Slow Cooker?

[g3rrd]

Well I have ran out of patience. After listening to every excuse imaginable as to why the rice is mushy or hard (in the same pot) and the casserole has cooked itself into a moisture free child sized single portion, it is time for a Slow Cooker!

From your experiences can anyone recommend them and if so any particular brands or model?

[Mobile Chicane]

Asda / Tesco - £12 or so. Though you can pay £50+ for a branded model. No need, in my view.

I've done casseroles (obviously), pasta sauces, chilli, joints of ham and salt beef in mine.

[Piglet]

I've got a crock pot model (I think?) that came from Costco, large oval capacity, with a keep warm and timer option on it. I think it was about £35 and it comes with the usual Costco if it's crap you can return it guarantee which I'm quite partial to. I use the crock pot on the hot before putting it in the base - apparently lots of them you can't do this with as the ceramic pots aren't safe for hobs, might be worth checking with what you buy that this is OK otherwise if you want to brown meat etc. you have to move it from one pot to the other (something that I'm much too lazy to do!)

Oval is usually better than round if you're likely to cook joints of meat.

[g3rrd]

Thanks for the replies.

Just borrowed a large 6.5L Morphy Richards monster from my sister.
So will experiment soon. After that, a trip to Costco is in order, after all have to justify the membership costs somehow.
Hopefully the next booklet of discount vouchers, if I am very lucky, will include a discounted slow cooker!

[Jer_1974]

I have a crock pot, as said you can put it on the hob but you can also put it in the fridge and then in the oven to heat left overs up.

[SVX]

I've got a Kenwood "Curry Cooker" with a beef vindaloo simmering away in it right now.

[Mobile Chicane]

g3rrd said:

Thanks for the replies.

Just borrowed a large 6.5L Morphy Richards monster from my sister.
So will experiment soon. After that, a trip to Costco is in order, after all have to justify the membership costs somehow.
Hopefully the next booklet of discount vouchers, if I am very lucky, will include a discounted slow cooker!

Wow - that's a big one. It works most efficiently if almost full to the brim with liquid, but you don't have to use it in that way. You can braise / pot roast meat in it using very little.

Try lamb shanks on a base of equal amounts of finely diced onion, celery and carrot, topped up with stock or water to 1/3 of the way up the meat. This will need a good 8 hours (or more) on the low heat setting.