Slow cooker recommendations

[skullcandy]

Happy New Year all,

As per the title, I would like to buy a slow cooker but have no idea what features it should have and who makes particularly good ones. Thanks for any pointers/tips.

[Big Pants]

I bought a £20 Daewoo one from Amazon. Hi/Low/Warm settings is literally all you need. Capacity is the only other thing you need to think about.

This thread is full of excellent inspiration https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[skullcandy]

Thanks for the link, there are some brilliant mouth-watering tips in there

[Pixelpeep 135]

i can send you my Ex if you like?

[/80s humour]

[LeadFarmer]

Worth considering a combined slow cooker/pressure cooler/steamer/air fryer such as Instant Pot or Ninja. I have the Instant Pot Pro Crisp 11 in 1 model, but cheaper ones are available especially if not wanting the air fryer facility.

One with a timer or delay start feature will enable you to shove everything in the night before, and it turn itself on so its cooked for when you need it. You don't really want to be preparing everything in the morning when your maybe rushing to get ready fro work etc.

Edited by LeadFarmer on Tuesday 4th January 11:47

[oakdale]

In my experience slow cookers live up to their name (slow) but are just too slow, they take forever to cook anything properly.

[sgrimshaw]

I've got two Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow cookers, a 3.5L and a 6.5L.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B6MZW9F/ref...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CBD8ZWY/ref...

They aren't cheap, but I find the ability to start and finish (if needed to thicken say) on the hob is worth the extra for me.

[skullcandy]

oakdale said:

In my experience slow cookers live up to their name (slow) but are just too slow, they take forever to cook anything properly.

Has anyone gone from slow cooker to pressure cooker and not looked back? I associate pressure cookers with watery un-appetising stews but this kind of review below makes me wonder whether my 70's childhood recollections was due to my mothers poor cooking and whether a pressure cooker could be a better and more energy efficient option?

https://www.seriouseats.com/why-pressure-cookers-a...

[twing]

skullcandy said:

Happy New Year all,

As per the title, I would like to buy a slow cooker but have no idea what features it should have and who makes particularly good ones. Thanks for any pointers/tips.

I'm not at home and can't remember which I have but timed on/off is a godsend for me.

[LeadFarmer]

And don't lift the lid part way through cooking just to be nosey, or heat will be lost and the 8hr cook will take much longer.

[curvature]

I had one of the Crock Pot slow cookers with the metal pot and it was awful.

Everything we cooked always had the same weird taste/smell to it.

Not sure if the other brands are better or worse or whether it was the metal. Anyone else experienced this?

[BIRMA]

I've just changed my old slow cooker for a Russell Hobbs 25630 slow cooker, it has the Sous Vide option which I will use eventually. Had a bit of a learning curve going from a metal pot to a thick ceramic pot as per the Russell Hobbs that being on slow it really is slow.
For winter meals you can't beat a slow cooker I have just finished up a load of Warrendale Wagyu brisket which is very nice but you get such nice results from plain old stewing steak that I buy from the butchers department at Morrisons.
All I do is chuck the remains of Friday's Pizza night Chianti into the pot on a Sunday morning, sear the beef then season, chuck in a few onions and carrots and leave it on for 8 hours.
I have concluded that the ceramic pots do cook a lot slower which I prefer to the metal pots that tend to make the food bubble more particularly if you buy tough but tasty skirt etc that really need a long slow cooking time.
The Russel Hobbs also has a temperature probe and programme for slow cooking joints, I haven't tried that yet but looks a good idea.

[peter tdci]

sgrimshaw said:

I've got two Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow cookers, a 3.5L and a 6.5L.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B6MZW9F/ref...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CBD8ZWY/ref...

They aren't cheap, but I find the ability to start and finish (if needed to thicken say) on the hob is worth the extra for me.

That's interesting. I bought a Morphy Richards slow cooker (Accents Sear & Stew 3.5L) off Amazon about 5 years ago for £24.99 -now it's just over £50!

[jonlk]

Evening all,

Does anyone have any recent recommendations?

TIA

[Pent]

Morphy richards we have had for 7 years.
Cheap, cheerful and never let us down.
3 modes. Low, high and off.
What more do you need. Stick it on for 5 hours and come home to a lovely lamb stew