Now you’ve fallen in love with the slow cooker (possibly after reading about ‘Why I’m Obsessed with my Slow Cooker’ article!) you’ll need to set up your slow cooker kitchen. There’s not a lot you’ll need and the price-points are very reasonable - so go forth!
The slow cooker
First off, you’ll need a slow cooker. I’ve written a whole article on what to look for in a slow cooker and the features you want, but in summary, check out this video for the slow cooker I recommend…
A blending appliance
Secondly, you’ll need some kind of blending appliance - either a Thermomix, thermo cooker, high-powered blender, food processor or stick blender. Even though I have (many!) high-powered food processors and thermo cookers which do a great job of pureeing, when slow cooking I love my stick blender - it just makes life so easy! I can put the stick blender straight into the slow cooker pureeing soups, sauces, desserts, drinks… I even use it when making yoghurt! This saves me time and minimises dishes, which for me, is always a big win.
Measuring
Now, that’s the electricals all done! Next, you’re going to need a set of measuring spoons and measuring cups. With slow cooking, this is by far the easiest way to measure - no need to get the scales out! Make sure your measuring set is in Australian measurements, as many on the market aren’t! Our beautiful copper sets are Australian measurements of course, and being made from copper-plated stainless steel with embossed measurements they really will last a lifetime.
Preserving jars
You’re also going to want a set of 4 x 500ml preserving jars with lids and a set of 4 x 250ml preserving jars with lids. These make it super easy to cook directly in the jar in a water bath in the slow cooker, making your life so much easier, eliminating dishes and easy storage! Don’t worry, in my cookbook ‘Modern Slow Cooker’ the recipes step you through all of this. It couldn’t be simpler once I show you.
Spatula
Next up you need a silicone spatula for stirring and folding in your slow cooker. The flat base of my spatula means you can really scrape up everything on the bottom of the slow cooker (unlike anything spoon-shaped), and the soft silicone means there’s no chance you’ll ever scratch your slow cooker insert (most important!). Whatever utensil you use, please please please make sure it won’t scratch - I would keep metal away.
Strainer
My last essential recommendation is a large fine-mesh strainer - a slow cooker is so good for infusing ingredients with it’s long and slow cooking, so you’ll need an easy way to strain them out. A tea strainer for instance just isn’t going to be big enough! I would recommend around a 20cm diameter.
Pudding basin
Finally, not essential, but if you’ve got a sweet tooth I would highly recommend investing in a 2L pudding basin with a lid. This enables you to make all kinds of desserts with ease, from sticky date pudding to Christmas pudding. You can even use it to reheat meals and cook single serves! The lockable lid makes life so much easier as there’s no risk of any water getting in and ruining the dish, plus it will prevent disposable waste in the kitchen, as without the lid you’ll be turning to foil. This is the pudding dish I use…
That’s the slow cooker kitchen done! You’re also going to need to set up your slow cooker pantry to make cooking even easier and fuss-free. Turn to page 17 of my cookbook ‘Modern Slow Cooker’ for the complete pantry list to see if you’ve got it all covered.
Happy slow cooking! x
