/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.19114753]

Redpill me on slow cookers

[Anonymous No.19114754]

you can make a nice chuck roast in it for a shredded beef sandwich

[Anonymous No.19114759]

>>19114753
Good enough for a beef stew or chili, but not nearly as good as a proper braise. The convenience of slopping it in a pot, going to work and coming home to a finished dinner is nice though. Don't cook chicken in it. No chicken should ever be cooked for 6-8 hours. Sure, it can be edible, but a slow cooked chicken stew is at BEST mediocre and overcooked. They have a place, but short of the convenience you're fucking up if you use it when you could be braising.

[Anonymous No.19114831]

Unless your name rhymes with "sack malfani", they're an indispensable tool for any home cook.

[Gordon Ramsay No.19114844]

>>19114753

Theyre poison. Causes cancer. Do not use.

[Anonymous No.19114851]

>>19114753
still easily the best way to make a pot roast. if you're doing things like carrots and potatoes and gravy you cook that shit separately so it doesn't turn to musch. but 10/10 you can't do better for a big ol' hunk of meat you want to stew until it falls apart.

[Anonymous No.19115257]

>>19114753
I love using mine for pulled pork and chili.

[Anonymous No.19115577]

>>19114753

Not bad for some meme "pulled", "shredded" bullshit.

Bad for everything else.

[Anonymous No.19115637]

>>19114831
How is ol' Sack Malfani anyway? Outta the hospital yet?

[Anonymous No.19115641]

>>19114753
love 'em

[Anonymous No.19115642]

>>19114851
agreed 100%

[Anonymous No.19115668]

>>19114753
They cook food, slowly

[Anonymous No.19115680]

>>19115577
>Not bad for some meme "pulled", "shredded" bullshit.
So pot roast is "meme bullshit"?
Corned beef and cabbage?
It's also good for stews.
What else where you expecting?
It's like you're saying "a toaster can't do much more than toast stuff!".

[Anonymous No.19115717]

i used mine 3 times and then it stopped working
hamilton beach brand

[Anonymous No.19115742]

>>19114753
Idea is good implmentation is terrible.
I've never seen a comercial one with a temperature regulator, therefore even on "warm" many will boil or even burn your food ruining it. They also are incredibly ineffcient with most to all of the heat escaping out into the room.
Industrial ones are temperature regulated and have a stirrer but good luck having one of those bad boys in the home kitchen.

[Anonymous No.19115749]

>>19114753
You can just put a dutch oven or a casserole dish in an oven on low temp

[Anonymous No.19115901]

>>19114753
>day off
>chop veg for 5min and toss it in
>turn it on
>spend the day smoking weed, sipping beers and playing vidya
>house smells amazing all day
>8 hours later perfect slow-cooked meal ready to eat whenever i want it to
>serve it up with some rice or pasta
>box up the other 3 or 4 portions for later in the week
>takes 2min to clean up
ultimate lazy way to cook

[Anonymous No.19115905]

>>19115749
The point is that it's self-sufficient. It is its own oven.

[Anonymous No.19115906]

>>19115742
>I've never seen a comercial one with a temperature regulator
ugh.. who cares. just eat

[Jackie Orozco No.19115915]

>>19115742
It's never going to boil. The thermal switch breaks at too low a heat.<div class="xa23b"><span class="xa23t"></span><span class="xa23i"></span></div>

[Anonymous No.19115916]

>>19115901
>Exact same thing in an dutch oven braising
>Takes 2 hours instead of 8
>Objectively better browning

[Anonymous No.19115917]

>>19115749
Exactly this, or even just leave it on your stovetop on low. As a bonus you also get the sear the meat and/or veg in the pot to get some char+fond.

[Anonymous No.19115922]

They make chicken wings have the texture of ribs which can be a nice change to crispy wings

[Anonymous No.19115925]

>>19115916
don't bother anon, dutch oven chads are simply incomprehensible to the average low iq slow cooker NPC

[Anonymous No.19115977]

>>19114753
They're great for making stews that are ready when you come home after 8 hours of work. If you trust meat sitting out in the open at moderately high temps for 8 hours straight. I'm not a fan.

[Anonymous No.19116003]

>>19115915
I've never seen one with a thermal switch. Ever.
The expensive ones are no different to the cheap ones, nothing more than a heater with 3 heat settings, typically 60W, 100W, 150W

[Anonymous No.19116009]

>>19114851
how do I create this?

[Anonymous No.19116018]

>>19115977
OP here, what is the actual, practical difference between dutch oven and slow cooker? Energy cost is not an issue

[Anonymous No.19116022]

>>19115916
2 hours is too quick though
the point of a slow cooker is that its slow.
you put it on before you go to work, or you put it on early in the day and forget about it until later
if i wanted something to be ready in 2 hours i'd just cook a normal meal

[Anonymous No.19116024]

>>19116018
Sorry meant to quote >>19115925

[Anonymous No.19116155]

Got turned off of slow cookers because my mother would put lean meats in there and they would come out like shit. Usually chicken breasts and pork chops.

[Anonymous No.19116161]

>>19116018
If you don't know what braising is you don't belong here. Not being edgy or memeing. You should not be on a cooking forum. Even if it's 4chan.

[Anonymous No.19116170]

>>19116161
I can ask chatgpt to tell me what braising is. You better keep up with the times because now only authentic opinions matter

[Anonymous No.19116323]

>>19114753
Made obsolete by electronic multicookers. Those things can slow cook as well as pressure cook.

[Anonymous No.19116327]

>>19114753
Slow cooking has its benefits, but a slow cooker is any pot or pan with a lid.

People buying a slow cooker is as stupid as if there was such a thing as a "pasta boiler" appliance and people buying that.

[Anonymous No.19116607]

>>19116009
>buy a bigass boneless chuck roast or similiar
>slice onions and layer at the bottom of the pot
>toss in some black peppercorns for good measure
>sear the roast on all sides in a heavy skillet
>lay roast on top of onions
>pour in 1-2 cups of beef stock
>cook on low 3ish hours, don't overdo it the whit will dry out
>when it's about done boil up your carrots and perterters until just about done, al dente
>ladle out most of the stock and juices and use it to make a gravy (red wine o'joo works nicely here)
>dump your taters and carrots into the pot with the meat
>dump your gravy in over the whole lot
>wala

[Anonymous No.19116872]

>>19114753
Used them a lot when I first started cooking for myself. Helps build confidence and introduces you to what goes together with what.

Rarely use now though unless cooking for a large group or something that truly needs low and slow like pork shoulder or chuck roast.

But for everything else like chili you can make it on the stove and it will taste the same - just gotta let it simmer longer.

If I won't be home I might throw a chili in and just let it do its thing all day.

[Anonymous No.19116884]

my girlfriend insists you can use an instant pot for everything a slow cooker does, except it'll do it faster. I think this is bullshit, but I hear it every time the crockpot comes out.

can somebody give me some support on this?

[Anonymous No.19116894]

Someone here explain what use a slow cooker is when you can slow cook in any pot with a lid on.

[Anonymous No.19116966]

>>19116884
tendre meat requires time. no amount of pressure cooking or temperature voodoo can replace that. do an experiment and make the exact same recipe in both; the slow cooker will be much nier and more tender and probably taste better anyway

[Anonymous No.19116972]

>>19116966
thank you anon I will do this after lent

[Anonymous No.19117025]

convince me that slow cookers aren't just for keeping already made stuff warm at pot lucks and making low effort sloppa. anything I see a slow cooker recipe for I could just as well make in a dutch oven while also being able to properly brown the ingredients at the start. I hear people argue that you can still do that in a real pan, but then what's the point of using the slow cooker at all? I'm not going to get up an hour early just so I can prep my dinner so it can slow cook while I'm at work. at the end of the day a slow cooker is just an excuse to dump ingredients into a pot without doing real cooking.

[Anonymous No.19117078]

>>19117025
anon pls. lots of things can be done lots of different ways. a slow cooker only makes sloppa, and it does it safely and without needing a babysitter. using a slow cooker is for making tasty one pot meals with convenience. if you want to take the time and enjoyment in cooking your food from start to finish don't use a slow cooker that day. if you have 3 people to feed and you have to be at work all day, use a slow cooker that day.

[Anonymous No.19117127]

>>19115717
>hamilton beach
damn anon that shit's expensive. guarantee that would have been under warranty still. you should have called them, premium brands are usually on top of their shit when it comes to honoring warranties

[Anonymous No.19117135]

>>19114754
chuck roast, diced onion, jar of pepperocinis makes the perfect italian beef

[Anonymous No.19117151]

Buy this throw in crock pot with a lil water
8 hours later remove and pull apart with two forks make pulled pork sandwiches
I like potato rolls and coleslaw as a topping

[Anonymous No.19117160]

>>19117151
>two forks

[Anonymous No.19117161]

>>19114753
Unitasker for cooklete

[Anonymous No.19117163]

>>19117160
The good eats guy is rolling in his grave

[Anonymous No.19117179]

>>19117160
Never seen these

[Anonymous No.19117182]

>>19117160
>single use kitchen tools used for one recipe

[Anonymous No.19117188]

>>19117163
>>19117179
>>19117182
you can also use them in bed

[Anonymous No.19117201]

>>19117188
I use them when my wife wants to pretend I'm Wolverine or Freddy Krueger.

[Anonymous No.19117219]

>>19115742
>I've never seen a comercial one with a temperature regulator
I've got this one, it's under 100 Euros. It's got a thermistor on a spring under the enamel bowl (not non-stick, no cancer here). I use it on low and it just does barely a simmer.
If I wanted to I could use the Sous Vide setting with the stick probe to get more accurate temperature control too, but I don't.
I mostly use it for stew and beef rendang (finish it in a pan to boil off the liquid).

[Anonymous No.19117227]

received two as gifts, never used them. i saw someone use them to keep spiced apple cider warm at a party once.

[Anonymous No.19117247]

>>19117227
this winter I'll be using it to keep my bikkie and grikkie warm at the next work potluck

[Anonymous No.19117249]

It's great to make some garbage stew!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IrFYRNtD2I&t=3s

[Anonymous No.19117251]

>>19117247
your what? balls and dick?

[Anonymous No.19117252]

>>19117249
Finally, some good food.

[Anonymous No.19117254]

>>19116884
Can't an instant pot just function as a slow cooker too though without pressure cooking?

[Anonymous No.19117256]

>>19114753
https://www.seriouseats.com/why-pressure-cookers-are-better-than-slow-cookers
slow cookers do not cook at a temperature hot enough to ensure maillard browning.
Literally just look at the comparison shots

I will say that the convenience is unmatched, if you just want to throw a bunch of shit in the pot before work and come back to a hot meal then there really isn't a better option. But the actual quality of the food is poorer.
I haven't used mine since I started working from home, as there's just not a need for it.

[Anonymous No.19117260]

>>19117251

[Anonymous No.19117261]

>>19117256
I'm using a slowcooker to break down and make tough cuts of meat tender, I'm searing it before I put it in the cooker. Pressurecookers just don't work well enough in that regard.

[Anonymous No.19117267]

>>19117261
That's probably the right way to do it if you have to use a slow cooker imo but I would be surprised if the final product is better than a dutch oven sitting in an oven for 5 hrs+

what cuts of meat anon?

[Anonymous No.19117297]

>>19117254
I don't know if you can close it without activating the pressure cooking. So if a recipe called for covered slow cooking, it might not be able to.

[Anonymous No.19117302]

>>19117297
Yes they all come with a regular glass lid too, for stewing, slowcooking, sous vide, etc.

[Anonymous No.19117307]

This throw it in the pot go to work dinner is ready when I get home

[Lottie Hanna No.19117312]

>>19117254
>Can't an instant pot just function as a slow cooker too though
Yes. It's pretty handy for yogurt as well, since you can specify a temperature.
>>19117297
>I don't know if you can close it without activating the pressure cooking
You can.<div class="xa23b"><span class="xa23t"></span><span class="xa23i"></span></div>

[Anonymous No.19117513]

>>19117256
So, how did the slow cooker do at the high setting?

[Anonymous No.19117770]

>>19117307
>breaks into your house and eats your meal

[Anonymous No.19118187]

>>19117513
iirc high/low setting just means how quickly it reaches the target temperature, it's not actually cooking anything at a higher temp

[Anonymous No.19118412]

This is a retarded question but I wasn't raised cooking, no one in my family ever cooked. Thankfully I've broken the habit but have never messed with slow cookers too much. I want to make a traditional pot roast, but what cut of meat do I buy at the store for it? Is it the big chuck thing? I've seen some thing sold as "stew meat" but that sounds retarded to me and I'd like to make it properly.

[Anonymous No.19118441]

>>19114754
can I use it to make a sneed roast instead?

[Anonymous No.19118445]

>>19118187
wrong lmao

[Anonymous No.19118453]

>>19118412
chuck roast anon. you can use any beef roast †bh, go with boneless is my advice (no rib roasts, etc). a brisket also works.

my advice on preparation is here: >>19116607

[Anonymous No.19118506]

>>19118187
No, high is recommended for a 4 hour stew and low for 8 hours.
Kenji knows that of course, but hey clickbait.

[Anonymous No.19118512]

>>19118506
who the fuck is kenji

[Anonymous No.19118560]

>>19117160
Tearing apart meat Wolverine style! Nice job, bub!

[Anonymous No.19118929]

>>19115637
is he not a permanent resident by this point

[Anonymous No.19118980]

>>19115668
WHAT?!

[Anonymous No.19119269]

>>19114851
There's a better way

Use a dutch oven

[Anonymous No.19119276]

>>19115905
Sure, just don't call it good for anything other than convenient goyslop

[Anonymous No.19119284]

>>19115977
Imagine not working from home

[Anonymous No.19119293]

Pretty much only RETARDS and SUCKERS buy them because you can do the same thing on a stove and a pot with a lid.

Asinine useless appliance.

[Anonymous No.19119294]

>>19114753
Old people shit. Use an oven or a pressure cooker.

[Anonymous No.19119300]

>>19116018
Ducth ovens get both wet and dry heat, the top of your dish browns which adds to the flavor significantly

You can also do multiple cooking steps in a dutch oven (sauteeing, etc.)

It's not really about dutch ovens vs slowcookers, it's just that slowcookers are an inferior method of cooking

[Anonymous No.19119305]

>>19119294
>>19119293
>>19119269
>>19117312
But, but, muh aroma

[Anonymous No.19119315]

>>19117025
These niggers just drop all their ingredients into their slowcooker all at once, there's no timing involved, everything just turns into a big soft pile of shit

[Anonymous No.19119700]

>>19116894

[Anonymous No.19119740]

>>19119300
Unless you put coals on top, it's not going above boiling while there is water in the pan. That's not how thermal conduction works.

[Anonymous No.19119776]

>>19114753
Waste of money

[Anonymous No.19119802]

>>19119740
Have you never cooked a stew in a dutch oven? The top layer gets browned.

[Anonymous No.19119821]

>>19118929
did he have a third stroke or something?