Discussion
Are these much of a muchness other than capacity?
Would anyone have any recommendations for something reasonably low cost but decent that is suitable for stews and casseroles?
Harts seem to come recommended so maybe this?
https://www.hartsofstur.com/crock-pot-black-slow-c...
Would anyone have any recommendations for something reasonably low cost but decent that is suitable for stews and casseroles?
Harts seem to come recommended so maybe this?
https://www.hartsofstur.com/crock-pot-black-slow-c...
Unless someone corrects me, you definitely don't need one that expensive! They are all the same in regards to cooking.
They will all have 2 heats settings and all do the exact same job. The one you have linked to has a timer, but you can just buy a bog standard one for a tenner and a plug timer, or for about £15 you can get a wifi one. A timer is only really required if you're going to be leaving it for 9+ hours, because less than that you can just leave it on low all day long.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronic-digital-mains-...
The only thing to look out for is to get the biggest one you can, I bought (I think) a 2 litre one which I quickly realised it was too small. I have a 6 litre now and it's never been too big, it's easy to fill it enough. Anything worth slow cooking (even for 1 person and putting a couple of portions in containers) will always be enough to half fill a big one.
They will all have 2 heats settings and all do the exact same job. The one you have linked to has a timer, but you can just buy a bog standard one for a tenner and a plug timer, or for about £15 you can get a wifi one. A timer is only really required if you're going to be leaving it for 9+ hours, because less than that you can just leave it on low all day long.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronic-digital-mains-...
The only thing to look out for is to get the biggest one you can, I bought (I think) a 2 litre one which I quickly realised it was too small. I have a 6 litre now and it's never been too big, it's easy to fill it enough. Anything worth slow cooking (even for 1 person and putting a couple of portions in containers) will always be enough to half fill a big one.
Edited by Kiribati268 on Monday 4th May 11:27
Kiribati268 said:
Unless someone corrects me, you definitely don't need one that expensive! They are all the same in regards to cooking.
They will all have 2 heats settings and all do the exact same job. The one you have linked to has a timer, but you can just buy a bog standard one for a tenner and a plug timer, or for about £15 you can get a wifi one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronic-digital-mains-...
The only thing to look out for is to get the biggest one you can, I bought (I think) a 2 litre one which I quickly realised it was too small. I have a 6 litre now and it's never been too big, it's easy to fill it enough. Anything worth slow cooking (even for 1 person and putting a couple of portions in containers) will always be enough to half fill a big one.
Interesting. I found it difficult to fill a 6.5 litre one properly. I much prefer the 3.5 litre I've swapped to.They will all have 2 heats settings and all do the exact same job. The one you have linked to has a timer, but you can just buy a bog standard one for a tenner and a plug timer, or for about £15 you can get a wifi one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronic-digital-mains-...
The only thing to look out for is to get the biggest one you can, I bought (I think) a 2 litre one which I quickly realised it was too small. I have a 6 litre now and it's never been too big, it's easy to fill it enough. Anything worth slow cooking (even for 1 person and putting a couple of portions in containers) will always be enough to half fill a big one.
Stews etc seem to taste nicer cooked in the oven for 3 or 4 hours on around 125c to be honest.
I like the slow cooker for a couple of meals, like pulled pork or chilli con carne, but I always brown the meat, onions, etc on the stove first anyway, and always end up having to take out the meat and veg then reduce the sauce, because of the extra water through condensation that occurs during slow cooking. There's no time saving and not any additional convenience as far as I can tell.
Bit of a faff for most cookery, in my opinion.
I like the slow cooker for a couple of meals, like pulled pork or chilli con carne, but I always brown the meat, onions, etc on the stove first anyway, and always end up having to take out the meat and veg then reduce the sauce, because of the extra water through condensation that occurs during slow cooking. There's no time saving and not any additional convenience as far as I can tell.
Bit of a faff for most cookery, in my opinion.
zygalski said:
Stews etc seem to taste nicer cooked in the oven for 3 or 4 hours on around 125c to be honest.
I like the slow cooker for a couple of meals, like pulled pork or chilli con carne, but I always brown the meat, onions, etc on the stove first anyway, and always end up having to take out the meat and veg then reduce the sauce, because of the extra water through condensation that occurs during slow cooking. There's no time saving and not any additional convenience as far as I can tell.
Bit of a faff for most cookery, in my opinion.
Put far less liquid in than you would for oven cooking a casserole. Takes a while to get it rightI like the slow cooker for a couple of meals, like pulled pork or chilli con carne, but I always brown the meat, onions, etc on the stove first anyway, and always end up having to take out the meat and veg then reduce the sauce, because of the extra water through condensation that occurs during slow cooking. There's no time saving and not any additional convenience as far as I can tell.
Bit of a faff for most cookery, in my opinion.
Pothole said:
Put far less liquid in than you would for oven cooking a casserole. Takes a while to get it right
I do, but I still get extra water if you cook a stew etc on low for 8 hours.The glass lid is always covered in water droplets throughout cooking, so no guesses as to why the sauces always need reducing!
With ref to cooking times, the TV programme with the insufferable and eminently punchable Greg Wallace and Cherry Healey Was on in the background here a couple of nights ago - I think it’s called “Inside the Factory”. Anyway, they were seeing Le Creuset casserole dishes being made.
Cherry Healey went to a good technology place to see about the science behind stew cooking. They had three identical dishes, one cooked for about an hour, one for four hours and one for eight or nine. The result was that around four hours in the oven was the sweet spot for a casserole. Obviously a slow cooker is lower in temperature than an oven, so you can easily get away with eight hours. The short cooking time left the meat tough, the Long cooking time just dried everything out but four hours was right. They were using a cheap cut of beef, I can’t remember the exact cut, but it was something like brisket or stewing steak.
Cherry Healey went to a good technology place to see about the science behind stew cooking. They had three identical dishes, one cooked for about an hour, one for four hours and one for eight or nine. The result was that around four hours in the oven was the sweet spot for a casserole. Obviously a slow cooker is lower in temperature than an oven, so you can easily get away with eight hours. The short cooking time left the meat tough, the Long cooking time just dried everything out but four hours was right. They were using a cheap cut of beef, I can’t remember the exact cut, but it was something like brisket or stewing steak.
I bought a digital slow cooker but then realised you couldn't set a timer on it for when it would start cooking - those people with the analogue style achieved this just by using a basic plug-in timer.
A more expensive one like the Crockpot might have this kind of feature but if not it's something to consider if you're looking to come home to a meal that's ready rather than having it cooking while you're there to keep an eye on it.
I have a crock pot, it's good. Handy in winter for stodge when out for the day.
FYI:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
FYI:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
zygalski said:
Pothole said:
Put far less liquid in than you would for oven cooking a casserole. Takes a while to get it right
I do, but I still get extra water if you cook a stew etc on low for 8 hours.The glass lid is always covered in water droplets throughout cooking, so no guesses as to why the sauces always need reducing!
Oakey said:
zygalski said:
Pothole said:
Put far less liquid in than you would for oven cooking a casserole. Takes a while to get it right
I do, but I still get extra water if you cook a stew etc on low for 8 hours.The glass lid is always covered in water droplets throughout cooking, so no guesses as to why the sauces always need reducing!
Since I got an induction hob, the slow cooker has been used much less. Previously I'd have made a ragu for pasta in it; now I just use the ultra-low simmer on the hob.
But, the slow cooker comes into its own for any stew needing a really gentle cook. The Jailhouse Chili made with skirt / flank / cheek is ideal, or something like a cured tongue or brisket. I also use it for cooking chick peas from dried, so that they are really soft and creamy.
But, the slow cooker comes into its own for any stew needing a really gentle cook. The Jailhouse Chili made with skirt / flank / cheek is ideal, or something like a cured tongue or brisket. I also use it for cooking chick peas from dried, so that they are really soft and creamy.
We had a slow cooker for years but then we got a pressure cooker and never looked back. It takes up the same space on the bench / in the cupboard but it's so much more versatile and it'll do slow cooking if you need to as well. I do the same meals in the pressure cooker as I would in a slow cooker and it takes 60 mins instead of 8 hours. And 7 minutes for the best risotto you've had. The one we got is on sale at Amazon for £129 at the moment but there are a bunch of cheaper ones around:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-Fast-Slow-Cooker-Pro...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-Fast-Slow-Cooker-Pro...
seefarr said:
We had a slow cooker for years but then we got a pressure cooker and never looked back. It takes up the same space on the bench / in the cupboard but it's so much more versatile and it'll do slow cooking if you need to as well. I do the same meals in the pressure cooker as I would in a slow cooker and it takes 60 mins instead of 8 hours. And 7 minutes for the best risotto you've had. The one we got is on sale at Amazon for £129 at the moment but there are a bunch of cheaper ones around:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-Fast-Slow-Cooker-Pro...
This!https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-Fast-Slow-Cooker-Pro...
I've got an Instant Pot and it's utterly brilliant for stews/casseroles. I sear the meat in a cast iron pan first (can't be bothered sauteing in the IP, although I've never actually tried), comes out perfectly tender. I find slow cooking beef gives it a distinctive flavour that I'm not keen on, which doesn't happen with pressure cooking IME.
I love the convenience, I just pressure cook it for 0-1 minutes to re-heat (piping hot) and it's ready. About 20 minutes total and 30 seconds of 'effort'. One slight downside is that the liquid doesn't reduce as it's sealed, but on the days after the first day the veg tends to break down a little in the fridge and it thickens itself some.
My only regret is not getting the biggest model
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