Slow cookers are energy efficient since they consume less electricity. Slow cookers, such as those made by Crock-Pot, use between 75 and 150 watts on low and 150 to 210 watts on high. The gadget can cook continuously for a whole day while using the same amount of energy as a conventional light bulb.
What is the wattage of a slow cooker?
Once again, it’s that time of year. We’ve all seen those easy fall recipes that you can throw in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a freshly cooked meal. Recipes are delicious, and they’re meant to be more energy efficient than slow-cooking a roast in the oven all day, right? If you truly want to save energy, consider using an Instant Pot instead of a Crock-Pot.
An Instant Pot, or Insta-Pot as it’s also known, is a pressure cooker and slow cooker in one. It is promoted as a 7-in-1 kitchen gadget that combines cooking and food preparation into one device. But, when it comes to energy efficiency, it’s much more than that, and here’s why:
- It’s one of the most environmentally friendly kitchen appliances, saving up to 70% on power when compared to other appliances such as the oven, a boiling pot + burner, a steamer, and so on.
- The pot’s outside is entirely insulated, preventing high temperatures from heating up your kitchen. Because there are two layers of air pockets between the cooking inner pot and the exterior, it is cool to the touch during short cooking periods and warm only during long cooking periods. It is more efficient than traditional pressure cookers since the energy goes into the food rather than the room.
- The monitoring system of the Instant-Pot heats the inner pot to maintain a set pressure level. Heating is turned off for roughly 40% of the cooking period in long-duration cooking.
- Because the Instant-Pot is totally sealed during cooking, it uses less water (about 75 percent less water used than steaming). This saves energy when cooking and prevents steam from heating up the kitchen.
- The 1000-watt Insta-Pot DUO60 uses a thermostat to bring the water to a boil and then raise the pressure. In theory, 1 kilowatt hour would be used if the Insta-pot stayed in the boiling stage for 1 hour (kWh). The cost of the Insta-pot for that hour would be 12 cents if each kWh costs 12 cents. The lower the cost, the less time the thermostat keeps the unit on maximum heat for an extended period of time. The High Saute mode may keep the thermostat on full almost as long as the boiling stage, however the pressure modes (off-on-off-on) take less time, and the Keep Warm mode uses the least amount of time (so the cheapest of all).
- On the low setting, a typical slow cooker uses 108 watts of power. Assuming it is turned on for 8-9 hours, it will consume approximately 1.5 kWh.
- For an hour of use, an electric oven costs between $0.30 to $0.60. Rather than avoiding baking altogether, set aside one day per week to bake, roast, and utilize your oven. You can maximize the space in your oven by baking different items at the same temperature on the same day, and you can also take advantage of the residual heat in the oven, reducing energy loss caused by preheating, by scheduling a baking day and preparing all your baked and oven-cooked foods on that single day.
If you’re keeping an eye on your energy usage and want to cut back between the hours of 2:00 and 7:00, consider using an Instant Pot instead of the oven or keeping a crock-pot on all day. You could reduce the number of peaks that result in high demand rate charges, as well as the expense of cooling in the summer.
Is using a slow cooker or an oven less expensive?
This indicates that using a standard electric oven for one hour costs roughly 20 cents, whereas using a crock pot for seven hours costs only ten cents, resulting in a 50 percent energy savings. Finally, utilizing your slow cooker leftovers for lunch or remixing them into a second family supper can save you a lot of money.
How much does it cost to run an 8-hour slow cooker?
Over the course of eight hours of cooking, the average slow cooker is projected to utilize around 1.3kWh. According to Uswitch, the average cost of electricity in the United Kingdom is 14.37p per kWh.
What is the average amount of electricity used by a slow cooker per hour?
When used for a typical four to eight-hour cooking period, the average slow cooker in the UK uses 0.64 kWh on low settings and 1.65 kWh on high settings.
Energy will cost an average of 18.5p/kWh in the UK in 2021, according to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). This indicates that running a slow cooker costs between 12 and 31p per cooking session.
Is it true that slow cookers consume less electricity?
Yes, slow cookers are generally more energy efficient than ovens and consume less electricity.
Let’s start with a question:
Let’s relate energy use to the use of a lightbulb to make it more understandable. To stay on for an hour, a standard 10W energy-efficient light bulb consumes 10 watts.
Slow cookers now use between 100 and 160 watts of electricity in the UK. (Check out the Morphy Richards Slow Cooker130W to 163W, depending on the temperature setting, the Russell Hobb Slow Cooker135W to 160W, depending on the temperature setting, and the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker100W, depending on the temperature setting.)
A normal electric oven consumes 2500 watts of power (although older, less efficient models might use as much as 5000W).
When comparing energy usage per hour, it’s clear that a slow cooker is far closer to a lightbulb than an oven.
To match just one hour with your electric oven, you’d need to use your 160W slow cooker for about 15 hours and 42 minutes.
To put that into perspective, a typical slow cooker dish takes 4 hours on high and 8 hours on low. Not even close to 16 hours!
Slow Cooker Electricity Consumption UK
We’ve only talked about watts and compared slow cookers to conventional electric ovens so far, but there are a few other things to consider.
A fan oven, for example, uses less energy than a regular electric oven. The fan distributes heat evenly across the oven, ensuring a consistent temperature. Because the back of a conventional oven becomes extremely hot, you should set the temperature for the middle of the oven.
Then there’s the reality that the fan oven doesn’t always create heat. To maintain it level, it turns on and off when the temperature changes. As a result, a fan oven may not maintain a steady temperature of 2500W during the hour. An energy-efficient television, for example, uses roughly 100kWh.
Furthermore, heat escapes the oven every time the door is opened, requiring more energy to reheat.
Slow cookers are generally energy efficient, although they aren’t always as efficient as an oven.
Are you interested in learning more about energy-efficient appliances? Check out our articles on halogen ovens and energy-saving dishwashers.
It also depends on the recipe: if your pasta bake takes 20 minutes in the oven (833W) but 8 hours in the slow cooker (1280W), it makes more sense to utilize the less-efficient oven.
However, with a huge cut of meat that would require a lengthy, slow 5+ hour roast in the oven, using the slow cooker on its highest setting and roasting for 8 hours makes more sense.
Another benefit of slow cookers is that greaseproof paper is rarely required. It’s always a plus for the environment because they’re not easily recyclable (see why here).
Is it true that using a slow cooker saves money?
They also have a high energy efficiency rating. With the ability to batch cook, a low and slow cooking method suited to budget-friendly cuts of meat, and a low and slow cooking style suited to wallet-friendly cuts of meat, a slow cooker may be a significant money-saver in your kitchen.
Is it affordable to use a slow cooker?
Slow cookers are inexpensive to purchase, operate, and are ideal for maximizing the use of low-cost foods. In a simple slow cooker, you can make everything from stews to curries to sweets. Simply put your ingredients in the machine and let it handle the restideal for busy weeknights and family dinners.
What is the average amount of electricity used by a cooker?
“Electric cookers require roughly 0.87 kWh of electricity each hour,” they claim, “so if you cook for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, it would cost you around 1.39 to prepare a week’s worth of meals for your family.”
Is it possible to cook raw chicken in a slow cooker?
Yes, raw chicken can be cooked in a slow cooker. Raw meats are cooked in slow cookers and Crock-Pots. Slow cooking is bacteria-free because of the direct heat from the pot, the long cooking time, and the steam provided by the securely sealed container. You may also use a slow cooker to cook frozen chicken.