Crock-Pot SCV655B Slow Cooker, Aluminium, 300 W, 6.5 liters, Black

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For bulk family cooking, look for a stated capacity of around 6 litres (which translates to a usable volume of around 4.5 litres). This will feed five to eight people in one go, and it's ideal if you like batch cooking for the freezer. READ NEXT: Create super-smooth sauces with these fab hand blenders Does it matter what the pot is made of? Delicate vegetables - While a slow cooker is excellent for tougher root veg, it can cause softer produce such as courgette, asparagus and pumpkin to turn to mush. If you insist on adding them, they’ll need to go towards the end of the cooking process. Most slow cookers have a large claimed capacity, but the usable cooking space is around two-thirds of what is stated – that’s because it’s a safety risk if you overfill your slow cooker.

Crock-Pot 6.5L Slow Cooker SCV655B-IUK Black - George at ASDA

Heat retention: how the cooker holds heat for safety on the worktop and whether the food catches or burns The best slow cookers make it easy to create recipes from cheaper cuts of meat, a variety of veggies, or whatever’s left over in your fridge, for a fuss-free, low-cost meal. And what’s even better is that the cooking’s done for you. You can place the cooking pot in the dishwasher or wash by hand fairly easily. The Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker also has a basket insert and can be used to air fry other treats when not in use as a slow cooker. Is this the future of slow cooking? We think so.Slow cookers with digital controls and other cooking options are usually more expensive, but have more options and are a bit more versatile. Slow cookers range in size from a compact 1.5 litres to a 6.5-litre bowl, so be sure to choose the right size for the way you intend to cook. As a rough guide, 1.5-3 litres will feed one or two people, 3-5 litres, three or four people and anything over five litres should suit a large family, with six litres or more ideal for batch cooks who like to fill the freezer. Alternatively, a larger cooker is great for those who like to eat what’s leftover for lunch the next day. Removing the need to sauté in a pan before transferring to the pot, the Sage Fast Slow Go is as useful for slow cooking converts as it is to experienced cooks. Functioning as both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker, it includes sensors at the top and bottom to monitor temperature. This makes inconsistently cooked stews a thing of the past. The range of settings on your slow cooker will depend on how much you spend. The most basic slow cookers will have high, low and possibly a warm setting, which you’ll need to select manually. So if you’re not too bothered by anything more fancy, then save yourself some money and opt for a basic model. A built-in timer is handy, but these are generally found on more expensive models with digital controls. They’re ideal if you’re going to be away from the slow cooker for longer than the recipe states. Once the cooking time you've set on the timer has been reached, the slow cooker will either switch to a 'keep warm' setting or turn off. This means your food will still be ready to eat when you are, without it getting overcooked. Hob-proof pots

Slow Cookers 2023: top cookers for soups, stews and Best Slow Cookers 2023: top cookers for soups, stews and

Don’t rely on what the box says about the size of your slow cooker, and don’t be swayed by the marketing blurb promising litres of capacity.

Functions: additional functions on the slow cooker including browning, reheating, reducing and whether it is hob or oven-safe You can activate a keep warm setting to keep your food ready for as long as six hours after your cooking mode has finished. The sear mode took only a few minutes to pre-heat and we were able to brown our onions before adding curry ingredients, which delivered a lot of extra flavour.The slow cooker's 'reduce' function was useful for bubbling away excess liquid after slow cooking. Size: With sizes starting at 1-litre through to a whopping 6.5-litres, choosing the right size for you is imperative. The smallest sizes are suitable when cooking for one or two. 3-litres to 4.5-litres (one of the most popular sizes on the market) serve four, and the large 6-6.5-litre models are super for families and batch cooking. It's also worth bearing in mind that the capacity stated on the sales blurb is the size of the bowl, not the working capacity, which can sometimes be half that.

Slow Cookers - Tesco Groceries Slow Cookers - Tesco Groceries

While there are plenty of tasty recipes that you can whip up in a slow cooker, there are also a few items that you should think twice about before bunging them in. Design: Are you looking for a simple, budget-friendly option that just slow-cooks (but does it extremely well) or something more versatile that sous-vides, pressure cooks, bakes and roasts too? Do bear in mind that the more technological the slow cooker, the higher the price. The first thing you need to consider with any slow cooker is its capacity – each will list its bowl size in litres. Bear in mind that this won’t translate to the same amount of food, as you shouldn’t fill slow cookers to the brim. This gap allows your food to bubble and simmer properly. The usable cooking space will be around three-quarters of its bowl size, for example, a five-litre cooker can accommodate around four litres of food. Most slow cookers will have similar standard controls – high heat for meals cooked in less than a few hours, low heat for all-day cooking. A 'keep warm' mode should hold food at a serveable temperature without actually cooking it. Some cookers will switch to 'keep warm' automatically after an elapsed cooking time, while more basic models need this altered manually. Long cooking times allow cooking to happen while you do other things, such as go to work or the shopsLooking for an easier way to cook rice? See our round-up of the best rice cookers. Best slow cooker features to look out for Cooking on auto means the machine starts on high, then drops down to low power for the rest of the cooking time. Some will even switch over to ‘keep warm’ for you automatically, at the end of cooking. Auto cook settings can be found on mid-range slow cookers, so you don’t need to spend too much more to get this useful addition. Timer The controls are a little cluttered, but the illustrations make the Sage The Fast Slow Go easy to use and very clear. The lid his hinged, which we don't love, but it does mean the Sage The Fast Slow Go will transition easily between slow cooking and pressure cooking for a range of the cooking modes. When we tested its slow cooking mode we found that it's almost too good at retaining moisture. Recipes that came out more saucy in some slow cookers were a little less rich because it's also designed to be an airtight pressure cooker. That can be remedied though by adding less liquid or taking into account the liquid that will come out of meat and veggies when you add them.