I learned to cook with this under £60 ProCook kitchen gadget and it's given me so much confidence in the kitchen

I learned to cook with a £60 ProCook gadget and it's given me so much confidence in the kitchen

I've never been much use in the kitchen, but after trying out ProCook's digital slow cooker, I've been able to make some delicious meals with minimal effort and washing up

01 Nov 2024, 12:50 by Bethan Shufflebotham · The Mirror

I’m very much in my cosy girl era this autumn, which for me means enjoying cinnamon chai lattes, weekend walks around the local nature reserve, and the biggest, chunkiest sweater I can get my hands on. But my favourite part about this season is without a doubt, coming home to the smell of a hearty, home cooked meal simmering away in the slow cooker .

As I live with my parents, I’ve never really been required to make a meal beyond anything that goes in the oven on gas mark 6 for 20 minutes. However, as I’m set to fly the nest and move in with my partner in the coming months, I figured I’d better learn how to cook some ‘real’ meals, so I’ve spent the last few weeks mastering the art of slow cooker cooking thanks to ProCook’s digital slow cooker.

Costing £59, I thought the ProCook digital slow cooker was reasonably priced, costing less than Lakeland’s smaller 3.8l offering, which is £59.99. It has a 4.8l capacity, which initially seemed more than I’d need, but it turns out to be a perfect size for batch cooking. The pot comfortably cooks up to six portions of food, making it a great choice for couples, families and solo chefs alike.

Design-wise, the cooker is sleek and compact enough to fit on any kitchen counter without dominating the space. Ours has taken up a semi-permanent residence next to the microwave for the winter, seeing as we use it more often than the oven during the colder months, however, we’ll likely store it on top of the cupboard in summer when a picky tea is the go-to.

The slow cooker boasts a range of easy-to-navigate settings which make cooking a breeze. It boasts low and high heat settings, which means you can set it to suit your needs for each dish. Plus, it also has a delayed start and keep warm functions were also game changers for a busy schedule.

The digital slow cooker from ProCook costs £59 and is great for beginners

For a sticky chicken and rice recipe I made, I prepped the pot with all of the ingredients in the morning, delayed the start by a few hours, and came home to the smell of roast chicken and spices. The keep warm function ensured that it stayed at optimal serving temperature without overcooking, this is particularly good if you’ve got a household where not everyone eats at the same time.

My favourite part about slow cooking is that you can often make the meals last for two days. For example, one dish I made - a take on a spicy crispy beef - was perfect for having with a wrap or rice for tea one evening. However, despite having fed three people, there was still plenty left over to have on jacket potatoes the following day. And I am convinced that these style of dishes are always tastier the following day, too.

Any sort of crispy beef or chili recipe is perfect for topping jacket potatoes with

Another benefit of slow cooking instead of stovetop meals is that you don’t have to watch over it or stir, making it ideal for people with busy lifestyles. The only blunder I made was accidentally setting my beef stew to cook for five hours on low rather than eight, however, the crisis was averted when I realised and was able to adjust the setting to high for an extra hour or so.

When it comes to washing up, it was surprisingly easy thanks to the removable inner pot, plus if you’ve got a dishwasher, both the inner pot and glass lid are safe to put through a cycle.

Having only ever ‘cooked’ frozen meals and quick pasta dishes, I was a little apprehensive about using a slow cooker at first, but it was surprisingly straightforward and fuss free. After a few weeks of recipe successes, ProCook's Digital Slow Cooker has given me so much more confidence in the kitchen and helped upgrade me from a culinary novice to someone who can impress their friends and family with comforting, hearty dishes.

A sticky chicken and rice recipe made in my ProCook slow cooker

And for £59, it’s ideal for anyone with a busy schedule, and definitely worth the money for anyone looking to save time without compromising on the quality of their meals. And I’m not the only one who loves it either, with many happy shoppers having left five star reviews on the ProCook website.

One said: “I have just used my ProCook Slow cooker for the first time today and my meal was cooked to perfection. Very impressed with it. Thank you.” Another added: “Fantastic slow cooker. Love that it has a delay function. Highly recommend!!”

A third penned: “Good quality and good size you can fit a large joint or chicken in it and easy to use controls.” However, one left a four star review, saying the slow cooker was “bigger than expected but nice product.”

The ProCook Digital Slow cooker is perfect for households of 2-4 people, because you can always have food left over for the following day. However, if you are after something a little larger the Ninja Deluxe Black & Copper Foodi 8-in-1 PossibleCooker Slow Cooker & Multi-Cooker is a great choice. It’s £149.99, but is 8:, meaning it can make up to eight portions, according to the website. Alternatively, you can shop my budget-friendly ProCook Digital Slow Cooker for under £60 here.