Slow cooker recipes with no pre-cooking?

[berri]

I'm loving my slow cooker but looking for recipes where I don't have to brown meat etc first, so I can just chuck it all in....

Any recommended dishes?

[Catsmamma]

you can just do whatever you would normally do without the browning, but really it does make a difference, esp for onion/celery based recipes.

[oreocrumbs]

bolognaise - just chuck it all in

chicken breast, tin of campballs condensed soup, water as per instructions on tin, (1 tin per 2 chicken breasts), veg (mushrooms, onions, peppers, carrots)

If your'e super lazy like me the homepride jars - beef in ale etc, veg and meat all in

mince, veg inc pots, oxo water and thats it!

I do anything I can in my slow cooker.

[oreocrumbs]

that should be campbells not camp balls lord i'm not even drunk!

[goingmadinthecountry]

Anyone got any recipes that don't involve soup/jars etc? I'm stuck at the moment on only 2 recipes!!

[PrettyCandles]

I dont have a slow cooker, i do it the old-fashioned way - in the oven, but pretty much any recipe that calls for browning first can be done without the browning. You just get a paler stew, so if you want the dark colour add a few drops of gravy browning.

The one thing you have to do different is tO either use pre-prepared onion, or dried onion, or even leave it out completely. Or include theonion but add more seasoning, as boiled onion has a rather sweet flavour.

[berri]

Thanks everyone....I've just bought another recipe book too, and it also says about onion/celery being a much better flavour when browned, so guess I'll just have to stop being lazy :)

Snort at Camp balls! Shredded Pork & Spag Bol are good suggestions too, thanks.

[OriginalPoster]

For a stew, I just chuck in 2 pounds beef stewing steak, onion garlic, carrot, peppers, tin toms, ketchup, can water, stock cube, pepper, salt, herbs, remains of wine bottle switch on for 8 hours first half hour high then low for rest. It's lovely, no probs with onions or colour.

[googietheegg]

You could cook a load of sliced onions (and garlic) one day when you have time (in a big pan on the stove, not in the slow cooker) and then freeze them in individual portions (I use little sandwich bags) - I do about ten onions worth every once in a while and then just put one portion into the slow cooker with other stuff without having to brown it.

[Haagendazs]

Beef curry - chop onions in food processor so they are amost mush (so will cook in SC). Add some curry paste, tin of tomatoes and chunks of beef. Cook on high for 7 hours or so.

Someone on here recommended lamb tagine using the BBC food websites recipe. It's fab done in SC with no browning or pre cooking. Will see if I can find link.

[Haagendazs]

Lamb tagine recipe here again I use food processor thingy for the onions

[Haagendazs]

There was a fab thread on SC recipes last year here

[berri]

googietheegg what a fabulous idea, can't believe I didn't think of that - genius!

Do you defrost it first or just chuck it in?

Haagendazs there are loads of other good things on that thread, thanks for digging it out.

[googietheegg]

Berri, Thanks! no need to defrost, I just bung it in and it works really well, especially if you add a little brown sugar with the onions (keep adding a little splash of water to stop it burning and sticking so it gets really caramelly). The onions are really nice as a pasta sauce by themselves if you mix in anchovies soaked in milk, some of the milk and a load of chopped parsley.

[zipzap]

I buy jars or the ready made onion marmalade and use that instead of browning stuff first, it works really well. I add some raw onions too and will often add some jaggery goor which is the Indian blocks of unrefined sugar you can find at the supermarket.

I've got a great slow cook recipe book, will try to find its name for you. I have posted it on here previously somewhere.

In the mean time have you tried doing slow roast Chicken or lamb shoulder? They both work well - I usually put them on a chopped up couple of onions , spoon of onion marmalade and a splash of sherry for some starting moisture. Because all the juices come out of the meat and onions it's best to use something fortified like sherry to give a nice back flavour to the juices ready for the gravy, wine, water or stock can be a bit watery.

Put a sprinkle of herbs on top of the meat (we like thyme on chicken and rosemary & garlic for lamb) and a spray of olive oil if you have one of those little bottle that sprays it fimely, seems to help it brown up a bit.

Then just put the lid on and forget about it for a few hours!

Fav recipe is a star anise pork - I use pork chops or ready chunked pork but could use pork loin. Chop a couple of onions and use as a base, put pork on top and sprinkle on a little sr flour and mix so everything coated. Separately mix up half and half orange juice and sherry, add a good squirt of sweet chilli sauce and another of hoisin sauce (or plum sauce or sweet and sour depending on what you have in and like) and mix up well. Zap in the microwave until boiling. In the meantime add about 4 star anise to the pork (in half if you can) and then pour over the hot orange / sherry mix and then cook until done (use timings from your own slow cooker's instruction book for a pork casserole to get the right timings for you!)

[user1487773328]

Haagendazs / berry - do either of you have cooking times / temperature for the lamb tagine in the slow cooker please?

[user1487773328]

@Haagendazs / @berry - do either of you have cooking times & temperature for the lamb tagine in the slow cooker please?

[FawnDrench]

Zombie thread from 8 years ago fgs...

[user1487773328]

@FawnDrench does it matter? It's still relevant today and I'm only asking for some advice on a recipe. The links to recipes in these old messages still work and I'm sure recipes don't have use by dates.

If I offended you I apologise - but why not just ignore my post and scroll on instead of writing an unhelpful insult fgs