...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 love mine. Did a fab curry the other day whilst I was at work.

I don't brown or pre-prep anything. Just chuck in frozen onion, chopped peppers, chicken pieces, chopped tinned potatoes, a tin of chopped tomatoes and one of those slow cooker sachets for chicken curry (Colmans?).

Gorgeous!

in the slow cooker from what I am reading you need to add not only the ingredients but lots of extras.

I use mine a lot and don't use anything other than the normal ingredients and less stock. I do adjust the seasoning though, usually 15 - 30 minutes from the end.

I brown things before they go in... don't expect a roasted meat (though you can, I just haven't).... and rarely if ever use cornflour.

I don't look at American recipe, they are the work of a food hating devil, I just use normal ones and 'slow them down' - usually reducing stock by 1/3rd and being prepared to adjust the seasoning, that's it, for most recipes.

Why would you make teriyaki quorn/chicken in a slow cooker? It’s a super quick thing to make.

I notice a lot of people who like slow cooker results are saying they use Bisto/packet mixes etc - I wonder if people who like powder flavourings are content with slow cooker output and people who would never touch stock cubes or packet sauces are the ones who don't like slow cookers?

(I'm in the latter camp - thanks to the invention of the microwave I cook stews and bolognese etc on the hob for hours, then freeze portions to use after work).

NotCitrus
I cook fom scratch with no packet mixes and like my slow cooker.

To me whether I go for slow cooker or casserole dish in the oven depends on the dish i'm cooking.

But then again I won't leave a slow cooker on all day when I'm out at work so it's only used when someone is in.

I cook from scratch and have never used jars or packet sauces, too much sugar and other crap in them. I don’t use cornflour either. I love love love my slow cooker, chilli con carne, pulled pork, gammon, beef in beer, vegetable and lentil Dahl, Bolognese sauce, suausage casserole, Rice pudding, beef in red wine. Turkey thigh balti. Bloody brilliant, hot meals ready for when I get in from work. Haven’t got to nurse a pan on the hob which is constantly demanding attention to ensure it’s not burning or simmering itself to the pan. I can get onto doing other things.

Brilliant in the Summer too, as you haven’t got the heat from the oven or the hob turning the kitchen into a sauna.

It’s trial and error to start with you need to adjust the fluid quantity, otherwise if you put in what you should for an oven casserole you will end up with a watery mess. I’ve never cooked chicken, we don’t eat it as we keep chickens (re home hens from BHWT) which provide us with fresh eggs.

I've never mastered the slow cooker. I'm veggie and it makes everything taste like sponges in dishwater.

I rarely use mine. I'm not a massive fan of stews and casseroles. If I'm short of time I'd prefer to cook and eat a 5 minute stir fry or even a toasted pitta bread and hummus.

Haven’t got to nurse a pan on the hob which is constantly demanding attention to ensure it’s not burning or simmering itself to the pan. I can get onto doing other things.

I don’t think I’ve ever had to ‘nurse’ a pan of stew or chilli or bolognaise sauce (or any of the other slow cooker favourites). I do all the browning etc (which I’d have to do for a slow cooker anyway) and then leave the pot on low on the hob with the lid cracked a bit, or chuck it in the oven on low for the required cooking time while I get on with other things.

I think you have to be selective with what you cook - cheap cuts of meat (esp cheap mince) are great and I find if you do massive chunks of veg it’s all great.

I always thicken up the sauce with cornflower and if adding pineapple or kidney beans only put it in half an hour before serving.

I guess as with anything it’s trial and error (also to bear in mind that you never needs to put heaps of sauce in as it will double).

I'm currently eating this slow cooker salmon meal that I made today and it's bloody lovely. So tasty, and perfect texture. No need to sweat the veg in a frying pan first, just bung it in a preheated cooker for a few minutes to soften.

A couple of tips I've learned is to preheat the cooker then add the ingredients because it takes a while to get hot, and to always add boiling liquid rather than cold because slow cookers take ages to get cold liquid up to a boil. I don't bother browning meat first either after a professional chef said it really doesn't make much difference to the end result (and I can't tell anyway).

Chilli, lentil curry, chicken curry (use thighs), spag bol, moroccan chicken, chicken and mushroom soup casserole, pulled pork - all fantastic in slow cooker. Sauces are thick, flavours deep. Agreed that USA crockpot recipes seem to work well, just reduce any sugar/salt as US recipes always seem to pour them in unnecessarily.

I use it probably once a week, would never use it for a whole chicken...ugh!

I think my slow cooker stews are better than a hob/oven stew. And pulled beef/pork is lovely in one.

And I did a lovely braised red cabbage in on NYD.

But a whole chicken is vile in one.

They are useful for meat that genuinely needs slowly cooking. Anything else tastes better done in the oven or on the hob I think.

Couldn't live without my slow cooker. Slow cooker Central books 1 & 2 plus website are great. Do literally everything including fish, roasts, hasselback potatoes, risotto. It is worth knowing that Browning meat and adding flour and using third less liquid than conventional receipes. Sara Lewis is another excellent author of slow cooker receipes. At Xmas did sides of cauliflower cheese and red cabbage so tasty.

I've never enjoyed slow cooker meals much either, I was home all day today and I cooked a casserole in the oven (on a very low heat) for 4-5 hours - it was delicious, I had forgotten how good a casserole can be (and no packet mixes ) when cooked in the oven rather than a slow cooker.

But if you are out of the house for 8/9 hours, a dish that takes 4/ 5 hours to cook is impossible. Putting it in a slow cooker means you've got nice hot food when you get in without the fear of it having welded itself to the dish (as often happens when I cook stews in the oven, even on a low temperature, because I have to be out for such a long time).

And yes, five minute stir fries are great, but after an 8 hour shift on my feet, I don't want to stand up one second longer than I have to!

Oh no I don't want to hear all the bad! I got a tiny slow cooker for Christmas and I was looking forward to having cooked food occasionally. I have mobility issues and severe arthritis so lifting, chopping, standing to stir are all difficult. My hope is to be able to cook simple things with very little prep in a way I don't have to stand for long- I'm thinking pre-prepped veg and some potatoes with sausages or chicken or something, cooking while I rest. After much googling I've found a couple of simple recipes, or well instructions for the basics and timings. Because my slow cooker is a baby size it's hard to find anything! I've missed cooked food that doesn't just come out of a microwave, and some days even that is beyond me.

I'm also looking at liners, anyone have experience using them? Not from laziness, just practically, I struggle to stand for long to clean and with bad hands find washing up normally very painful and a bit dangerous- my lack of grip means I drop things often and even in a sink I've broken glasses and plates. So I wanted to try liners but it seems a little weird, heating plastic for hours on end, seems a bit weird! Anyone use any?

UABU.... Beef stew is amazing - stewing beef cubes, potatoes, carrots, onions, stock cubes - delicious...

I don’t understand why every slow cooker enthusiast has to ‘chuck’ ‘bung’ ‘throw’ ingredients into it.

Curries are always shit done in the slow cooker.

Zap - I do see your point but honestly the difference in quality was amazing, I would rather do batch cooking when I am at home and then re-heat a meal rather than use the slow cooker again.

@Trills

I tend to find that the curries etc that I make are "done" after 8 hours but still done at 13.

I tend to find they turn to mush. Yes, still "done" but not something I want to eat. As I said, I'm not a fan of 'meat in slop' meals.

If I felt that I needed 8, I'd get a plug timer and tell the slow cooker to come on 8 hours before I was due home.

As I said, I get up at 5.30am and I don't want to be faffing about with raw meat at that time of day, plus I only ever use it after browning (as I don't like boiled meat) and I'm not getting up any earlier - so I'd have to prep it the night before, and I don't have time to make a meal for that night let alone the next night, sort of defeats the object, no? And I think it's vile to leave meat in it until the timer clicks on (at midday) so I would never do that.

It's OK, I'm not dense or anything, I am aware of these types of 'suggestions' from people who swear by their slow cookers. I gave a list of what I can and do use mine for, but I was just saying it doesn't work for me for a work day.

Last time I used the slow cooker for chicken casserole DH raved about it, it just made me feel sick, so it’s probably just a matter of taste.

I've got a bolognese cooking in mine as we speak, for tomorrow evening. It's been on since about 3 pm, and every so often I take off the lid and let the condensed water run off the lid into a dish, stir then replace the lid. I do this a few times, which helps to concentrate the flavour. But also, don't put much liquid in to begin with, as it doesn't evaporate as much as in a casserole.

Ragwort
I would rather do batch cooking when I am at home and then re-heat a meal rather than use the slow cooker again.

I do that too.
This week I made chili (in the SC), pork and bean casserole, ham and pea soup both on the stove, and steamed some salmon and boiled some potatoes to have for work lunches.

The chili etc was all portioned out and frozen, 14 'ready meals' for when I get in from work.
This weekend I will be doing similar - veg chili this time, maybe a pasta sauce of some kind and a chicken and mushroom something, lasagna maybe, but I won't be using the sc for any this time.

But the other week I had a guest and things to do during the day, plus wasn't sure what time she was arriving, so I did lamb shanks in the slow cooker and they were great.

It's not a binary choice, you can use it some of the time, for some things and then choose a different thing for other things/other times. There's no need for anyone to choose between the sc and some other cooking method :)

I cooked my Christmas puddings in mine. We tend to use it for curries, which we eat regularly. If cooking chicken remove any skin or it will be slimy