SLOW COOKERS FOR BEGINNERS

Perfect vehicle for frugal, tasty, healthy meals in busy households...

Basic Slow Cooker with 24-hour Mechanical Timer and Cooker Pot Liners

updated Sept 2019
When 67goingon50 had to choose - for financial reasons - between an Instant Pot and an Air Fryer, the Air Fryer won easily.

That's because Instant Pots are pressure cookers in disguise and 67 has a long-standing anxiety about pressure cookers.  And though Instant Pots have come down in price, Slow Cookers are still better value, though planning is essential. 

Your intrepid blogger bought a Morrisons own-brand slow cooker in 2014. It was 5.5 litres, big enough for family meals plus plenty leftover to freeze.  It has a removable ceramic serving dish and cost all of £15 though prices have risen since then.   ( 2019: you should be able to find a decent family-sized slow cooker for £20-25.  For 1-3 people, smaller ones cost about £15.)

The slow cooker is still going strong and in regular use, despite the lid handle melting into a puddle during an experiment with artisan bread.

Of course, there are plenty of snazzy versions of slow cookers available in which you can brown food and which have super efficient digital timers/warming buttons.  But whatever your choice, it will be worth it.

Slow cookers:

• use roughly the same amount of energy as a light bulb
• transform cheaper, tougher cuts of meat and root veg into juicy, tender morsels
• can reduce the amount of meat used; the flavours permeate the whole dish
• encourages use of lentils & pulses to bulk out meals, cutting saturated-fat  
• help cut the grocery budget
• provide a home-cooked main course at the end of long days 
• produces soups overnight, terrific stock from meat carcass and a few veg,  and light and lovely steamed sponges 

BUT:

• if you're not careful, slow-cooked dishes can become like baby food.  67 checks the meat an hour before the end of cooking to make sure the meat still has 'give' but is tender and easy to digest.  After a few tries, you'll recognise where the line is
• the ingredients still have to be prepped 
• you're out all day but you may only need 4-6 hours of cooking 
• the slow cooker can be hell to clean

GUIDELINES FOR MAKING THE MOST OF SLOW-COOKERS

Use a Mechanical Timer

They're vital to prevent slow-cooked meat from falling apart and veg from disintegrating.  The timers can be found for as low as £4 at supermarkets*, electrical shops and hardware stores.  The timer plugs into the wall socket and your slow cooker (or other device) plugs into the timer.  They turn the electricity for your cooker on and off at the times specified. 

Overnight cooking Saves More Money

Electricity is cheapest from midnight to 7 am so it's worth using your slow cooker overnight.  Health-giving soup stocks/broth - which take a good 12-14 hours in a slow cooker - are ideal for overnight cooking. 

Also, casseroles and stews can cook overnight with your handy timer.  Reduce cooking time by an hour; the food continues to cook as it cools. Refrigerate before you head out the door and reheat when you get in. 

Saving time on prep

• do it the night before, not in the morning
• if browning isn't your thing, chucking everything in the cooker will work but the flavour may not be as subtly layered  
• double the recipe or increase it by half so leftovers can be frozen and provide another meal

Avoiding dishes that all taste the same 

• choose dishes that have strong, defining flavours
• use different cuts of meat: chunks make great stews and casseroles; large cuts braise well and can be served sliced; poultry joints and ribs of beef/pork/lamb make portioning easy; whole chickens can be poached until butter-tender without falling apart and you end up with gorgeous stock, too! 
• start with plenty of onion and garlic
• use fresh herbs where possible and throw in the stems, tied with string (remove before serving)
• check seasoning at end of cooking; more herbs and spices may be needed  
• root veg cooks well in a slow cooker but other carbs (eg pasta) & veg are best cooked separately 
• half an hour before the end of cooking time, frozen seafood, quick cooking veg like broccoli or green beans can be placed on top of the other ingredients where they will steam gently without turning into mush 

Cooking Temperatures

• slow is best; flavours are much deeper
• if your dish requires only 4-6 hours cooking and you're going to be out for longer than that, use a plug-in 24-hour mechanical timer (£4'ish, from Morrisons) 

Cooking Techniques

• trim the fat off meat 
• root veg goes on the bottom 
• cayenne & tabasco become bitter if cooked too long; only use towards the end of cooking time
• fill the cooking dish only 1/2 to 2/3 full and never more than 3/4 full
• the liquid should barely cover the contents 
• a thicker sauce can be achieved by rolling the meat in seasoned flour before cooking, OR at the end of cooking by adding a cornflour slurry of 1-2 tsp cornflour mixed with a similar amount of cold water 

Cooking Times (67 recommends the lower number to prevent overcooking)

Normal                   SC High                   SC Low

15-30 mins             1-2 hours                 4-6 hours

30 min-1 hr             2-3                          5-7

1-2 hrs                    3-4                          6-8

2-4                          4-6                          8-12

Recommended Meats for Slow-Cooking

• beef brisket 
• shin of beef   
• pork shoulder  
• pork ribs
• lamb shoulder 
• ham hock
• chicken thighs 
• whole chicken
• boiling fowl

Slow cookers also good for:

   pulses

   steamed puddings

*Morrisons

Note: 

• 67goingon50 has plenty of fabulous slow cooker recipes, including brisket, pheasant and chicken wings. See NavBar:RecipesII/Slow Cooker
• BBC Good Food also has plenty of recipes for slow cooking. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/slow_cooker_recipes
• See also Vegan Slow Cooker Meals  and Vegetarian Slow Cooker Meals (neither tested by 67goingon50)

FOR THOSE COMPLETELY NEW TO SLOW COOKERS

• lifting the lid: wear oven gloves; hold the handle facing you, directing the hot steam away from face and hands
• turn cooker off at the mains before removing cooking dish
• wait till cooker cools before washing it; soaking it overnight will soften and remove cooked-on food
• slow cooker liners at not unreasonable prices save on scrubbing 

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