Slow cooker / crock pot energy use

[Racerbear02]

Having just returned from Leclerc with two big bags of onions, 99 c / 5 kg !!

I decided to look up onion soup recipies.

As I intend to make large quantities and then freeze it, I found a number of recipies which called for the use of a slow cooker.

My question is quite simple to ask, but having done numerous searches on the web, apparently not easy to answer. Does a slow cooker use less energy than an oven or halogen electric ring? Many conflicting replies out there, some suggest that it could even be as much as twice as expensive to use a slow cooker as it constantly uses the rated energy, for example 375 watts over the full cooking period of perhaps 6 hours (2.25 kw), as opposed to an electric ring, which although rated much higher in energy use terms perhaps 1.5kw, can cycle on and off as heating is required, for example if a pot of soup is simmering for 2 hours on a low heat say 3 out of a range of 10, will it use more or less energy than the slow cooker on for the 6 hours?

It is difficult to find any figure for hob consumption in such cases, does anyone have any DEFINITIVE answers? as opposed to just gut feelings.

[Russethouse]

I always believed than ran the same as a light bulb - does this question qualify as 'anorakanalia ' ?

[Iceni]

I cannot get to mine at the moment but I make soup for the workers every day. When we were in the caravan I used the slow cooker everyday for this and also for stews and casseroles. We had just one cable for everything and could not use things like electric kettles, high power hairdryers etc but the slowcooker worked well. I only used the low setting. I think I read that it was about the same as a lightbulb. Normal electric hobs use quite a lot of power.

Just added this note to say ' welcome to the club Gay'. We can be anoraks together. Lighbulb club anyone else

[Russethouse]

LOL Di

My slow cooker is ancient, a gift when we first married and I was out at work all day - its always had an annual outing at Christmas, (we use it to heat the Christmas pud through - saves a steamy kitchen) but I have been using it frequently lately, Pot roasts, soups, stewed fruit etc.

Also use the George Foreman grill most nights, saves heating up the electric oven for just one item.

[Teamedup]

I got mine for a wedding present too and was I glad when I dropped the blxxxy thing and it no longer worked. I absolutely hated mine, I had given it a good chance too with all sorts of things. I must add that I have several friends who love theirs, although I have never tasted anything made in them though.

And those onions. I often buy these bargain bags. If stored rather like potatoes, somewhere cool, dry and dark, they last for a couple of months and I suppose can last longer, only we use a lot of onions and get through them. I always make my soups to freeze in a big fait tout, or coucousiere, or huge pasta pan. Onion soup doesn't take that long to make anyway and I'm sure that I can get more soup in one of my big pans than I ever could have done in my slow cooker.