Yet a quieter hero is taking over busy kitchens: the humble £25 slow cooker. Families are sharing a simple method that turns low heat into big savings, with claims of cutting cooking energy by up to 60%. And it tastes like time.
Rain polishes the pavement, kids drop bags by the door, and the house carries that gentle, all-day perfume you get from onions meeting stock at 7:05am. A plug hums softly behind the toaster. By 6pm the lid lifts and steam fogs the glasses. The smart meter barely twitches. Neighbours compare notes in the WhatsApp group: stew done, rice soft, even the pud sorted. An air fryer chirps in a flat across the landing, but no one’s hovering here. The slow cooker has been doing its quiet work, every minute earning back pennies and peace of mind. *I stand in the doorway and realise dinner has already happened while life was going on.* The secret is in the method.
Why a £25 slow cooker is winning at home
There’s a new sentence drifting around British kitchens: **“better than an air fryer.”** It’s not about crunch. It’s about reality. A slow cooker draws roughly 160–250 watts on Low, sips power for hours, and returns a pot of food that feeds four with leftovers. It asks for ten minutes of chopping in the morning, then forget about it. We’ve all had that moment when the meter’s red eye flickers and you feel a pinch of guilt. This is the antidote.
Take one week in Leeds. A mum of three swapped the oven–hob–air fryer shuffle for a single 3.5-litre slow cooker that cost £25 in a supermarket sale. Five family dinners. Her plug-in energy monitor logged around 1.4 kWh per slow-cooked meal, roughly 35p–40p at a typical 24–28p/kWh tariff. The same meals used to mean an oven on for 90 minutes plus a bubbling hob—close to 4–5 kWh, often £1 to £1.30. Across the week, she cut her cooking energy by just over 60% against her old routine. The food? Richer, somehow calmer.
The logic is simple. A slow cooker turns a steady, low wattage into time and moisture. No preheat blast. Minimal heat loss thanks to the lid and ceramic pot acting like a mini thermal battery. Meat that needs long, gentle heat costs far less in this setup than in an oven cycling at two kilowatts. An air fryer still rules for chips and crisping. For wet dishes—beans, curries, stews—or for batch cooking across the week, the slow cooker’s maths works out beautifully. Energy in equals comfort out.
The £25 method: stack, soak, set, save
Here’s the trick people are sharing: turn one plug into multiple dishes. Start with your main—say, lentil and sausage stew. Build it in the pot: onions, carrots, garlic, lentils, tinned tomatoes, stock. Now add a small metal trivet or a ring of scrunched foil on top of the stew. Above that, rest a lidded, oven-safe tin with rinsed rice and boiling water (1:1 by volume). Lid back on the slow cooker. Low for 6–7 hours. You’ve just made two parts of dinner on a whisper of power—**three meals in one plug** if you tuck a heatproof ramekin of custard inside that tin for a simple dessert.
A few pointers keep it foolproof. Don’t flood it; moisture doesn’t escape, so liquids stretch. Use boiling water at the start to help it along. Keep the lid on. Every peek sheds heat and adds time. Cuts of meat that like patience—chicken thighs, brisket, shoulder—shine here. Hard beans need pre-soaking or a proper tinned shortcut. Season boldly; low, slow cooking softens the edges of spice and salt. Let’s be honest: nobody really does that every day. But on the nights you do, the payoff is warm, cheap and wildly practical.
There’s also a little-known boost: switch to Warm for the last 30–45 minutes, especially if you’re eating late. Many modern units draw under 100 watts on Warm, stretching the same heat into tender texture. People report using a foil “jacket” around the pot (a reusable baking liner or reflective wrap) to trim edge heat loss, like a duvet for your dinner. The difference shows up on the meter and in your mouth.
“I measured it. Soup plus rice in the tin came to 1.3 kWh total,” says Mark, a home energy consultant in Bristol. “The same meal with a hob and oven used 3.6 kWh. That’s where the big savings hide—stacking jobs and letting time do the heavy lifting.”
- Use a small trivet or a ring of foil to raise your rice tin above the stew.
- Go 1:1 rice to boiling water in the tin, lid on, salt after cooking.
- Choose tins that fit with wiggle room; steam needs flow.
- Batch cool safely: portion, lid, and fridge within two hours.
- Finish with a five-minute air-fryer blast if you want a crispy top.
What this trend really says about how we cook now
Energy bills changed how we think about food. The air fryer felt like a quick fix, and for many meals it still is. The £25 slow cooker has a different promise: spend a little attention upfront, buy yourself an evening, and keep your meter steady. For parents juggling clubs and baths, for carers managing routines, for anyone who dreams of something rich burbling in the background, it offers dignity to dinner. **Cutting 60% on cooking energy** is headline stuff, yet the deeper win is calm: one pot, one plug, a table that fills itself.
| Key Point | Detail | Interest for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Low wattage, long time | Typical 160–250W on Low; 6–8 hours ≈ 1.0–1.8 kWh | Translates to ~25–50p per main dish at common tariffs |
| Stacking method | Stew in pot, rice in lidded tin on a trivet, dessert in ramekin | Feeds four with sides from a single socket |
| Real-world savings | Reported 60% cuts vs oven-led weeks; less evening stress | Lower bills and more hands-free time |
FAQ :
- Is a slow cooker always cheaper than an air fryer?Not always. For quick, dry foods like chips or a single chicken breast, an air fryer can be cheaper. For stews, beans, curries and batch cooking, the slow cooker often wins.
- What size should I buy for a family?For four people, 3.5–4.7 litres is the sweet spot. Solo or couples can use 1.5–3.5 litres. Bigger pots hold heat better and are great for leftovers.
- Can I safely leave it on while I’m out?Use a modern unit in good condition on a clear, heatproof surface, lid secure, cords tidy. Millions do this daily. Follow manufacturer guidance and your home’s safety rules.
- How do I stop watery results?Cut liquid by a third compared to hob recipes. Keep the lid on. Add dairy and fresh herbs at the end. Thicken with a slurry or mash a few beans into the sauce.
- Will it work with cheaper cuts of meat?Yes—that’s the point. Thigh, shoulder, brisket and chuck go tender on low heat. Trim excess fat, season well, and give it time.
