Option 1: Cookworks Black 3.5L Slow Cooker
Main Features in Summary:
Capacity of 3.5 litres with 200W
Includes a removable Ceramic bowl
Allows for portions for 3 to 4 people
Keep warm function with 3 heat settings
Dimensions 24.5H x 33.1W x 21D cm
Toughened glass lid and 2.3kg inner bowl
Warranty period of 1 year
Price Guide: Less than £25 @ Argos UK
Option 2: Crock-Pot Red 3.5L Slow Cooker
Main Features in Summary:
Cooking capacity 3.5 litres with 210W
Ideal for pot-roasts, stews and soups
Tenderises cheaper tougher meat cuts
Includes a selection of recipes to get started
Prepares 3 to 4 portions in total
Dimensions are 23.5H x 36W x 25D cm
Longer warranty period of 2 years
Price Guide: Tends to be less than £35
Option 3: Morphy Richards Black Evoke 3.5L Sear and Stew Slow Cooker
Main Features in Summary:
Bowl is made from Aluminium (removable)
3.5 litres cooking capacity – 3 to 4 portions
Power 163W and inner pot can be used in ovens
Inner pot can also be used on hobs (ceramic & gas)
Pot and lid can be cleaned in the dishwasher
Glass is made from toughened treatment
Dimensions are 20H x 33W x 25D cm
Longer warranty also of 2 years
Price Guide: Less than £40 in the UK
Option 4: Breville Stainless Steel 5.5L Slow Cooker
Larger Slow Cooker Overview:
Larger cooking capacity of 5.5 litres with 290W
Ideal for stews, soups, curry’s, or casseroles
Helps to tenderise lower priced meat cuts
Includes a removable Ceramic bowl
Provides portions for 5 to 6 people
Pot must be handwashed (no dishwashers)
Dimensions are 24H x 38.5W x 29.3D cm
Standard warranty of 1 year applies
Price Guide: Less than £40 @ Argos UK
Option 5: Morphy Richards Black 6.5L Slow Cooker
Larger Slow Cooker Overview:
Larger cooking capacity of 6.5 litres
Suitable for 6 to 7 portions, casserole & stews
Hinged lid with low, medium & high settings
Internal bowl is made from Aluminium
Much lighter to use and carry than Ceramic bowls
Bowls can also be used on specified hobs
Lid and bowl can be cleaned in dishwashers
Dimensions are 29H x 42W x 24D cm
Price Guide: Less than £50 @ Amazon UK
Read also: Our list of best reliable Ceramic Hobs here
Second Comparison Table
Again, if you need further clarity on how these larger Slow Cookers compare side by side, then check out the second comparison table provided below as follows...
| Larger Slow Cooker | Breville | Morphy Richards |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity: | 5.5 litres | 6.5 litres |
| Colour: | Silver | Black |
| Keep warm: | Included | Included |
| Power: | 290W | 163W |
| Bowl: | Ceramic | Aluminium |
| Heat settings: | 3 | 3 |
| Height: | 24cm | 29cm |
| Width: | 38.5cm | 42cm |
| Depth: | 29.3cm | 24cm |
| Warranty: | 1 year | 2 years |
| Portions: | 5 to 6 | 6 to 7 |
Electrical Safety Tips Slow Cookers
The type of plug needed for the Slow Cookers should be a 220V to 240V AC 50Hz power supply socket. When not in use, you should always switch it off and plug it out from the wall socket to prevent accidents especially if you have young children about in your home. It should never be immersed in water and avoid placing it in an area where there is likely to be water spillages or splashes. As you would expect, this appliance will need to be plugged into an earthed socket power supply source.
Food Safety Tips
You should make sure to thoroughly defrost frozen meat, fish, poultry and seafood in the fridge before cooking in the slow cooker and always keep raw food and cooked foods separate to avoid food cross contamination. If you are using raw meats or fish, make sure to wash your hands afterwards and disinfect surfaces that have been in contact with raw food items. Ideally you should be using separate utensils for raw and cooked foods and always make sure the meat or fish is piping hot throughout before consumption.
Operational and Usage Tips
For the Slow cookers that are 3.5 litres, a guide to use for both the food and the liquid should be around 3.2 litres as you don’t want to completely fill it to the top brim. Roughly speaking, you should leave a minimum of 1cm between the top rim where the lid sits and the liquid surface. Before use, make sure to wash all the removable parts such as the lid and bowl separately in hot water and washing up liquid and make sure to place it on a stable and safe countertop surface.
Cover the bowl with the glass lid and then place into the cooker housing unit and give the unit time to preheat which is normally 15 to 20 minutes - again you should avoid filling the unit to the top of the brim. When cooking is completed, you can choose to use the Warm function which will keep the food warm for up to 4 hours depending on the brand appliance in question.
Cooking Tips
All food ingredients will need to be fully defrosted and thawed prior to use and certain vegetables can take longer than meat to cook so they should be cut into smaller pieces. The type of vegetables that take the longest are turnips and carrots. If using dried pulses, you should allow them to soak overnight before adding to the Slow cooker. When cooking meats, trim away any excess heavy fats as the slow cookers do not allow the cooked fat to be drained away.
If you are using milk or yoghurts, these should only be added in the final 2 hours of the cooking process, but evaporated milk can be added at the start of the cooking cycle. When you are adding stock or liquid to the slow cooker, make sure it is hot beforehand which helps to reduce the overall cooking times. Items such as rice, pasta and noodles are not ideal for slow cooking or long cooking times so these should be cooked separately and then added to the slow cooker for the last 20 to 30 minutes.
Read also: List of best value cheap Gas Hobs here
Conclusion
After completing our review for the cheapest possible Slow Cookers in the UK, we hope this short list plus the 2 comparison tables and video summary overview can help you out in some small way and perhaps save you some money in the process while you are here. We have included several recognised brands that you should already be familiar with along with different sizes of 3.5 litres, 5.5 litres and 6.5 litres so there should be something here that can cater for your own individual needs.
Which one would we choose? After further consideration, our preference would have to be the Crock-Pot 3.5 litre Slow Cooker in red above and further information along with todays updated price tag can be double checked below…
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