Pinterest is something I have been addicted to for a long time now, and a couple of years ago, there seemed to be a growing fascination with slow cooker recipes on the site.
I looked into how much a slow cooker cost and found one on Gumtree for just £5. I decided it was worth the investment risk, and have never looked back!
It’s essentially the perfect piece of equipment for cooking cheap and easy meals whilst at University. Here’s why:
- They’re cheap to buy – as slow cookers seem to be forever on sale on Gumtree for next to nothing, you can easily buy one for less than £10 like I did.
- They make meal-prep so quick – you can put uncooked meat straight into a slow cooker and over time it will become very tender – even the cheaper, tougher cuts of meat. All you have to do is chop up everything you want to go in, and the slow cooker does the rest.
- They will save you lots of money – at the end of the week, any meat or vegetables about to go out of date go straight into my slow cooker with a bit of water and stock. It makes amazing stews and soups every time.
After having a roast chicken, you can put all the bones into the slow cooker and make chicken stock over night. Stock can be expensive, but this way you are basically using the waste from a roast – plus it makes everything taste incredible!
Cardiff, like everywhere else in the UK, can be pretty cold and miserable in the winter. Walking to uni can be a bit grim in the rain, especially when you have to sit in cold, wet clothes for the rest of the day. But that’s when your slow cooker becomes your best friend – there is nothing better than coming home to your house or flat, filled with the smell of hot soup/stew/meat that’s ready to eat! Plus, knowing that you don’t have to do any cooking when you get in is a huge bonus.
The humble slow cooker!
If you’re worried about your cookery capabilities, the good news is that you can cook almost anything in a slow cooker and it tastes amazing! So far some of the things I have tried are:
- Chilli – I loved this recipe, you can add as much or as little spice as you want but it’s so easy and tastes amazing (see here)
- Balsamic Beef – This recipe is honestly incredible. I made this for my boyfriend and I think he went back for 5th’s. Definitely a special treat kind of meal, but so worth it (see here).
- Stuffed Peppers – What’s great about this recipe is that it can be adapted to fit whatever you have in your cupboard. I once had some bacon, cheese and rice, added it into a pepper with some paprika and it tasted amazing (see here).
- Peach Cobbler – So it turns out you can make desserts in a slow cooker too! I tried this recipe and it was the ultimate dessert comfort food (see here).
For more Slow Cooker recipe ideas, check out the rest of my Pinterest board, here.
