Crock-Pot SCV655B Slow Cooker, Aluminium, 300 W, 6.5 liters, Black

Product Information

Functions: additional functions on the slow cooker including browning, reheating, reducing and whether it is hob or oven-safe Rice - Again, it’s very easy to get rice wrong in a slow cooker. If you’re planning on adding it at the start, you’ll need extra liquid and a low temperature setting. Slow cookers have got so much going for them, it’s hard not to love them. Not only will a good one save you time and effort in the kitchen, it’ll save you money too. Slow cookers transform cheaper cuts of meat into tender dishes and liven up economical healthy pulses, like lentils, beans and peas. Plus, while they can be on all day, it’s at such a low wattage that it will only cost pennies.

Crock-Pot Chrome Slow Cooker, 6.5 Litre, Brushed Chrome

The best slow cookers make it easy to create recipes from cheaper cuts of meat, a variety of veggies, or whatever’s left over in your fridge, for a fuss-free, low-cost meal. And what’s even better is that the cooking’s done for you.Design: Are you looking for a simple, budget-friendly option that just slow-cooks (but does it extremely well) or something more versatile that sous-vides, pressure cooks, bakes and roasts too? Do bear in mind that the more technological the slow cooker, the higher the price. Delicate vegetables - While a slow cooker is excellent for tougher root veg, it can cause softer produce such as courgette, asparagus and pumpkin to turn to mush. If you insist on adding them, they’ll need to go towards the end of the cooking process. It sounds obvious, but an indicator light will show you instantly that your slow cooker is on and working. Not every slow cooker has one, especially the very basic models. Keep warm

Stew Slow Cooker - Stainless Steel Crockpot 6.5L Sizzle and Stew Slow Cooker - Stainless Steel

Most slow cookers have a large claimed capacity, but the usable cooking space is around two-thirds of what is stated – that’s because it’s a safety risk if you overfill your slow cooker. Basic slow cookers won’t get hot enough to sauté meat or vegetables, so you’ll need to do this in a pan before transferring the contents to the bowl. However, more expensive models offer a different one-pot solution. This can either be bowls that you use on your hob or in your oven in place of a pan (some will even be induction compatible). They will need to be moved to the slow cooker base. Machines with a sauté function for high-heat browning can simply be switched to slow cooking. The controls are a little cluttered, but the illustrations make the Sage The Fast Slow Go easy to use and very clear. The lid his hinged, which we don't love, but it does mean the Sage The Fast Slow Go will transition easily between slow cooking and pressure cooking for a range of the cooking modes. When we tested its slow cooking mode we found that it's almost too good at retaining moisture. Recipes that came out more saucy in some slow cookers were a little less rich because it's also designed to be an airtight pressure cooker. That can be remedied though by adding less liquid or taking into account the liquid that will come out of meat and veggies when you add them. While there are plenty of tasty recipes that you can whip up in a slow cooker, there are also a few items that you should think twice about before bunging them in.A smaller, round slow cooker is ideal if you’re cooking for one or two people, or aren’t fussed about having lots of leftovers to freeze. Cooking on auto means the machine starts on high, then drops down to low power for the rest of the cooking time. Some will even switch over to ‘keep warm’ for you automatically, at the end of cooking. Auto cook settings can be found on mid-range slow cookers, so you don’t need to spend too much more to get this useful addition. Timer Long cooking times allow cooking to happen while you do other things, such as go to work or the shops It might promise 6 litres on the box, but you won't get 6 litres’ worth of your favourite recipe in the cooking bowl.

slow cooker 2023 - batch cooking made easy | Ideal Home Best slow cooker 2023 - batch cooking made easy | Ideal Home

A built-in timer is handy, but these are generally found on more expensive models with digital controls. They’re ideal if you’re going to be away from the slow cooker for longer than the recipe states. Once the cooking time you've set on the timer has been reached, the slow cooker will either switch to a 'keep warm' setting or turn off. This means your food will still be ready to eat when you are, without it getting overcooked. Hob-proof pots Many slow cookers come with a recipe book, or at least some recipes in the instruction manual to get you started. They should also give a guide on how to convert recipes for slow cooking – by reducing the amount of liquid, for example. The Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker is certainly mighty, but if you like your gadgets it could be a great investment. You can of course just use this multi-cooker as a slow cooker, for which it has a generous 6 litre capacity, but you can also take advantage of the sear setting to brown meat and veggies before slow cooking for a more rich flavour. You can activate a keep warm setting to keep your food ready for as long as six hours after your cooking mode has finished. The sear mode took only a few minutes to pre-heat and we were able to brown our onions before adding curry ingredients, which delivered a lot of extra flavour.The slow cooker's 'reduce' function was useful for bubbling away excess liquid after slow cooking. Removing the need to sauté in a pan before transferring to the pot, the Sage Fast Slow Go is as useful for slow cooking converts as it is to experienced cooks. Functioning as both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker, it includes sensors at the top and bottom to monitor temperature. This makes inconsistently cooked stews a thing of the past.Traditionally, slow cookers use a large, ceramic casserole dish that’s slow to heat up and slow to cool down. These are heavy and will break if you drop them, but they hold their heat well so they’re lovely to carry to the table and serve from. This useful setting does exactly what it says: it will keep your food warm after cooking has finished. Generally, this is a setting you select manually on many slow cookers, while some more expensive models have an option to switch over to the keep-warm program automatically. Auto cook Pasta - While some people cook pasta in a slow cooker (2% of slow cooker owners we surveyed) it’s difficult to get it right. If you’re planning on being gung-ho doing it anyway, you should either cook it separately and put it in at the end or only add it during the final hour of cooking.

Slow cookers - Cheap Slow cookers Deals | Currys Slow cookers - Cheap Slow cookers Deals | Currys

Slow cookers range in size from a compact 1.5 litres to a 6.5-litre bowl, so be sure to choose the right size for the way you intend to cook. As a rough guide, 1.5-3 litres will feed one or two people, 3-5 litres, three or four people and anything over five litres should suit a large family, with six litres or more ideal for batch cooks who like to fill the freezer. Alternatively, a larger cooker is great for those who like to eat what’s leftover for lunch the next day. Looking for an easier way to cook rice? See our round-up of the best rice cookers. Best slow cooker features to look out forHeat retention: how the cooker holds heat for safety on the worktop and whether the food catches or burns The advantage of this is not leaving all that lovely seared flavour behind in a pan, and it reduces washing-up. Finally, look for a slow cooker with a transparent lid, so you can keep an eye on your food’s progress. Lifting the lid of a slow cooker while it’s in use lets out heat and steam, prolonging cooking time. It’s always best to be able to see what’s going on without doing so. Are slow cookers easy to clean? The first thing you need to consider with any slow cooker is its capacity – each will list its bowl size in litres. Bear in mind that this won’t translate to the same amount of food, as you shouldn’t fill slow cookers to the brim. This gap allows your food to bubble and simmer properly. The usable cooking space will be around three-quarters of its bowl size, for example, a five-litre cooker can accommodate around four litres of food. If you’re cooking for one or two and have no plans to freeze leftovers, choose a smaller 3.5-litre slow cooker (usable volume of around 2 litres).