Eye on a slow cooker? This post is for YOU.

According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, sales of slow cookers have been soaring, steadily. On Amazon, sales of slow cookers have gone up by 55 per cent in two years.

If you are planning to invest in a slow cooker, for yourself or for a Christmas present for somebody else, the outlook is good: right now there are some good slow cookers available to buy, at knockdown prices.

Scroll down for my top slow cooker picks, along with a price guide so that you know what to pay right now.

As longtime readers will know, I’ve been fangirling all over my slow cooker for, well, a long time. Here are the reasons why my slow cooker takes pride of place in my thrifty kitchen:

1. Slow cookers save time. You pile your ingredients in the slow cooker before work, turn it on – and come home in the evening to a yummy stew, all cooked and ready to go.
2. Slow cookers are easy to use. See above.
3. Slow cookers save on washing up. Generally, washing up = one chopping board, one kitchen knife and a good wipe around the inside of the slow cooker.
4. Slow cookers reduce food waste. No need to let those squooshy tomatoes or that stray courgette go to mush – chuck them in the pot.
5. (Drumroll) Slow cookers save money! They don’t use as much energy as an oven or electric hob. I have been making frugal-but-fabulous dinners with cheap ingredients including root vegetables, tinned tomatoes (value range), dried pulses, herbs from the garden and lots of crusty bread.

When I first wrote about slow cookers on Miss Thrifty, I had to scrabble around to find slow cookers for sale online. These days, they are ten-a-penny. Winter is a perfect time of year to whip your slow cooker out: all those warming stews! So with perfect timing, in the run-up to Christmas there are plenty of deals and discounts to be had. Here is my price guide and my picks:

SLOW COOKER FOR ONE – AIM TO PAY LESS THAN £12.

Argos Value Range slow cooker – white (1.5L) – Reduced from £12.99 to £6.99.

Although this is a value range slow cooker, it still has a removable ceramic bowl to make washing up easier. It has one heat setting (the next models up tend to have too: high and low.) The price of this particular slow cooker moves around – it has been as low as £9 before – so if you want to take a punt, bookmark the page and revisit in the run-up to Christmas. For what it is, £10.99 is still a bargain though.

[Argos – Value Range slow cooker – £6.99]

FAMILY-SIZED SLOW COOKER – AIM TO PAY LESS THAN £25.

 Morphy Richards Red ‘Sear and Stew’ slow cooker (3.5L) – Reduced from £35 to £25 at Debenhams. Reduced to £22.49 at Amazon, with free delivery.)

One of the things I like about the slow cookers is its simplicity. It’s a pot… that gets a bit hot. But I must admit, I’ve picked this slightly more fancy slow cooker out because I love the idea behind it: the aluminium cooking bowl slides out, and you can sear your meat in it on the hob, before returning the bowl to the slow cooker and adding the other ingredients. Please note that the bowl isn’t suitable for use on ceramic hobs. This product has had great reviews across the board, and is currently Amazon’s bestselling slow cooker.

(I’ve included Debenhams even though the cooker is a couple of quid more there, because if you can double up on any codes or offers, you could push below the Amazon price. As per my recent post, visit this ever-changing page on the Debenhams site to see if there are any additional discounts or vouchers that you can apply. Free delivery on all online orders over £30.)

[Debenhams – Morphy Richards Red ‘Sear and Stew’ slow cooker (3.5L) – £25]

[Amazon – Morphy Richards Red ‘Sear and Stew’ slow cooker (3.5L) – £22.49]

GIANT FAMILY-SIZED COOKER – AIM TO PAY LESS THAN £27.

 Yes, you read that right. Look around and you can get a 6L or 6.5L slow cooker for little more than a standard 3.5L one. Don’t all rush though: these things are LARGE, and take up lots of storage space, so only buy one in the larger size if you need to.

I’ve gone back to Argos and to Morphy Richards for the cooker above, but how can I not? It’s half price…

Andrew James Premium Red Slow Cooker (8L) from Amazon is reduced from £49.99 to £26.99. I have never encountered this brand previously, so cannot comment upon its quality. However it has been positively reviewed on Amazon and I note that, like the deluxe cookers, it has three heat settings, a glass lid and a removable ceramic bowl.

[Amazon – Andrew James slow cooker (8L) – £26.99]

Some popular slow cooker recipes on Miss Thrifty:

Lemon Curd

Caldo Verde (rustic Portuguese soup)

Italian Fish Stew

Lentil & Chestnut Soup