Slow cooker advice (urgent)

I have just purchased Ninja 9 in 1 and I love it, so versatile. I have yet to try the slow cooker setting and I have an Aga. I use the Ninja most nights.

I have a Kitchenaid one. A bit more expensive, but I’ve had it for several years and use it a few times a week. It has several pre set programmes - low and high slow cook, simmer, boil, and sear. You can also set for things like soup and risotto. But I love the fact that you can sear meat in it before slow roasting or braising, and there’s an independent temperature setting, so very controllable.

Just to digress a bit, has he thought about a pressure cooker ? Mine gave out a couple of weeks ago and I was looking in the Black Friday sales for a replacement. Came across the ‘Kuhn Rikon’ website and plumped for something called a Duromatic Inox pressure cooker, and I’m really impressed. They’re a Swiss company and the quality is superb, but what really surprised me is how different the principle is - no more messing with jiggles and loud steamy cooking. You just put your ingredients in and heat until the button at the top pops up to show a red line on the steel rod beneath. Keep the pan on the same heat level and a second red line appears - you use these two pressure levels according to the food you’re cooking. The heat controls the pressure - when the desired pressure is reached you turn down the heat to keep the red line/s in view and it’s virtually silent.

De-pressurising is easy too - just take it off the heat for five minutes and then press the button at the top to release the pressure. I’ve been dying to tell people about this, as you can probably tell !!

Another vote for the Ninja Foodi, does so much more that a slow cooker, he will love you forever if you get him that! ?

JaneJudge

this looks interesting! and half price too

if it had metal pots i would jump at it

We are on our second slow cooker and it is a CrockPot, it is much better than the previous one. I agree a keep warm function is very useful. If you can afford it look at multi cookers which have more functions than just a slow cooker, including air frying.

My slow cooker is about 40 years old. I inherited it from my aunt. I am not sure what make it is and the controls are minimal and there is a chip in the lid. But it does what is says on the tin. It cooks food slowly and makes the meat deliciously melt-in-the-mouth, so I will continue to use it until it stops working.

Meat cooked in a slow cooker is delicious. My favourite s/c recipe is diced beef tossed in seasoned flour (season with mustard powder and black pepper) then seared in oil. Put the meat in the cooker with sliced onions and a couple of chopped carrots. Deglaze the pan with a bottle of strong flavoured ale or stout, pour it over the meat and cook on low for 8 hours or on med/high for less time. You can thicken it after cooking with a bit of Bisto or cornflour in water if necessary, and if it needs more flavour add in a bit of horseradish sauce.

I hardly ever make it these days, as my husband is vegetarian, but it's my standard dish when my son comes home, with cheesy mash and peas.

Slow cookers are better for meat than veg; but if anyone has tried and tested veggie recipes for a slow cooker, I'd love to see them, please.

I have an old large Russell Hobbs with ceramic lift out inner. I'm veggie, so I mainly used it to cook large joints of beef for OH when on offer. Then sliced and frozen, with gravy, lots of handy meals.
There are various options here
www.robertdyas.co.uk/kitchen-electricals/small-appliances/small-cooking-appliances/slow-cookers