Slow cooker

Choosing one

Size

3.5 litres for one or two people, 5 to 6.5 litres for a family. A slow cooker works best between half and three-quarters full — under-filled, it dries and scorches.

Shape

Oval takes a joint or a whole chicken; round suits stews and is more even. Oval is more versatile.

Removable ceramic pot

Essential for washing and for serving. Almost all have this now.

A hob-safe insert

Some models have a metal insert you can brown in directly. That removes the extra pan and is worth paying for.

A timer with auto-warm

Useful, since a slow cooker is by definition unattended.

A glass lid that seals

You need to see in without lifting it.

What it does well

• Tough cuts — pork shoulder, beef shin, brisket, lamb shoulder, oxtail, chicken thighs.
• Dried beans, pulses and dals, with no attention.
• Large batches, which freeze well and are the real economy of the thing.
• Cooking while you are out, which is its whole selling point and a genuine one.
• Stock, over a very long, very gentle extraction.
• Keeping things warm for a party.

Getting good results from it

• Brown the meat and soften the aromatics in a pan first. Ten minutes, and it is the difference between a good dish and a dull one.
• Cut the liquid to a third or half of what an oven recipe uses.
• Root vegetables at the bottom, where it is hottest — they cook more slowly than the meat.
• Do not lift the lid. Each time costs a long recovery.
• Finish it. Take the lid off for the last half hour to thicken, and add acid and a proper salt check at the end. Eight hours flattens everything.
• Consider finishing under a grill for anything that should have a surface — pulled pork especially.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions and your national food safety authority on questions about cooking raw meat safely from cold.

What it is bad at, and how to work around it

• It cannot brown. Nothing in a slow cooker browns, so meat and aromatics must be browned in a pan first. Skipping this gives a pale, flat-tasting result, and it is the commonest reason slow-cooker food disappoints.
• It cannot reduce. The lid traps steam, so almost no liquid evaporates. Use a third to a half less liquid than a hob recipe, or reduce the sauce separately at the end.
• It overcooks vegetables. Root vegetables can go in at the start; anything green, or any dairy, goes in during the last half hour.
• It dulls aromatics. Herbs and spices fade over eight hours. Add half at the start and half near the end.
• It is not a reheater. It warms too slowly to reheat cooked food safely. Reheat on the hob or in the oven.
• Dried kidney beans need a hard boil first — a slow cooker may not reach a high enough temperature on its own. Follow FSA guidance on this specifically.

Common questions