Yes but if the meat’s all ready & cooked nicely, it doesn’t take long to get the veg cooking…
Thanks for all the comments so far. I think what confused me was people kept saying “you just chuck everything in and it’s all done when you get home”. But it actually isn’t unless it’s a stew or casserole. I was toying with the idea of using it to cook my meat tomorrow but then I still have to put my oven on to do the roast potatoes, yorkshire puds, cauliflower cheese etc.
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I think I’m heading towards that decision actually OGF. 
I make loads of stews, casseroles in casserole dishes in the oven and always have done. I make stuff like curries, bolognaise, macaroni cheese on the hob and then I make stuff like cottage pie, lasagne, hot pots which I start off on hob and finish in oven.
Had to laugh about the George Foreman grill. We had one of those years ago when they first came out and initially liked it but it took up a lot of space so I went back to the grill in the oven and gave it to my son when he moved out. 7 years later he moved back home and brought the damned thing back so it went to the charity shop. 
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never owned a deep fat fryer and haven’t had a chip pan since about 1980. I thought the idea of a slow cooker was to save you time when you get home at night but you still have to prepare all the veg, sear the meat etc before you go to work so what you gain at the end, you lose at the beginning.
Maybe I am just too long in the tooth to change from a traditional oven to a slow cooker.
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Hi
Why complicate things?
As we get older things change.
The important thing is staying out of hospital or a care home.
Just shove the slow cooker on, air fryer for roasties and Yorkies.
You have no independence at all in Hospital or a Care Home.
I use mine a LOT in the autumn and winter. Casseroles, stews, and curries mostly and I agree with people on here it’s a great feeling coming home to the smell of a cooked meal, waiting to be dished up.
I have tried meals in it where I sautéd or seared stuff beforehand and I’ve tried meals without doing so and the taste and look was almost exactly the same.
Keep it, Flower! You won’t regret it 
just remember it can’t do everything - not only is it slow but its dumb too? like the dumb waiter ??
That’s exactly my point Gummy. I’m retired and with all the time in the world to create a masterpiece using the oven and hob. Why would I want to add an unnecessary process?
I can understand someone who is out at work all day in the winter wanting to come home to soup, but even then, I would prefer a nice tin of Baxters. We eat fish most of the time with something off an animal at the weekend, so I don’t expect you can “chuck” a nice piece of Salmon or Trout in the thing.
Not too keen on toasted sandwiches Bruce, I don’t eat cheese and it seems to be the favourite for toasties…
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now now Mr foxtrot - calm down what advice did they give you about your pacemaker - well first of all its called a peacemaker right and second getting too excited can set it off beeping frantically!! - you are falling into the same trap as many slow cookers DO NOT cook everything - I have three cookery books on slow cooking - lots of recipes to chose from ?? - and I’m sure they have some in your local library - do you still use their services??
I enjoy cooking, and my favourite kitchen gadgets are chopping board & knife. Next, a good, slightly high-sided pan for tossing and sauteing.
We’ve got a Kitchen Aid this, Magic Bullet that and other equipment, don’t get used from one year to the next, gathering dust, taking up space.
Like Flowerpower, I can do soup, cottage pie, whatever, the simple way, same as grandma did.
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I’m very pleased that you have been able to put your slow cooker to good use Gummy, Although with a user name like Gummy, I suspect that solid food can be a bit of a challenge, so cooking it for ten hours would make it more palatable.
But you can get the same aroma or even better by cooking your food in the oven while you are out on the S setting.
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Me too, I’ve got a split personality on gadgets, addicted to buying, but hardly (I’ve banned me from buying more but never say never)
Wooden spoon, sharp knife, good pan, big bowl, chopping board, cooker with oven and hotplates and I’m set 
Slow cookers I’ve never got on with, it always tastes a bit “stewy” to me and it doesn’t seem to condense down the sauce and flavours and you have to faff about with cornflour to thicken it.
But I’m probably just doing it wrong 
I only use mine for pot roasting brisket and making lemon curd, and I could do both of those with my normal cooker, so I’d send it back if I were you
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We don’t do trad stews/caseroles in our old age, preferring mince from a good butcher. Cooks in no time, toss it, get flavours into it.
I agree Maree but on this occasion I was tempted! I had a credit note to spend in the store for exactly that amount.
Many years ago I decided I did not need any more kitchen gadgets and said “no” to things like breadmakers, soup makers, omelette makers, waffle makers, electric steamers and told myself that if I had never needed them in all my married life (now 45 years) I could live without them. This has worked very well until now!
Soups I make in a saucepan, omelettes I make in a frying pan, waffles I don’t bother with now. On the rare occasions I make bread I just stick it in the oven. When I get a day of missing my late Mum I make some Irish soda bread. 
The kitchen items I could not be without after all these years are a set of Sabatier knives, some stainless steel saucepans which are also steamers, my beloved old casserole dishes and my big old roasting tin. I do have a food mixer/liquidiser but I hardly ever use it.
The slow cooker will be going back next week!
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We’ve got a couple of favourite “pie” dishes, for cottage pie, fish pie, potato gratin and various veggie things that are nice straight out the oven with a cheesy sauce.
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Do your various dishes bring back memories? I get dishes out and think about where I bought them or who I acquired them from. Most of my dinner service and serving dishes are from a discontinued range called Jack’s Farm. I have had them probably over 20 years now and as Jack was my late Dad’s name I always think of him for a few moments. We have a big old willow pattern turkey serving dish that comes out every Xmas. We bought that from an old lady downsizing over 45 years ago when we had no money at all. My big mixing bowl came from my Mum when we cleared her house and always reminds me of her making Xmas cakes and puddings in it.
I have a lovely bright yellow jug with farm animals on from the Funky Farm range and I use it for custard. My Sister in Law loved this range and had loads and if i ever saw any on car boots or charity shops I would buy them for her and keep it until we visited her as she is over 100 miles away. Sadly she died in November aged 66 so I use it and think of her now.
I sound a right sentimental old bird!! 
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slow cookers take a long long time to return!
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I love my slow cooker so I hope you kept yours there is a great group you can join on Facebook called Easy Slow Cooker Recipes…its an open group so you don’t have to join to read the recipes. Good Luck!
The slow cooker went back to the store yesterday! I will stick to my oven on the S setting and cook my stews, casseroles and meats in there.
I visited a friend on Wed and she is a fabulous cook who grows all their fruit and veg too. She says she has a slow cooker (which her daughter bought her) but rarely uses it. All winter she cooks in her Rayburn but uses the slow cooker occasionally in the summer months to cook game when the rayburn is off.
Thanks for all the tips. 
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