought that ones with an auto function generally cooked better, although not many had this. We went for one of their best buys in the end, which was this one.

I would say to have a think about how big a pot you want on one though. This is too big for us really, but great if you like to cook extra for the freezer.

Thanks very much Can'tSleepWon'tSleep ... that's useful to know ... will look out for it

also tend to trust John Lewis's choice as their product knowledge etc is generally v. good