Programmable Slow Cooker

[John_Conrad]

Anyone have experience with these programmable slow cookers? other recommendations?

Looking for something like this for Friday evening's when we get home around midnight from High School Football games.

The regular crock pots can over cook, although i'm thinking of utilizing a plug in type timer where i can start and end the cook on time right before our arrival.

My wife, son and I really enjoy coming home to a healthy home cooked meal after a long, long Friday.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beac...-Steel/35241818

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I only like to use original Crock Pot brand units from Rival. The stoneware is thicker and doesn't quite get as hot as other brands that friends use.
They make multiple programmable options.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

A couple years ago I replaced ours with a programmable one. After the programmed cooking time, it shifts into "warm" mode for several hours, so the food stays at temperature for quite some time. It will cook at multiple temperatures and can also be used with the temperature probe.

It seems to work quite well.

 

[doitmyself]

Because my wife does a lot of food processing, she bought a programmable pressure cooker/slow cooker (multi-cooker) and is thrilled with it. I love that the kitchen doesn't get all steamed up compared to open kettle boiling.

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-LUX60-Programmable-1000-Watt/dp/B0073GIN08 (explore the different models)

http://www.thekitchn.com/i-tried-the-ins...hs-later-226178

 

[John_Conrad]

thanks for info and suggestions...this time of year we have a host of fresh vegetables and fruits from all our friends and neighbors gardens and ourselves, my freezer is usually well stocked and we prefer to cook and eat these foods.

so adding the right cooker is an asset given our busy lives.

please keep adding to the great suggestions

 

[bubbatime]

So your plan is to load it in the morning, let the food and meat sit at room temp all day, then turn on and cook for 6-8 hours and be ready when you get home late at night? If you feel safe doing that, go ahead. I wouldn't eat meat that has been left out of the fridge for hours and hours and is not actively cooking. Might be better to make the meal the day ahead and then eat leftovers on your late nights.

If its just vegetables, then the programmable unit would be perfect.

 

[John_Conrad]

loading in the morning would be for a normal day where we are home about 6 in the evening...so food would be in cooker from about 6:30 am to about 6 pm; food would be in cooker for 11 1/2 hours in that situation and this is where a normal crock can over cook stuff, there fore the programmable option cooks and then switches to keeping only warm.

for football friday's i would stop by home getting off work a bit early and would be loading it anywhere between3-5 pm(just depends on the distance traveled on long out of town games) to have dinner around midnight...so food would be in cooker for about 8 hours max

I would love to make chicken soup with fresh vegetable's though, for those cold fall games.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
A couple years ago I replaced ours with a programmable one. After the programmed cooking time, it shifts into "warm" mode for several hours, so the food stays at temperature for quite some time. It will cook at multiple temperatures and can also be used with the temperature probe.

It seems to work quite well.


+1 We love ours. We will prep everything in advance and throw it all in the crock in the morning. Dinner is ready when you get home. It has been super reliable and we haven't noticed anything being overcooked.

 

[jeff8407]

Go for the InstaPot. They are fantastic. They are a pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker combination. Amazon has them on sale sometimes for $59.99.

They really work well.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: jeff8407
Go for the InstaPot. They are fantastic. They are a pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker combination. Amazon has them on sale sometimes for $59.99.

They really work well.


Times a dozen.

My Wife can take rock hard frozen chicken and cook it with field peas and snaps with a bit of Korma sauce and it's to die for. Super fast and truly amazing results!

 

[John_Conrad]

Originally Posted By: jeff8407
Go for the InstaPot. They are fantastic. They are a pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker combination. Amazon has them on sale sometimes for $59.99.

They really work well.


i am going to keep an eye out for these lower priced sales of the instapot, so that I can captitalize on one of those. thanks.

In the mean time I have purchased one from wally world

it is programmable, but it has the stirring unit instead of the probe. We opted for this because we have a tendency to cook more chili, stews, and soups than we do roasts. That being because we generally smoke our meats outside. The crock pot was also on sale for $10 off, so we paid $40 vs $50.

Hope to try the new crock for the first time this Friday with a little cheeseburger soup!

 

[John_Conrad]

Our first home game tonight, and I have the new crock loaded with cheeseburger soup!