Product Review

I've been intrigued by these slow cooker liners that I've seen ads for in magazines, so when I saw boxes of them prominently displayed in my grocery store, I fell victim to the advertising campaign and product placement and threw a box into my cart. Earlier this week I cooked chicken stew (not a big winner, so I won't bother to post the recipe) and decided to try out said bags.

First of all, the bag seemed a bit big for my slow cooker, but of course this would not be universal as mine is on the small side. It felt strange to be placing my ingredients in a plastic bag where I knew they would simmer for the next 8 to 10 hours. I set aside my hesitation however and proceeded to fill the pot with vegetables, raw chicken and a some stock.

The cooking went well - in reality I couldn't tell a huge difference between having the bag and not having it. I disliked stirring the stew with it in the bag because the wooden spoon had a tendency to catch on the bottom of the bag and move it around (could be partially due to the size disparity between cooker and bag). The meal did not taste "plasticky" at all, and clean up WAS easier. I didn't have to soak or scrub at all. I just placed the pot and the lid in the dishwasher.

Was it worth it? I'm not sure. I still don't like the thoughts of my food cooking in a plastic bag, but it did make clean up a breeze. I'm sure I'll use up the other 3 liners in the box, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to buy a new box.