Slow cooker yay or nay?

You've convinced me!
DD has one and said I should get one but I was unsure.

I think I was one of the first people in the UK to have a slow cooker. It was in the early 70's when there was a shortage of sugar, salt and pepper if my memory serves me right. ( I don't think there was a huge shortage - more a case of people hoarding ). Anyway a parcel arrived from my brother in Australia and it was a slow cooker packed with sugar, salt and pepper !!!. I had never seen one before. A few months later Good Housekeeping magazine were proclaiming them to be the new best idea by which time I was hooked on it. It had one drawback in that the inner part was not removeable so it was a sod to wash up. I still have it and though minus one handle still works well but is only brought out now when I am reheating the Christmas pudding. I did treat myself to one from Tesco a year or so ago - special offer at £9.99.

A "Yes" from me too! I use mine for stews and curries, wouldn't be without it. I know stews and curries can be cooked very well on the hob/in the oven, but I like to be able to prepare them and then forget about them for the rest of the day.

That's a great tip about putting bread in the slow cooker to rise yogagran, I'd never have thought of that. Must give it a try.

A big yes from me. It's such a relief travelling home from work on the bus to think that I don't have to start cooking when I get in. And I think most meats have more flavour when cooked over the day.

I like the breadmaking tip too, yogagran. I'll try it when I get over the OH begging me never to make home-made bread again because he was getting mocked and bullied in the workplace over his bait. Granted it was a little bit on the heavy side, but the doorstop comparisons were simply uncalled for, IMHO.

Love mine! I made a delicious Lancashire Hotpot the other day - put it on 'low' and added very little stock at the beginning. It was on all day, then I added gravy granules to thicken. I've never made soups, but do joints, chicken, curries, and stews regularly.

Mr P makes large batches of mashed potato and freezes it in suitable quantities. When I was working (sob!) it was a case of take a tub of mash out of the freezer in the morning, put slow cooker on (sometimes I would prep the night before).

Then when I got home, just zap the mash in the microwave, quickly cook any side veg, broccoli for example and dish up. Brilliant.

deff a yes! yes! and yes!! oval one much better as chicken and joints etc fit in better than trying to squish the chicken into a round one...I bought the cheapest one for argoos (cookworks) and it is brill...much better than my expensive morphy Richards one (which actualy wasn't mine but was an engagement present for daughter and ex boyfriend,,(well they broke up so they wern't going to use it were they!)

I wouldn't be without my slow cooker . Today I had loads of jobs to do , so put a casserole in the slow cooker this morning and had a lovely meal ready this evening. I made enough to freeze half for another time, so a double bonus! Great on your own or for a family.

My daughter uses hers a lot. She leaves it cooking while she's at work and there's a hot meal when the family gets home. If I go round to check on it during the afternoon it always smells wonderful!

I love it, I carried mine as hand luggage on a flight from Edinburgh to Brussels with a changeover at Gatwick many years ago. I wonder how it would go on Ryanair and could be interesting going through security !!!!!!

I wouldn't be without mine. Have used it for so many meals and freeze anything we don't fancy to use another time. I made a batch of soup with some butternut squash that I had bought, it turned out really good, we both had some and I froze the rest. I don't use it much in the summer months, but at this time of year, it's invaluable.

They are all the rage in USA and they have now produced variations on the theme --one has a dish divided like a vegetable dish to keep 'dips' warm but would also be good for vegetables and another type where the slow cooker is much smaller but several will link together.

I use mine to potroast a piece of brisket for my husband (I'm vegetarian) I just sling it in with a bit of water - job done! I also do him stews etc. I don't bother cutting the slices of stewing steak - just sling em in with a few veg and water. The meat breaks down on its own so I don't have to touch it. He loves it. (He could do his own but I love cooking).

It also does nice veggie stuff for me but my favourite has to be rice pudding - heavenly!

Love mine too. Use it for all sorts. Lovely for steaming puddings. Just turn it on and you don't have to keep checking the water.

tiggypiro - That shortage of salt in the early 70s - wasn't... somebody started a rumour (oh yes, it happened before the Internet). After all, this little island is surrounded by salt water!

Slow cooker for me - braising beef tomorrow (onion, carrot, celery etc.)
nothiing tenderises meat like it.

With the slow cooker and my Remoska I've got all I need

made Hungarian goulash other week....tin of toms, red wine...(slurp)[slurp] stewing beef, onions lots of other bits...put it all in in the morning..mmmmmmmm was delicious come tea time...

Mine s bubbling away as we speak,
Chicken
Carrots
Onions
Celery
Mushrooms
Pearl Barley

Splash of Lea & Perrins , finely chopped garlic , seasoning.
My mouth is watering as I speak , we will be enjoying it within the hour !!
one and all

I love mine but its stainless steel which means I can brown meat,make the sauce and if I've overdone the liquid I can reduce on the top before I serve. I combine it with Delia's cheat recipe book. It's practically a no cook day but I use less fresh herbs in it as they seem to develop a very strong flavour ,especially thyme .

Yay, I have one. It is a large oval Sainsbury one. A third off, and quite a good write up. Looking forward to trying it. Want to cook a gammon joint at Christmas. How do I find out how long to cook it for?

Used to have one years ago.Didn't really use it, as it was big and heavy. This thread has got me interested again. I've done some research and decided on one where I can brown the meat first.
Looking on the internet, there are loads of interesting recipies including a lovely one for a gammon joint. Thanks for the thread. X

The best thing about slow cookers is the lengthy cooking time as we don't know the size of your gammon joint can only give a guess but about six hours is the time I cook everything. A little water some spices and bay leaves and set to automatic and leave.

My mum gave me one when they first came on the market. It was so useful when we were all out all day and could have a good hotpot waiting for us in the evening. That was before I decided to become a veggie. It wouldn't be so useful now.

I use mine , brought a smaller 3 litre one ,and like to do my casserole/stews in it.
Followed the makers instructions and cook on a medium heat.
Casserole wise had a tip to use Cumin in them for the bite, but its not to hot .
Mick

3.5 litres is big enough unless you are feeding a large family or want to freeze half. You can also get dinky little ones for people on their own, but I am not sure they would cook evenly.

I cook my ham in a can of Irn Bru plus some extra water, with a roughly chopped apple, a few peppercorns and some mustard seeds added.

Or lemonade/orangeade, with the peel of an orange/satsuma/tangerine and whole spices.

Or any other liquid that appeals to you - cider? apple juice?