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Rosy Days
27-12-2012, 12:22 PM
Hello everyone, do any of you have a slow cooker and do you recommend? Do you find its alot easier to prepare an evening meal with a slow cooker when you are busy childminding all day? I don't provide evening meals for mindees but feel that I spend sooo much time in the kitchen cooking for my own family and really want to try to make things easier. Your thoughts would appreciated.
Many thanks xx

FussyElmo
27-12-2012, 12:34 PM
Yes I use my slow cooker alot and like you only prepare for my family.

I like the fact that I can put the stuff in for tea in the morning and its all done nicely :thumbsup:

I do spag bol, chillis, curries, casseroles, joints, even rice pudding :thumbsup:

Roseolivia
27-12-2012, 12:49 PM
I have 2 slow cookers. 1 is huge so does the 4 of us, the other is smaller so is just right for me and partner. I probably don't use it as much as i should but it's great when you have loads of kids and not enough time to prepare your own tea when they are here.

loocyloo
27-12-2012, 12:55 PM
i use mine to make big vats of bolognaise sauce, chilli, casseroles/stews. have alos cooked 'roast' chicken, ham & beef in it. super rice pud too.

i use mine for mindees and once they have had theirs, i leave it to carry on cooking and we eat later.

caz3007
27-12-2012, 12:57 PM
I have one and would definately recommend. I mainly use mine for casseroles and cheaper cuts of stewing beef come out fantastic.

migimoo
27-12-2012, 02:00 PM
I love mine-just throw meat,veg and a packet mix or stock and herbs in and walk away for 6-8 hours!

Great for soups too...Anthony Worrall Thompson has a fab slow cooker book that I borrowed from the library-every single recipe has been delish.

PixiePetal
27-12-2012, 04:39 PM
I have a large one and use it all the time - it has meatballs in tomato sauce in it now (a change from turkey :))

Cheating really - just browned fresh beef meatballs and a couple of jars of sauce :blush:

silvermist
27-12-2012, 04:43 PM
I have one which I got from Asda for £10. Its big enough to feed four of us. I use it all the time and would definately reccommend it xx

Nannymairi
27-12-2012, 06:57 PM
Hello everyone, do any of you have a slow cooker and do you recommend? Do you find its alot easier to prepare an evening meal with a slow cooker when you are busy childminding all day? I don't provide evening meals for mindees but feel that I spend sooo much time in the kitchen cooking for my own family and really want to try to make things easier. Your thoughts would appreciated.
Many thanks xx

Debenhams selling a book called the slow cooler in the sale, full of tasty recipes x

mushpea
27-12-2012, 09:29 PM
I have two one big one small both morphy richards and I love em, the bigger one I use to roast big joints in or to make large batches to freeze like chilli or bolognaise and the smaller one to do evening meals, I now only use them for the family but used to cook for all the kids in. I find the mince comes out more like tinned mince then 'lumpy' txture mince you get when you cook it in a pan but we prefer it that way, when cooking joints I never put any liquid of any sort in with them and they cook in their own juices and come out lovley and tender although chicken tends to fall off the bone as you take it out. I also cook
sausage or chicken or beef caserole
curries
stews
soups
goulash
shepherds pie, the mince part then add mash potatoes at the end and grill to brown
I do pretty much anything in it really. I put all my ingreediants in it first thing in the morning around 8am and we eat about 6pm , its great on nights when OH is working or the kids have activities as we just eat seperate and take ours when we want it so no cooking lots of seperate meals, I never brown the meat unless I am using cheap sausages then I just brown them all over in a really hot pan first .
best thing I ever bought and lots of recipes on the net

watgem
28-12-2012, 06:51 PM
if you are cooking meat/poultry in one do you have to brown or cook the meat first before you put it in? I was just wondering because as a veggie I tend to leave the meat stuff to DHxxx

migimoo
28-12-2012, 09:38 PM
I don't brown it first...it makes no difference to the taste just the look of it.

VeggieSausage
29-12-2012, 12:33 PM
I make loads of veggie stews and casseroles/ curries in mine for my family and mindees, very useful indeed!

ChildcareCate
29-12-2012, 09:03 PM
I also have two - a big one that takes a leg of lamb and a little one for two. Use them a lot! Even use the small one to make porridge over night so it is ready in the morning. I also get books from the library to try out new recipes. Would not be without mine!

Lilylulu
29-12-2012, 09:14 PM
I also have two - a big one that takes a leg of lamb and a little one for two. Use them a lot! Even use the small one to make porridge over night so it is ready in the morning. I also get books from the library to try out new recipes. Would not be without mine!

I love the porridge idea, although our slow cooker is mahooosive so may now look for a little one just for this. I'm fed up with it bubbling all over the microwave.

TAZ
29-12-2012, 11:49 PM
Having read all these recommendations I might have to go out and buy one...:)

kim-d
30-12-2012, 09:23 AM
Hello everyone, do any of you have a slow cooker and do you recommend? Do you find its alot easier to prepare an evening meal with a slow cooker when you are busy childminding all day? I don't provide evening meals for mindees but feel that I spend sooo much time in the kitchen cooking for my own family and really want to try to make things easier. Your thoughts would appreciated.
Many thanks xx


I have one and wouldn't be without it I use it for childminding and my family I love it that much I have one for our caravan in wales aswell. x:clapping:

Tealady
30-12-2012, 09:31 AM
The Argos Cookworks one was a Which? best buy and is very affordable. I bought the large one (6.5 litre) just to see if I would get use out of it then was going to upgrade to something fancier. However I have used it tonnes and it does the job a treat.

migimoo
30-12-2012, 01:27 PM
I also have two - a big one that takes a leg of lamb and a little one for two. Use them a lot! Even use the small one to make porridge over night so it is ready in the morning. I also get books from the library to try out new recipes. Would not be without mine!

How do you do porridge overnight? We all love it but find it too much hassle and mess in the morning!

nannysue
30-12-2012, 05:15 PM
I have one which I got from Asda for £10. Its big enough to feed four of us. I use it all the time and would definately reccommend it xx

I have the same one !! great value:thumbsup: wish i'd got one years ago. Put it all together in the morning and have a lovely meal all ready for teatime. Gammon joint is delicious. :)

Apparently porridge cooked slowly overnight is lovely, will definately give that a go.

cathtee
30-12-2012, 05:18 PM
I have watched all these replys with interest and I have decided to go and get one tomorrow had been thinking about it for a while, thanks
more money to spend, I did the same with a steam mop just can't resist :laughing: