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Slow Cooker Recommendations

fierydrunk

By fierydrunk
in Kitchen Consumer

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annachan

annachan

Posted
Posted

Given the relatively low power requirements of a slow cooker - it would be a suitable to use with a converter/transformer. Anyone from the US coming to visit soon?

No, as we haven't settled in yet. It'll be at least several months until someone comes over. Not sure if anyone is willing to bring over a slow cooker though. :blink:

Since we do plan to stay here permanently, I'm trying to get appliances that doesn't need to use a transformer. I guess I will have to get over the much higher prices at some point.

Snadra

Snadra

Posted
Posted

I do get Choice (although it can be annoyingly prissy in a domestic sciences teacher sort of way) and I looked up their recommendations. The Breville Ikon and Kenwood came at the equal top of the list of the ten tested. Considering the Breville Ikon is $200, I'd go for the $70 Kenwood.

The comments section said there will be another test of slow cookers coming out before winter.

Besides Bing Lee & Peters, also check out The Good Guys when shopping for small appliances. David Jones can also have surprisingly good prices on these kinds of things at this time of year.

And from an acquaintance who deals in refurbished electrical goods (ie store returns, etc), appliances from Aldi are apparently quite good - keep an eye on the catalogues, as they are likely to bring out a slow cooker as we head into autumn.

As far as cookbooks go, I use booko.com.au to find the best price for books shipped in/to Australia, but if you sign up for Borders VIP you can get excellent occasional discounts via email as well (frankly, considering the prices at Borders I need a discount to shop there).

Snadra

Snadra

Posted
Posted (edited)

Does Oz have the quantity of thrift stores you find in North America?

There are a lot of thrift stores (there are two in my tiny, tiny suburb for example), mostly run by individual churches or larger church groups like the Salvation Army or St Vincent de Paul, but as far as I know they have largely stopped selling electrical appliances due to liability issues.

But that does remind me that eBay is a good source for these things.

edited for clarity

Edited by Snadra (log)
ChrisZ

ChrisZ

Posted
Posted

I do get Choice (although it can be annoyingly prissy in a domestic sciences teacher sort of way) and I looked up their recommendations. The Breville Ikon and Kenwood came at the equal top of the list of the ten tested. Considering the Breville Ikon is $200, I'd go for the $70 Kenwood.

Thanks for this, I really appreciate it. The reason I haven't bought one yet is because we don't have room for the common 5.5l ones, and the smaller 3-4 litre sizes are much harder to find.

annachan

annachan

Posted
Posted

I do get Choice (although it can be annoyingly prissy in a domestic sciences teacher sort of way) and I looked up their recommendations. The Breville Ikon and Kenwood came at the equal top of the list of the ten tested. Considering the Breville Ikon is $200, I'd go for the $70 Kenwood.

The comments section said there will be another test of slow cookers coming out before winter.

Besides Bing Lee & Peters, also check out The Good Guys when shopping for small appliances. David Jones can also have surprisingly good prices on these kinds of things at this time of year.

And from an acquaintance who deals in refurbished electrical goods (ie store returns, etc), appliances from Aldi are apparently quite good - keep an eye on the catalogues, as they are likely to bring out a slow cooker as we head into autumn.

As far as cookbooks go, I use booko.com.au to find the best price for books shipped in/to Australia, but if you sign up for Borders VIP you can get excellent occasional discounts via email as well (frankly, considering the prices at Borders I need a discount to shop there).

I did see the Kenwood one and was considering it. It's good to know that it performs well. I'm at the mall often so I'll check David Jones.

booko.com.au is just what I'm looking for! I love that it does all the comparisons.

  • 1 year later...
Shel_B

Shel_B

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've been thinking about buying a slow cooker. However, I was wondering what approximate temperatures these slow cookers cook at. Perhaps instead of buying a slow cooker, I can use a Le Creuset or Staub in a slow oven and get a similar result. Any thoughts on this idea?

Edited by Shel_B (log)

 ... Shel


 

radtek

radtek

Posted
Posted

I believe one can cook as low as 177F and up to boiling. However, my habit has been to use a slow oven or very low flame. Regardless, there is something to be said considering the efficiency of an electric slow-cooker such as a crock-pot. One isn't heating an entire oven to transmit the heat into a covered pot or dish. A burner faces similar issues.

Also, a crock-pot is convenient for holding food at serving temps and serving for parties and such without tying up the stove or oven.

Baselerd

Baselerd

Posted
Posted (edited)

They're nice for east meals - most slow cooker recipes in existence generally consist of throwing all ingredients in the cooker and not much more. As mentioned before, they are great at keeping food warm for serving, and they're usually very low cost.

With that said, I haven't touched mine since getting a water bath a few years ago. I find that slow cookers don't offer much precision if you want to elevate your braised foods to the next level.

Edited by Baselerd (log)
pkeibel

pkeibel

Posted
Posted

My crock pot (~20 years old) has two settings, the Hight cooks at 177F and the Low cooks at 135F. I checked because of my desire to use it for cheese making

Beth Wilson

Beth Wilson

Posted
Posted

I love slow cookers! I usually put the ingredients into the crock the night before and put it in the fridge. In the morning I take the crock out of the fridge and place it into the outer shell and plug it in, turn it on low, and leave the house.

I come home to smells that are wonderful and sit down to eat almost immediately. It is one of the most convenient ways to cook and it takes such little prep time. I scored one from a thrift store and see them there all the time! Why someone would get rid of one is beyond me, but I will happily score a deal.

Crouton

Crouton

Posted
Posted

They're nice for east meals - most slow cooker recipes in existence generally consist of throwing all ingredients in the cooker and not much more. As mentioned before, they are great at keeping food warm for serving, and they're usually very low cost.

With that said, I haven't touched mine since getting a water bath a few years ago. I find that slow cookers don't offer much precision if you want to elevate your braised foods to the next level.

I think it's safe to assume a slow cooker is used for convenience, not precision. If I'm using a slow cooker it's because I would like to come home from work and have dinner ready with minimal effort. Dragging out my vacuum sealer and Putting food in little baggies just seems counter productive.

lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

I purchased a Cusinart PCS-350 to use for smaller slow cooker recipes. It's cooking temps are:

HIgh 212°F

Low 200°

Simmer 185°

Warn 165°

Shel_B

Shel_B

Posted
Posted

I purchased a Cusinart PCS-350 to use for smaller slow cooker recipes. It's cooking temps are:

HIgh 212°F

Low 200°

Simmer 185°

Warn 165°

Thanks!

 ... Shel


 

  • 3 months later...
Shel_B

Shel_B

Posted
Posted

I'd like to buy a slow cooker. There doesn't seem to be any recent threads on the subject, and numerous reviews I've read complain about the quality of many of the current cookers on the market.

I don't need anything fancy, nor do I need a large capacity - however, what I do want is quality, a cooker that works properly and that will last. I used to have a Rival Crock Pot (ex-wife took it in the divorce) that worked well. It was simple to use, easy to clean, and convenient.

So, what slow cooker today has those attributes? Reviews on the current Crock Pot are mixed. I'm getting tired of buying mediocre, made-in-China, junk. Unfortunately, high prices don't seem to equate to quality. I want good quality and durability. What's out there? Thanks!

...Shel

 ... Shel


 

Unpopular Poet

Unpopular Poet

Posted
Posted

I have the All Clad with the "stovetop to cooker insert" that you can sear in -- that's a nice option, but I would definitely say that its not really a must have -- I must say however, that the insert is pretty cheap and like 1980s Teflon, has started to chip and scratch in a couple of places -- but that hasn't had a negative effect (and this is not due to metal scraping against it).

I would say that another option I would prefer if I was to buy another one would be more temperature control -- not just high, low and warm.

Overall, I would say that the All Clad works, but the insert is slightly cheap, and for the price compared to other slow cookers, is grossly overpriced. I do not have the one from the BB&B site -- I received the one I have from WS (as a gift mind you). Here is the link:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-deluxe-slow-cooker-with-aluminum-insert/

I appears that this one is slightly bigger. A whole extra 1/2 quart for $100!

If not for the insert, this would probably be pretty close to worth it.

Dignan

Dignan

Posted
Posted

I was watching an ATK episode yesterday with all slow cooker recipes. I don't know the vintage of the show (though it did have Lisa McManus, who I believe is a more recent addition to their cast of characters), but they recommended the Crockpot 6.5 qt with the touch screen controls. At the time it was apparently about $130 if I recall correctly; I looked it up last night and it can be had for about $80 from some retailers on-line.

MSRadell

MSRadell

Posted
Posted

We have a Rival which we really like. It's a very simple one with no time or other fancy features, but it does have 3 interchangeable pots 2, 4 and 6qts which we find very handy.

I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

pbear

pbear

Posted
Posted

What's the material of the insert? I couldn't determine that from the Amazon site. Thanks! ...Shel

I have this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E5CWVU/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

It's a smaller size and has four heat settings.

According to Cuisinart, it's "an oval ceramic cooking pot." IOW, the same glazed pottery as traditional Rival crock-pots.

The thing to remember about slow cookers is that none of them (AFAICT) have an effective thermostatic control. The upshot of which is that they all end up cooking at a boil eventually. The only way I've found to beat this problem is to use a PID to control the cooker. And, for that, you need to use an analog rather than digital unit. Don't know whether you have a PID controller (e.g., an Auber or Sous Vide Magic) but, if not, you're likely to be frustrated no matter how much (or little) you spend. Conversely, if you don't care about boiling, a cheap unit will work as well as an expensive one.

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