Teach Me About Slow Cookers
 

Slow cookers: What's the difference between a $50 one at Macy's and the $300 one at Williams Sonoma? I'm thinking of getting Mrs. Noah a Valentine's gift. I just want something for family-sized use--not necessarily for cooking for a dinner party of 20.

Goodwill has good ones for $5.

We got the $50 one for our family of four, and it works just fine, TYVM.

At W-S, you pay for all that fancy schitt and the fancy locations and the glossy catalogs. But the guts are the same as the Macys one, so don't spend the extra money on W-S. Spend it on your Porsche. ;)

Cheap is as good as expensive......size it according to use or have a good sized freezer. Slow cooking ain't rocket science.

there are some reviews on them but I forget where

I think mine is a Hamilton Beachcraft - it has some smart modes and a temperature probe to jab into the meat

grab some cheap pork - a poor cut (which are the ones with all the flavor but tough); some Hawaiian sea salt (orange); and liquid smoke - toss it all in there and when teenagers say they are hungry just point to the cooker

BTW - that recipe is from a Republican surgeon, so enjoy

Yeah get a cheap one!

I've been using mine for soup lately.....they're GREAT!

Lots of recipes available.....even Lasagna!

Slow Cooker Lasagna Recipe - Allrecipes.com

YUM!

Crock Pot is what I use. Get the one with the digital program so you can cook while gone and it switches over to "warm". Bed Bath Beyond has a nice one for under $80 and if you can scrape up a 20% coupon you can get a deal.

Crock Pot. $40, use it a lot, perfect for cassoulet. Don't get her a Crock Pot!

My first inclination as well. My mom's using the same one that we had when I was a kid. The thing's gotta be 30+ years old and works just fine. But is that because it was the $300 W-S equivalent back in its day? I hate buying cheap crap that breaks within a year.

Yeah, I think my mom has a Crock Pot, now that I think about it.

We've got plenty of those BB&B coupons lying around. Despite what's printed on them, there's no expiration date. They'll honor any vintage coupon you bring in.

Slow cookers are designed to beat up low end beef/pork/chicken or whatever......and make them taste good. Ceramic pot and a heating element, that's all it is.

I have three crock pots from the "Crock Pot" company (Travel, Guest and just me)......I do a pulled pork, chicken soup and chili once every 6 months. Freeze 80% of it.....the best part is smelling the cooking over nite.

Don't over think it. Go to Wally World....

My youngest pot dates from 1975.

Here's the one I was thinking of......
Crock-Pot® 6.5-Quart Slow Cooker with eLume™ Touchscreen - BedBathandBeyond.com

oblong is a useful shape for various birds, etc.

I have a crock pot but have seriously looked at an Al-Clad. Some of their models have inserts that can also be used on the stove. You would not believe how many slow cooker recipes want you to sear the meat first. Buying a slow cooker that has an stove safe insert instead of dirtying up another dish sounds good to me.

Whatever you get just make sure you can put its insert on a stove top to brown up your meat. It makes the whole process a lot easier.

Every Thrift Store has bunches of them (Crock Pot/Slow Cookers) for sale for $7 to about $20. The only thing to get is one where the Ceramic Pot comes out of the body of the Cooker, for cleaning sake. people seem to turn them into the Thrifts by the droves....just test it before you take it home...and while you are there check out the mens cloths...who knows you might even find an Armani, Broini. Burberrys, Diesel, Hermes, R Lauren Purple Label, Prada, Tommy Bahama, True Religion, Louis Vuitton, Versaci, Zanella, or Zegna suit,coat, tie, pants shirt orAlden, Bally, Calzoleria, Churches Cole Haan Italian, Dolce Gabbana, Allen Edmonds, Ferragamo, American Florsheim Imperial, Gucci, Magli, Magnanani, Metzlan, Santori, or Tods pair of shoes among others.... and one does mean real and not knock off....

You can throw just abut anything (Beef Tongue, Chuck Roast, Pork Butt, Chicken) into them with a few spices to turn out fabulous dishes....the possibilities are just about endless. I will use Chuck Roast for Taquitos, Enchiladas, Machaca..anything requiring shredded beef in the recipe.

If you spend more than $75 you spent too much.

And yes, cheap roasts are what you want use in slow cookers (and also stews)

Premium cuts of meat are a waste and don't turn out as well.

The old ones are better, some newer ones have a tough time regulating heat. However I would not buy an electric appliance that stays on for 4-8 hours while I sleep or at work.

Mine has a stainless steel insert instead of crockery so you can brown meat on the stove then transfer it to the cooker. Super convenient but not essential I guess.

Until you drop your stoneware crock and break it. That's my major drawback for suggesting Crock Pot, they have SO many inserts but never the one that fits the one that you own.

I've found that not smoking dope or drinking tends to make me remember that the crock is freaking hot.......I let it cool down before picking it up. Just a word of advice......they also have oven mitts.....ask yer momz about them.

Have you considered a pressure cooker? I have both, but like the pressure cooker. A good one is pricey, over $250, my Fissler is a set at $350. When I cook, I cook big batches and freeze, can or vacuum freeze the product.

How about this "slow cook" solution: It was used during power outages in WW2: Take a big box or trunk, fill it with lots of heat insulating material including top making a cloth lined cavity, put a regular pot with stew, heated up to boiling temperature once, place it into the insulated box/trunk. Leave the pot there for about an hour. Workes just fine.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/09/avene3y4.jpg
Had a "crock" pot for years. When it died, I bought this, IIRC $75 at Walmart. Insert can go on the stove (great to brown/sear prior to cooking) and oval shape handles more roasts.


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This is the one we have. Crock-Pot SCR503-UMSTK2 Slow Cooker and Little Dipper Warmer, 5 Qt. - Electrics - Kitchen - Macy's Price is right and works great (made chili last wekend), but I use a pressure cooker more often.

noah, we use ours all the time. i am sure it was under $50 and it works great. my wife makes all kinds of stuff with it, including lasagna and soups. yes, lasagna. and it is awesome.

anyway, good luck with your purchase. getting an oblong one is good advice. ours is not and i wish it was.

This ^

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I use it now/then...is great.
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West Bend® - Kitchen Appliances | Celebrating 100 Years! | 84905 - 5 Qt. Oblong Slow Cooker | Slow Cookers / Versatility
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1391911560.jpg

I think a pressure cooker is way more useful than a slow cooker. I have both, the PC is used 3X week, the SC seldom.

My understanding is that the intense heat of pressure cookers kills-off valuable nutrients.

I doubt it. There is no intense heat. If you broil something it has a higher heat. If you barbecue it has higher heat. Remember the duration is very short compared to non-pressure cooker prepared food. If you taste the food from a pressure cooker it is far more flavorful. The dish is cooked completely enclosed. There is nothing that escapes. If you prepare stock, the pressure cooker is the only way to go. Remember the cooking takes place under pressure, there is virtually nothing wasted.

Perhaps I need to adjust my "understanding"...
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A: To answer your question, we consulted Kantha Shelke, Ph.D; a Chicago-based food scientist and spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists. Here’s what she told us:

Pressure cooking can reduce heat-sensitive nutrients (e.g., vitamin C, folate) and bioactive phytonutrients, such as betacarotene, glucosinolates (helpful compounds found in cruciferous vegetables) and omega-3 fatty acids, that are beneficial for human health. But so do other cooking methods—and generally to more or less the same extent.
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With vegetables and fruits, the heat-sensitive nutrients (e.g., vitamin C, folate and bioactive phytonutrients) are generally most susceptible to degradation during pressure cooking. Consuming the cooking water can help restore some of these losses.
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In the case of grains and legumes, although the vitamins and heat-sensitive vitamins and phytonutrients are vulnerable to deterioration, the net result of pressure-cooking is a positive nutritional gain—from the increased digestibility of the macronutrients (protein, fiber and starch) and the increased bioavailability of the essential minerals.
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Pressure-cooked meat-based dishes show a significant reduction in unsaturated fat contents, but it appears that iron is not lost.
In addition to making foods like grains and legumes more digestible, pressure cooking does not create any of the unhealthy chemicals associated with baking and grilling methods.

Here is my exploration and the result. I still use mine frequently and it has held up okay.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/728633-slow-cooker-isnt-piece-crock-pot-tm-junk.html

Pressure cookers work great in getting things tender quickly. But I believe I can taste the difference between pressure and slow cooked, especially if there is meat and a sauce / gravy involved.

Also beware of kitchen / household gifts for your spouse unless you are 100% sure they are happy with such purchases. I have seen this backfire several times, even when the spouse was asking for something specific ...

G

Hmmmm..my Fissler PC didn't cost anywhere near $350.....I paid $12.99 at a Thrift Store for it, and had to put in $24 for a new gasket and shipping from Fissler. So I got $37.00 in it...

I do use it and have no decided preference for either the PC or SC.
And I gots a RIVAL SC that I bought 35 years ago...at GEMCO I think I paid under $20 for it????? I am getting old.

I can't think of anything useful that I could cook in a slow cooker, so I don't own one. It's not the 1970's any more and I don't wish to eat my mom's cooking (sic).

If you want to braise something slowly, you can always throw any covered pot into a low oven.

Things like slow cookers, rice cookers... all they do is take up space in the pantry. You can cook without them.

JR

Nothing screams "Happy Valentines Day" like a small household appliance......Next year she's likely to get you a nice new set of "blue balls"........good luck pal!SmileWavy

I got the All Clad.

But then again I bought a Porsche even though i know a Corvette would have done just as good a job for a lot less.

If I were getting one for the wife I would get the smallest lightest one I could find. Less chance of concussion.

We make all kinds of roasts, briskets, gumbos you name it.

It's not all about what you cook in it but also the convenience.

There are days when you've got to get the kids out to school, go to work, after school one kid has piano lessons, the other has soccer practice then you have to run to a function back at the school etc.....

There's barely time to eat much less cook.

In the morning I can prep a complete meal in 5 minutes, set the program and leave the house. By the time we all get home it's done and ready to eat. Hard to beat that.

No time?

Pick up some Taco Bueno on the way home... :D

It's at least as good as any gumbo you can prep and get into the cooker in 5 minutes or less...

JR

I'm not taking the chance of ruining a cassoulet on a burner and baking 10-12 hours in an oven is inefficient.