Do you always sear your beef before putting in the slow cooker?

[StandingOnaCornerInWinslowArizona]

I have always seared any meat before putting into a stew/casserole/slow cooker, never done it any other way so unsure how this is going to turn out.

I have just come down from a much needed Sunday morning lie in to find DH has put the beef casserole in the slow cooker for tonight's dinner. He has never used the slow cooker before (or cooked a casserole tbh). I lifted the lid to have a look only to find these pink pieces of beef floating around in pink water alongside a host of veg. It looked....well, bloody disgusting.

Asked him if he had seared the meat first and what liquid and seasonings had he used only to find he just plonked it all in in water and turned it on.

It's too late to sear now as it's been in there an hour but I've had to ladle off as much of the 'pink' water as possible and try to save it with some stock cubes and seasonings.

I will try to thicken it all up later with some cornflour. He has tried his best, bless him but the thought of grey looking beef cubes in a watery liquid for dinner is making me feel quite queasy.

What do you think? Will the beef be appetising or grim by dinnertime?

Nope, never. I don’t usually look at it after an hour so can’t comment on how it looks then but it’s all cooked, brown and in gravy by the time I do. I use the slow cooker to throw things in quickly and then leave it to its own devices, usually while I’m out at work, I don’t have time for any searing malarkey before hand.

That's goof to know, hopefully it will look ok then.

I sear meat and sauté veg first. My DP never does and I find his slow cooker food inedible, as do the kids, but it’s because he puts wine in it and doesnt rapid boil to get rid of the alcohol so the whole thing tastes sour. On other threads about this lots of people don’t sear/brown and they say it turns out fine.

Thankfully he's not put any wine in, I'm truly hoping it will turn out fine.
I like searing the meat first as it goes nice and caramelised, the thought of unseared beef sitting there boiling away makes me feel queasy.

Do you find the texture different when it's not seared first?

Can I ask what’s the benefit of a slow cooker?
we have one due DD having it at uni but never used it cos can’t see the benefit.
happy to be proved wrong.
I use a le cruset casserole pot and put it in the oven for four hours, and always sear. It caramelises the meat and adds to great stock.
made a lovely ox cheek casserole yesterday with half a bottle of red wine and beef stock, rosemary and thyme.
I get the slow cooker if you’re out of the house all day, but are there any other benefits?
if so what are your best slow cooker recipes?

I personally use a slow cooker because I don't have the most reliable oven atm so rely on an air fryer, microwave, hob and slow cooker for most meals. We are due to have a new kitchen this summer and will have a new oven then.

I just find the slow cooker very easy to use, put it on around 9/10am and there is a cooked meal for us all when we are all back in the evening. It's also more energy efficient than our current oven.

I have EDS and weak wrists, my Le Cruset casserole dish now lives at the back of our cupboard as it's just too heavy for my wrists. I don't have that issue with the slow cooker as it's very light.

No, never I’m too lazy. It’ll be fine, it just won’t taste as nice. You’re not searing it for food safety reasons you’re searing it for flavour.

It will be fine, you will probably not9ce the difference, but not so much that it's inedible. I usually search but if we don't have time it just all.gets thrown in

Do what you can with the liquid and give him a 5 step set of instructions for next time

Not always. If I'm rushing I just shove it all in and leave it alone.
Stop interfering and questioning him and leave him to sort it.

I don't sear it. I coat the meat & veg in flour and seasonings before adding stock and/or wine. It DOES look gross for a few hours but leave it well alone and it comes good in the end.

Not for the recipes I make as it makes no difference,I've tried both ways.

I remember watching a heston blumentein show where he said that you don't need to. His approach to cooking is very scientific/chemical so I just follow what he said (and because it's the easier option!)

I do, and it definitely does taste better. But failing to sear it won’t make a huge difference and it will still be edible, just a bit more bland. You can improve that with seasoning and sauces after it is cooked though.

a slow cooker is much cheaper than an oven @drivinmecrazy
although i use the oven personally,
and i do sear the meat.
i think the instructions on the slow cooker say just put it in but i was disappointed when i used the slow cooker and never used it again - it hadnt thickened up

That’s what I’m inclined to think. At least in the oven you can adjust the seasoning as you go.
I guess I’m hoping to be convinced of its benefits because it does sound far easier. Just put the ingredients in and hope for the best.
I do understand the poster up thread who mentioned the weight of the le cruset, that’s how we’ve ended up with saucepans and sautee pans as my mum wasn’t able to handle them.
she’s just bought a slow cooker due to this

You do the thickening and fine tune the seasoning in the last 30 - 60 minutes, after you add the last ingredients, if necessary.

I made a stroganoff last week and only did the last seasoning when I added the mushrooms and sour cream with 30 minutes to go

With brown stews we have the first meal with bread, so don't thicken the sauce until the 2nd meal. We often remove much of the sauce to use as gravy base, using the meat as pie filling. So we thicken it only when we know how much is left and what we will use it for.

It’ll be fine.

In an oven heat surrounds the pot and food inside cooks from the outside in. Slow cooking is indeed boiling for hours: there’s a filament at the bottom of the gadget which works to slow raise and keep the temperature of whatever’s inside constant for hours. It’s like leaving something on the hob for hours but you don’t have to watch it.

It all depends on the cut of meat you use. Some cuts really do need to be boiled for hours to be tender. Some stand up well to roasting for a couple of hours. You probably have to do something to the gravy from a slow cooker, less likely with oven stew. You can cook at a higher heat in the oven so get a different flavour with red meat. They both have their virtues. I prefer the oven for taste and the slow cooker for ease.

Sear, don’t sear, whatever you do with slow cooker food don’t look at it for the first 3-4 hours!

Beef comes out fine if it's just put in the slow cooker. Onions I prefer to be fried first.

It will be fine

I sear mine but it will be perfectly edible if you don’t. It sounds like he used too much water, that’s all.

I use it so that when I’m wfh I can put stuff in it on High in my lunch break, and then it’s ready in time for us and DDs to have dinner. Otherwise it’s a bit of a rush to sort dinner after work. It means that when DDs get home, I can do any reading or spellings, play with them etc rather than cooking.

OP - yes I always sear it.

Do you always sear your beef before putting in the slow cooker?

Yes, always.
I brown the meat, I fry the onions and get everything started on the hob before putting it in the slow cooker. Browning the meat and vegetables adds another layer of flavour and anything I cook in the slow cooker tastes just as good as anything cooked in the oven.

On another thread several posters were saying that dishes cooked in a slow cooker didn't taste the same. I think they won't if you don't brown the meat and vegetables first.

I have a Ninja Foodie Possible slow cooker - with a sear setting. Is such a time saver!

It's was actually quite tasty although I do still prefer the meat sealed first, just gives it a slightly nicer taste imo but still a nice dinner had by all.