I need your help, please.
Do I need a slow cooker/Crock Pot type dealio?
This is a real question.
I'm asking because I read about HOW FREAKING GREAT THEY ARE all the time, but I just....don't know. 
I fully understand how great it is to toss some ingredients in a machine, wander off, and end up with food. But most of the recipes I read say that searing the meat first in a separate pan makes the food so much better (agreed), so would I be saving that much time, or just making something essentially further in advance?
Help me, I'm serious. I use my Le Creuset ALL THE TIME for slow-cooked stuff, so it seems like 1. this could be right up my alley OR 2. I've already got this method on lockdown, so why add something else to my already-crowded kitchen?
I need this to be a group decision because I think you can tell me things. FIRST, would you like some new slow-cooker recipes? SECOND, am I missing something majorly attractive about these things?
Overall, I'm fine without one, but I was fine without a smartphone before I had that too so....
Talk to me. Tell me what you know. PLEASE.
And, thank you.
Happy Friday!
All I can say is that I have two and use them all the time. I do sear a lot of meats before I put them in. Still saves me time because I can turn it on before I go to work and BOOM, dinner is ready when I get home. I use the small one for dips and such at parties.
I as well have one and would like more recipes because all I use it for now is chili or kielbasa and saur-kraut.
I like having mine and I also have a Le Creuset! There are just some things I prefer the slower cooking for- applesauce, chili, making stock and soups, shredded chicken, etc.
Awesome ideas! I mainly just want to learn more before I commit. I'm anxious like that... 🙂
I believe the oven is better.. since you have more control over the final temperature than LOW/HIGH .. which can vary greatly between models and brands. We have a crock pot that gets pretty hot, even on a LOW temperature, and if condensation gets under the lid it begins to rattle from the escaping steam, and water ultimately collects on the counter around the pot (could just be my evil unit that does this). When this happens over extended period, I lose too much liquid from the evaporation that's escaping and run the risk of scorching the bottom of the food. So, a tight fitting lid is needed to keep the liquids in the pot.
However, there is nothing wrong with a crock pot; even Thomas Keller uses them. I like them if I'm going to be gone all day, because I don't like to have the oven on when I'm at work all day (this is especially true for gas ranges).
They're convenient for braising small cuts, slow cooked beans, and really useful for keeping things warm (if you have a warm setting). Also, if you go out and buy a thermostat w/ a thermocouple, you can create a poor chef's Sous Vide.
Oh, and definitely sear the meat when appropriate and scrape/deglaze the fond (brown bits stuck to the pan), that's where all the flavor is at.