Slow cooker- what's the point?

[SaagAloopa]

Every recipie I've tried in my slow cooker has involved me having to cook the meat on the hob first. So please can you explain to me in simple language what is the benefit? How does it cook if it does it so slowly, how is it safe? Is it more or less energy efficient? What is the point.

I have cooked loads of casseroles in my slow cooker and have always put the meat in straight away with the veg. Also have cooked gammon and beef in it without having to seal the meat first.

Surely you are just browning your meat first rather than cooking it, as the slow cooker won’t do this.
I find mine very useful for cooking tougher pieces of meat, they become tender rather than drying out like in the oven.
It also uses less energy than the oven and is useful if you are going out and your meal is ready when you get back.

I never brown my meat - that's to seal in flavour rather than for safety just chuck it in and leave it.

Ofcourse it's safe it cooks it slowly because the meat you use is the harder ones that need longer not because it is cooking it at a cooler temperature.

The point of it is I'll whack it on t ok morrow morning, go spend the day stood on the freezing rugby sidelines and come home to a fully cooked casserole and just add dumplings.

You dont cook on the hob. You sear the outside for a few mins at most. And you don’t have to if you don’t want to.

it’s cheaper than any other form of cooking except an air fryer.

mostly I use it cause it’s convenient and tastes amazing.

the slow cooking cooks the meat thoroughly and makes it really tender. It allows all the flavours to develop to give you a deep taste.

You don't have to brown the mean first if you don't want. Just lob it all in.

You don't have to sear the meat and fry the onions but it does taste a bit nicer and takes only minutes. You can prep it the night before, then put the casserole dish in the fridge overnight. Put it in the slow cooker on a timer, before you leave for work or go out for the day so that it is ready when you come home.

Works for curries, casseroles, chilli, goulash, ragu etc. Things that get better with long slow cooking.

I put frozen mince into mine with frozen veg and a sauce and 6-8 hours later it's done. I guess if it was a joint it would just take longer maybe. Just because it's slow it doesn't mean it doesn't cook properly. If anything it's better because it will cook all the way through slow and steady

Oh! So is it cooking it at the same temperature as the oven?

wow, no as a slow cooker doesn’t reach the required temp to kill certain bacteria you can never cook meat from frozen.

You don't have to do that. I've been using one for many years and have never browned anything, and can't be doing with recipes that call for it. If I'm going to cook something in a pan, then have the resulting smell and washing up, then I'll continue it in the pan or put it in the oven, not the SC.

The only thing I ever brown first is mince, because I find it tends to clump otherwise. Everything else goes straight in.

And I used to wonder what was the point of slow cookers, but that was when I was home more and could cook in the oven in a couple of hours. Now I have a job where I work a permanent late shift, I don't get back home until 10.30pm and I'm not going to start cooking at that hour, so I switch the slow cooker on when I leave and come home to a hot meal already cooked.

My slow cooker is the type where you can use the dish on the hob. I sear the meat in it, add the vegetables and liquid, bring it to the boil, put the lid on and put the dish in the cooker. I can then go out and forget about it. I come home to a gorgeous smell and the food is ready and tender. I use it mainly for casseroles, stews and braised steak. I've even used it to make mincemeat (Delia's recipe). A great success. If you are ever in doubt if bigger pieces of meat are cooked buy a probe thermometer to check.

I don’t eat meat but I make lovely bean stews/pasta sauces. Very quick to prepare and then it just bubbles along all day without drying out or burning, and I have something hot as soon as I get in.

The only thing I'd ever brown first is mince, everything else I just pop straight in which is so quick and easy! Either on high for four hours or low for 6-8 hours

Mine is simmering away right now. I just put a couple of lamb shanks, lots of carrots, onions, and a few potatoes, and used a tomato base sauce. I will serve it with some brussels. 😋

I always bring to temperature to the boiling point quick by pouring boiling hot water from the kettle

It is safe.
It is very energy efficient.
You can bung everything in and go out for the day, and when you get in your dinner is ready and also warm enough to serve immediately.
Extremely cheap cuts of meat benefit from a long, slow cook so you get the most flavour for the least money.
Anything that’s ‘nicer the next day’ like curry and chilli benefit from the long time for the flavour to marry together in a slow cooker.

Not everyone likes the sort of meal slow cookers are good at, but they can be useful.

I’ve always used meat that has been frozen before in my slow cooker.
It’s getting to boiling temperatures anyway.

Frozen vegetables are used all the time too.

Don't bother browning the meat, bung it in and forget about it!!

The point for me is I can do the food prep when I have time in the morning/lunch break, then dinner is ready when I finish work so we can get the kids fed quickly and they don't get late for bed.

I do my steak and kidney puddings in the slow cooker. I have done Christmas puddings too, they work very well.
Otherwise it's just nice to spend a couple of minutes sorting it out in the morning and coming home in the evening to something hot and lovely and ready to eat. Brown meat, put in slow cooker, leave it to cook with no further effort from me.

The real beauty of a slow cooker is you can cook different cuts of meat, usually, the cheaper cuts, which need to be cooked slowly to get tender. Those type of cuts usually have more fat and more collagen and if they're meat on the bone they have marrow too so I reckon they're way more nutritious.

They're also way cheaper to run than having the oven on and it's safe to have them on when you're out at work or away for the evening.

If you do all the browning, de-glazing, herbs and spices etc then you can do without adding a packet of flavour or stock cube.

If you can't be bothered with that then just chuck everything in with your casserole packet mix or stock cubes or whatever.

Yes I'm wondering if I can maker better use of it on my full time working days

I agree - this is what always put me off slow cooking but then I bought a ninja possible cooker - and that has the function so you can sear the meat before turning it on to slow cooker - it’s amazing!!

That's what I'm worried about