What do you think of slow cookers?

I think it's important to leave it out, somewhere handy (mine sits next to the breadmaker in the utility) as it would get forgotten packed away in a cupboard.

A big benefit is the tiny amount of electricity it uses.

As an almost vegetarian I use it for cooking a full kg. packet of dried beans after soaking overnight. I used to use a pressure cooker but this is far better. I freeze the beans after in useable sized portions.

I love mine. It has a metal non-stick bowl so, I can fry the meat in it if I want to and, it is dishwasher proof,

I love being able to pop it on in the morning and forget about it until I am ready to eat. In the days when we were able to have visitors, I could do a meal in there so it would not matter what time they arrive.

FannyConforth, I chuck everything in together. It works.

I would recommend getting an oval one, that way you can do a whole chicken or a leg of lamb, as well as all the other things.

Fanny if it's a vegetable stew presumably it would be onions & root veg, in which case I would put them all in together.

I even put the likes of mushrooms in at the beginning, as you say it defeats the purpose if you have to pay too much attention!

I also read every time the lid is raised to add or whatever, 20 minutes is added to the cooking time. If you were adding vegetables several times that would increase the cooking time by an awful lot. I pop everything in at once and then leave it.

Thanks everyone - that's exactly what I wanted to hear! Just chuçk it all in.

I have used mine for years on top of a very heavy chopping board. Its invaluable in my kitchen and I got a really good cookbook to go with it for a present. Make sure it's on a solid surface on top of your kitchen unit. My son kept his on all day and it scorched his surface.

Grandson loves a gammon joint cooked in coke in the slow cooker.

I've got used to chopping dense vegetables a little smaller. They don't soften as much as usual. Yes, you can chuck it all in and things don't disintegrate.

When I cooked meat dinners, for the carnivores in the family, I'd put a whole gammon or leg of lamb in - no liquid needed. If the lid didn't fit, I'd just mould a cover out of foil and put a folded tea towel on top.

We have a very swanky oval, metal innards one.

Used it once, put it in the cupboard and this thread has just reminded me about it.

Are they really that good? Only I was going to do a bolognaise sauce today which will only take half an hour to do on the hob, is it worth digging the slow cooker out?

Oopsadaisy4 I would not drag it out for that.

Does anybody have a combination slow and pressure cooker?

My ancient slow cooker needs replacing and as my also ancient pressure cooker needs a new gasket I thought I'd save space by combining the two.

I use them both frequently so it wouldn't be a case of it being stuck in a cupboard out of sight.

* Charleygirl* thanks, it’s full of cake decorating stuff, so il leave it where it is.
I will pull it out for it’s annual Christmas Cake decorating fest.

I’ve made casseroles using pre-browned and non-browned meat and quite honestly, you can’t tell the difference so I do t bother with browning now.

*don’t

Can you cook chicken in one or does it dry out??

I use mine a lot, both for batch cooking and for the long slow technique. I also make a most absolutely delicious die for chocolate pudding cake thing. The only drawback to that is it makes quite a large quantity and it has to be eaten. I'm fairly sure it would not freeze, but I don't want to try it in case it spoils. I don't mind eating it twice or more.

Chicken carcass in mine now with stock and veg. Use mine a couple of times a week.

travelsafar I cook chicken all the time, no drying out, either with a sauce for pieces. For a whole one, just a half mug of water, herbs, butter on breast and seasoning, it makes gravy.

Merlotgran I have a Ninja Foodi combination cooker and I use the pressure cooker and air fryer the most. I make all sorts of casseroles, soups, bolognaise and chilli in the pressure cooker. No need to keep stirring, the bottom doesn't catch as it does in a pan. I've used a combination of pressure cooker and air fryer for roast chicken; it was so tasty.

I have sen recipes for cakes in them, but have not tried that

SEEN not sen

Another tip is to put the veg at the bottom, meat on top. - apparently it cooks the veg a little more if you do that.

I use mine a lot in winter, for casseroles, curries, chilli, as well as joints of meat.