...to think there’s nothing that a slow cooker does better?

[Bebepoor]

Cheaper running costs maybe. More convenient with timer etc, granted. But not better tasting than the traditional way of simmering for hours on hob or sitting in low oven.

I'm inclined to agree. It's convenient but the things I've made haven't come out tasting any better than using a more traditional method.... apart from maybe chilli. That probably says more about my cooking skills than the actual slow cooker though!

Constance....I will try rice pudding. Have you got a recipe that is good? Or will any do? :D

I love slow-cooked ham or other slow-cooked meaty dishes from the croq pot. There are things such as pasta dishes or roast chicken I definitely wouldn't do there but it's great for nice meat and stews.I would pre-brown some meat and put it into slow-cooker and it's so much better.

I will post it later as it is printed out at home. It tastes best with 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 long life. Very convenient to cook it this way as it will wait for you to be ready.

I love mine now - I have one that does simmer very slightly at the edges even on low so it does reduce a little (it's a sainsburys one) and that has made a big difference I think to the previous one I had. I've also learnt to add hardly any liquid as others have said. I do agree that simmering on the hob or putting in the oven works absolute best as you can really reduce the flavours but I still think that slow cooker food can come out lovely and with so much less effort!

Arbitrary - I read the article. To me, it does not matter if any other method of cooking produces better tasting stews, curries, etc (although imo a slow cooker is fantastic), I can get up half an hour earlier to brown the meat, etc for the slow cooker, but I am too exhausted when I get home to stand and do the same meal in a pressure cooker or whatever! They just won't happen!

He does say that for some people the slow cooker will be convenient for their lifestyles (it’s less convenient than slow cooker evangelists often make out, but morning cooking prep will suit some people best). But it objectively does not make food that tastes as good as other methods (other than in a tiny number of examples). Fair enough if you’re happy with the flavour/works for your lifestyle trade off, but (like the mid-week meals most of us produce) the food is not generally amazing.

The safety comments are interesting too. There is a fire risk in leaving a slow cooker unattended all day.

I do think you need to add extra herbs and spices when slow cooking as the intensity of flavour gets lost. Plus if you’re not using a casserole mix you’ll also need to add thickener such as plain or cornflour. I did a chorizo and chick pea soup in mine at the weekend and when it was done just put the pot on the hob (it is a metal one), stirred in some cornflour and brought it to the boil and it was done! It’s lovely but if I cook it again I’ll add more smoked paprika and chili powder as they got lost.

We was then very underwhelmed by the flavours coming from family favourite meals, that I had been cooking for years in the exact same way.

That's the problem, you need to cut any liquid by 2/3.

Mornings are too rushed to prep stuff to go in it before dashing out the door.

Prep the night before - put everything in a sc liner (except liquid). In the morning boil the kettle, dump the liner in the sc and switch on, add water from the kettle. Takes as long as making a cup of tea.

I think there’s a knack (nack? Don’t know) to it that I definitely do not have. I’ve the same SC as my friend and she cooks amazing stuff in it - anything I’ve cooked comes out bland and watery (lumps of mince floating in tomato water bleugh).

I'm place marking for the rice pudding recipe

It does sound like most people put way too much liquid in. For most recipes you need very little.

I like mine, but only use for casserole/stews, curries or chilli. I have done a lamb shoulder in minted gravy which came out divine though. To avoid watery sauces I add gravy granules and/or a bit of cornflour to ensure they thicken up.

I loathe food cooked in a slow cooker - you put in great tasting ingredients and it comes out smelling and tasting of rubbish. I've tried many suggested recipes, all inedible. Its only use now is to melt soy wax when I'm making scented candles.

My rice pudding recipe:

250g arborio or other short-grain rice

250 ml cream

1 litre milk

1 pinch salt

125 g sugar

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla

Bung all apart from vanilla and sugar in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 2 hours. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir in until it's melted.

I don't use the cream, but use half milk and half carnation evaporated cream and coconut milk if I've got it.
Lush.

I do love mine for the comcenienc but the sauce does endnote up watery. How much water should I add if I’m bunging in 4 chicken breast and a bag of pre-prepped casserole veg? Enough to cover the contents or not?

Oh, and I just use normal cooking rice. I've tried pudding rice and it seems to make no difference.

I'm quite a good cook but I had epic failure with my slow cooker - I persisted for a couple of years, only cooking one thing i'd do again - pulled pork. The DC ate not one thing ever from slow cooker - which meant I had to eat all the pulled pork myself - that is a shit tonn of pork toe at over a week

I did do an OK spag bol too but everything else was pretty ghastly. I took lots of advice and persisted but have come to the conclusion that it falls under "don't believe everything you read on the internet".

I donated mine to the school bric brac table and they got £5 for it!!

Oooh. Thanks Concrete! Off to buy the rice and cream asap!

My dad uses his daily, and is a master of cooking in it! I've not found that knack with mine and find meat comes out a horrid texture. I think you can either cook with them or you can't. I prefer cooking on the hob using a massive le creuset pot just on the click, or a low oven of 140c.

How much water should I add if I’m bunging in 4 chicken breast and a bag of pre-prepped casserole veg? Enough to cover the contents or not?

Enough to barely cover the veg ten put the chicken on top.

dahl is fantastic in a slow cooker.

You need American recipes for the slow cooker, British stews etc don’t work, spag bol, Shepherds pie etc always better on the hob/oven.

I use mine for chicken or vegetarian soup as I don’t like the way it cooks red meat. Have just used this recipe off Pinterest and it was gorgeous:

2 chicken breasts
2 cups Salsa verde
2 tsp cumin
6 cups chicken stock
2 cans canelini beans

Everything in except the beans, cook on low for 7 hours, beans in, low until beans cooked (30 mins ish). Take out chicken and shred, then put back in. Serve with avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips. Was really nice.

I'm in the love camp, but I'll happily admit that it is better for some things than others. I would say don't add too much liquid & don't overcook stuff.

For most casseroles, a mug full is of liquid is plenty and most joints will cook just in their own juices. chicken especially needs a lot less cooking time than many recipes suggest and is spoiled by leaving it too long.

For the poster who asked about vegetarian dishes, you don't get the same benefit of being able to leave the cooker on while you are at work as most vegetable dishes cook too quickly, but you can put together say a vegetable curry or a mushroom stroganoff with a ready-made sauce and it will be ready in about an hour without any additional work, and you don't need to stir it constantly. Good for when you want home cooking without a lot of effort!

It's good for putting on to have a meal by the time you get in but that's it. There's no improvement in flavour or anything. In fact, many things I have done have been soggy or slimy, whereas roasted in an oven or cooked on the hob they have been delicious.

I once cooked a "roast" chicken in there. Never again.

Rebecca I agree - pulled pork in achiote was the only success I ever had and even with that I put the pork( after it was pulled) into the oven to dry out a bit. Mine didn't even keep stews sufficiently hot enough to eat on the "keep warm" function - just lukewarm. It is a Sage multi-cooker so you can also saute, cook rice, risotto etc and steam in it but it does nothing well and sits at the back of a cupboard gathering dust. I'm thinking of binning it as part of a new year clear out.