What slow cooker do you have?

[Sammiejane]

Hi,

We are going to get a slow cooker and i am after your opinions.
Are the expensive ones much better than the cheap ones?
Do any come with a timer?
What do you have and are you happy with it?
Anything else i should look for in a slow cooker?

Thanks in advance

[Emma09]

I'm interested too!!!!!


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[littlelara]

I have a standard one, but if I was going to start over I would go for the one where you can put the inside part on the stove top to brown; I resent the extra dish washing it takes to do it otherwise when this is supposed to make my life easier

[krystals]

I just have a cheapie from Big dub- it's a 5L one, adobe which I've heard horrifying reviews about, but we've been using ours for over a year and it's doing fine. It's got a High, Low and Auto setting. I don't bother browning meat beforehand, unless it's going to improve the taste We use it heaps and it really is good to be able to just chop everything up when you've got time and chuck it in!

[crumpet]

i have a breville one, its about 18 months old.

got it at the good guys for about $70 on sale, its a big one, 5-6 lt i think, i can fit a leg of lamb in it to roast....

mine has a auto setting, a low and high setting....

i put everything in it on auto for 8 hours and ive never had a issue, always comes out perfect!!!

i also never brown meat or anything like that, i chuck everything in turn it on and let it go!

[Samcougar]

Our's is a cheapy from bigW i think and works well, i got a bigger one but should have opted for a smaller one for 2 people as it tends to burn small quantities at the sides and is hard to clean off. Having said that i do love slow cooker meals

[purplepixie1978]

I have a Ronson, again I think it was just cheap at BigW. I'm dropping hints about the new Breville one though mentioned above by littlelara as it has a pot you can take from the stove to the cooker. I've never seen one with a timer, it really seems impossible to overcook things in it as long as the pot is at least half full - I chuck it on low in the morning and 8 -10 hours later it's done. I have never used it more than in the months since my daughter was born, it has been a life saver (and probably has saved DH and me from malnutrition!).

[Phteven]

I've got a Russel Hobbs. I cracked the ceramic insert and had to replace it. Their after sales service is ok. I rang them, they charged my card and the pot arrived a couple of days later.
It does seem to cook a bit hotter than some other brands. I usually knock a bit of time off the cooking times but I think that as it ages it won't cook quite so hot.
It's a 6l so it's big enough to roast a leg of lamb in - yum.

[toomanyshoes]

Sunbeam 5.5L (Off, low, high, keep warm)

It's 11 months old and still doing its job perfectly. I wouldn't change it, it's big enough for a roast and family meals with left overs.

The only time I brown something is if it isn't going into a sauce, so a big piece of meat like a roast. And I prefer using a heavy based frying pan to brown anyway even if I'm using the oven so an insert to go on the stove wouldn't be useful to me. I also like to prop roasts up on a couple of ramekins so it isn't sitting in the juices (the juices make a yummy gravy though)

[RoyaUK]

i have a Breville banquet slow cooker which has 6.5 ltr capacity. I like to cook enough for 8 - 10 people (we're a family of 5) so we have enough leftovers for another meal (given that it takes all day to cook!). it handles a 2kg leg of lamb with ease with all the veggies. no timer, but the usual low, high , keep warm. I'm very happy with it. I chose it because of the size & shape (it's a rectangle which fits in my cupboard better & fits roasts easier than round ones).