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Slow cooker

MH2010

Well-Known Member
Messages
438
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Looking for recommendations for a slow cooker.

We currently have a Go Chef one but the timer only goes to 2hrs and need one with at least 5/6hrs.

I have never even used the one we have yet, I would rather slave over the cooker but the local butcher said to use it for stews, etc so need any advice and hints/tips/ideas.

All replies appreciated.

Thanks in advance
 
I got a slow cooker with the points earned on my visa card in the 1980's. It is great but very small. Around 10 years ago I decreed my life needs a bigger slow cooker. We searched everywhere but could not find anything at a price I approved of so got a curry maker and rice cooker instead. I loved the rice cooker and used it right up to the diagnosis but the curry maker cooked at a higher temperature than my trusty slow cooker. It has its uses but I am not going to recommend that. We found a decent sized slow cooker at a good price in Aldi a couple of years ago. I love it so that is my recommendation although the breville multi cooker (wedding pressie 1981) and the Visa cooker circa 1987 have the edge..
 

Hi, a slow cooker cooks for quite a few hours, so 2 hours isn't suitable.

I have a Morphy Richards, I think it cost about £20, so a real bargain. I cooked pork last Sunday for 8 hours and the meat was so tender ( Cooked in plain water, nothing else) I even took the fat off the top and cooked it in the oven for crispy crackling
Here's a link to slow cooking with many different recipes that you could tweak an adapt to your choice. I love my slow cooker, good luck
 
@Robinredbreast there was no link :-(

I have been looking at Morphy Richards at Argos but the things confuse me sooo much.

Only 30 but got the mind of my grandparents haha
 

Its only to do stews etc to start with for hubby (I dont eat steak, etc) so size isnt a problem.

There are so many out there I dont even know where to start looking haha.
 
I never even thought about B&M, there is one about 5miles from me, saying that, all the shops are avout 5 miles from me lol.

Thank you for the link.

Dont worry, I have Friday brain every day haha
 
  1. Crock-Pot Slow Cooker - A Great Deal Faster - argos.co.uk‎
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    • Cookworks Slow Cooker: £20, Argos.
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    • Sage The Fast Slow Pro: £200, John Lewis.
    • Vonshef 6.5L Digital Slow Cooker: £35, Domu.
    • Russell Hobbs 19790: £25, Amazon.
    • Lakeland 3.5L Slow Cooker: £33, Lakeland.
    • Family Crock-Pot Family Slow Cooker: £58, Lakeland.
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    8 best slow cookers | The Independent
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    Results 1 - 24 of 351 - Welcome to Amazon UK's Slow Cooker Shop. Browse our selection of slow cookers from top brands. Buy with Free delivery on eligible orders.
    8 best slow cookers | The Independent
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    20 Sep 2016 - Cookworks Slow Cooker: £20, Argos. Morphy Richards Sear and Stew: £49, Amazon. Buy now. Sage The Fast Slow Pro: £200, John Lewis. Vonshef 6.5L Digital Slow Cooker: £35, Domu. Russell Hobbs 19790: £25, Amazon. Lakeland 3.5L Slow Cooker: £33, Lakeland. Family Crock-Pot Family Slow Cooker: £58, Lakeland.
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Mine doesn't have a timer on it at all.
I just turn it on, and leave it till everything is done. With chicken that is usually 4-5 hours, with beef it will be 7-9 hours, and with bone broth it can be over 24 hours.

I have had 3 or 4 'slow cookers' over the past 30 years or so, and I now know exactly what I'm looking for, but that only means it will be appropriate for me, not you.

Here is my selection process:
- it needs to be big enough to hold 6-8 portions of a meal - that is all the meat, sauce and veg. So I went for a 6 litre capacity. We eat 2 portions. Refrigerate 2 portions. Freeze 4 or more portions.
- the crockpot/pottery ones are great - but NEVER use them unless the bare ceramic underside of the pot is bone dry - or you risk cracking the pot, like I did.
- if you go for non-stick, then buy high quality. My second pot was cheap non-stick, which scratched off. Food then stuck, and I could taste aluminium in the food. Yuck. That went in the bin.
- if I want a timer, I can add one of those plug in timer units in the socket, then plug the pot into the timer.
- do you need a rice cooker, a yogurt maker and a slow cooker? Worth thinking about
- oh, and the oval ones are great for joints and fish, or whole chickens, while the round ones have better heat distribution.
 
We have a Swan slow cooker. We prepare the meat, veg and gravy the night before then when I come down to make a cup of tea, switch it on. We let it cook for eleven hours on low and we get superb results. We always buy the cheapest cuts of meat and they come out tender.
 
I have the Morphy Richards slow cooker. Good capacity. 3 settings, low, medium and high. There isn't any timer so you can leave it on as long as you want. I used my Nectar points and got it when Sainsburys were doing a offer on certain items for half the normal Nectar points.
 

Sounds the same as mine, I have red one.
 
I love our slow cooker (I do all of the cooking). Buy cheaper cuts of meat, cut it into small pieces, then cook in gravy.
Many slow cookers have 4 settings : Off Low High Warm
High for 3-4 hours cooking
Low for all-day cooking
Add other things at any time

I'd call what I cook casseroles rather than stews. Meat becomes so tender.
Also great for cooking joints.

If I needed a new one I wouldn't hesitate to get the Argos cheapest. Nearly 5-stars after 1755 reviews.
Geoff
 
I bought my slow cooker from Tesco about 10 years ago and is still going strong, so for me that was good value (around £30)
 
MH2010 said:
Its only to do stews etc to start with for hubby (I dont eat steak, etc) so size isnt a problem.

There are so many out there I dont even know where to start looking haha.
Click to expand...
If you are saying it will be used ONLY for making stews for one person I would go for the smallest one possible because of storage space in the cupboards and loss of workspace when in use. You would however, be missing out on the tastiest chicken possible. Put lemon in cavity (optional) put chicken in cooker and leave for the day. A nice bit of brisket with 1tblsp water is just delish (and always reminds me of my gran) and beouf bourgninon for dinner parties. Only suggestions but when I was 30 ,dinner parties were a completely different affair to the "dinner for how many??!!" of 10 years later. When you want to spend the day with visitors or cannot schedule entertaining with time for catering I found the slow cooker a lfe saver. Just saying.
 
If your purchasing online I can really recommend andrewjamesworldwide.com, I got my bread maker from them and they are a very good company to deal with. They do three different slow-cookers (no I am not on commission !!)
 
Every thing I have bought from Andrew James has been a total disaster that includes a bread maker and a coffee maker.

I have bought a morphy richards multi cooker one of the best things I have done can slow cook fry,roast, and steam and a lot more besides that.
 
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is this the one you have? http://www.jmldirect.com/kitchen/co...cooker-with-bonus-recipe-book/#horizontalTab2

if so, the timer may be for other functions. Slow cooking is done on a very low heat to soften the meat, so needs 6-8 hours. I use mine overnight.
 
on the page I linked, if you scroll down, there is a link to the directions pdf. On page 8, at the bottom, it says to not use the timer for slow cooking.
 
My breville multi cooker does deep frying in addition to all that. Fantastic and well used. Essential in the minute kitchen of our first home but it took the whole work surface, is cast iron and so extremely heavy when empty. Hubby hates it because there is no way i can move it if there is anything in it, it spatters fat and - not that I will admit to anything and I have to state he is a qualified electrician the cable has had the occassional mishap.

We got a cat biscuit feeder from Andrew James. At the time three cats and we were planning a few weekends away with no guarantee of furbabe carer availability. Maybe it was because we got the biggest available but getting the operating thingibies is so complicated even the little uns cannot do it. It has to be reset everytime it sticks and it sticks a lot; tormenting the kitties with views of a full container of food they and I cannot access and only the bickies in the tray going soft in the air. I do not recommend. Happily they like going away with us although finding caravan sites is a total nightmare.
 
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