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

Me too. It was vile.

It's just a convenience thing - it definitely doesn't make anything taste better!

I've improved results by getting a sear and stew one, so you can cook onions etc, on the hob, caramelise/sear meat etc. then transfer to the cooker to, well...cook.

It's alright for pulled pork I suppose. We use it if we're going to be back really late and need to eat straight away, but the DC can always tell when it's a slow cooker one! It's always okay but can't really match a 'properly' cooked dish.

There are hundreds of American crock pot recipes that are variations on a tin of creamed soup, chicken breasts, block of cream cheese and some frozen vegetables. They work, but it's not great food.

@acquiescence

I do a lot of veg stews in mine, and in the last half-hour add herby dumplings to the top. I love it, and it's a great way of using up the last bits of veg from the vegbox before the new one comes. Last night's stew included onion, garlic, leeks, potatoes, stock and a bit of thickener near the end, with herb dumplings. Lovely.

I also do baked potatoes in mine, as I haven't got a full-sized oven. They come out well except the skin only goes crispy on the side that's pressed against the side of the cooker, so you might want to finish them off with a blast in the oven proper.

Beef brisket is lovely cooked in the slow cooker.
I think the issue is a lot of people put in bland ingredients and then are surprised when the food is bland! I've done curries and pork belly and chilli. Pulled pork is a favourite. But you need spice or flavour. Not just a shed load of stock from a cube.

Ive got creamy peanut chicken cooking in mine right now.... The whole house smells amazing.
It's great for Chinese and Indian dishes, I cook loads with it.

My slow cooker (admittedly quite an old one) says to cover meat with liquid for best results. So how does it turn out if you only use a 'splash' of liquid? I usually leave the lid off to reduce sauce...

For a joint no liquid at all.

For a stew, you need the veg in the water, the meat can go dry if it is on top, but stir it in part way through, this can be as late as 30mins from the end.

Surely the solution to a more watery sauce is to add a bit of cornflour in towards the end?

I don't get the dislike for slow cookers, but nor would I say they are miles better than a normal.casserole dish

Surely the solution to a more watery sauce is to add a bit of cornflour in towards the end?

That can taste a bit grim though. That's another reason the sear/stew slow cookers are a bit better - you can put the finished dish back over a flame to reduce the liquid for a few minutes.

I also would never add liquid with a joint of meat.

Did a leg of lamb in mine overnight on low setting.it was gorgeous

shegot
It only tastes grim (in my experience at least) if you put too much in or don't cook it out properly.

I decide recipe by recipe whether to use a slow cooker or traditional casserole dish.

Sausage stews, veg casseroles, soups, lentil curries etc I do in the slow cooker. Same for some cuts of meat.

Large joints I'd always do in the oven.

I love mine, but I don't cook any chicken dishes in it anymore as it is a meat that doesn't need long slow cooking.
We love oxtail. I roll the meat in seasoned flour and brown, then add to pot with veg, beer, tomato paste and herbs. Also beef stews with dumplings added for the final hour. Irish stew is always delicious too.
I do wonder if the efficiency of these cookers varies with the make. Ours cooks at a gentle simmer, which is no different to it being in the oven or on the hob.
I also find it very good for making stock.

I can't stand cornflower in anything - it gives a kind of 'silky' texture that my mouth objects to. Shall try using less liquid and see what happens!

Anything that needs softened meat. Includes steak pie filling, lamb curries, spaghetti bolognese, lamb shank.

Totally agree. Everything tastes the same from a slow cooker and I don’t want to use casserole mix powders (to me there’s no point spending six hours cooking something to not make it from scratch). Agree with PPs great for mulled wine at parties.

Zaphodsotherhead
Silky?
The only bad cornflour experiences I've had is when people have put far too much in / not cooked it out so you get a horrible grainy texture.

I do like a little bit as a cheat

I tend to use mine for keeping things warm after I’ve cooked them.

I'm a vegetarian so these do not contain any meat!
bolognese
Casserole
Chilli
Hotpot
Mash potato pie (sliced tomatoes layered with mash, topped with cheese and baked. It's my comfort food )
Shepherds pie
Fudge.
Curry (normally a korma as I don't gel too well with major spice)
Sticky BBQ "chicken" (using quorn fillets)
Teriyaki chicken (as above).
Banoffee pie filling.
Thin syrups (vanilla, almond, hazelnut and caramel) to put in coffee in place of plane sugar.
Strawberry jam.
"Sundried" tomatoes for preserving.
God I could go on forever!!!!
If anyone wants a recipe please ask and I'll happily provide one when I can :) it can be challenging to think of what to make when you're a veggie and most slowcooker recipes seem to revolve around lamb or pulled pork.

You need less liquid as the SC creates it's own fluid.

You also need twice the amount of seasoning and herbs and spices.

That’s the logic I don’t understand.
I chuck stuff in a dish and into the oven on a low heat and cook. The longer it’s in the oven the more it intensified without the need to adding more herbs, spices, seasoning and certainly no gravy cubes/granules or casserole packets.

Yet in the slow cooker from what I am reading you need to add not only the ingredients but lots of extras. Surely if the sc was any good as with the oven/hob way flavors would be intensified.

I only use mine every now and again to cook porridge, which is delicious.
I've tried several chicken recipes and the chicken has a strange, soft texture (in my opinion - someone else might think it's deliciously tender and 'pull apart'). Is it because chicken is a meat that doesn't really benefit from being cooked slowly at a low temp?
I've also cooked my favourite tried and tested beef stew recipe with exactly the same ingredients but a lot less liquid; the texture of the meat and veg wasn't that nice and it didn't have as nice a flavour as the oven cooked version.

You can do porrige in a slow cooker?!
How long does it take?
I can see a breakfast saver coming on.

I'm personally not keen.

Give me a pressure cooker any day. Does what a slow cooker can in a 10th of the time.

Unless you don't have tastebuds, nothing tastes better slow cookered, as you don't get the caramelisation so everything still has that raw taste even though its cooked. The only thing I found it good for is steaming xmas puddings!

aintnothinbutagstring
I agree for some things (curries and pasta sauces) so I'll brown the garlic and onion for 5-6 mins beforehand. Makes all the difference to me. Might be too much fuss ft others, of course. But it's what I do

And whats good about chicken falling off the bone? Bleurgh! Its not supposed to be like that, chicken is supposed to be cooked relatively quickly (and of course thoroughly) and have texture!