Slow cookers have revolutionised family meal times. With a slow cooker, you can set it to start before you go to work, leave it to its own devices for the whole day, then have a delicious, perfectly cooked meal ready for you when you get home.
However, if you are anything like me, you will be worried about your slow cooker somehow setting fore to your house while you are out…
Top Slow Cookers With Timer [UK Market]
Never fear! To the rescue comes the best slow cooker with timer. These guys can be programmed to the second, and you will have no fear that they won’t turn off.
Your food will be perfectly cooked, and your house will not have been burnt down. Two fantastic results for a day’s work, I would say!
1. Crockpot CSO52 Slow Cooker Ceramic 4.7 Litres Black
This beast is a great looking slow cooker, that has various options for cooking your food, keeping it warm, and generally making it utterly delicious!
Pros
- Digital timer to set cooking times. This crock pot can cook your food for anything from 30 minutes to a whopping 20 hours. You can also set it to “keeping warm” mode, so that it’ll be perfect when you want it.
- Hinged lid for ease and reduced mess. Having a lid that you can simply lift, rather than removing, will make it much easier to stir the food, and prevent your worktops getting covered with cooking juices that you have to continually wipe up!
- 4.7 litre capacity is ideal for families. The large bowl in this slow cooker will provide enough food for a family of four, and still probably leave you with delicious leftovers.
- The bowl is dishwasher safe. You can just whip out the bowl and stick it in the dishwasher with all the other washing up, making this a very convenient and easy option for getting your pot clean after you’ve finished using it.
Cons
- The lid has a rubber seal which can let out steam, which is great – but when it is is use for a long time it can also spit out cooking juices and make a bit of a mess of the outside of the slow cooker.
Recommendation
A great option for a slow cooker, especially if you are new to the method and want to find an easy to use cooker.
2. Wahl ZX929 James Martin Digital Slow Cooker 4.7L Ceramic Pot
Perfect for creating delicious family meals, this one is large enough to feed a family, yet compact enough to sit comfortably in your kitchen and not take up too much space.
Pros
- LCD digital timer. The timer is fully digital, meaning that it is very accurate and easy to use, and allows you to take full control of your cooking times – as well as the finished results.
- Comes with a glass lid. This is not only a durable material which will help to retain the moisture of your cooking, but it will allow you a window into whatever you are making.
- Very easy to clean. The ceramic bowl inside this slow cooker can be removed and hand washed, or placed in the dishwasher, which means that you don’t have to clean the whole thing.
- Two heat settings. You can choose between low heat and high heat, depending on what you are cooking, and there is also a “keep warm” function, so your dinner can be the perfect temperature whenever you are ready to eat it.
Cons
- High setting is very high. Some users have reported that the High setting on this slow cooker is high enough to turn vegetables into mush, so you may be better off using the lower setting and leaving it for longer.
Recommendation
A good, easy to use slow cooker that can provide you and your family with soups, stews, curries, and just about anything that needs a long period of cooking in order to become tender.
3. Lakeland Digital Family Sized Slow Cooker 6.5L With 24 Hour Delay Timer
A big slow cooker, ideal for batch cooking or providing food for a larger group of people, this slow cooker will bring magic to your kitchen!
Pros
- 6.5 litre capacity. This slow cooker packs some real punch; it can hold a lot of fluid and a lot of meat and veg – this makes it perfect for cooking big meals, or for making meals that you can then freeze.
- Glass lid with Bakelite handle. The see through glass of the lid will retain moisture in your cooking, as well as letting you see inside the pot to check what’s going on, while the Bakelite handle means that you can lift it off without getting burnt.
- Easy to read LED display. Some slow cookers come without this feature, which means that it will be harder to see what setting it is on – this one is easy to see, even in a kitchen with the light off.
- 3 heat settings. Unlike many slow cookers that only have Low or High, this one comes with an Intermediate setting that allows you to keep your food warm without actually cooking it any longer and allowing it to dry out.
Cons
- Non stick coating may not be very durable. Some people have stated that the non stick coating has started to peel off; this will be reduced if you hand wash it rather than put it in the dish washer.
Recommendation
A great, big slow cooker that is capable of feeding a large family or allowing you to make meals to see you through the week, this slow cooker is easy to use, easy to clean and easy to cook with. What’s not to love?
Conclusion
As you are probably already aware, slow cookers are the best. The ability to cook your food while making very little effort is definitely a bonus in my opinion!
Now that you have some ideas of the great slow cooker with timer, you too can create gorgeous, delicious meals (here is our silverside beef recipe), whilst having to do the minimal amount of actual cooking.
