Does anyone have a slow cooker? And are they any good?

[oliveoil]

I always worry about them setting fire whilst I am out! Saddo.

Is it just stewy casserole stuff that you can make?

i got bought when i had my ds and they are fabulous stick all your ingrediants in and leave it, no chance of a fire it is on a thermostat, casseroles and pot roasts tend to be the standard though

How long does it cook for? Do they come with a timer so you can have it ready when you get in from work?

I am v interested in getting one.

They're fab - I just got one for Xmas and use it all the time ! I make bolognese, casseroles, curries - anything like that ! Only got a cheap one - £20 - and it has a timer and two heat settings - high and low, so you can leave it on all day at low and dinner is ready when you are - also has a "keep warm" setting so I sometimes take dinner for me and dd out and leave dh's on for him for later.

You can use really cheap cuts of meat too and they go so tender !

I bought one for Xmas and have used it once!

I bought one last year and use it every week.

Make absolutely alsorts in it, casseroles, yummy bean soups (in winter obviosuly LOL), pot roasts, curry.

And it's true about cheap cuts of meat - you can make lovely meals with the cheap stuff as it makes them soft and tasty

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american - but some nice stuff

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I think I may invest. Could have dinner for all of us ready instead of rushing around like a blue arsed fly every evening.

Does it come with instructions on how to get a toddler to eat anything but cheese sandwiches?

They are fab, couldn't live without mine.
Have Moroccan Chcken thighs in there at the moment, bubbling away for tonights supper!

ooooooooh morocan chicken mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Do you get a recipe book with it?

I did, it's a Healthy Cook one, lots of different things you can make with them, but I mostly tend to just chuck things in now!

LOVE mine! Brilliant, especially during soup, casserole and stew season. Only one pan to clean up as well.

Just chuck it all in the morning, switch it on, and there's a hot tea waiting for you.

I usually make a nice loaf of bread in the breadmaker to go w/it.

Mmmmm.

OOH, we are looking for a breadmaker....that would be fab, to have steaming bowl of stew and hot, fresh bread to dunk in!

We bought one a few months ago and have used it loads. I was asking exactly the saem questions as you Oliveoil.
I bought our Morphy Richards in Tesco and it's excellent. A really good buy, it takes the pressure off in the evenings. You can buy cheaper cuts of meat that just melt in your mouuth after a day slow cooking.
It's great for the meals for all of us.
I got a cook book out of the library with some absolutely gorgeous recipes in it - I'm tempted to buy the book. It's Sara Lewis SlowCooker.
I made beef stew with burgundy and horseradish and chive dumplings at the weekend. It was gorgeous!!

oo do a search for previous threads seriously, there has been useful discussion before on this.
I've thought about this but so far haven't got around to getting one - main things taht put me off was that everyone said its a time shifter not a time saver, and I couldn't see myself preparing casseroles in the morning before I went out to work! Plus we eat a lot of veggie stuff and I think its probably best for meaty stews - most veg wwould be done to death in 8 hours I think!
I do use the oven timer a lot though and liked the idea of something that used less electricity - don't think you can do baked potatoes in them though!

I never do searches, I want my OWN thread .

xx

You can do 'pot au chocolat' in them!!!!

That's a good enough reason if any are.

"Plus we eat a lot of veggie stuff and I think its probably best for meaty stews "

The majority of meals I've done in mine have been vegetarian

ooo.... like the idea of a slow cooker. will have to investigate the other threads (although, of course, your thread is BEST oliveoil )

QOQ - instead of reprinting what people have said, why don't you just put their name at the front?

"or is that where you get your mumsnet name from?"

This is an exciting thread Olive.

I aim to please.

Lets discuss blenders, panini machines and pasta makers shall we

olive, if you do get one I have a lovely recipe somewhere for a tagine with lamb, prunes etc. dh said it was the best thing I'd ever cooked.