Tasty, easy meals for new parents – a review of the Morphy Richards Slow Cooker

January 18, 2013

Here’s our Morphy Richards slow cooker review…

Morphy Richards Slow Cooker review - perfect slow cooker for parentsWe have been reviewing the Morphy Richards slow cooker (thanks, Littlewoods!) It is, I am surprised to say, great; useful, practical, easy, makes tasty food, saves loads of time and is perfect for new parents and that tired old advertising cliche of the ‘busy mum.’ Here’s how we got on with our Morphy Richards slow cooker review:

A slow cooker, seriously?
Yes! Although my mid-twenties single self really would have recoiled in horror at the thought of something so practical (back then I used to be of the mindset that eating was cheating, and we only ever had instant noodles and washing tablets in our cupboard) I am now older and very much wiser *cough* and it’s surprisingly handy for the baby stage we’re at now.

So what makes a slow cooker good for new parents?
Basically, you bung a load of raw stuff in and then about 6+ hours later there’s a nice meal. You don’t have to do much else but stir it a few times, so it’s minimal effort.

Now I’m back at work it’s becoming really useful. Also in the early stages of having a baby, when everything’s really topsy-turvy, and it can be ages before one of you gets round to cooking in the evening (especially if there’s loads of wake-ups and cluster feeding that goes on forever). So with a bit of forword planning this works out really well. If you’re on maternity leave you can’t live on food from Cook forever (more’s the pity!). And it makes a nice and very easy change from things on toast.

What can you cook in a slow cooker?
Stews, curries, soups, goulash and stroganoff dishes, but it also surprised me that you can cook most things – pasta, puddings, mulled wine…the list goes on and on. You can even cook whole chickens and big bits of meat, which is great for things like pulled pork. We don’t even brown the meat first, as it seems to have no bearing on taste (you would cook mince though). It’s also handy / thrifty to make bigger amounts so you can eat it again the next day.

What are the good points about the Morphy Richards Slow Cooker?

  • It’s so easy to use – you bascially put the food in, select either low, medium or high temp and then leave it on for hours until the food is done
  • We’ve not had a bad meal in it yet
  • It’s even easy to clean as you can just put the pot in the dishwasher
  • It looks good – industrial steel – and matches the rest of our kitchen

Are there any bad points?

  • I can’t really fault it as it’s just so easy to use. I’m sure there are more sophisticated models on the market, but this one does the job very well
  • I am pretty impatient and like to stir things, which you shouldn’t do as it prolongs the cooking time
  • You can get a bit slow cookered-out if you use it a lot! But again, this is not a reflection on the Murphy Richards model

What are some good slow cooker recipes?

Recipe for basic nice slow cooker stew: put passata, garlic, red wine, red meat, herbs (something like smoked paprika) an onion, veg, stock and some flour in the slow cooker. Put it on medium for 5-6 hours.

Recipe for slow cooker Thai chicken curry: put chicken strips, a can of coconut milk, bamboo shoots / water chestnuts, baby corn strips, pepper, a quarter of a jar of green curry paste and chopped chilli in the slow cooker. Put it all in on low for about 5-6 hours. Add a bit of milk if it’s too thick.

So there you have it; my dad liked it so much, he got one for Christmas.

(We were sent the Morphy Richards 48718a 6.5L  Slow Cooker model from Littlewoods).

If you liked our Morphy Richards slow cooker review, read our SnuzPod review and Tefal Cuisine Companion review

8 Comments

  • Laura

    January 18, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    Thanks, I’ve been thinking of getting one – now i might just invest. So useful when you’re working, or just when you realise there’s nothing in the freezer!

    1. gillian

      January 19, 2013 at 8:13 pm

      It’s been so useful so far! Really great when you’re working (you just have to put some meat / veg / whatever in before you leave in the morning). We had to resort to veggie finger sandwiches so many times when E was tiny and this would have been perfect.

  • shirley

    January 18, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    Do you think it would still be useful during summer months

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  • Mediocre Mum

    January 19, 2013 at 7:07 pm

    I use mine all year round. Brilliant for those hot months when you have to cook dinner but don’t want to add extra heat by having the cooker on!

    1. gillian

      January 19, 2013 at 8:10 pm

      That’s a really good point! I was wondering how much use it would get in the summer, but that sounds perfect.

  • Chris Stillwell

    January 31, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    We got a slow cooker toward the end of last year and it’s been so handy. We’ve experimented with a few different stews and curries and even picked up a slow cooker book for some inspiration.

    I’d agree you can overdo it on the slow cooker if you end up having every meal from it, but it can help mix it up a little and free up some time instead of having to watch over a pan on the hob.

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