Slow cookers: model selection, features, reviews

Kenwood SR-706

why did you like the mechanical one?
electronic is worse?

[Brown-eyed]

Brown-eyed,
My Electrolux with electronics stopped heating up completely after about a year of operation. It seems to me that it is easier to buy an outlet with a timer, if you need time, but I don't need an outlet either, I cook until READY, that is, I try it, or whatever.
On 707 Kenwood, electronic, I found complaints on the Internet that it breaks, but on Kenwood 706, mechanical, not a single one.
And I also read that a mechanical model can be converted to 220w, if you made a mistake and upon receipt it turned out that it was sent to 128w, but with an electronic one it seems like how you can't do this (. Plus, I really like mechanical models, that watches, that sewing machines that teapots, that are slow, I see more solidity and old-fashioned home comfort in them)

[Irina]

Irina, Ira! and according to the same principle as pepper, is it possible to cook dolma in a slow lid?

[Recipes suitable for small slow cookers. HIGH mode.]

, is it possible to cook dolma slowly?

Vika, if this is a question for me, then I have never done dolma. But I think it will work. It will only cook faster, all the same grape leaves are much thinner than peppers. Minced meat is prepared faster than all the ingredients, rice can be boiled until tender.




Recipes suitable for small slow cookers. HIGH mode.

Ingredients:
10-15 horseradish leaves
400 g minced beef
1 cup fermented sheep milk
1/4 cup rice
1 onion
1 carrot
1 red chile
3-5 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon chili pepper
salt, pepper, olive oil

Ingredients:

organic red peppers
2-3 organic tomatoes
1 tbsp. mangalitsa lard (rendered pork fat)
500 g minced beef
1/4 cup rice
2 bow
1/4 cup homemade red wine
5-10 cloves of garlic
a handful of fresh celery
a handful of fresh mint
1 teaspoon. paprika
1 teaspoon. flour
1 teaspoon. caraway
salt, pepper, olive oil

Ingredients (8 servings)

For filling:
1 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp. mangalitsa lard
800g organic ground beef
1/2 cup rice
1 teaspoon. mustard seeds
1 teaspoon. cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon. salt
1/2 teaspoon. black pepper

Other Ingredients:
10-12 pickled cabbage leaves
200g homemade smoked lard
200g Vesalica (smoked organic pork)

Condiments:
1 tbsp. mangalitsa lard (melted pork fat)
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. homemade smoked paprika
1 glass of water

A little time consuming, and more suitable for cooking in pots in the oven, but you don't need to repeat it thoroughly. Some of the ideas are very good.

[Irina]

Irina, Thank you! try

Girls, I have a sadness - for some reason my husband put a saucepan of a slow-cooker on the stove, and it cracked. It did not fall apart, but the crack is large and through. I think the pot is over.
Probably, there are a lot of us like that with a reason from the slow)) Can it be thrown out, or somehow adapted for something?

And what to buy now for replacement? There was an RH with a ceramic pan

.

[Fotina]

Fotina, Sveta, I don't know about Russell, but Sveta Stafa bought a pot for a slow pot in China. Ask her.
I think you can buy FSE on Ali.

Can it be thrown away, or somehow adapted for something?

On the contrary, I have a whole ceramic pot. If it does not leak completely, it is good to make blanks in it, ferment vegetables, cabbage Ceramics

I bought a 1.5 liter bowl on Kupinatao, there was a promotion with free shipping. But it’s probably easier to buy a slow drink on Avito than a bowl from China.

on Ali you can buy FSE.

nooo .. no fsee, I here the other day accidentally threw the capsule holder to the new beauty Dolcegusto drop coffee machine.
And I can't find it anywhere.

even though go and take it off the window

Can it be thrown away, or somehow adapted for something?

Sveta, this is a container with heating, you cannot pour into it, but you can pour in = any suitable saucepan or pair of pots, or ceramic pots included in the slow lid left without a bowl so that you can close the lid from the slow lid.

If you cannot find a new bowl, then add sand to the bottom of the heating bowl by 3 cm, put pots or saucepans, and fill them with sand on * hangers * = what is not a slow cooker, all technical conditions are preserved. Better than throwing out a usable heating pot.

[Fotina]

Fotina,
On Avito, in St. Petersburg today I saw a 2.4 liter white crock pot, for 3700 rubles.

[Fotina]

Fotina,
On Avito, in St. Petersburg today I saw a 2.4 liter white crock pot, for 3700 rubles.

Yes, but there is no auto shutdown and only two modes. And the money is expensive. I'm just looking for a little one too)

there is no auto shutdown and only two modes.

not such an important function for slow cookers, all this has multicooker, almost all slow cookers have two modes low and high - no more is needed

if there are these functions in slow cookers, then the price is a couple of times higher at once, but do we need it? a slow cooker is a very simple device, not intricate and easy to operate is one of the advantages of a slow cooker

3700 r - is it really a big price, given the current rise in prices of everything?

not big simple slows 🔗 - similar to the St. Petersburg Avito this (already with the plus of delivery from Germany)

The price is quite adequate, two modes are also normal, the company is well-known.
There seems to be a round bowl, there are both pros and cons ...
Minus - a whole chicken will not go into a round 2.5 liter bowl.
But it is much easier to choose a container for a water bath (for polenta and rolled oats in milk without a crust on top)
(If he were in Moscow, she would have bought it with pleasure)

for a water bath, where porridge is obtained without a crust on top.,

Oksan, there is no crust on porridge, and when cooking porridge directly in the bowl, the lid fits snugly, * airing *, from which there is no crust, even if it does appear, it is soft and thin, when the porridge is stirred it disappears

the lid in the Soviet slow-cooker Parenka sits especially tightly - this is aerobatics, an ideal lid

[Irsha]

Irsha,
Ira, understood, corrected, I cook polenta, rolled oats and rice in milk, there the crust is noticeable (to me).
Buckwheat and pearl barley - everything is fine
I still load mine low, often half a bowl

[Oksana]

Oksana, yeah - milk porridges give at least some kind of crust, watery, clear pepper, no

Well, I usually fill mine almost right under the lid

I have a big slow motion and I usually put it in it at night. And auto power off is a very handy feature. Girls, I have a question about porridge. Today I put corn porridge 1 on high and it turned out 7 hours on a quiet one and for some reason the corn is not soft, I'm harsh. Why could this happen? Is the mode wrong? I thought that on a quiet corn just steamed.

Girls, do not tell me what the temperature of slow cookers is at low and high functions. Is it possible to simmer milk in it?

[veronika555]

veronika555, I won't tell you the temperature, but I only make the milk slowly.

[veronika555]

veronika555, different slows differ slightly in indications, but on average
on high no more than 100 *
at low about 85-90 *

[Oksana1999]

Oksana1999,
I am making tender polenta according to the recipe from the book * The new slowcooker *

4 cups chicken stock
1 cup corn grits
1 tsp salt
a pinch of ground black pepper

Cook for 3-3.5 hours on LOW, if possible, stir a couple of times.

It turns out very tender, served with fried mushrooms.
I cook in milk in the same proportions and in time, but then I put it in a water bath, as I wrote above. Immediately cover the finished porridge with cling film directly over the porridge so that the top layer does not wind up
I cooked in mechanical slow cookers, with a volume of 2.5 liters, 3.5 liters and 4.5 liters, I, practically without a difference in time, if the cereals are smaller, then 3 hours, if larger, then 3.5 hours. Sometimes you come across a rather coarse grind and with coarse particles, I avoid buying this



Oksana1999,
Or it may be that the slow cooker, having worked for 1 hour at HIGH, switched not to LOW. and on HEATED and stood like this for 7 hours
And so the groats remained raw

Girls, thank you very much. So I will buy a slow cooker.



Girls, can you tell me which slow cooker to choose Crock-Pot Slowcooker 2.4 l or 3.5 l or Andrew James 3.5 l (there is an automatic mode)?

[veronika555]

veronika555,
Better if there is an AUTO mode. because then you can safely cook frozen food without first defrosting it.
And milk porridge comes out well, he first brings it to a boil, then lowers the temperature and languishes on LOU as much as needed.

you can safely cook frozen food without first defrosting it.

I don't dare to cook frozen food.
The bowl gets very cold, begins to heat up, and, perhaps, the ceramics will not withstand a sharp drop in t - it will go with microcracks or even crack.

The bowl is thick - it heats up for a long time, the t difference between the parts of the bowl closer and further from the heating elements is noticeable at first.

No, I never turn on the slow cooker if the contents are cold. Room t is already normal.

[Irsha]

Irsha,
Ira, we have other slow cookers, we CAN'T, but there are those in which the instruction allows it, I can be wrong, but like in ANDREW JAMES it can be done in AUTO mode.

[Oksana]

Oksana, if the bowl is * ceramic *, and not metal, it is still dangerous.

Everyone decides for himself: to take risks or keep the aggregate, which is not so easy to buy.

[Irsha]

Irsha,
Dk, Ir slow cookers have become scarce, which is a pity.

Girls, I wrote, in another Temka, that in the store on the way to the dacha I met a Kenwood for 4, 5 liters. The price is about 5, I don't remember exactly. If anyone needs it, I can buy and transfer in Moscow, if she is still waiting for us

slow cookers became scarce

And they were never in free sale and in abundance. And there is no advertising and there was no. Multilayers are now a priority, which is understandable - it is easier with a multicooker, temperature and time are included in separate programs. Conveniently.
If the production of Parenok's slow cookers hadn't been shut down, then we would have had the best quality slow cooker.

[Irsha]

we had the best quality slow cooker

Irsha, you had both the boy and the modern slow ones. I would like to know their COMPARATIVE characteristics. What exactly does the boy win (except for the pot)?

[Marina]

Marina, other materials were used.
The heating bowl is plastic, but everything is firmly made, no * tin * walls. The inner bowl is made of a different material than, for example, the Kenwoods, there are no microcracks. Parenka's lid is fitted tightly, and is made in the form of a plate, on occasion, you can eat from it. 2 buttons - low and high - no more needed. t holds well, does not go beyond the limits.
The boy, of course, looks rustic against the background of modern slow-cookers, but she languishes just as nicely

I don't even complain about the Kenwoods, the guys are working, mmm, the Boy has been happy with his mother for a long time, she just fits 3 liters.

So - see the Boy - take it. She is a hard-working and reliable girl.

[Irsha]

Irsha,
Ira, I don’t understand, is there plastic instead of metal inside the PARENKA heating base? (I just have a stereotype that there is always metal inside, so I ask again)
About the fact that in PARENKA a saucepan made of sitall, with silver in the composition, I read, but about what the base was not specified

[Oksana]

Oksana, heating pan Boys have two layers, like all slow cookers - the outer layer is plastic, inside is aluminum

and in fact, Parenka has 3 switch positions for low, high and in the middle off

and compactness is chic - it is so neat, good

I saw an ad about this Boy in "give it for free" in Moscow .... but two weeks after it was already given.
New at all, someone was lucky on June 7th.

confused, get rid of slow cookers

I'm frankly afraid of pressure cookers, nafig this speed of cooking, put it in a slow cooker overnight and sleep, nothing will be on the ceiling, although I most likely have outdated ideas about pressure cookers

The old-style pressure cookers had an emergency pressure relief valve, though not all
we have a new type of pressure cooker, but we hardly use it as a pressure cooker, rather as a cartoon
now the speed is not really needed) and put the slow lolly for the night, in the morning and steamed meat and vegetables

[Irsha]

Irsha,
Ira, I understand, thanks.
I, too, from a Soviet pressure cooker, a valve flew to the kitchen door and a fountain of broth poured across the shelves and across the stove.
And in general I like to think more in the evening, prepare in the morning and dine from the slow cooker at lunch.

In the old Soviet pressure cookers, in addition to the valves, there were also lead fuses, and when the pressure went off scale, due to a clogged valve, this fuse melted and a stream of boiling water began to beat from it, and sometimes even from the valve ... sprinkling everything and everyone around. Once in such a situation, I learned not only to rinse the valve after use, but also to check the patency - there could be scale from the broth or something else inside ... I have the last pressure cooker without a safety gum, which I really liked - because now it is tense with a zip, seems to be a Turkish production. But now I know that there is imported stainless steel - this is nothing more than a decorative coating, for ordinary thin steel ... cannot be compared with our old one ... I boiled water in a new one, drained and began to wipe at the bottom, I found "unpainted "I changed this very stainless steel ozone without talking, bought it several years ago, for jellied meat - 9 liters, and such a miniature

Or it may be that the slow cooker, having worked for 1 hour at HIGH, switched not to LOW. and on HEATED and stood like this for 7 hours
And so the groats remained raw

No, I myself switched to slow mode after an hour. Therefore, I thought. that it is probably better to cook corn in a cartoon.
girls, and another question. Does everyone have milk porridge fried?
The son said that it is better not to cook porridge than to scrape off the burnt porridge on the walls afterwards when washing.

[Oksana1999]

Oksana1999,
Oksana, my rolled oats, corn and rice in milk are obtained with a rather dense foam on top, if you do not interfere with them for 3-4 hours of cooking on a low setting. I came to the conclusion for myself that it is more convenient for me to cook them in portions in a water bath.
In every slow cooker there are a couple of places where it boils the most, where sweet porridge, tomato, or anything else that can stick, can burn. Sometimes this is good, because it gives the whole dish a brighter flavor, and sometimes ... the wall in these places, or along the entire diameter, is not washed well. The white bowl is washed off easier than the black one for some reason and sticks to it less, this is my personal experience
It also depends on how much liquid is in the bowl.

[Oksana1999]

Each slow cooker has a couple of places where it boils the hardest.

less heating of the side where the heating element is interrupted and the * remote * control is located

I move the bowl a little closer to this side, then the heating of both sides is more even

in principle, it cannot burn-burn in a slow cooker, t is not higher than 100 *, the rim, of course, is formed, but there is no problem with washing, soak if the bowl is soaked - and then wiped off with a metal washcloth

milk porridge is still more convenient to cook in multicooker, and the volume is not large and the bowl is washed out at a time

Oksana1999, if your high is hot, then cook on a low, measure t when cooking, you will know well, or already on high, but in water and in pots

I have a baby maman bebi 800ml, so only on heating and brewing slowly, high and low are like that - just fry on them

[Oksana1999]

Everyone's milk porridge is fried

Oksana1999, Oksana, I only get stuck in Tonza, but not in Atlanta. I cook mostly oatmeal and corn in milk - these are my favorites. I bet at night, for 8-9 hours. I don’t scrape it off, I just soak it, and then the welded one comes off easily.

[Smile]

And I soak, and then on a washcloth a mixture of soda and citric acid. wipe with this fizzy, then rinse with dishwashing detergent.
With black so gray from milk washed away, and with white traces of carrots and tomatoes



Smile,
Ekaterina, please. you can write your proportions for corn porridge. Our volume is about the same 4.5 liters, I also want it for the night, otherwise I have everything ready in 3-4 hours. I'm looking for it. where is my mistake



Oksana1999,
Once the apples in their juice burnt to the bottom near the walls and traces remained at the bottom. apparently a lot of sugar. Tomato paste sticks strongly to the walls if there is little liquid
I have a Kenwood 706 for 4.5 liters



I found a recipe for PEPERONATE in my book about a slow cooker. It's surprising that the author recommends so few products for large
slow cookers
COMPOSITION OF PRODUCTS
3 tbsp. l. tomato paste
3 + 2 tbsp. l. olive oil,
1 tsp dry oregano. salt and freshly ground pepper
15 cloves of garlic, minced with a knife + 2 cloves, minced
1 large onion in half rings
1 sprout of fresh rosemary
bell pepper (1 green + 1 yellow + 2 red), seeded and cut into thin strips,
2 tbsp. l. chopped parsley + more, for decoration
1 tbsp. l. red wine vinegar
90 gr of crumbled feta,
croutons for serving
HOW TO COOK
Mix together tomato paste, 3 tbsp. l. butter, oregano, 1 tsp. salt a pinch of ground pepper, add crushed garlic, onions, rosemary and bell pepper strips.
Cover and cook LOW for 5 hours to soften the pepper.
Remove and discard the rosemary sprout, transfer the contents of the bowl to a bowl, or onto a serving platter.
In a separate bowl, combine chopped garlic, parsley, vinegar and 2 tbsp. l. olive oil.
Pour over peppers, garnish with parsley and feta. Serve immediately, on croutons, or as a side dish with meat.

[brendabaker]

brendabaker, Oksana, I cook in Tonza at the rate of 1 multicooker for 6 glasses of milk, salt, sugar - pinch each. At LOU 10 hours.

[Smile]

Smile,
So I put in little milk, only 1: 4, that's the mistake.
I will cook in Kenwood, but in portioned pots, THANKS Ekaterina

Apple jam in Kenwood CP658 slow cooker. to burn - this was not, it was baked once, but the crust along the bottom left a plate from the bottom - like thick marmalade, yummy sweets

It is surprising that the author recommends so few products for large

Well, after all, you will not smear such an amount on the bottom, there are proportions, and then at least load a full bowl there (as I usually do)
and for such scanty amount of vegetables and 5 hours ...
easier to put out in a pan for half an hour

[Irsha]

Another nice recipe from my American book about the slow cooker.
STEWED CHICKEN WITH PAPARDELLE
I won't write about how she cooks papardelle pasta for a side dish on the stove, but the sauce for the chicken is well worth attention, in any case, I haven't come across one here, in the subject.
COMPOSITION OF PRODUCTS
1 whole chicken, 1.75 kg, divided into 10 parts.
1 cup flour
salt and ground pepper,
1 tbsp. l. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. l. olive oil,
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
180 ml dry white wine,
180 ml chicken broth,
3 bay leaves,
160 ml heavy cream,
grated zest from 1 lemon,
2 teaspoons each chopped tarragon and parsley
HOW TO COOK
Dry the chicken parts. Put flour and salt in a bag and roll all parts there one by one. Shake off excess flour.
Melt both types of butter in a large skillet and sauté the chicken over medium heat until golden brown. turning, if necessary, in about 8 minutes.
Place the slices on a plate, remove all excess fat from the pan and return to medium heat. Fry onions, carrots and celery until softened slightly and become golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in wine and broth and dissolve the dark specks at the bottom of the pan. Boil for 10 minutes over low heat and pour the contents into a slow cooker bowl. add bay leaf and place chicken on top.
Cover and cook LOW for 5-6 hours until the chicken is very soft.
Remove the chicken pieces onto a plate, remove the skin, remove the bones, shred the meat and keep in a warm place. Discard skin and bones.
Throw away the bay leaf from the broth and pour it into a saucepan. Bring to a very low boil over medium-high heat and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, then add cream, 1/2 tsp. salt and a pinch of pepper and cook quietly for another 5 minutes to boil a little. Add lemon zest and 1 tsp. estagon. keep warm until pasta is done. The rest of the greens goes on top of the finished dish



LENTIL SOUP

COMPOSITION OF PRODUCTS
2 tbsp. l olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped thinly
2 tsp ground cumin,
1 tsp dry oregano,
1 tbsp. l. tomato paste
125 ml dry red wine
1.5 liters of chicken broth,
500 g dry brown lentils, washed
125 g boiled ham, small cubes,
salt and ground pepper
croutons with cheese
some dill greens
HOW TO COOK
In a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in oil for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softer and slightly browned. Add garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for another 1 minute. Add tomato paste and fry for 1 minute.
Pour in wine and 1 glass of broth and stir to dissolve any brown specks from the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the contents of the skillet to a slow-cooker bowl and add the remaining stock (1.25 L). lentils, ham, 1/4 tsp. salt and a pinch of pepper. Cover and cook LOW for 5 hours. The lentils will become very soft.
Let the soup cool slightly, then transfer the third part to the kitchen processor, mashed and return to the thicket. Mix well.
Pour the soup into bowls, carefully placing a crouton in the center of each if you want to eat with croutons. Season the soup a little and sprinkle with dill herbs



SWEET RED CABBAGE
COMPOSITION OF PRODUCTS
1 small head of red cabbage, peeled and chopped,
1/3 cup honey, slightly warmed up so that it can flow
125 ml sherry vinegar,
3 cloves, salt

1 tbsp. l unsalted butter,
1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil (in the canola recipe),
3 green sour GRENNY SMITH apples, peeled and coarsely chopped.
sour cream for serving
2 tbsp. l greens dill

HOW TO COOK
In a slow cooker bowl, combine cabbage, honey, vinegar, cloves and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Cover and cook LOW for 4 hours, stirring once every 2 hours if possible.
the cabbage will become soft, but will not lose its shape.
Heat both oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat just before the kale is cooked.
Place the apples and fry until browning, stirring gently, if necessary, for about 8 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. l. water, reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 5 minutes, until the apples are soft, but do not lose their shape.
mix apples with cabbage, arrange on plates, serve with sour cream and sprinkle with dill. Serve immediately.



Irsha, Ira, I undertook to cook the whole chicken on a pad of apples. And it suffered a complete fiasco. At the bottom of the bowl I put 2 large apples in pieces, and on top of the broiler on the back. salt and pepper inside and out
HI 4 hours.
As a result, my apples were boiled, the pale broiler became rubber on the top and wadded on the bottom. But the most unpleasant thing is that the bone, heavy smell of the ridge of a store broiler soaked all the meat entirely, as if I had added a little dung to the sauce. Everything is thrown out, is unrealistic.