Slow cooker reviews: FAQs
Slow cookers break down the fibres in cheap cuts of meet
How do slow cookers work?
Slow cookers work by applying a small amount of heat (around three 100-watt light bulbs’ worth) over three to 12 hours.
As a result, the fibres in cheap cuts of meat break down, providing great tender taste at a low cost (compare £5 for a kilo of braising steak with £23 for a kilo of fillet steak).
What is the biggest advantage of slow cookers?
Slow cookers are convenient, as you don’t need to touch them while they cook – you just add recipe ingredients and carry on with your day until it’s done.
This means that slow cooking in a slow cooker has clear advantages over other methods of cooking a casserole. Slow cooking removes the need to stir. Hob cooking without stirring encrusts pan bottoms with burnt-on remains.
Your slow cooker doesn’t need constant attention like a pan on the hob, either. An unwatched pan on the hob will boil over and then boil dry.
It's easy to cook succulent roast meat in a slow cooker
Can I roast meat in my slow cooker?
Yes – and it's more energy efficient to do so.
Roasting in a slow cooker uses an average of 246 watts, a tiny amount of power, heating a small space.
Compare this with the average oven, which uses around 700 watts.
What cheap cuts of meat should I try slow cooking with?
With a slow cooker you can afford to experiment with the meats you cook. Beef Shin, clod of mutton (mutton shoulder) and ox cheek are just the beginning of a list of cheap meat cuts that benefit from slow cooking.
They all produce flavoursome tastes when slowly cooked and are easy to prepare.
You are unlikely to find these cuts on the shelf at the supermarket. Use Which? Local to locate a butcher in your area who can source these cuts of meat for you.
What other meats will benefit from slow cooking?
A general rule of thumb is that the more work a muscle does, the more it benefits from slow cooking. For example, the clod or shoulder of any animal can normally be quite tough, but will soften during the process.
There are several cheaper cuts of meat that are good for slow cooking and available from butchers.
Slow cookers are great for dried bean and lentil dishes
- Pork Pig’s cheeks, pig’s knuckle, neck of pork, pig’s trotters.
- Lamb Lamb shanks, scrag end (neck), shoulder.
- Mutton All cuts.
- Beef Ox cheeks, ox tail, beef shin, beef skirt.
Cuts such as clod, blade, chuck are often lumped together in supermarkets and labelled as ‘braising’ steak.
I’m vegetarian – what can I use the slow cooker for?
Vegetarians will find a slow cooker very useful for cooking dried bean, lentil and pea dishes. To prepare the pulses, they’ll need to be soaked overnight to soften, and boiled for 10 minutes to get rid of the toxins.
What else can I do with my slow cooker?
Slow cooking puddings are a doddle. Pudding ingredients are put into individual bowls which are placed in the main ceramic pot. Boiling water is then poured in between the bowls, half way up their sides. Any mess created by puddings boiling over is contained in the easy-clean ceramic pot.
Slow cookers are also great for jam – they speed up the jam-making process by softening fruit without drying it out. Slice fruit and slow cook on a low heat overnight to make a great jam base.
What does auto cook do?
Cooking on auto means the machine starts on high and drops to low for the rest of the cooking time. On the models Which? tested, we found that auto-cooked meat stews tasted better than those cooked on either the high or low setting.
How can I replace convenience foods with slow cooker meals?
Three to 12 hours may seem like a long time, but once you’ve put your prepared ingredients in the pot and turned it on, you don’t need to touch it until everything is cooked. With a little preparation, either the night before or in the morning before work, you can come home to piping hot food.
Combine this with separately steamed pre-washed and chopped veg, for a healthy dinner at a speed to rival a ready meal.
