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.