Bought a slow cooker yesterday and a slow cooker book today.
Spent ages reading the book and I can’t see why anybody would want to make soup in a slow cooker. I make gallons of soup but I can do it on the hob in half an hour …. It’s hours and hours in a slow cooker.
The other thing is I have read that sausages, chicken etc needs searing first or it will not look very nice and I do like food to LOOK good.
A lot of foods also have to be finished off in the oven. I regularly make cottage pie and I do all the meat, onions etc in the frying pan and the potatoes in a saucepan in less than half an hour. Then brown off in the oven for half an hour. Job done! In the slow cooker it takes 5-6 hours, then you have to cook and mash the potatoes. Then cook in the oven for 20 mins!!
So apart from stews and casseroles I can’t see that I am going to use it really. It may go back to the shop.
My wife quite often stews and casseroles, very nice ones at that.
Also, when I was a single dad, the slow cooker was a blessing for the kids coming home from school.
I don’t own a slow cooker but one of my sons loves them, he even slow cooks on his BBQ.
As for soup I can only agree with the person that wrote, “I never understood soup, you don’t need a knife an fork to eat it so it is not food so it must be a drink in which case I’d rather have a beer.”
I’ve never used a slow cooker. I’ve read that the slow cooking gives the food more flavor. I’ve considered getting one to check out if this is true. Haven’t done it as yet.
I often used to make meals in my slow cooker when I was working because it allowed me to prepare a meal and leave it cooking whilst I was at work - it’s lovely to come home to a meal that’s already cooked, instead of having to start preparing food and cooking it when you get home after a long, tiring day at work.
I still use it for cooking casseroles and dishes that benefit from slow, moist cooking. I don’t eat meat myself but my family prefer beef pot roast cooked in the slow cooker, on a bed of vegetables, as the meat stays moister and more succulent than an oven pot roast. I have always sealed and browned the surface of meat before cooking, anyway, whatever cooking method I use, so doing that before putting it in the slow cooker is no extra work for me - and it’s best to start the slow cooker off with hot stock or liquid, so I prepare the stock in the searing pan.
I find the only downside to cooking meat and vegetables together in a slow cooker is that starchy veg doesn’t cook as quickly as meat, so if cooking chicken portions, chops etc with veg, it’s best to slice root veg quite thinly or dice a bit smaller than usual.
The other advantage of using a slow cooker is that it can be more energy efficient than stove-top cooking or using the oven.
I remember comparing the different wattage and kW hours for my old hob and oven and discovering that, even though the slow cooker is on for hours, it was using less kW than cooking the meal using a hob or oven for less time.
I’m not sure how slow cookers compare with modern induction hobs for energy usage, though.
In any event, I wouldn’t fancy leaving a pot of stew on an induction hob while I was out, even on a low setting, whereas I feel comfortable to leave my slow cooker on.
Flowerpower, l also bought a slow cooker recently. I have used it once to make a chicken casserole. I made far too much and had no room in my freezers to put it.
Instead, l ate chicken casserole for 3 days. You get to a point where, there’s only so much chicken casserole that you can eat!
I haven’t used it since!
My son in law is a brilliant cook, which is great as my daughter doesn’t like cooking! He makes a lovely Thai chicken curry in their slow cooker.
My other daughter and her housemates cook gammon ham in theirs.
I suppose it’s useful to have one, just to chuck stuff in. Go out and forget it for several hours, yet have a nice nourishing meal ready when you get back.
Oh and don’t they only use the same amount of electricity as a light bulb?
I think you miss the point of having a slow cooker. The idea is you put whatever you want to put in it switch it on and go out for the day. When you get home it is cooked for you.
I may not use mine all that often, but when I do, I enjoy the casseroles. Chicken, or beef, or my favourite…pork, cider and apple. My freezers are stuffed right now, but it is good to delve down looking for something to eat and to find a tasty portion of casserole to defrost.
Yes, would advise, if living alone, to make sure there is room first.
And FYI, I use liners. Just take care when spooning the contents out. The liner is then thrown away, leaving just the lid to wash.
But see my other post. That’s OK if you want loads of casseroles and stews but meals like cottage pie,spag bol, curries can be made really quickly on the hob.
We bought a slow cooker on our daughters advice, she loves hers…
Only ever used it once and still had to cook the meat before, and most veg doesn’t do well being slowly heated up for ten hours. A waste of time if you ask me, I can rustle up a good tasty meal with fresh veg in a fraction of the time.
It sits in the pan drawer now taking up space and will probably go the same way as the George Foreman grill and breville sandwich maker…Send it back Flower…just another gadget.
We found it useful when we both worked long shifts as a way not to have to cook when either of us got home or not resorting to takeaway or ready meals.
I am not much of one for gadgets but my Breville Sandwich maker was worn out when the kids were young, even today I have a two sandwich el cheapo one which I occasionally make baked bean or cheese sandwiches in.
The only gadget (part from toaster and electric jug) that I wouldn’t be without is a rice cooker - definitely couldn’t get along without that.
everyone wants to rush their day rush their food and rush their lives - slow down fgs - the slow cooker is not for all meals - chose succinctly ;prepare judicially then switch on and go to work and smell that lovely cook up when you get home - not for the instant fryers and cross country runners like tipsytoes!! - foxttrot !!
