To not really see the point in a slow cooker?

[Hippodisk]

I keep seeing slow cookers recommended on quick or cheap meal threads. I've also noticed that good food mag has started including slow cooker recipes.

How is it any quicker than cooking a casserole in the oven? You still have to chop veg, brown meat etc. Is the appeal that you can leave it on while you're out?

I will say I'm probably biased as I used one years ago to cook a casserole and it was bland and watery, I also cooked a whole chicken and ended up throwing it in the bin it was vile.

So did I try the wrong recipes, are they really that much of a time saver?

Convince me to give it another go

Slow cooker is like everything else, it is good for some things and not others. It's great for curries, chilli, game, pot roasting.

I've never cooked a whole chicken in there though even though people claim you can. Your OP sounds like I imagined it would be.

The advantage is pretty simple, you prep the night before and have a no mess dinner. Another major disadvantage though imo is if I'm wfh it makes me really hungry having to smell my dinner all day...!

So if I wanted to do say a joint of beef in there what would I chuck in with it?

The main thing with beef is you must seal the meat before it goes in. I made that mistake once. It cooks brisket really nicely, I usually just put in a bay leaf, tiny bit of water with a tablespoon of bisto gravy granules.

I cook whole chicken, will do today as im going out, as i said above much easy to clean than a roasting tin

I also like kolocasi ( edoes in the caribbean) with tomato and pork.

Chicken thighs are better than chicken breast

Beef stews are good with pearl barley to thicken the gravy.

I agree it's not for everyone but I couldn't do without mine.
I use it 2/3 Times a week.

Yes I sling a whole chicken in it, do Bolognese, curry, fabulous soups.whole pieces of ham in full fat coke is to die for, baked spuds, shepherds pie...
I'm basically a lazy cow, I never brown stuff, I just sling it all in and leave it.

Lentil soup in mine today..smells amazing, it's full to the top so my freezer will contain soups for lunches over the next month when I fancy it.

Love mine.

"Slow cooker is like everything else, it is good for some things and not others."

I think that is the crux of it. We simply don't eat the type of meals that can be done in a slow cooker. I very occasionally make a batch of ragu to be used in lasagne or as bolognese sauce, but we aren't a stew loving family and DD is vegetarian.

If I had a bigger kitchen with more storage space though I would probably do as a poster upthread has suggested and see if I could pick up a cheap one from a charity shop and then try and find ways to use it.

Do you have a slow cooker cook book, OP? I'm a rubbish cook but we have some good books and make some lovely things. Latest was amazing ribs with meat falling off the bone - family said it was the nicest thing I'd ever made.

Prep time is the same as other meals. Doesn't really save time. The only benefit is slow cooking meat. I only cook pulled pork, beef stews (don't put veges in unless they are whole e.g. baby carrots or baby onions.) beef cheeks can only really be cooked this way as they are tough and stringy otherwise.

My favourite is slow cooked lamb shanks:

Brown lamb shanks in butter in frying pan. Brown onion, garlic and celery after. Mix it all up with a tablespoon or two of flour.
Add to slow cooker with tin of tomatoes (crushed and sieved, not chopped or whole.) Add plenty of red wine, dash of sherry or brandy, a cup or so of beef or lamb stock, fresh rosemary, and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. I like adding black olives and an additional tin of cherry tomatoes.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Sauce can be thickened at the end if need be with cornflour.

Serve with veg on mash. Delicious. Very easy yet impressive for winter dinner parties. I have had many compliments.

I use mine in the winter, chuck it all in then add well-flavoured stock - not too much liquid though, I don't use as much as they recommend. The oven probably uses much more electricity if it's on all day when you're out, the slow cooker is supposed to use very little so it's economical if you're trying to save on bills.
There are lots of tasty recipes which can be adapted, I'm going to do lamb shanks & veg in mine today. I can ignore it once it's all in. Sometimes I saute the onions first in some oil in the microwave, as they can stay a bit hard despite hours of cooking (why?).

I've done chilli sauce, bolognaise sauce, chicken with chilli and butternut squash, boeuf bourgninon (reduce the red wine first) not just 'stews' in mine, whole chicken, lamb/beef joints etc.

Forgot i do pulled pork and gammon joints as well.

Martha My term "stews" would cover all those things you mention. We very rarely eat those types of foods.

I use mine mainly for mince based recipes. Chilli is delicious in it as is bolognese sauce.

I only really use it if I'm going out for the day, I'll 'put it together' in a pan on the hob which takes all of 10 minutes then transfer to the slow cooker for the day. It means when we get home after a busy day all we have to do is boil some rice or spaghetti.

I always do pulled pork and pulled chicken in it as I find I get the best results this way.

I agree that other recipes aren't so great and some are just plain weird, but it definitely serves a purpose in my house.

I use for stock & gammon-stick in for 8 hours on low & then into a hot oven with honey & mustard for 25 mins & it's amazing, so tender. Will try lamb shoulder next as dh loves lamb & we rarely have it, (any tips appreciated). I do need some more recipes for mine. We have a big one & would like to do enough for freezer but as pp said veg aren't great in it.

Also next summer I'm planning a weeks holiday with extended family in self catering so slow cooker recipes feel the least stressful way to feed 14 people! Will check the fb page-love the sound of rice & chorizo dish too!

'It cooks brisket really nicely, I usually just put in a bay leaf, tiny bit of water with a tablespoon of bisto gravy granules'

How much is a tiny bit of water? 100 mls? I see brisket in the supermarket and fancy giving it a whirl.

My oven broke recently and I managed to score a 12.99 slow cooker from Aldi to tide me over, then I realised I'm just not good at thinking 8 hours ahead and nearly came on MN to ask for "slow cooker recipes that are reasonably quick" but I thought you'd probably all laugh at me so I just ate sandwiches for a week.

Slow cooker pork.

Chop new potatoes; two apples and a red onion with some garlic into the bottom of a slow cooker. Brown a pork tenderloin and rest on the top. Salt and pepper. Pour over a can of Bulmer and set it on low.

Trialling this tonight.

I love my slow cooker but am not organised enough to use it as regularly as I'd like.
Having seen the carnage when my grandmother's pressure cooker exploded, I won't have one in the house.

In winter use it 1-2 times a week when working late - like others we prep the night before and pop in at breakfast straight from fridge without browning meat - most of time use it with jars of sauce and a bit water so doesn't dry up - our favourites are chillis, currys, broth, stews

Today I am filling the freezer so I have in my big SC a beef stew, in my medium SC a pork bolognese and in my baby one the meat filling for cottage pie. I'll fill up some foil containers and the freezer will be stocked for when we can't be arsed am too busy to cook, it's to stop up relying on the good folk at Just eat.

i quite like mine,although the results can be a bit samey. You can improve this with a flavoured mash or variety of veg.

btw, a tagine is great

My favourite meal at the moment is a lamb joint popped in the slow cooker in the morning, with celery, carrots, leeks, rosemary, a slosh of white wine and water, a veg stock cube and puy lentils. It takes me 15 minutes maximum to prepare.

I come home to a really tasty meal that's ready to serve straight away, after a long day at work.

And the wine bottle is open and chilled, ready for dinner .

What joint of jamb do you use? A leg won't fit in my SC!

How long are people leaving theirs on? I am out of the house for a minimum of 10 hours 8.30-6.30 if the trains work perfectly, and a lot of recipes I've found seem to be for 7-8 hours. Slightly paranoid the extra 2 hours will result in entire block burning down.

I usually use a rolled neck joint, but I bought a half leg earlier. There are 4 of us, but I don't use a big joint because it comes out like a tasty broth and the meat pulls apart into it. You don't need loads.

It really is delicious though!