Crockpot - Slow Cooker

If you're thinking about buying a Crock pot/Slow Cooker, there are a few things to know before you part with your hard earned cash.

What price should I pay for a good one?

Crockpot

They start from under 10 pounds, which will give you a perfectly good product. This price will buy you a 2.0 litre capacity Crock-pot/Slow Cooker, so a perfect size for one or two people, and easy to store in a cupboard. You can find them on line at this price but not always available in the major supermarkets. Example: Argos.co.uk do a good one, Argos Value Slow Cooker. It's round and only comes in white white, 90 watts, toughened glass lid, cool touch casing, removable crock-pot, dishwasher safe, it has the basic high or low setting, but it does have a keep warm setting. It also comes with a recipe book. 20 pounds will buy you the 3.5 litre capacity and 170-watt power consumption, usually presented in an oval shape, with a removable crock-pot that's dishwasher safe, and the same three settings as the cheaper one, but you are more likely to get a two-year warranty with this one.
What functions are you looking for?
If you want a more "singing dancing" crock-pot, and one that has an international brand name, then checkout the Tefal 4 in 1 range. You can pick one up on line for just over 50 pounds. It's multi functional and comes in a two-tone black and stainless steel housing. It has a capacity of 3.2 litres, so big enough for a medium to large family. It has a Rice cooking function, and graduated markings inside the pot to help you set the correct amount of rice to water, and it sorts out its own cooking time automatically! It can make about 600grams of porridge in four minutes, but does not have keep warm function for this. It also has a steam basket and the timing on this can be set from 1 minute to an hour. The down side is that there is no viewing window. The lid is integrated into the appliance with a hinged locking device; this prevents any cooking smells leaking out, which is ideal if you cook overnight and don't want to wake up first thing in the morning to the aroma of a stew. It comes with a measuring spoon and recipe book.
Whichever Crockpot you buy will be a good investment; and very economical, easy to use and a fabulous time saver that produces great results. Even the cheaper cuts of meat are slow cooked to perfection. The recipe books that are provided with some models are a good starter for a new crock-pot owner, but thankfully, with the invention of the Internet we now have thousands of Crock-pot recipes at our fingertips.

Tryout this classic recipe.

Ragu/Bolognaise sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pan Add the chopped garlic and fry for a few minutes Pour in the Passata and stir Simmer for 5 minutes Stir in the caramelised onions and simmer for a further 5 minutes Add the dried Thyme plus the fresh sprig, parsley, oregano and bay leaf Add the sherry vinegar, brown sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir Simmer for 5 minutes Add the Worcestershire sauce, splash of Tabasco, tomato puree and red wine Simmer for another 5 minutes Add all the Soffrito Meanwhile, brown the minced pork and beef Whilst the meat is browning, turn the Crockpot/slow cooker on high Assemble all the ingredients together in a Crockpot/slow cooker and turn it down to low Cook for 8 hours Serve with Tagliatelle or spaghetti and freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Crockpot - Slow Cooker

Lesley and her husband Barry love cooking, traveling, and discovering delicious new ways of enjoying food. Want more mouth-watering recipes, complete with photos, and full shopping lists - visit CookingWithTheJoneses.com.

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