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AIBU?

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Original poster

Are slow cookers shit?

209 replies

rainbowstardrops · 05/11/2025 18:41

I mean, I know they’re not shit but I’m currently cooking a Thai beef dish and it looks absolutely nothing like the picture in the recipe book. It looks dull and watery and just so unappetising.
Am I being unreasonable to think that the bloody recipes in these books look nothing like the final result photos?
Oh and I put half of the chilli flakes in because one of mine doesn’t like spicy (I do) but this is even setting my mouth on fire!
Pah!

OP posts:
Tryingtokeepgoing · 06/11/2025 07:55

Isn’t the key problem with slow cookers that food cooked in them doesn’t taste the same as food cooked using the normal methods, because you can’t get the depths and concentration of flavour that comes from the liquid being reduced, since in a slow cooker it just condenses.

You can mitigate this by searing any meat first, browning any onions, reducing liquid or whatever, but if for example it’s got tomato in it (tinned or fresh) you will never get the concentration of tomato flavour that you would when cooked on a hob or in an oven as the liquid evaporates, because in a slow cooker it doesn’t. Now, that’s not to say that the food tastes bad, but it can’t taste the same as when prepared ‘properly’ for want of a better word.

Catwoman8 · 06/11/2025 07:51

People go wrong by putting the veg in far too early so it ends up a mush, some meals just dont work using the bung it all in and leave for 8 hours method!

RememberBeKindWithKaren · 06/11/2025 07:51

Every meal I've cooked in one ends up looking like mush..but some people rave about them so maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Would like to know how to do a veggie curry and get to it before it turns into a gloopy mess.

Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:51

DeafLeppard · 06/11/2025 07:49

Get a pressure cooker, they are much better.

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The whole idea of pressure cookers scare me! Maybe because of the horror stories from years ago. I’m sure they’ve improved since then though. I’ll look into it, thanks.

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:49

canyouseemyhousefromhere · 05/11/2025 22:17

Sounds like a poor recipe book. Try another one.

I have several books specifically for slow cooker recipes. This isn’t a one off attempt.

OP posts:
DeafLeppard · 06/11/2025 07:49

rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:46

I’ve wondered about buying a multicooker instead. Are they good?

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Get a pressure cooker, they are much better.

Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:46

Auburngal · 05/11/2025 21:07

I did have a slow cooker but every dish looked the same and smelt weird.

Got a multicooker which has a SC function which I have used once and took half the time too cook. It also has a sear function to brown meat and soften onions.

I’ve wondered about buying a multicooker instead. Are they good?

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:45

bakebeans · 05/11/2025 20:52

How long has it been in for?

The recipe said cook on low for five hours.

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 06/11/2025 07:43

overstimulatedhermit · 05/11/2025 18:53

I think they are, also the food tastes rubbish too

How are you using it?

I don't just throw stuff in mine then leave it. I always start by browning meat, frying onions etc in a pan first then transferring it to a slow cooker to cook. Basically, the slow cooker has replaced the oven part.

Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:42

ThatLilacBeaker · 05/11/2025 20:16

I find it quite slow at cooking tbh

😂

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:36

Om83 · 05/11/2025 19:47

I never used to brown anything but it does make a difference I find. My kids always groan when it gets to autumn and the slow cooker comes out 😂 but I love it and feels like someone else has made me dinner by the time it is actually ready in the evening!!

there are some things I wont cook- I don’t think a bolognaise is ever quite right but I love a beef stew or a chicken tagine type thing, always use much less liquid than any recipes suggest and I’ve not tried it but apparently putting a tea towel under the lid allows some of the liquid to escape as steam??

One of my children inwardly groans too because she’s not keen on stews etc but I love getting all the prep out of the way and slow cooker on and not having to do too much later!
Im definitely going to start using less liquid than the recipe states and that’s a good tip about putting a tea towel under the lid to absorb some of the liquid.

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:29

EmeraldRubyPearl · 05/11/2025 19:09

I haven't voted because you have actually conflated two different issues.
Slow cookers are marvelous, I wouldn't be without mine, however, you need to be aware of a few basics, one of which is that you need to make the initial sauce much, much thicker than normal as the slow cooking makes the ingredients give off juices which can't evaporate to reduce the sauce. They just condense on the pot lid and go back in to the food.
Second point: the pictures in cookery books. A long, long time ago, when I was an inexperienced cook, I made an apricot tart to serve to my favourite aunt and uncle who were visiting. Athough it tasted fine the appearance was really disappointing, nothing like the photo. When I told my uncle how disappointed I was he explained to me that food photos are a big con, and the perfectly rounded, glossy apricots were a) not cooked and b) covered in inedible glossy gloop to make an appealing photo. I bless him for that to this day because it has made all the difference in how I judge my success at home cooking.....and various magazine articles over the years have confirmed that the food in recipe photos is often not actually edible!
So no vote because you are being unreasonable to expect what you cook to resemble the photo in the recipe book.

Edited to add: I see you say "am currently cooking" and " it looks", unless your slow cooker has a transparent lid (mine doesn't) you shouldn't have any idea what it looks like until you reach the end of the cooking time. As a PP said, you absolutely must not take the lid off until the end of the cooking time.

Edited
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I have also heard that the food has been enhanced shall we say but the finished dish should look vaguely similar lol! I think going forward, I will remember your uncles’s wise words!
Oh and yes, my slow cooker does have a glass lid but I also needed to add some peas for the last half an hour and a cornflour slurry. It ended up tasting quite nice, even if it was a watery mess!

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:23

Hankunamatata · 05/11/2025 18:54

You need a better recipe

This isn’t just a one off. I have several slow cooker recipe books. I’ve also had my slow cooker for a good while and have had some successes and I follow the recipe to the letter, they just turn out to be a watery mess that looks nothing like the photo!

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:21

overstimulatedhermit · 05/11/2025 18:53

I think they are, also the food tastes rubbish too

The recipes that I’ve previously cooked taste ok, they just look shite!

OP posts:
Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:20

I do use specifically slow cooker recipes @KnickerlessParsons hence why I’m so disappointed that the finished dish looks nothing like the photos!
Thats interesting @x2boysbecause I usually follow the recipe completely. Maybe I’ll try reducing the liquid, thanks!

OP posts:
bakebeans · 06/11/2025 07:18

Left · 05/11/2025 20:51

I think you might be right OP. Been debating whether to give mine away or try again with it. Everything I cook in it has a rank aftertaste which I think is the onion, but I persist in dragging it out when the the weather first drops to see if anything’s changed.

You can always start it on the hob and then put it in the slow cooker. Fry the onions first that way

Original poster
rainbowstardrops · 06/11/2025 07:18

I have various different books @Thingamebobwotsit. It actually tasted ok (but very spicy!) but it just didn’t look anything like the photo!
No, I don’t keep opening the lid @Fridgemanageress, I could understand it if I did.

OP posts:
Fridgemanageress · 06/11/2025 05:30

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 05/11/2025 21:12

I did a Thai curry the other week that was lauded on the Facebook group. It just tasted like spicy beef stew. Having said that my Rogan Josh is delicious as is sweet potato curry as is my chilli. Think it depends entirely on what you're making.

There was a thread on here once about annoying colleagues. Someone had a colleague who would bring raw ingredients to work, put them in his mini SC UNDER HIS DESK and eat it at lunchtime!

That’s clever thinking on that colleagues part. Healthy eating and saving money not eating in a cafe.

Fridgemanageress · 06/11/2025 05:28

Doobedobe · 06/11/2025 00:18

There is a slow cooker facebook group. I was on it a few years ago. The recipes are much better than in books that people post as they have literally just made them. So you can see what they are like.
There was a trend for doing a cooked breakfast overnight in the slow cooker and I tried it a few times and it came out pretty well.
I alao like doing a joint of meat in it. Jackets are good in it too.

Thank you. Will look them up.

Meadowfinch · 06/11/2025 01:18

No, but like any appliance, you need to know how to use it.

I love mine because, working from home, I can put supper in at lunchtime and it is ready to eat at 6pm.

I find they work best if you sear the meat and soften onions before slow cooking together with more veg, plenty of herbs and a very small amount of liquid.

I cook ham in a slow cooker with half a children's carton of apple juice. Perfect every time 🙂

Grilledxribs · 06/11/2025 01:07

overstimulatedhermit · 05/11/2025 18:53

I think they are, also the food tastes rubbish too

I agree also it far to long to wait for it to get cooked.

fivebyfivefaith · 06/11/2025 00:51

Gammon as well - I take it out to shred and make a parsley sauce, freeze it in portions and it reheats really well

fivebyfivefaith · 06/11/2025 00:47

I use the bored of lunch IG recipes a lot and they’ve turned out well
way less liquid than you think and more seasoning
pulled pork I don’t add any liquid at all

rosyvalentine · 06/11/2025 00:37

I have a Sage Fast Slow Pro and I love it. Brilliant for curries, chillies, Bolognese, pulled pork or chicken and casseroles. The food is much more flavoursome than if it was just cooked on the hob. It also works as a Pressure Cooker. And can produce a respectable risotto in about 10 minutes. I honestly couldn't live without it - it's the best thing I've ever bought for my kitchen!

Doobedobe · 06/11/2025 00:18

There is a slow cooker facebook group. I was on it a few years ago. The recipes are much better than in books that people post as they have literally just made them. So you can see what they are like.
There was a trend for doing a cooked breakfast overnight in the slow cooker and I tried it a few times and it came out pretty well.
I alao like doing a joint of meat in it. Jackets are good in it too.