My old ALDI slow cooker seems to have died yesterday. Reckon it must have lasted 10 years.
Any thoughts if the replacement should be…
A) a basic el cheapo (eg, $39 Sunbeam)
B) a more pricey gadget (Breville Slow + Pressure)
C) nothing.. just use the Le Creuset in the oven
I imagine having an "all in one" might be useful for searing off meat before doing a long slow cook. But I also know that the el cheapo can do the job.
I agree. Also you can speed things up by using a combination of pressure cooking for 1/2 the time and then using the slow cooker or I do ribs in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes after the pressure sealing occurs and then cook them in the oven to get the nice outside finish after basting with BBQ sauce.
Check out Target and Kmart for pressure cookers if you cannot find one at Aldi. Once you start looking you will spot that some of them look the same, but are different brands as they are probably made in the same Chinese factory.
I have a Philips Viva all in one cooker. It does the functions of a slow cooker / pressure cooker however the 'sear' function is only good for searing very small amounts of meat. Put too much in the pot and it just ends up boiling the meat instead.
The ninja foodi and instant pot might be a better product.
Breville Flavour Maker is good because you can sear on the stove and use the same pot for slowcooking.
If you want an all in one then wait for the InstantPot to go on sale
Instant Pot sounds good if you will use the functions - ours can sear, pressure-cook, slow-cook, etc. I think it is the Duo and cost about $160 from Costco.
IME cheap slow cookers are junk.
+1 on this. Pressure cooker corned beef done for 90 minutes is great. Quick to do the veggies afterwards.
If you want to do, true, slow cooking then the glass lid is a good accessory and cook medium flow cook not low slow cook.
Sunbeam Secret Chef 5.5L Sear & Slow Cooker. Around $150. It's a brown/fry pan and slow cooker. I've been using one for the last 5 years without any issues. Sear the meat first, let it cool down a bit, soften all the veggies, add all the other stuff and put the meat back in. When done it keeps it warm.
Pressure + slow cooker is definitely a very good time. Love my Heller: https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/heller-6l-pressure-cooker-hpc10…
Go Option B if you will use the Pressure Cooker and/or Sear functions.
Otherwise, stick with Option A.
Option C is not comparable. Different cooking styles & result.
Defiantly the flexibility of a pressure cooker.
Buy A) a basic el cheapo (eg, $39 Sunbeam), then consider this question again in ten years time.
I have the Phillips (I think?) multi-cooker thing which pressure cooks as well. If you're going to replace it definitely get a multi, searing in one pot, and pressure cooker options are great. You can have a good pulled pork prepared in around an hour or so. Was only like $150 or so maybe?
If you're not going to get a multi-function one, I'd just use a crockpot in the oven, which is still a very versatile method
Basic
ALDI had a slow plus pressure one for sale not too long ago. I personally like having the option of doing a pressure cook if I didn't prepare earlier enough to do a slow cook.