Slow Cooker

[hellodolly]

Saw three of them in Robinson's at the airport fifth floor. The largest one was 4.5 liters

I was at Makro today. They have a two-pot slow cooker now. Both have ceramic, removable pots, each 2.8 liters, price 2,900B.

Home Pro has the one pictured earlier on this thread, 3.8 liter, for 799B, also with removable ceramic bowl. Both units have three temp settings, including keep warm. But my purpose is to make my own yogurt so I need a dimmer switch to make the temp even lower. I can't find an inline one in CM so I'll have to have an electrician install one in the wall.

The one at Robinson's had the removable ceramic pot 4.5 liters for 799 baht. Didn't pay much attention to the smaller ones. But I believe they like the big one only have three settings.

I did not purchase one as my wife thinks her rice cooker is the same thing and I don't do the cooking. I used to make soup in them and just add ingredients as I ate it. I would let a batch go on low heat for up to three days before I quite adding to it and ate what was left. Found it great for roasts. Throw the roast in some spices veggies and a meal. The best part is nothing ever burned no matter how long I left it on as long as I used low heat.

[Somnambulist]

Saw three of them in Robinson's at the airport fifth floor. The largest one was 4.5 liters

I was at Makro today. They have a two-pot slow cooker now. Both have ceramic, removable pots, each 2.8 liters, price 2,900B.

Home Pro has the one pictured earlier on this thread, 3.8 liter, for 799B, also with removable ceramic bowl. Both units have three temp settings, including keep warm. But my purpose is to make my own yogurt so I need a dimmer switch to make the temp even lower. I can't find an inline one in CM so I'll have to have an electrician install one in the wall.

The one at Robinson's had the removable ceramic pot 4.5 liters for 799 baht. Didn't pay much attention to the smaller ones. But I believe they like the big one only have three settings.

I did not purchase one as my wife thinks her rice cooker is the same thing and I don't do the cooking. I used to make soup in them and just add ingredients as I ate it. I would let a batch go on low heat for up to three days before I quite adding to it and ate what was left. Found it great for roasts. Throw the roast in some spices veggies and a meal. The best part is nothing ever burned no matter how long I left it on as long as I used low heat.

You'd be making me hungry if I wasn't already eating chicken and broth from a scrawny market chicken (delicious). Bed news about using a dimmer. My wife called our electrician and he says he can install it but the switch will burnt out because it's not designed to handle 600 watts or whatever it is for a slow cooker especially since I wanted to hook up three with an extension cord. I guess 220-240 vs. the 110 used in the U.S. is the dealbreaker because lots of people do it back there. Anyway, back to slow cookers. My wife just saw a Cuisinart 4 liter slow cooker, removable ceramic bowl, stainless steel exterior, at the department store and KSG. Don't know the price.

[ha55ha]

Thanks for the advice/info guys, I ended up buying this one from Central department store - It's basically the same as the other one I posted but just looks a bit more modern. 799 baht total. I'm not sure how many liters it holds but it seems to do the job ok

Edited July 11, 2012 by ha55ha

[hellodolly]

Saw three of them in Robinson's at the airport fifth floor. The largest one was 4.5 liters

I was at Makro today. They have a two-pot slow cooker now. Both have ceramic, removable pots, each 2.8 liters, price 2,900B.

Home Pro has the one pictured earlier on this thread, 3.8 liter, for 799B, also with removable ceramic bowl. Both units have three temp settings, including keep warm. But my purpose is to make my own yogurt so I need a dimmer switch to make the temp even lower. I can't find an inline one in CM so I'll have to have an electrician install one in the wall.

The one at Robinson's had the removable ceramic pot 4.5 liters for 799 baht. Didn't pay much attention to the smaller ones. But I believe they like the big one only have three settings.

I did not purchase one as my wife thinks her rice cooker is the same thing and I don't do the cooking. I used to make soup in them and just add ingredients as I ate it. I would let a batch go on low heat for up to three days before I quite adding to it and ate what was left. Found it great for roasts. Throw the roast in some spices veggies and a meal. The best part is nothing ever burned no matter how long I left it on as long as I used low heat.

You'd be making me hungry if I wasn't already eating chicken and broth from a scrawny market chicken (delicious). Bed news about using a dimmer. My wife called our electrician and he says he can install it but the switch will burnt out because it's not designed to handle 600 watts or whatever it is for a slow cooker especially since I wanted to hook up three with an extension cord. I guess 220-240 vs. the 110 used in the U.S. is the dealbreaker because lots of people do it back there. Anyway, back to slow cookers. My wife just saw a Cuisinart 4 liter slow cooker, removable ceramic bowl, stainless steel exterior, at the department store and KSG. Don't know the price.

Cuisinart is a quality product. We have one of there more expensive blenders really good.

The one problem with them is they do not come with a Thai book of instructions.

[Somnambulist]

I bought the Cuisinart at KSG last week and it works as advertised, no problems. Well, to quibble, it's only about 3.75 liters to the rim and the instructions say to never fill it more than 3/4s, but we do anyway. It was 3,300 or 3,400 baht. I recommend it.

[BillyBobThai]

For the guy who wants to make yoghurt, take a cheap cooler, a dimmer switch and a 100 watt incandesant light bulb. You can get a decent thermometer at most good pharmacies. It will take some trial and error to get the temp. where you want it, then mark it and warm the milk. As a by the way, have you tried adding powdered milk to the milk, much richer. Also, have you tried using sour cream instead of youghrt, is works nicely, great for kebabs and cooking.

Edited July 23, 2012 by BillyBobThai

[Somnambulist]

BBT, I've settled on a smarter setup than what I mentioned before. I've just been to Makro and bought a square styrofoam box big enough to place four three-liter jars in with a light bulb in the middle. I'm going to get the electrician over here again to install a dimmer switch. But I think a 25-watt bulb should be plenty hot enough in this climate, maybe more in the cool season.

[nivram4491]

I've been searching for a slow cooker recently and this one is the only one I can find, I saw it in Big C and Makro. It doesn't look great tbh, but does anyone know if it does the job ok? Has anyone seen any other slow cookers for sale around CM recently? Thanks!

I bought one of these Otto slow cookers from Makro and it practically fell apart after one use. I returned it before seven days after purchase but Makro would not replace it. They suggested I buy another to which I had a good laugh.

After some argument they returned half the purchase price because they said they had to throw it away as they couldn't return it to Otto. I then requested the crockpot and lid part (the only robust parts of the cooker) because it was just being thrown away anyway and was strongly refused but they eventually gave in.

I have owned several crockpots in Australia and they were much more robust than this flimsy offering.

[yougivemebaby]

The only place I know of that still had big slow cookers as of 1 month ago was the Central Department Store at Gad Suan Kaeo. It was oval shaped in the same way the Dutch ovens are. I think some of the large slow cookers mentioned above are hybrid rice cookers/slow cookers.

I've been searching for a slow cooker recently and this one is the only one I can find, I saw it in Big C and Makro. It doesn't look great tbh, but does anyone know if it does the job ok? Has anyone seen any other slow cookers for sale around CM recently? Thanks!

Looks good t me. Just like the one had back in Canada.

How big is it and what is the cost? Also I would presume it is a ceramic pot.

Yes I bought this one from Homepro in the kitchen appliances section. It's the size of a standard crockpot. I purchased it for 880 Baht. They have 3 sizes. This is the largest one. Yes it has a ceramic removable interior and lid. I am VERY happy with this purchase. It has the Auto, high, and low mode. I didn't read the instructions but I remember using my Auto mode crockpot and it started the process of slow cooking at high then switched to low after a certain period of time. I found other farang models of crockpot at Mega Bangna but they were 5000 BAHT!! ON SALE lol Not really much bigger but they were prettier with a clear glass lid and oval shaped. Same controls though.

The rice cookers in my opinion aren't the same. The crock pots simmer beautifully and retain the heat much better than a thin metal rice cooker. Therefore cooking more evenly.

Honestly don't waste your time looking for any other crockpot. I wasted a lot of mine already. Any homepro will have these.

[market trader]

If you go to Makro, make sure you also look in the commercial cooking section. That is where you will find all the restaurant size appliances

[market trader]

I've been searching for a slow cooker recently and this one is the only one I can find, I saw it in Big C and Makro. It doesn't look great tbh, but does anyone know if it does the job ok? Has anyone seen any other slow cookers for sale around CM recently? Thanks!

I bought one of these Otto slow cookers from Makro and it practically fell apart after one use. I returned it before seven days after purchase but Makro would not replace it. They suggested I buy another to which I had a good laugh.

After some argument they returned half the purchase price because they said they had to throw it away as they couldn't return it to Otto. I then requested the crockpot and lid part (the only robust parts of the cooker) because it was just being thrown away anyway and was strongly refused but they eventually gave in.

I have owned several crockpots in Australia and they were much more robust than this flimsy offering.

Otto products as I am sure most posters know are probably the cheapest priced products available here. In the past I had 2 Otto products a hot pot and a toaster. The hot pot lasted one month. The toaster never worked. Big "C" replaced it and the replacement lasted 10 days. Needless to say I now opt for better quality products.

[Foodie]

Thanks for the advice/info guys, I ended up buying this one from Central department store - It's basically the same as the other one I posted but just looks a bit more modern. 799 baht total. I'm not sure how many liters it holds but it seems to do the job ok

Can anyone tell me how the Auto Setting works on this Otto slow cooker. Does it start on high(and for how long) then switch to low, or is it just a keep warm setting??

[jagi00]

Last time I was back in Oz there was a combined slow & pressure cooker on sale at The Good Guys, unfortunately they were out of stock when I was there. Has anyone seen any for sale here?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

The rice cookers in my opinion aren't the same. The crock pots simmer beautifully and retain the heat much better than a thin metal rice cooker. Therefore cooking more evenly.

They make rice cookers with a heavy, non-stick inner pan and electronic controls. (The more expensive Japanese models). Those should work well as a slow cooker too. (I own one but never tried it as a slow cooker.. thing is, when I make things that cook slow, I tend to make A LOT of it. Like a stew, or chili con carne with big chunks of meat that need long stewing. But then I use a really big pan.

Still, if there is interest I can give it a try making a more average sized portion in the high-end rice cooker, to see how it works out. Like a chilli; lots of beef chunks, lots of fresh japalenos, very light on the tomato and no $(*( beans. )

Edited December 2, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Update: I now really wanted to find out, and filled my rice cooker (that has electronic controls and a heavy inner pot) with water, and checked what it did on various settings. If I set it to 'Congee' mode, I get a steady, mild boil, so 100 degrees C. If I set it to 'Keep Warm' it keeps the temperature at about 80-85 degrees C, so I think that is pretty much crock pot territory. The thing also has a bunch of other settings that I didn't try, including one for baking bread. (Yes, really.)

As an alternative, those wok shaped electric pans are also all over the place and quite cheap.. I remember this being the only pan and kitchen appliance I owned, years and years ago, and remember that it's sometimes hard to get it to stay on a particular temperature.. But maybe that was just that particular pan.

Edited December 2, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Okay.. the Great Slow Rice Cooker Experiment.. about to begin..

[MESmith]

Okay.. the Great Slow Rice Cooker Experiment.. about to begin..

The world is waiting.

Can you speed it up a bit

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Well, that's the thing with slow cooking.. it takes a while..

But it's looking like a Mexican Breakfast tomorrow.

Edited December 3, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Okay.. results..

So it does work, but as I didn't have any slow cooker experience I was hesitant to use significantly less liquid, as very little of it boils off at the lower temperature and with the closed lid. It also didn't cook the beans soft enough to my liking.

Both issues were fixed by letting it boil at a higher temperature for another hour. So I guess the result is that it does work, but that it's not as easy a 'fire and forget' kind of deal as with a dedicated crock pot. (Though I wouldn't know first-hand, never having used one.)

On the other hand it is a safe way of cooking compared to leaving something on the gas, as the thing will switch to a lower 'keep warm' temperature by itself when enough liquid evaporates to bring the temperature over 100 degrees C, which prevents burning the food, or worse. The inner pan is also very heavy and retains a lot of heat, so it cooks a bit more evenly than the big pans I own (which admittedly are a bit flimsy, think Zebra brand metal pans), which require regular stirring. So if you really want to cook something while leaving the house, it's an option.

Edited December 4, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[circusman]

I don't know what to think about that many replies to 'slow cooker'. So I will just have a beer.

[rkw1999]

I have the same crock pot and it works fine, not the best quality, but works fine, I bought 2 of them when I was in Beijing (broke one of the ceramic inserts) they are Chinese made and are OK. The Chinese also make a larger Oval one and is better quality and of course more expensive at a store that puts Makro to shame called Metro (similar themed big box store - membership requjired) and I loved it , but I have never seen them here in CM, I keep looking, maybe next trip to HK or KL will score one. For right now this will suffice, bought at Makro off super highway, they had plenty a few months back. Robinson's have a few good things, but Christ almighty what a mark-up they have the gaul to ask - too rich for my budget, I'm a farang, but not a stupid farang.

[Konini]

I bought the Otto one which has been pictured - it's far too hot for a slow cooker. Even on the keep warm setting my stew was bubbling, not what I wanted. I have used it to make rice puddings and dahl, but that's pretty much it. I have one of the round turbo ovens, I can set that to defrost and it's about right for slow cooking, and massive space inside. 32 years ago I bought a Tower slow cooker in UK and dragged it to NZ then to Aus. It's the one thing in the kitchen I could never imagine myself without. Unfortunately broke the bowl a few years ago. I thought about getting one in UK or Aus and putting it in my hand luggage.

For making yoghurt, I have a 75baht Styrofoam box, can't remember where I bought it. It fits 2 glass 1 litre preserving jars which I wrap in aluminium foil after getting the milk to 40 degrees and make sure the lid is on the box with heavy weight on top to prevent any hot air escaping. I've just taken out the ones I put in last night and it's still warmish about 20 hours later (no air conditioning of course as that would cool it down - if using aircon it has to go on the balcony or somewhere that doesn't get cold). Makes perfect yoghurt, I do 2 litres every week. In the summertime you really don't need the Styrofoam box, just the tin foil and keep it somewhere where there is no aircon.

[rene123]

Slow cooker. Isn't that what you get when a large group goes out for a meal in a Thai restaurant?

Sorry for the black humour. It kind of reminded me of a day a few weeks ago when 10 of us went out for a Thai meal. Each person got fed separately, one at a time and very slowly. The first few people were already finished by the time the last of us got our meal. It's just one of the oddities of dining in Thailand. I think it can be explained by the restaurant having one chef with one wok.

[tango]

^^ Hi, Ko. Thanks for your yoghurt methodology; but, I'm missing the recipe.

Probably a yoghurt starter is required, so where to buy. Cheers.

[Konini]

^^ Hi, Ko. Thanks for your yoghurt methodology; but, I'm missing the recipe.

Probably a yoghurt starter is required, so where to buy. Cheers.

I just buy a carton of unflavoured yoghurt with live cultures - you have to get one with live culutres - and use a couple of spoons of that as a starter for a mother yoghurt, which lasts for 3 more starters. After the 3rd, I've noticed a real difference in flavour and texture so I go back to the original shop bought yoghurt (freeze the rest in small amounts so you always have first use yoghurt on hand, and defrost naturally before using). You can buy buy packs of powdered starter, but not in Thailand as far as I know. When we go back to Australia in February I'm going to get some powdered starter so that I can have some with 7 or 8 different kinds of culture, no other reason. I've been reading that people are using the probiotic capsules as a starter - just emptying the powder from the capsules into warm milk. Can't comment on that as I haven't tried, but it sounds interesting for anyone who has some of these very expensive vitamin supplements.

[codysweet02]

I bought a big glass Otto slow cooker at Tesco the other day for 1,400 baht, but it boils even on the low setting. After a few hours on low the chicken breast is already dried out.

Anyone know where to get a slow cooker (preferably not a 5,000 baht one) that DOESN'T boil on the low setting? I would really like to have one that I can set and leave for 5-7 hours like a crock pot should.

Thanks.

EDIT: I'm actually in BKK, but I assume the big chains will all have the same stuff.

Edited September 12, 2013 by codysweet02

[FolkGuitar]

Several of the Japanese brands of rice cookers have 'slow cooker' settings. Work just as nicely as ordinary western brands of slow cookers. We found ours in Central Kad Suan Kaew.

[codysweet02]

Thanks, Folk.

Any idea on price?

Anyone else know of any?

[FolkGuitar]

Thanks, Folk.

Any idea on price?

Anyone else know of any?

There were several different to choose from, priced varied with size and control panel.