Slow Cooker Guide

What is a slow cooker?

A slow cooker is an excellent appliance in the kitchen that will help you prepare delicious and healthy dinners with minimal effort and preparations, meaning you spend less time in the kitchen. A slow cooker works by cooking food at a steady and controlled temperature over a more extended period. They also allow your food to cook in an airt tight state which locks in moisture to deliver soft and tender results.

How much should you spend on an a slow cooker.

How much you should spend depends on you and your budget. For what they are and what they deliver, slow cookers are an excellent investment for your kitchen. Unlike other cooking appliances, the slow cooker is pretty simple, and even the cheapest ones will offer a great experience. Most people will spend around £30 on a decent one.

What can you cook in your Slow Cooker?

• Chicken– whole, moist breasts, thighs, pulled chicken
• Beef– slow-cooked brisket and chuck steak with rich sauces of any nationality or spice it
• Lamb– lamb, chucks made into curries, lamb shanks, legs or shoulders
• Pork– Fatty belly, shoulder or loin- pulled pork
• Vegetables– cooking vegetables can be prepared the same as any meat dish
• Dessert– the list is endless when creating a delicious dessert on your Slow Cooker.

Basics of a Slow Cooker? Eating the best-slow-cooked food is made simple.

A slow cooker is usually made from ceramic, metal, or even porcelain. It is typically surrounded by an electrical unit that contains a heating element. The heating element can be found on all sides of the pots, or in some cases, it’s at the bottom of the pot. Slow cookers all have a lid made from metal, ceramic, or glass. The features of the lids are designed to produce a low-pressure seal to stop moisture from escaping the pot.

This slow cooker feature is very beneficial to someone who loves to save money as much as possible. Even though slow cookers are used longer, most tend to use less power than an oven due to how a slow cooker operates. Varying on the brand, some slow cookers may switch on and off to retain heat or just heat constantly at a specific temperature.

Shape and style of the Slow Cooker

Standard slow cookers usually come in round or oval shapes. You can decide which shape best suits you by thinking about the type of dish you often cook.

For instance, meats such as chicken, brisket, or ribs will fit better in an oval shape, whereas beans or stews do not matter as much, and you can buy the one that best fits in your cabinets.

1.5-3 Litres = 1-2 people

5-6.5 litre = 5 and more people meal

Heat Settings

The second important thing to consider when buying a slow cooker is its heat settings and looks. You will need to look for a timer to turn the machine on and off, keep warm settings and some of the features that increase the price of your Slow Cooker.

Keep in mind that if you are not going to use them all, you might prefer to buy one with only the keep warm feature and the standard features to reduce the price without compromising. Cooking time examples (please check with each type of slow cooker as heats may vary.

Low heat setting: 8 hours

Using a slow cooker on a low setting takes the longest to cook but can provide excellent results on cheaper cuts of meats.  Compared to the higher settings, when you’re slow cooking something on a lower heat, this helps break down connective tissues better and make your food taste delicious.

Medium heat setting: 6 hours

Using a slow cooker on the medium setting is the midway setting. It’s usually recommended to use this setting when you’re cooking red meats. Using a slow cooker on a high setting is similar to cooking in a crockpot but can cook your foods faster.

High heat setting: 4 hours

Using a slow cooker on a high setting is usually for cooking paler meats like chicken. For recipes done in 4-5 hours, you should use the ‘high’ heat.

Energy efficient

Effortless cooking

Make cheaper cuts of meats tastier

Time to be ready when you need it

Make excellent meals to impress the family

The main advantage of slow cooking is its energy efficiency. Even though you leave something to cook for many hours, less energy is used than cooking something in a conventional oven or on the hob. That makes the slow cooker ideal for use with cheaper cuts of meat as during long cooking times, the meat is tenderised, and it all falls apart. Also, when using a slow cooker, there is no need to brown ingredients before adding them, which saves time!

The other main advantage of slow cooking is that it allows you to use cheaper cuts of meat which tend to be full of flavour and require long, moist cooking times for them to become tender.

Convenience

The slow cooker allows you to pile in ingredients and wait for dinner to be ready at a time that’s good for you. Some slow cookers have a keep-warm function to maintain a steady temperature to keep the food warm.

Lack of Odour

The slow cooker allows you to cook with no smoke or smell of burnt food; instead, you get a pleasant, warm, welcoming smell that excites the room.

Prevent burning food

Burning food in the Slow Cooker is impossible. The temperature isn’t high enough to burn foods no matter what setting it’s on or how long you leave it on.

Tenderness

Slow cooking breaks down the collagen (collagen in connective tissue is part of what makes meat tough) making a tastier meal.

Flavour

The longer you leave your food to simmer, the better the flavour gets. Therefore, foods from a slow cooker always have a delightful and savoury flavour.

Quick preparation time

Using slow cookers usually means all your food is prepared at once. Throw the ingredients straight into the slow cooker, and you’re ready to go.

It does not work for every recipe.

Certain dishes are not suited to slow cooking. Recipes that require large cuts of meats or any ingredients needing browning before cooking and recipes that consist of many ingredients often don’t blend together.

Uneven results

If you combine vegetables and meats, you will notice that the vegetables take longer to cook than meat. To avoid this, you will need you either precook the veg or put them in before the meat.

Flavours can overpower

As they are being cooked for so long, you can find things like spices to pack an extra punch. To combat this, you can try using a little less of the spice to get the full flavour still.

Different types of slow cookers

There are many slow cooker types you can choose from, but the cooking and heating elements remain the same. The number next to the cooker type and the model number relates to its many watts, which means how much power it uses when operating. A higher wattage does not necessarily imply a faster or better quality cook, so we recommend reading up more on the specific cooker you want.

The first slow cooker type is the ‘programmable slow cooker’, and it will typically have a digital LCD screen to allow you to make adjustments like temperature or time. With this appliance, you can set up your cooking program as you wish and leave it to do its thing while you are out of the house. After the cooking is complete, it will automatically switch to a ‘keep warm function.

The second slow cooker type is called the Manual Slow Cooker, and it operates like an old school analogue dial; some have timers on them. It will let you choose which temperature you want to cook your food at from low, medium or high heat. Once that is set, the appliance will cook your food at that temperature for a specified time before automatically switching to keep warm.

The third slow cooker type is called the Sensor Slow Cooker, and it uses an internal probe to monitor the temperature of your ingredients so that you can get perfect results every time. The sensor controls how fast heat enters your food, and as food cooks, the temperature will increase. Once your food reaches a specific internal temperature, the heat will stop.

Health benefits of slow cooker recipes

Slow cooking your food at a low temperature can help lock in vitamins and minerals because the foods are surrounded by steam during cooking.

It is also essential to add in lots of vegetables, and the best way to do this is by cooking them from the start so that they are part of your meal right from the beginning.

This means you don’t have to worry about them going to waste, which has a positive effect on your wallet as well!

Auto Cook

Some slow cookers have an auto cook function. This means when you are cooking on a high setting, the slow cooker automatically reduces to the low setting for the rest of the cooking time. This is very useful when you want the overall cooking time to be quicker because this will still help the food simmer.

Metal insert

A metal insert is found in slow cookers that have sauteing features. They weigh less, and it allows you to prepare a meal all in one pot truly and are very easy to clean. However, there are others made from nonstick material. They can be placed on a cooktop, in the oven, and even in the freezer.

Lid Material

When using a slow cooker, you should avoid opening the lid because it lets out precious heat and extends cooking time. Buying slow cookers with a glass lid is very beneficial because this will allow you to see how your meal progresses without taking the lid off and affecting the cooking process.

Crock Construction

Ceramic and porcelain are the most common. Crocks are very beneficial because they make cleaning much easier, and they are also removable.

Sear Function

Some slow cookers come with a sear function to make browning meats or sauteing onions/vegetables easier.

Easily transportable

Will you be cooking meals for home consumption only, or do you plan to transport meals to events such as parties or family gatherings?

Do not overfill: One of the top rules you should always do is always put the correct amount of food and liquid in the pot. The heat must be able to circulate correctly, and a steady temperature is crucial, too.

Prep ahead of time: Prepare your ingredients ahead of time for even more timesaving. Consider preparing the pot the night before and putting it in the fridge for cooking the next day.

Dairy goes in at the end: Remember to add this ingredient when the recipe involves dairy.

Save money on meat: Less expensive cuts of meat cook very well in the Slow cooker. The bottom roast and chuck roasts turn out very tender with a long, low-temperature cook.

Sear and sauté first: To get the best results when cooking meat, the meat is seared before being placed in the pot.

Layer ingredients: Firm veggies (potatoes, carrots, turnips) should be placed on the bottom. Meat goes in the middle of the slow cooker, and lighter vegetables are at the top.

How much liquid: Too much liquid is not ideal as it won’t evaporate. Slow cookers are designed to be used with a low amount of liquid as there is little evaporation.

Are slow cookers safe to leave on throughout the day?

Slow cookers are designed to be used unattended, but please make sure the electrics are in good condition if you’re using an older slow cooker. As long as you keep it on an even surface and it’s free from other objects/appliances, you should be fine.

How do I prevent over-cooking or under-cooking?

This comes with experience. We’ve said you want to fill to a maximum of three-quarters full and not remove the lid but if it’s a brand new recipe, go for the shortest suggested cooking time. Then quickly open the cover to try and put it back without too much heat escaping so you can evaluate and see if it’s ready or needs a bit longer.

What if there was a power cut?

This depends on the duration. A minor outage is OK, but if it’s longer than an hour or you’re not sure how long the electricity was off, then it’s best to throw the food away.

Should I keep the lid on while cooking?

Yes, yes, yes. It would help if you kept the lid on for most recipes at all times. You don’t want to lose all the build-up heat and affect cooking time/food quality. The only time it’s ok to take the lid off is when you need to add something into the pot, but you might want to add some time on at the end to account for the loss of heat.

Slow cooker FAQs

What’re a sous vide element?

This is the rack that you place food on inside the slow cooker.

Are slow cookers safe?

Yes, it’s safe. The slow cooker cooks food at around 200F, safely killing any bacteria. Just check how long your dish will take and go for it.

Does water evaporate in a slow cooker?

During cooking, slow cookers have very little evaporation. When converting a recipe designed for the stovetop, remember that your final product may be thicker. Adding water during or near the end of cooking will help thin it out.

Should I stir whilst slow cooking?

Slow cooker life isn’t about stirring. The main reason for slow cooking (for most meals) is that you can leave it to it, coming back to a delicious meal. The slow cooker does it all after you’ve prepared it.

Can you cook frozen meat in the slow cooker?

It’s not adviseable to cook any frozen meat. Most recipes are based on non-frozen meats; adding meat to a slower cooker can affect the timing and quality of the food. Always thaw out meats before cooking.