Is it worth buying a slow cooker, or are they just another one of those kitchen gadgets that never get used?

Question

We both work full time - are slow cookers useful?

Answer 1

slow cookers are great for several real purposes. If you really can and will plan your meals, you can start dinner in the morning and eat when you get home from work. You can make your meat and come home and make some pasta and a salad in 20 minutes. I don't have to tell you about the soup possibilities. If you go to pot lucks, they are great. Ther fix it and forget it cookbook is great.

Answer 2

I love my slow cooker - it makes meat so tender, never dry. I just check the meat with a meat thermometer to make sure it has come to the right temperature. I have two children under the age of 3 and trying to watch them while cooking dinner is crazy. If I get a meal going in the slow cooker in the morning before they wake up, things go a lot smoother at dinner time. I also used mine before I had the kids when I worked full time. And I use it to take baked beans and meatballs to family parties.

This is the best meatloaf recipe ever:

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Meatloaf (Crock Pot)

2 eggs
¾ cup milk
2/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tsp. dried minced onion or Lipton onion soup mix
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. rubbed sage
1½ lbs. ground beef
¼ cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. ground mustard
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist). Shape into a round loaf: place in a 5-qt. Slow cooker. Cover and cook over low for 5 – 6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meatloaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10 – 15 minutes before cutting.

From Sept./Oct. 2003 Quick Cooking p. 43

I also have some great chicken and pork chop recipes if you're interested. Just e-mail me through Yahoo Answers and I'll e-mail them back. Banquet sells some frozen food for the slow cooker that is pretty good. There's also a slow cooker helper (same people that make hamburger helper) that I use to cook a beef roast.

Answer 3

Winter is coming and the nights are drawing in and out comes my slow cooker. I prepare everything the night before and put all the ingredients in the morning on low and have a wonderful meal prepared for the evening. Whatever is left over I reheat the next evening. Preparation on a Sunday gives you Monday and Tuesday meals all done - ideal!

Answer 4

Slow cooker are useful for boiling soup & make stew food. Just pop all the fresh supplies in to the slow cooker and in the evening, you will have a excellent meal. I always use it to boil soup as it taste great by cooking it slowly.

Answer 5

Slow-cooking is actually for those who have too many free time in their hands. But it could also work for those who are in a hurry. You can set it like this: Put whatever you want to cook inside the cooker when you are about to go to sleep, and set it down to the lowest setting. Leave it to cook throughout the night.

This works best for legumes such as red beans that take a long time to cook. Besides, slow-cooking preserves the taste better than 'normal' slow-cooking, i.e. cooking over low flames.

Answer 6

I like my crockpot a lot. I bought mine when I was working full time and going to college. I just did not want to get home a 7PM and then try to make dinner. I bought one with a removable pot so that I could wash it right in the dishwasher. I had one of the ones that does not have a removable liner and it was a pain in the neck to clean. Reynolds now makes disposable lines to put in your crockpot. The liners make clean up twice as fast!
My family likes beef stew, meatballs and chili and baked beans in the crockpot. The crockpot is a wonderful thing! Below is a link for some more recipes you might want to try once you buy your crockpot.

Answer 7

Hi its well worth having a slow cooker ive had one for years best thing ive ever bought u can leave your tea cooking while you are work its great try one you will be surprised and relize you should of bought one ages ago goodlook hope you like it

Answer 8

Slow cookers are great and really easy to use. I bought one years ago and although we don't use it all the time it does get used, especially in the winter. It is great for making pot roast or hot pot.
Layer your ingredients, meat then veg and pour in stock and seasoning, switch on in the morning and when you come home from work the smell is absolutely delicious.
Invest in one, you will use it just to get the wear out of it.

Answer 9

You can use a low setting on your oven but I think the slow cooker is more economical to run. I borrowed my neighbour's slow cooker to make a curry and it worked well. she uses hers a lot-great for cooking cheap stewing steak to make it tender and much better than living on ready meals. I have requested one off Santa!

Answer 10

Unless you are planning on cooking stews every single day.. and you either don't have a hob or use it so much you don't have space for a pan for stew on it while you're cooking. or you plan on making 2.5 litres (or 7!!!!!) of stew all the time every day.

i used to work in a shop and we sold all that kinda stuff, home electricals and stuff. including slow cookers. and many customers told me that they had got one and never really used it.

i guess it might be useful if you
a) eat nothing but stews and
b) have about 6 people to feed daily

otherwise I'd say no