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Morphy Richards Sear and Stew Slow Cooker

We review the Morphy Richards Sear and Stew (48702) Slow Cooker. Does it really brown meat as well as they claim and how does it slow cook? We test it out in detail.

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Morphy Richards Sear and Stew (red)

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CONSTRUCTION AND LOOKS

The Morphy Richards Sear and Stew comes in a variety of colours, we chose the red one (model 48702) but it also comes in metallic (model 48701) and black (model 48703). All models are exactly the same apart from colour. The coloured versions look very attractive although the red one might be a bit garish for some.

The first thing you notice when you pick up this slow cooker is how light it is, the total weight is a very minimal 1.41kg, the lightest slow cooker we have tested. The reason for the low weight is that the cooking bowl is made of light metal. It looks OK but not as good as the heavier slow cookers. However, with a very attractive red finish to the slow cooker exterior, the whole unit can be served to the table.

The Morphy Richards Sear and Stew is another slow cooker which has only three legs to support it, four would be better but the existing legs hold it well off any surface. The handles are on the small side and oven gloves are required to handle the unit.

Cleaning this slow cooker is relatively easy with both the bowl and lid being safe in the dishwasher.

Metal cooking pot 

SIZES AND CAPACITIES

The cooking bowl has a total capacity of 3.5 litres which is fine for a family of four.  The overall size is slightly smaller (H:200 mm W:330 mm D:250 mm) compared to similar models, presumably because the metal pot occupies less space. Energy consumption is a very reasonable 130 to 160W.

The length of the electric flex is 90cm / 3ft which is longer than normal and should cause no problems in most kitchens.

COOKING PERFORMANCE

Using the Morphy Richards Sear and Stew convinced us even more that most meat doesn't need to be seared before slow cooking - blind tastings identified no taste difference whatsoever. Chicken though, often benefits from searing by giving it a more appealing colour. 

This slow cooker has, unusually, low, medium and high settings but no setting called "keep warm". We monitored the temperatures reached on each setting and noted that on the low setting the temperature reached 74°C / 165°F, the ideal keep warm temperature. When set to medium (the setting all the recipes in the accompanying booklet use) the temperature reaches 84°C / 183°F, which is only a degree or two above the ideal heat for slow-cooking on low. Quite why Morphy Richards have done this is not clear, but our advice is to slow cook on medium and use the low as a keep warm function on this slow cooker.

For a practical test we cooked our easy beef stew in this slow cooker and it was cooked very well, no complaints in that area at all. The size of the slow cooker is just about large enough to cook a whole small chicken.

FEATURES

The main selling point for the Morphy Richards Sear and Stew slow cooker is the ability to "sear" or brown meat in the cooking pot. The system is simple, you remove the bowl from the casing and place it directly on the heated hob. Add some oil and the meat, then continue to brown the meat as if it was in a frying pan. Because of the light weight of the pot special care is needed to stop it slipping around. Space is also at a premium in the pot especially with its high sides.

This all works well although don't try browning the top of any meal under the grill as one reviewer suggests, the instructions clearly state that the bowl is not safe under a grill. We read several external reviews about this slow cooker and none mention any problem with the non-stick surface, just make sure you don't use anything metal to stir the contents of the metal pot.

OTHER REVIEW OPINIONS

All the reviews are complimentary as far as the Morphy Richards Sear and Stew are concerned with no-one identifying any reliability problems. On "Which" this slow cooker was rated the fourth best slow cooker out of 30.

SUMMING UP

Low setting cooking 4.5 stars for low heat cooking
High setting cooking 4.5 star rating for high heat cooking
Keep warm 4.5 star rating for high keep warm
How easy to use 4.5 star rating for ease of use
Setting up 5 stars for ease of setting up
Cleaning 5 stars for cleaning
Build quality 4 star rating for build quality
Value for money 4 star rating for value for money
Overall rating 4.5 star rating overall

1 OTHER RATINGS GIVEN - AVERAGE 4 star rating
four star rating
4 March 2013
From: Ben
It sears and it stews in one pot, what more could you want!
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This is a totally independent review by of the Morphy Richards Sear and Stew slow cooker. We bought this slow cooker and were not given it.

Copyright 2006 - 24 David Marks. All rights reserved.