Slow cooker electrical safety question

[Halesowenmum]

I need some help with the following:

 

I have a Swan 3.5 litre slow cooker and want to look at (carefully) introducing the use of a separate timer in the wall socket to delay the turning on of the machine. Reason being having it on for over 9 hours due to working full time kills various dishes making them just totally inedible - some really do only need 3-4 hours if they are to survive and still be tasty.

 

I am going to start by only putting the cooker on in this way during a weekend for a bit of a monitored trial run, whilst I'm there in the house. In this way any resulting fire can be immediately put out.

 

I have initially purchased a 24hr timer which has the following spec:

• Max Wattage: 3200W
• Max current: 13 Amp
• Power: 220 -240v, 50/60Hz

My question is, does anyone know the wattage of this slow cooker as I've even phoned Swan, and they don't know!

 

I just want to be sure that from a purely electrical point of view, it's safe to put the timer in the wall and plug the slow cooker in without fear of a raging house fire.

 

Thank you!

[AndrewIC]

Slow cookers are usually a couple of hundred watts max, but don't they rely on being filled with hot liquid (eg stock) from the start?

[Nickhlx]

Slow cookers are usually around 50 to 150 watts depending on size... They "give off" less heat than a 100 watt bulb ( used to) so a 3kW capable time switch is definitely going to be able to cope with it - the 13 amp fuse would blow anyway if more load were to be taken... Even some free standing domestic ovens are only 3 kW.

 

Nick

[WotEver]

You'll be fine. A typical slow cooker uses only a few hundred watts at the highest setting. Your timer is specced to run a 3kW heater - something like 10 slow cookers.

 

Cheers,

Tony

[Barry]

I have a Morphy Richards slow cooker and looking at the sticker underneath the base it says it is 105 to 115 Watts

 

I can't imagine others having more than twice that power demand so your times looks more than adequate.

 

Taking what Andrew said into consideration; for your recipes that only need 3 or 4 hours, would it be worth experimenting with putting the ingredients in and leaving them to cook for 9 hours cold to see how they come out.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Bazza2

[WotEver]

... don't they rely on being filled with hot liquid (eg stock) from the start?

 

Nope. I never put hot liquid in ours.

 

Tony

[Naughty Cal]

 

Nope. I never put hot liquid in ours.

 

Tony

Neither do we.

 

To the OP. What are you trying to cook that is coming out inedible after 9 hours?

 

We often leave ours on all day and the food is really very nice. Do you have different power settings?

[Jerra]

Neither do we.

 

To the OP. What are you trying to cook that is coming out inedible after 9 hours?

 

We often leave ours on all day and the food is really very nice. Do you have different power settings?

I was wondering about what was being cooked. We have used a slow cooker for over 30 years always start from cold and haven't yet had anything spoil no matter how long its been on.

[kevinl]

I agree with the OP, leave food in there for too long and it comes out all tasting the same, you can still eat it but tastewise it's rubbish it just tastes like one thing with different textures, my kids hate it. I have a timer on mine and 4 hours is the max even on the lower setting.

K

[Naughty Cal]

I agree with the OP, leave food in there for too long and it comes out all tasting the same, you can still eat it but tastewise it's rubbish it just tastes like one thing with different textures, my kids hate it. I have a timer on mine and 4 hours is the max even on the lower setting.

K

You couldnt cook a chicken in a slow cooker in 4 hours on low. It would still be raw!!

 

Do some of you put your food in hot?

 

We always put food in cold and it has always been very tasty and nicely cooked after being in there all day. Perhaps some models are too highly powered for all day cooking?

[AndrewIC]

Nope. I never put hot liquid in ours

I sit corrected - I though they worked on the principle of keeping stuff that was already hot hot enough to cook, not heating it up from cold. Rather like an old fashioned haybox.

[kevinl]

You couldnt cook a chicken in a slow cooker in 4 hours on low. It would still be raw!!

 

Do some of you put your food in hot?

 

We always put food in cold and it has always been very tasty and nicely cooked after being in there all day. Perhaps some models are too highly powered for all day cooking?

Only an idiot would put a chicken in a slow cooker for 4 hours.

Only ever put cold food in.

Tastes like baby food after too long (even at 60W the low setting) so the kids tell me, I can't tell taste buds shot after years of smoking.

[Halesowenmum]

Neither do we.

 

To the OP. What are you trying to cook that is coming out inedible after 9 hours?

 

We often leave ours on all day and the food is really very nice. Do you have different power settings?

 

There is a lot more you can do in there other than stews which I also agree are great after 9 hours. But you can cook lasagne for example - seen it done and it turns out fab. However, that's based on the high setting and take 3-4 hours. I tried this leaving it for a whole day on the low setting - it was absolutely disgusting! The pasta had turned into a gelatinous mass. Some of these newer slow cookers cook REALLLY hot compared to the older ones. I have just had a response from Swan who say that this slow cooker is The SF11030 is 320Watts - mpared So you can see - quite a bit more power than the numbers you're quoting. I do feel it cooks way too hot even on low.

 

So by the sounds of it, even with this higher wattage reading, the timer should still be ok, electrically-wise.

Slow cookers are usually a couple of hundred watts max, but don't they rely on being filled with hot liquid (eg stock) from the start?

No. In fact you use virtually no liquid as all the liquid from the meat is retained during cooking - you'd end up with soup if you put a load of stock in there, rather than a stew!!

I have a Morphy Richards slow cooker and looking at the sticker underneath the base it says it is 105 to 115 Watts

 

I can't imagine others having more than twice that power demand so your times looks more than adequate.

 

Taking what Andrew said into consideration; for your recipes that only need 3 or 4 hours, would it be worth experimenting with putting the ingredients in and leaving them to cook for 9 hours cold to see how they come out.

That's what I did when I tried the lasagne - it was vile lol!!

You couldnt cook a chicken in a slow cooker in 4 hours on low. It would still be raw!!

 

Do some of you put your food in hot?

 

We always put food in cold and it has always been very tasty and nicely cooked after being in there all day. Perhaps some models are too highly powered for all day cooking?

This is the thing. I think we now have firm evidence that the modern ones are just way too powerful! I am determined to cook the lasagne though as having seen it done, when not left on all day, it turns out bloomin lovely. Have also done baked potatoes and corn on the cobs in there and they are great as well.

[nb Innisfree]

We use ours for beef stew, cheapest grisly stewing beef is best, give it a good frying in beef dripping until its nicely browned than stick it the slow cooker covered in hot water for 6hrs, add various root veg and spices of your choice for the last hour or two (maybe a glug of red wine) The gristle turns to gelatine, absolutely delicious.

 

I've gone all faint...

 

Edited for typo.

Some have a high setting for initial warm up then a low setting for a long gentle cook.

Edited December 17, 2013 by nb Innisfree

[mattlad]

We use ours for beef stew, cheapest grisly stewing beef is best, give it a good frying in beef dripping until its nicely browned than stick it the slow cooker covered in hot water for 6hrs, add various root veg and spices of your choice for the last hour or two (maybe a glug of red wine) The gristle turns to gelatine, absolutely delicious.

 

I've gone all faint...

 

Edited for typo.

Shaddup! Yer mekkin' me 'ungry! :-D

 

Slow cooking is a great way of cooking and I've done it both at home and on the boat. A boatman's cabin stove is absolutely ideal for doing a pot of stew or a casserole of some sort.

 

I love a slow cooked chilli! I've even done a whole chicken in my home slow cooker.

 

The only trouble with using the cabin stove is putting up with the smell of cooking while you are steering the boat and knowing you can't eat it for several hours! Aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh! It's torture!!!

Edited December 17, 2013 by mattlad

[alan_fincher]

I have a Morphy Richards slow cooker and looking at the sticker underneath the base it says it is 105 to 115 Watts

 

I can't imagine others having more than twice that power demand so your times looks more than adequate.

Does depend a bit on size. Just checking one we have at home here it is 200 watts.

 

I have just had a response from Swan who say that this slow cooker is The SF11030 is 320Watts -

 

That doesn't surprise me, but is probably very much at the top end of most of them.

[jake_crew]

Your timer will be fine !

[bottle]

Timer 3,200 watts

 

Slow cooker 320 watts

 

So you could connect ten Slow cookers to the timer and it would be cope.

 

Do not do this: for safety reasons, to many cables, it just an illustration.

Edited December 17, 2013 by bottle

[Mac of Cygnet]

I don't have a slow cooker, but from what I've gathered here, they rely on a relatively low wattage to keep food just cooking, i.e. at 100degC or just below. However, if you put stuff in cold, it's going to take ages to reach cooking temperatures, and the uncooked food will be at bug-breeding temperatures for quite a while, possibly leading to food poisoning problems if the food isn't thoroughly cooked through.

 

To me it doesn't seem beyond the wit of manufacturers to incorporate different cycles of cooking, e.g. an initial rapid heating followed by the normal low power slow cook. Also an integral timer. My bottom-of-the-range breadmaker has both of these things. Aren't they available on slow cookers?

[Nickhlx]

"and the uncooked food will be at bug-breeding temperatures for quite a while "

 

Isn' this what gives the delicious taste though ?

 

All those billions of dead bugs that have been slowly decomposing as the temp of the soup rises through the bug-breeding window of temperature, ( when they breed ever faster) and are eventually killed by the rising temperature ?

 

Yum yum !

 

Nick

[Guest]

I need some help with the following:

 

I have a Swan 3.5 litre slow cooker and want to look at (carefully) introducing the use of a separate timer in the wall socket to delay the turning on of the machine. Reason being having it on for over 9 hours due to working full time kills various dishes making them just totally inedible - some really do only need 3-4 hours if they are to survive and still be tasty.

 

I am going to start by only putting the cooker on in this way during a weekend for a bit of a monitored trial run, whilst I'm there in the house. In this way any resulting fire can be immediately put out.

 

I have initially purchased a 24hr timer which has the following spec:

• Max Wattage: 3200W
• Max current: 13 Amp
• Power: 220 -240v, 50/60Hz

My question is, does anyone know the wattage of this slow cooker as I've even phoned Swan, and they don't know!

 

I just want to be sure that from a purely electrical point of view, it's safe to put the timer in the wall and plug the slow cooker in without fear of a raging house fire.

 

Thank you!

Your timer is rated at 13 Amps and no single appliance fitted with a (maximum) 13 Amp fuse can overload this (3.2 KW). Slow cookers are generally just a few hundred watts.

I don't have a slow cooker, but from what I've gathered here, they rely on a relatively low wattage to keep food just cooking, i.e. at 100degC or just below. However, if you put stuff in cold, it's going to take ages to reach cooking temperatures, and the uncooked food will be at bug-breeding temperatures for quite a while, possibly leading to food poisoning problems if the food isn't thoroughly cooked through.

 

To me it doesn't seem beyond the wit of manufacturers to incorporate different cycles of cooking, e.g. an initial rapid heating followed by the normal low power slow cook. Also an integral timer. My bottom-of-the-range breadmaker has both of these things. Aren't they available on slow cookers?

That's why I like stir fries

That said I must have consumed many a thousand meals that have been slow cooked in one way or another, and have survived thus far

[pquinn]

hello Halesowenmum,

 

how do you do the baked potatoes.never thought the slow cooker would be good for this.actually i never considered lasagne either though it sounds like a good idea.have you any other stuff that you use it for like this ie. not stew,chili,soup etc. paul

[Naughty Cal]

We aint dead yet nor have we suffered food poisoning

[nb Innisfree]

Shaddup! Yer mekkin' me 'ungry! :-D

 

Slow cooking is a great way of cooking and I've done it both at home and on the boat. A boatman's cabin stove is absolutely ideal for doing a pot of stew or a casserole of some sort.

 

I love a slow cooked chilli! I've even done a whole chicken in my home slow cooker.

 

The only trouble with using the cabin stove is putting up with the smell of cooking while you are steering the boat and knowing you can't eat it for several hours! Aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh! It's torture!!!

Yes, the best ones are done on the cabin stove.

 

Better still if thick wedges of a farmhouse loaf are loaded with quarter inch thick slabs of Lurpak butter which are then dipped in the stew and pulled out before the butter melts, then carefully lowered into open mouth and let butter and juice soaked bread roll round said gob. Loads of mashed spud can be used to assist soaking procedure if required.

 

Needs to be washed down occasionaly with lager/beer..

[bizzard]

Slow cookers must use quite a bit of electric (like a 100watt bulb burning for hours on end). Surely a pressure cooker is the way to go, most meals done in 5 to 20 minutes. Even a stew 35 minutes or so.