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Slow cooker
Pucky
08-06-2014
We're thinking of getting just a small slow cooker and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for one. However, my OH doesn't really like stews or things like that so would it still be worth getting? I'm quite happy to cook a stew and freeze it to eat at work but he's not keen.

Are there other things that can be cooked? I've seen that pulled pork can be done quite easily, any thing else?
Orangemaid
08-06-2014
i always do a nice chilli in slow cooker..just bung everything in, and leave on low..nice smell when you get in from work i just cook rice fresh
degsyhufc
08-06-2014
Breville is always a popular brand.


Any soup or stew whether it be a British one, bolognaise, chilli, curry, bounginion etc.

Pulled pork, brisket (cornedbeef if you brine it).
LostFool
08-06-2014
I reckon all slow cookers are pretty much the same. They are just a pot with a heating element attached.

My slow cooker is one of my favourite kitchen gadgets and I use it at least once or twice a week, especially in winter. It's great being able to put a casserole on in the morning, go out for the day and then come home to a hot meal which is ready.
Pucky
08-06-2014
Thanks for the advice so far. I'll keep trawling the internet for recipes before we decide to buy.
rjb101
08-06-2014
Keep the box, it'll store easier at the back of the cupboard
Gogfumble
08-06-2014
Don't spend a lot of money on one. I bought mine about 12 years ago from Asda for £15. I use it once, maybe twice a week and it is still going strong.
evil c
09-06-2014
Last year I bought a Morphy Richards 48702 Sear and Stew for a pensioner (from Amazon) and he's found it very easy to use, especially for roasting small chickens, and he likes being able to sear meat on the hob first. There's a handy recipe book too. It's a Which Best Buy (that's why I bought it) and only costs £22 at Amazon.

This is what they say - It won't suit you if you regularly cook for a large family - but if you are looking for a smaller model then definitely yes. The fact that this slow cooker can also be used on the hob is a bonus, as it allows you to sear the meat in the same pot beforehand, saving on washing up and imparting the full flavour of the meat juices into your stew. The non-stick interior bowl works well.

We successfully roasted a chicken in this slow cooker. There isn't much advice in the manual on how to do this, but it's straightforward - we simply put the chicken in an cooked it on the high setting for 6.5-7 hours. The oval shape of the cooker makes it an easy fit.

This slow cooker doesn't double up as a rice cooker, as some models do. It also doesn't have a keep warm function, although we found that leaving it on an extra hour on the low setting had the same effect.

Both the cooking bowl and the lid are dishwasher safe.

Another Which Best Buy small slow cooker you could consider that is slightly cheaper is the Crock-Pot SCCPQK5025W available from Amazon for £16 inc a 2 year limited gtee. The capacity quoted by Crock-Pot is 2.4L but Which found that the useable space was 1.7L.

Here's what they say - We've made this basic Crock-Pot 5025 a Best Buy because of the excellent results on all the settings we test. The small circular size certainly doesn't affect the cooking performance and our tests reveal that it can rustle up an evenly cooked stew.

It's also very simple to use and easy to clean up afterwards.

Using this slow cooker couldn't be simpler - there's no confusion about which way the circular bowl fits into the casing, and the lid fits well. There's just one control dial, which clicks into place, and two settings: low or high. There's no keep-warm option, like you find on other slow cookers.

There are no warning lights or cooking indications either, so when you plug the slow cooker in and turn the dial to either the high or low setting, it will start cooking straight away. While the results of this slow cooker are excellent, the instructions lack any real guidelines on cooking, so we've deducted marks for this.

If you're new to slow cooking the instructions do include some hints and tips, but we don't think this is enough for some people. However, there are a few recipes included, from which you can work out timings.

Morphy Richards at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richa...+Sear+and+Stew

Crock-Pot at Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crock-Pot-Sl...ot+SCCPQK5025W

The above 2 slow cookers are the smallest and cheapest Best Buys. In all Which tested 24 slow cookers.

Which tested the Asda ESC-30 also. It isn't a Best Buy. This is what they say - The stews weren't perfect - some chunks of meat were slightly chewy, the potatoes were sometimes a bit firm, and the sauce a little watery. But overall, we were fairly happy with the results.

We successfully roasted a chicken. The meat was cooked through, and the juices ran clear. However, there was a bit of extra browning on the chicken legs and wings, which were in contact with the pot wall. And you might find it quite hard to remove the chicken from the pot once cooked.

Though it's easy to use, this slow cooker doesn't have some of the useful extra features other models do. It doesn't have heat-resistant handles or a keep-warm setting. And it lacks an inbuilt timer. So if you'd like to be able to go off and leave the cooker to turn off automatically at a specified time, this isn't the model for you.

This slow cooker isn't as solidly built as some models. Its outer wall is made of flexible, light, stainless steel that is easily dented.

The lid and cooking bowl can be washed in a dishwasher.
evil c
14-06-2014
I spent ages researching and writing above post. It would be nice to get a reply, OP.
jazzyjazzy
14-06-2014
Originally Posted by evil c:
“I spent ages researching and writing above post. It would be nice to get a reply, OP.”


I am not OP but thanks for the reviews. I inherited mine from MIL and the book went astray so did not realise you could cook a chicken (on its own) in them - would be handy for OH as I am veggie.
I use it for lots of things like Tagines and Curries etc and for any Veggies interested I got a good book from Amazon (for kindle £1.99 or paperback) called Skinny Slow Cooker Vegetarian Recipe Book. They also do meat ones but suppose there are plenty of meat recipes for slow cookers on the net.

rjb101 - mine was in a box at the back of MIL cupboard - she never even took it out of the box (but lost the instruction book somehow) but thought it was a good idea when she saw it in the shop.
Pucky
14-06-2014
Originally Posted by evil c:
“I spent ages researching and writing above post. It would be nice to get a reply, OP.”

Thanks very much - it was very useful. Not sure about buying now, but I will keep this in mind.
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