Can you make any one pot recipe in a slow cooker?

I find it’s most useful for making a meal to come home to rather than if I’m around, as others have said, reduce liquid, adjust seasoning.

my favourite recipe is pork shoulder (browned) veg and a can of cider, stock cube and herbs to taste.

Yes, I wouldn't get too hung up on cooking times for certain dishes.

The key benefits of the slow cooker to me are definitely volume and the level of inattention you can take.

It's lovely to bung in 5-6 different tins, packs of frozen veg etc and come away with 6 meals without ever thinking about the specific timing.

Oh, and it's a big bonus for summer hot cooking - throws off less heat than the oven.

The beauty is the cooking time doesn't much matter. PP's guide of 6 hours on medium or 8 on low is a good guideline but my two slow cookers cook at different rates! It works overnight on low too, tasty enough but edges towards falling apart which my husband is less keen on.

The main selling point is you can walk away from it. That is a meaningless benefit to some, but powerful when you're unwell, or your energy levels flag in the early evening.

If washing up is difficult, you could consider buying disposable or washable liners.

I would love to use our slow cooker more but DS17 says everything tastes the same. It's a ceramic one so no metal. I don't know what he means!

Because of the timing of that 15m, and because of the washing up etc, and in part because of the size of the dish.

To make four portions, I'd have needed at least two pans to fry the veg before adding to the pasta and passata.

15m on the hob would require active attention for 15m to move the veg, whereas with the slow cooker it was 2m chopping and seasoning, 1m stirring and adding pasta, 1m stirring again.

Plus those 4m.can be spread out over the course of my son's bath/bedtime routine.

I really like the fresher taste of non-caramelised veg too sometimes, very suited to summer. It produces a different flavour to the hob or the oven. All good in their own way.

I did end up using it mainly to cook gammon joints to use as ham during the week. It does cook a whole chicken so it’s very soft and moist and nice in a wrap for instance.

I’ve stopped using my slow cooker because everything tastes better cooked in the oven or hob. Flavours don’t develop properly and everything is just meh in comparison.

I do have cast iron le Creuset casserole pans though so dishes come out far more delicious than the slow cooker.

They don't save you effort at all, because the prep is the same as for any other cooking method but they probably save you on electricity and are definitely convenient if you want to eat when you get in from being out of the house. They don't save on electricity for things like the pasta dish someone up thread described that can otherwise be cooked really quickly.

I like to do a ham in mine. Put a full joint in, and have about an inch of water or apple juice (or cola) in the bottom. Stud in some cloves and brush with honey if you like. Cooked sliced ham freezes really well. The fat doesn't render so I tend to just take it off.

I tend to steer away from any pulses except tins, which are fine, and I find hard veg like carrot and swede can be a bit stubborn so fry them off at the begining with your onion. Anything you cook that uses cornflour as a thickener, add the cornflour slurry right at the end. I find if you add it early on, it doesn't thicken.

Yes you can just use any soup recipe but careful with dried pulses. Red lentils are ok. I make it with less water, almost like a casserole so portions take up less space, then dilute to serve.

If you're disabled ( like myself) slow cookers are a life saver.
I can't stand up in one spot for too long and I find I can eat healthy easily by making meals in my slow cooker.
I make literally every home cooked meal in it and some things can be cooked within the hour or 2.

Once cooked and peeled, it’s lovely with roast beef. Or dress it for salad. Soup (borscht).

To cook, scrub well. Leave 2 cm minimum of leaf stalks. 2 tbs of water. Beetroot in and leave for about 4-6 hours, depending on size. Peel once cooked.

I use mine for fresh beetroot, quince, oranges for marmalade, Christmas pudding and cake, and occasionally, cakes to be iced. Rice pudding and porridge.

I haven’t yet cracked the dinner secret.

Use mine for chilli, bolognaise, stews, occasional curries.

You could have done this in 15 minutes on the hob.

I love my slow cooker but I don't understand people who insist on using it for things that cook very quickly anyway.

I use my slow cooker multiple times a week. The Poppy Cooks and Bored of Lunch slow cooker books are really good. We have a lot from them. I do prefer to sauté some meat and veg first, I have a Ninja 15-1 which means I can sauté in the Ninja and then just press the slow cook button so don’t have to use any other pans etc., but some slow cookers you can use the pot on the hob. Onions I find really benefit from being sautéed or they go a bit mushy.

Most recipes are either 6/7 hours on low or 3 hours or so on high so depends on your timing. I usually do low because I want to load it when I have time in morning and for it to be ready at dinner time.

Normally your slow cooker should have 2 or 3 settings for timings. I have high (4 hours), medium (6 hours) and low (8 hours). Any dish can usually be cooked in any of these times. The power adjusts accordingly. You just select the time you want. Basically work backwards from the time you want to serve the dish. For example if you stick it in the slow cooker at 9am and want it for lunch, you select the 4 hour setting. If you want it for dinner, select the 8 hour setting.

Pretty much OP! I love my slow cooker! I make so many meals in it a month and it’s so easy! I barely use my oven now. I make lots of different casseroles, stews, chowder, soup, goulash, beef bourguignon, cioppino, baked pasta dishes etc. I have about 20 staple dishes I have tweaked and perfected over the years.

There are so many great slow cooker recipes online. Taming Twins has some of the best ones I find. For most recipes, it’s a case of just chucking the chopped veg and meat into the slow cooker (you may have to fry or brown in a pan first for a bit), then add some stock or canned tomatoes depending on the recipe, add some herbs, feta, nuts, beans, dumplings, whatever is required for what you’re making. I do it on a Saturday morning and I have leftovers for days. I can get so much out of a stew or casserole.