Slow cooker - help needed please

Thank you Elegran, I used your method to cook some mince today and it’s perfect. So quick and easy to do and that’s what I need at the moment..

I LOVE my slow cooker and use it all the time. My slow cooker has a metal pan which you can use on the cooker , so I brown meat etc in it first , while the cooker is heating up . Then pop the pan in and forget it ! It is also quicker than the ceramic pot. It’s great when we’ve got the grandchildren and need a meal ready done when they eventually leave 😂😂

Check out slow cooker on Facebook. Lovely recipes posted regularly

I'm amazed that so many people use slow cookers!

I made a beef stew the other day. It was ok-ish but I think I put too much liquid in. However, everything was cooked and that alone is a big improvement for me.

I'll keep on experimenting. What doesn't help is that I don't like onions or garlic, so I'm on a loser from the start. But I'll keep on trying.

Thank you all.

Surrnana I frequently have to make meals without onion or garlic. I find that adding some bacon improves the flavour.

Does anyone have good (and tried and tested) recipes for vegetarian meals in a slow cooker, please? I find it great for meat, but as my husband is vegetarian that's not what I'm looking for usually.

I would be lost without mine especially in the winter, I don’t brown anything just throw it all in and leave all day usually on the lower setting for about 8 hours

I Use mine all the time ~ we live in Cairo so it’s easier & better than turning on an oven in the heat. Crazy as that sounds !
Plus I love my slow cooker. There’s a whole group on Facebook on said subject with v interesting & different recipes posted regularly.

Our slow cooker is in use most days…..actually we have two. Batch cooking is a breeze.
As for too much liquid…….don’t be temped to add too much at the start of cooking as the contents will produce condensation will effectively waters it down.

Buy and recipe book and follow to the T, easy peasy.

You don't need to make work for yourself, it is easy to brown meat in the slow cooker - turn it on to high and add meat and maybe a little oil if the meat is very lean and leave it turning occasionally until it is brown then add everything else. You don't usually need much if any extra liquid because none of the liquid evaporates and the meat and veg produce quite a lot. I experiment with chucking in all sorts of different ingredients - so easy.

Could I ask a question please? I like to eat my main meal at mid day. Could I use a timer switch to turn the cooker on before I wake up, and if so, would it be best to use cold water rather than warm/hot water in it? I don’t want to give myself food poisoning!

When I worked I used to leave mine on all night Margaret , then decant to a saucepan to heat right through when I got in at night.

nanna8

One thing that stops that sort of stewy sameness you get sometimes is to add a glass of red wine. 🍷 My slow cooker runs for about 6 hours or so and everything is very well cooked, too much sometimes.

Or beer? Not too much though, it's a strong flavour.

Add chicken breaststroke, a good tablespoon of flour, Marigold stock powder or a cube, enough water to cover, sliced carrots , onions. Leave low all day or at least 5 hours. Add cream at end if you wish

I use. vegetables from the frozen casserole mix . Add a stock pot to them add boiling water to them rather than cold water . I use put tin foil on the top then the lid . It creates a seal ..I leave it on low all day long and it comes up tender . If you are adding new potatoes add them about a hour or so before the end . I have found a lady on facebook who often posts about slow cooking her name is northern nic back kitchen. Found her page helpful.

I never put vegetables in with the meat. They turn sludgy brown and with an unappealing texture. The stock ditto. Probably counterproductive but I use my slow cooker as part of a construct, vegetables steamed or microwaved and added to the pot towards the end.

Cam I just add that mulled is fab in the slow cooker. Keeps the right temp until it's all gone.

Google or Facebook slow cooker recipes, there's so many out there. You'll be an expert in no time.

For vegetarians soak and type of white bean - butter beans, haricot etc and put in to cook with suitable sauce. There are vegetarian slow cook books on Amazon
Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipe Book:
30 Easy Set It & Forget It Meals
by Maria Holmes | 18 Dec 2013
3.83.8 out of 5 stars (64)
Paperback
Price, product page£4.85

Slow Cooker Vegetarian: Healthy and wholesome, comforting and convenient
by Katy Holder | 1 Nov 2018
4.44.4 out of 5 stars (166)
Paperback
Price, product page£17.99
Save 5% on any 4 qualifying items
FREE delivery Thu, 1 May
Or fastest delivery Tomorrow, 28 Apr
Only 15 left in stock.
More buying choices
£4.52(3+ used & new offers)
As you see some can be bought second hand.

Soak any type of white beans

Shinamae

Maybe you just need to bury it 😁

😁😁😁

Thanks Emily. I'll have a look.

I have two slow cookers, one has a pottery pot and the other a metal pot.

The metal one cooks much hotter and faster than the crockery one.

I've kept the pottery one in case I make puddings or reheat Christmas puddings etc but the metal one is far better for casseroles etc.

Ps A tip - I always cook onions in the stock in the microwave first.