Slow Cookers - If you have one, which one do you have and how often do you use it?

[MummyJules]

Well the title says it all really. Even though the winter will be easing up soon I am still considering getting one as I am always in a rush to make tea and like the sound of putting it on in the morning and leaving it! Does anyone have any experience of using them and any recomendations?

Thanks x

Well - I got in from work at 7.15 this morning - and stuck a whole chicken in their and long with other ingredients for Chinese Slow Cooker Chicken - and all I'll have to do is cook the rice - so I love it.

I've got one! I don't use it very often but it is great. I got it from Argos several years agao. I tend to do chilli or chicken / vege casseroles. It's great when you have company too,you just take the pot out of the cooker to the table.

Brilliant - Sounds just what I need. Which ones do you have?

Mine is made by 'cordon bleu', I don't know if they are still in the catalogue. Actually I don't think the brand matters as they aren't complicated machines. You should look for how big the capacity is and maybe for a temp switch, the one on mine gives two temp settings one which gives a shorter cooking time and one longer.

Ithe argos one that was reduced from £20 to £9.99

can u just use as a normal recipe for them. Or do you need more liquid?

Im not sure blossom hill - I would think you would need more liquid. Does anyone else know the answer? And any other tips for a prospective slow cooker user?

I tend to find I need less liquid - I have a couple of slow cooker recipe books and the recipes use less liquid. This is because, whilst casseroles etc reduce down and lose moisture in a conventional oven, they don't in a slow cooker.

I use mine at least 3 times a week.

So far I've done soups, casseroles, joints of meat and rice dishes.

I find it completely brilliant!

ive got t he Anthony worrell Thompson one and LOVE it.
Stews/cassroles etc etc - SO easy and saves ALOT of time!

We've got an ancient Tower slow cooker and I've just dug it out of the cupboard last week. Not used for ages but did pork casserole last week and roast beef overnight on Saturday for lunch on Sunday - worked a treat! My plan is to use it at least once a week and cook enough to cover two mealtimes. Big economy drive in our house this year!

Thats interesting. I was thinking about getting either this one or this one Any advice? Will also need a good cookbook so any recomendations would be great.
Thanks

I haven't used a dual compartment one, so not sure what they are like. Both are considerably bigger than mine, so you could cook large joints in them and a casserole would serve at least 6, so you could freeze some.

Message withdrawn

I used to use mine all the time but a few weeks ago I did a food hygiene course and the instructor laughingly asked if anybody still used one. I had a casserole in it at that moment and stuck my hand up. His response was that we've been lucky not to get food poisoning yet as they're a major factor...

Apparently they're not too bad if you stir them regularly but to me that is a waste of time as you may aswell just cook it normally if you can't leave it while you're out. It's something to do with needing to have the heat evenly distributed throughout the dish to avoid spores developing (which cause food p) and if you don't stir it you get 'cold spots'.

I have to admit I came home and put it in the loft as I was a bit paranoid but I'm wondering how accurate he was. It was sohandy on the days I work!

many yrs ago my mother had a Tower slow cooker and all the recipes seemed to entail browning the meat, making the sauce and getting it all up to simmering in a conventional pan and then transferring it to the pre-jeated (on high) slow cooker to simmer for hours.

Isn't that how they are used today? If so I would have thought that you wouldn't get 'cold spots'

I think you can do it that way or bung everything in at once ( I did both depending on time) but either way you still get colder spots in the middle. I still can't decide whether to chuck t out.

I have the larger Morphy Richards one (forget the sizing now - 6L?) and it's FAB... use it lots. I've had a Tefal 3 in 1 previously (rice cooker, slow cooker and steamer) and it was USELESS as a slow cooker - really disappointing.

Never had problems with cold spots in my Morphy Richards - and everything is usually really tender and yummy.