Whats The Best....

[Chipchopper]

slow cooker, or are they all pretty much alike ?

Also are the cheap or expensive to run ?

[hc4361]

They are very cheap to run and are all much the same.

Some have bowls that are suitable for the hob if you want to heat your dish before slow cooking. Some have simple timers, some have complex timers and some have no timer.

I have a big one and a small one - they are cheap to buy, too

[Tilly2]

I think they're pretty much alike, Chip. However, some are metal so that you can saute things on the stove first, and some are ceramic which means you have to saute things separately. Mine is a Russell Hobbs ceramic one, which sits inside a metal outer casing.

They are much cheaper to run than a conventional oven.

[Tilly2]

Get one in the pre-Christmas sales, Chip, if you think you'd like one.

[woofgang]

the other thing is that size matters. Within reason you can do a small amount in a big cooker but you can't do a large amount in a small cooker. You can also get them that are also a steamer/pressure cooker if that would be useful

[EDDIE51]

Our over has a 'Slow' setting that does the same thing but a full size oven not a small pot. You can put 3 or 4 large saucepans full of stew or casserole in at once and cook all night, then freeze .
At Christmas it cooks the turkey, gammon, beef, all on slow all at the same time. Just put each in separate baking tin wrapped in foil and leave all night. Far better than a slow cooker that is just a single pot.

[mazie]

we are very rural so no gas. Electric cooking is expensive. The slow cooker is a god send and very economical to run. I think I paid about £20 for ours and it does the job Chip.

[gingejbee]

EDDIE...I think most of us know what an "over" can do....but a slow cooker is a very useful thing for a lot of people who don't want an "over" full of food.

[ummmm]

What is the cost of that, Eddie?

I have a slow cooker but I've only used it once. Got it for £20 in the sale.

I prefer the hob or oven. Most of the recipes for the slow cooker were stews/casserole types which is something we don't eat much of.

[gingejbee]

...you can cook anything in a slow cooker that you would do in a low oven....a whole chicken, for example.

[ummmm]

I know but to crisp up the skin you have to finish it in the oven so may as well do it in the oven to start with. Plus it's rare I'd serve up a whole chicken without roast spuds.

I'll keep it...just in case.

[sherrardk]

I've got a slow cooker - it's a huge one (7.5 litres I think). Was about £20 but only gets used for Coca Cola chicken and slow cooked ham (did do a chicken casserole once but it looked and smelt like cat food).

[EDDIE51]

I have not worked out a cost per hour but the 'slow' setting is 86 deg
so it's not going to use much electricity. I have cooked an 8 Kg turkey , a 4 kg Whole Gammon and a 3 Kg Beef joint all at the same time. Each was in it's own roasting bag so no cross contamination. There would have been room for a large Christmas pud as well if I had wanted one.
You can of course just do one small tight lidded saucepan of food if you want.
Due to the long slow cooking time you can put frozen joints straight from the freezer into the cooker , it defrosts and then cooks all in one. I have even cooked large pork joints straight from frozen, tastes great , melts in your mouth and never a problem. Just make sure you cook long enough, I do 8 hours minimum overnight. You can't over cook on slow I have left joints in for 12 hours or more , as long as it is sealed so that it does not dry out. Roasting bags are ideal for this, you can get ones large enough for a big turkey. Another tip is cook the turkey upside down! That way the juices run into the breast meat and keep it moist and tender, try it , you will never cook a turkey the 'right way up' again , you can even get special upside down turkey roaster pans to hold it in the correct position .

[EDDIE51]

^ Of course you have to do the roast spuds separately,I cook all the Christmas meat on slow overnight then there is only the veg to steam and the spuds and Yorkshires to cook on Christmas morning . They are cooked with a bottle of red wine, (for me not the cooking! ) We can't stand the sight of Christmas pud so never bother with one.

[ummmm]

On the rare times I've had turkey it's been a turkey crown.

I'm not a fan of it regardless of how it's cooked.

[EDDIE51]

I like turkey better cold in sandwiches than hot roast.
Not a fan of Christmas food in general. I hate mince pies, mincemeat, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake. Every year we buy a bag of nuts because my wife says ''It's not Christmas without nuts'' Every year they sit untouched until they go mouldy and get thrown out.

[ummmm]

I don't eat any of those things either.

Xmas dinner is just a Sunday dinner with some extras.

My slow cooker could just take a medium chicken.

[Chipchopper]

Very informative.
Thank's all!