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Asda Slow Cooker
by Missfisher92
Why I wanted this....
I wanted this product because I love brisket that has been slow cooked especially on my Sunday dinners! I had found other slow cookers but they were quite expensive and a friend recommended the Asda one to me.
Packaging...
It comes in a big box with a picture of the slow cooker on the front. ... When you take it out the box you have different compartments you have to fit together.
Glass lid with little handle.
A porcelain bot, black, to cook in.
The appliance body itself, which is stainless steel. And has handles on either side.
This slow cooker looks the part, you have the glass lid, so you can see easily how your cooking is going, a heating light so you can tell its cooking, a knob to change the heat setting and the body itself, which you can move around easily With the handles on the sides.
Capacity...
It hold up to 3 litres, so it fits in quite a lot.
Settings....
You can choose to set it on high or low..
High...
Puddings and casseroles it's about 100 degrees and should be left too cook for 3-8 hours
Low...
Roasts, stews, ribs, it's about 95 degrees and should be left to cook for 6-12 hours.
What's it for....
It's intended to make meat more tender and foot tastier, I think it's good for cheaper cuts of meat, they do Tate much better and don't taste half as cheap.
Availability....
You can buy this cooker in Asda store or on the website.
Price...
£14.96
My experience....
I didn't use this to cook meat at a big do, I just used it to test it. As I previously said I love brisket, so I prepared the meat and put some gravy in the slow cooker, very watery gravy. With the meat and the veg. I kept checking on it every half an hour to see if it was doing okay! I waited 6 hours then got it out. I could straight say smell the difference of the meat, as I started to carve it, it just fell apart. The meat started to just melt. So I have had it for a while I have started to do casseroles in it and my fiancé can tell the difference when I am using the slow cooker. In my opinion I cannot fault this device at all. It's cheap and lasts, as I said I have had no problems with it, I have never had to change the fuse and it has never not worked.
My opinion....
I think this is better than some slow cookers I have bought, it's 3 litre capacity is more than enough for me, and I think the taste and quality of meat are amazing. I have has no problems with this cooker at all, I cannot fault it in anyway, especially the price.
Advantages..,
Very very cheap for a slow cooker.
Cooks meat to perfection.
Looks very stylish.
Hold a lot.
Disadvantages...
I don't think it has any
Would I recommend...
I always recommend this, when my mothers broke, I advised her to buy one!
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Morphy Richards 48715 Slow Cooker
by levygirl
I bought this slow cooker to tide me over whilst my kitchen was being renovated. At the time of purchase, the larger capacity model was on offer and was cheaper than the lower capacity model.
I live alone and use the slow cooker to batch cook meals. All I need to do is prepare the ingredients (peel, chop etc), bung it in the ... slow cooker and set it to high, medium or low. The capacity of this slow cooker is huge. I make curries and stews in it and get around 6-8 portions from each meal, with the slow cooker only half full. This would certainly suit a family who wanted to prepare a meal for the whole family but have leftovers for the next day or freezing.
The machine is incredibly simple to operate. It comes with a removable casserole-style dish that you place the ingredients in. This then sits in the slow cooker, with a lid sealing it. The on-off dial is simple to operate - you choose from: off; high; low; medium (in that order - presumably based on the settings you would switch between most frequently. I find the low setting better for meat so that the meat takes on more flavour (but does need to be left running for longer).
You are supposed to be able to slow cook whole chickens but I have never tried this. I have cooked meat curries, meat stews and vegetable stews in it. These are ideal in the colder months.
If the lid is removed during cooking, it will take some time to get back up to the right temperature again. To get around this, only remove the lid when it is absolutely necessary to stir the food or gently move the lid back and forth (there is room to do this) so that the water that settles on the inside of the lid runs off and you can see how the food is doing.
I have occasionally left the slow cooker running when I wasn't in the house. This should be perfectly safe to do so if you know how long it needs to be on and when you will be back home. However, I can't quite get my head around doing this so I do it infrequently. Never any problems whatsoever when I have left it running for six hours whilst in the house.
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Tesco SC356 Slow Cooker
by paiget123
It's a well known fact that in this day and age convenience food has taken over the home prepared nutritious meals that used to grace our tables.
This product helps to keep to the nutrition whilst on a small time scale.
THE PRODUCT
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I bought mine over a year ago now for about £16, however you can ... purchase this from Tesco now for £12.
A convenient way to cook healthy and nutritious meals for your family is in the Tesco SC356 slow cooker. Meat is tenderer and vegetables retain more of their value when cooked slowly. Plus, after you've set your choice of 3 heat settings you can walk away and do other things without having to keep checking the oven or hob The Tesco SC356 comes in brushed steel and black with a capacity of 3.3L. It has a toughened glass lid, non-slip feet for extra safety and a removable, dishwasher safe pot.
WHY I LOVE IT
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- First and arguably most importantly it cooks a delicious nutritious meal without the usual hassle of a meal.
- The nonslip feet which makes it a sturdy feature of your kitchen that you can add and remove food to without worrying too much that it's going to spill on you.
- Stainless steel body, fits fashionably into my kitchen and it is therefore wipe clean so the splats of gravy you may spill when removing food are easy to remove.
- Different heat settings, which means you can vary how long things are cooked for and when you wish to prepare them, if you leave it on low then you can leave it over night or during the day whilst at work for fantastic tender meat. Or high to have a quicker meal.
- The 'warm' setting, brilliant for families who don't have the luxury of eating together! The children can eat first and then food can be the same and freshly warm for when the adults are ready to eat.
- Removable pot and lid, both of these are dishwasher proof which are brilliant for those with not much time, you can just pop them in the dishwasher and leave it.
WHY I DON'T LOVE IT
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- Lack of information on it, the manual that comes with it isn't overly helpful, it doesn't come with recipes that you can cook in this cooker so it's a bit of guess work to begin with.
- IT MUST BE KEPT OUT OF CHILDREN'S REACH WHEN ON, the stainless steel outside gets HOT. Hot enough to cause burns which isn't indicated on the outside of the pot.
RECIPES
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Chicken and shallots
900g chicken pieces, thighs and drumsticks
Flour for dusting
3 tbsp olive oil
6 large shallots thinly sliced
125ml white wine vinegar
125ml white wine
125ml chicken stock
20g fresh tarragon leaves chopped
125ml creme fraiche
Turn the slow cooker on. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Season and dust the chicken in flour. Sear the chicken on all sides and then place in the slow cooker.
Heat the remaining oil and then add the shallots. Season and saute for 10 minutes until soft and then add the vinegar. Let deglaze for a few minutes and then add the wine, stock, and half the tarragon.
Bring to a simmer and then pour over the chicken in the slow cooker. Place the lid on and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours low.
During the last 30 minutes of cooking add the creme fraiche. Sprinkle the remaining tarragon over and serve with rice or mashed potato.
Shredded BBQ beef
2.2lbs/1 kilo slow cook beef joint
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
200ml bbq sauce
4tbsp soft brown sugar
2tbsp white wine vinegar
1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2tbsp American yellow mustard
1tbsp smoked paprika (pimenton)
Turn the slow cooker on. Cut the joint into two pieces. Heat a large frying pan with one tbsp of the oil. Season the meat and sear on all sides. Place in the cooker.
Using the same frying pan heat the remaining oil. Add the onion, season and saute for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.
Pour over the meat and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Do not remove the lid during cooking or it will take longer.
Remove the meat from the cooker. Shred the meat with two forks. Pour any excess off from the sauce and mix with the meat.
Serve the meat on toasted buns with rocket, tomato, peppadews or sliced pickles and red onion slices.
Pork and sausage stew
4 pork sausages
4 pork shoulder steaks (approx. 500g) cut in half
1 medium onion chopped
3 large leeks, white part only chopped
For the dressing
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsps plain flour
1tbsp grain mustard
1tsp cumin seeds
300ml cider
Turn the slow cooker on. Heat a large frying pan with 1 tbsp of the oil. Brown the sausages and pork steaks on all sides and remove.
Add the remaining oil and onions and saute for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and saute another minute. Add the mustard, cumin, some seasoning and the cider. Stir well and pour into the slow cooker along with the meat.
Cook for 4 hours on high heat or 8 hours on low heat. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the leeks and place on top of the meat. Serve as a stew or with mash and fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.
As you see, all the recipes I have provided are simple and easy as are most slow cooked meals and you see there is a brilliant variety.
ALSO YOU CAN GET THE CHEAP MEAT AS THE FAT MELTS AWAY SO COST EFFECTIVE TOO!
You must invest in one of these as they are great, healthy and simple.
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