Everything I cook in the slow cooker tastes vile

[Lindt70Percent]

I'm trying really hard to like this slow cooker but I'm not getting on well with it at all.

Today I put in 2 chopped onions, 2 red peppers, 2 courgettes, 2 cloves of garlic, some mixed herbs and a carton of passata. Left it on high for 4 hours and it tastes revolting.

Usually I follow slow cooker recipes I've found on the internet but today I just made it up. Whatever I do, everything that comes out of it has a weird, metallic taste.

Has anyone got ideas where I'm going wrong? Is the onions or the tomatoes? Am I cooking things on too high a heat for too long.

It's a new slow cooker. I'm seriously thinking of sticking it on Freecycle tomorrow as I'm so fed up of chucking food away.

[RJnomore1]

I don't have a slow cooker because I remember everything my mum made in hers tasting weird and if onions even if there was no onion in it.

I'm sure someone will have the answer for you, I will watch with interest as it would be really useful if I knew the food wouldn't taste god awful from it.

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

That doesn't sound like a very nice meal to be fair
Any salt and pepper? Red wine? Balsamic vinegar? Sugar? Spices? You need more flavour, just slow cooking isn't going to turn vegetables and passats into a nice meal.
Was it meant to be stew?

[ggirl]

are you pregnant?

[VeryPunny]

It's the slow cooker, not you. They mostly make institutional slop. Bin it and buy a pressure cooker, there are quite a few slow cooker haters on here

[WineSpider]

I bought one last winter after everyone was raving about them. I even joined a slow cooked wonders facebook group but everything was rank and soggy.

Gave up and ebayed the wretched thing soon after and reverted to proper, tastier cooking...

[ggirl]

yes to needed seasoning

was joking about the pregnancy btw

[Crikeyblimey]

I have our slow cooker away for this very reason. Have a timer on the oven and haven't missed the darn thing.

[MTStocking]

You are cooking it too high too quick. It is a slow cooker so things need to be cooked low and slow.

[BrieAndChilli]

I find its best if I make something in the pan as I normally would then put it in the slow cooker to finish cooking.

[Crikeyblimey]

Gave away not 'have away' that's an entirely different thread!!

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I think the problem was what you put in it, not the slow cooker. And passata can often taste metallic - it needs a pinch of sugar, black pepper etc to temper it.

Lumps of vege in passata is never going to taste nice tbh, without some frying and lots of flavouring.

[Lindt70Percent]

Forgot to say I put soy sauce and some honey in too. It makes quite a nice sauce on the hob!

[wigglybeezer]

Get rid off it, they make everything taste institutional and make your house smell of school dinners. I have used my pressure cooker almost everyday for two years, it's the business.

[Chrisinthemorning]

Does slow cooking suit vegetables? I use it for cheap cuts of meat- chicken thighs, beef stew etc. I haven't done many vegetarian dishes but would think you need something quite dense- butternut squash or chick peas or something. Otherwise it'll just be slop.
I make a similar recipe to yours but with chicken, chorizo and chick peas and it's lovely. Yours sounds like a pallid pasta sauce. Sorry

[Lindt70Percent]

I think I'm going to get rid. I'm vegetarian anyway so I just don't think there's that much benefit to cooking things slowly.

When I was a meat eating student (20 years ago) I had a slow cooker which cooked meat brilliantly. Maybe I need to go back to meat?!

[dreamingofsun]

you need to rethink how you cook. just cause it tastes nice on the hob won't mean it tastes nice in a slow cooker. try curry - if that doesn't work then fine bin it - chopped onion, curry paste, tin of toms, meat, maybe some sultanas, chutney, chopped veg. Or put gammon in and fill with boiling water to half way up and then complete in the oven with mustard and sugar on it. obviously having removed it from the water first.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Try rice pudding in it. I'm veggie too, and other than chilli, Shepherds pie filling (with Quorn), soup and rice pudding I don't use mine for much but wouldn't want to be without it.

[Higge]

I do meat in mine, things like brisket and pork shoulder and boston beans and that's it, no stews. I think the slow cooker ruins currys - the flavour disintegrates. I think the weird flavour is overcooking - most stews do not need 4 hrs, they are better cooked for an hour and then the flavour develops over night. I have a great veggie chilli recipe but even here the suggested cooking time is much less than four hours. Here's a link.
books.google.co.uk/books?id=kTxVrfhZscEC&pg=PT136&lpg=PT136&dq=smoked+butternut+chilli&source=bl&ots=kVfcWf3j4C&sig=bZGopj8OjQsTmF0Wncv6N_XOhPg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjW1M7yheXJAhXBPRoKHdutB78Q6AEILDAE#v=onepage&q=smoked%20butternut%20chilli&f=false