A slow cooker has been a go-to kitchen appliance for many years for a lot of busy people trying to save time. The ability to prepare a delicious and healthy meal without slaving over a stove at the end of the day is a lifesaver for many people. But is having a slow cooker really worth it?
A slow cooker is a worthwhile appliance, especially for people who like to save time by coming home to a ready-to-eat meal. Not only are slow cookers convenient, but they are relatively inexpensive to buy and operate, making them a great addition to the kitchen.
Knowing whether a slow cooker is worth it to you depends a great deal on the time you spend cooking meals daily. Read on to discover the pros and cons of using a slow cooker and whether or not it would be a useful appliance for you.
What Are the Pros and Cons of a Slow Cooker?
Using a slow cooker comes with many advantages and disadvantages and mostly depends on your personal preferences and needs. While many people find the slow cooker to be the best kitchen appliance to own, others tend to disagree.
Here are some of the Pros of a slow cooker you may want to consider:
- Saves time with the ability to dump your ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a deliciously cooked meal saves time that you would typically spend cooking dinner.
- Health & Safety issues-the slow cooker heats food slowly, however it reaches the recommended temperature to allow harmful bacteria to be cooked off for food safety purposes. Additionally, adding fresh vegetables into your slow cooker meals ensures that you and your family are eating a healthy and delicious meal.
- Saves money-slow cookers are more energy-efficient than using the stove or oven in most cases. This means that even if your slow cooker is set to cook for 8-10 hours, you are still using less energy than you would use your other cooking methods.
Here are some Cons of using a slow cooker:
- Cooks slower than other methods-this means that if you are in a hurry, you may not be able to use your slow cooker since it requires several hours to produce a meal.
- Planning is a must when using the slow cooker method, you need to be somewhat organized. This is because using the slow cooker requires you to have certain ingredients on hand, and you have to take the time to dump your ingredients in and set it to cook.
- Can cook unevenly-Since you are dumping the ingredients and heading off to work in most cases, the food tends to sit in one place without being moved around. While the slow cooker heats the entire pot, there are times that the food can cook unevenly.
How Do I Know If I Need a Slow Cooker?
Knowing whether you need a slow cooker or not depends on how much time you have at the end of your day for preparing a meal. If you find that you are rushed at the end of the day and end up picking up fast food more often than not, you may want to consider getting a slow cooker.
For many busy people, the thought of coming home after a busy day at work to spend another hour on their feet preparing a nutritious meal can seem very daunting. Although they probably know that they should, they just sometimes do not have the energy to do it.
This is when they get in the habit of picking something up or just ordering something.
Having a slow cooker can allow you to save time at the end of the day and also prepare a delicious and healthy meal for you and your family. This can save you not only time, but the money you would normally spend on fast food.
What Can I Use Instead of a Slow Cooker?
A Dutch oven may be a good alternative for those who do not wish to use a slow cooker. Since food is put in the pot similarly to a slow cooker, many people find the convenience to be similar. One major difference is that a Dutch oven cooks all day in an oven rather than in an insulated pot like a slow cooker.
Many people prefer to use a Dutch oven over a slow cooker for various reasons which are mostly personal preferences. Some Dutch oven experts believe that the taste of the food comes out better and more robust than when cooked in a slow cooker.
If you are going to be home all day, then the Dutch oven may be a great alternative to the slow cooker. This is because leaving your oven on all day unattended can be much more dangerous than leaving your slow cooker on all day.
What Can I Cook With a Slow Cooker?
A slow cooker can be used to cook almost anything you can think of, from soups and stews to meatloaves and pasta dishes. There are so many different recipes out there that make trying new things in the slow cooker quite the adventure.
Using fresh vegetables is always better than using frozen vegetables since frozen have a tendency to stick together and therefore do not cook evenly. Fresh vegetables, however, cook nicely and the slow cooker keeps in the flavor.
Here are some favorite dishes many people enjoy cooking in the slow cooker:
- Beef Stew
- Any kind of soup-potato, vegetable, etc…
- Meatloaf with Carrots and Potatoes
- Italian Chicken
- Chicken and Vegetables
- Chicken and Dumplings
Are Slow Cookers Energy-Efficient?
Since slow cookers use low temperatures to cook meals, they use very little energy during their use. Most slow cookers have an average wattage of between 50 and 300 watts. This means that when leaving food to cook in a slow cooker all day, you may use about 1.3-1.6 kWh in total. This makes the slow cooker energy-efficient.
Even though the slow cooker is in use for a longer period throughout the day, the amount of energy used is much less than you would use in the oven for an hour. This is because the average oven starts with an average of about 3,000 watts. Using it for just a short period can use much more energy than the slow cooker.
Are Slow Cookers Easy to Use?
Slow cookers are extremely easy to use since all you have to do is ensure that you have the right ingredients and then dump them in. This of course requires you to prepare the ingredients first, and in some recipes may require a bit more time.
All in all, once you have prepared the ingredients you will use, you dump them in the slow cooker and set the amount of time you wish to use. That is typically all you have to do, which makes the slow cooker an easy appliance to use.
How Much Do Slow Cookers Cost?
Depending on the size and functionality of the slow cooker you need or want, the price can vary greatly. The most basic slow cookers can be $20 or less in most department stores, however, if you want one that has more functionality and bells and whistles, you may pay upwards of $500.
Some people prefer to have a slow cooker that is just very basic with its capability to make meals without any hassle. In these cases, you can typically purchase a slow cooker for a reasonable price, especially if you can find it on sale.
With the advancement of technology, however, there are slow cookers that can do much more and serve a greater purpose than just slow cooking a meal. Some of these newer machines can brown meat before the cooking process. This can save you even more time at the beginning of the preparation process.
How Many Years Does a Slow Cooker Last?
Depending on the brand and type of slow cooker you have, they can last an average of between five and ten years for the most part. This is because slow cooking does not require a lot of energy or strain on the mechanics of the machine itself due to low cooking temperatures.
When you invest in a model that is more expensive and has a better quality rating, you may be able to use this machine for closer to ten years. This is because more time and quality has gone into the machine than those that are made more cheaply.
Whatever you decide to do, considering the advantages and disadvantages of using a slow cooker, they are worth having in your kitchen. Between the convenience and time-saving advantages to being able to have a hot meal waiting for you at the end of the day, makes having a slow cooker not only worth having, but a necessity.