Your favourite tried and tested slow cooker recipe

[Crazyoldmaurice]

Sent our slow cooker to charity last year as I was fed up with stuff coming out bland and watery and it took up so much room in our little kitchen. Lo and behold OH came home last week from aldi with yet another slow cooker. No receipt either or I would have sent him back with it.

Tried to do a beef stew last week and left it on low for 9 hours and the beef was as tough as old boots. Did a curry at the weekend which was really nice but last night did chicken teriyaki which was a watery mess. Tried thickening up a bit with cornflour but it was still a fail.

Can anyone give me their number 1, guaranteed to be tasty slow cooker meal ideas please before I send this slow cooker away again?

OP I hate slow cooker food too, and for all the reasons you state. I am a trained cook, but a slow cooker defeats me every time. The only thing I use mine for is rice pudding, which is beyond amazing.

Nigellas ham in coke done in the slow cooker is amazing.

www.slimmingeats.com/blog/healthier-slow-cooker-crack-chicken

And

www.slimmingeats.com/blog/lemon-chilli-chicken

I use a small leg of lamb. Lots of chopped mint on top. Lamb stock cube and a glass of red wine poured over. I cook for six hours on low. Meat falls off the bones!
I have a large crockpot
Oh and sometimes I have to saw the end off the leg lol!

I am not understanding at all.

I'm no great cool by any stretch, but just never had tasteless wateriness, which sounds horrible!

How does one cook rice pud, b&butter pud, and bread!

Rice pudding

THIS IS DELICIOUS

You only need to put in enough liquid to just cover the food. A lot of people put loads of liquid in, forgetting it doesn't boil off like it does in a pan.

Ooh I've just remembered one time a friend invited a few people over to keep him company while his fiancee was having her hen do. It happened to be burns night so of course we had haggis, only he made it in the slow cooker and the haggis skin burst, causing the haggis to expand in a very distinctive shape which ... would have been more appropriate to the hen do.

I don't like slow cookers but I made this, and it was delicious
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-pulled-chicken?gl=1tnzd0gga*YW1wLXQzU2hMNnBBZS1yemFTQ2RvdTV6djQ2YTBjeVlWdWRQRkNzTHc2cmJUU1RPZE9Yalk0Z0Q2bWFDU2lXN3RmRWI.#tab-comments

Oh and my slow cooker is ancient. It has an on/off button no low/high or anything, I think it was my grans

I really only use mine these says for 2 things

Christmas ham in coke, no room in the oven on Christmas Day

And overnight chicken stock after a roast chicken. Just bung the carcass in with onion, celery, carrots and bay leaves. Over night on low and the most amazing stock in the morning

@AdobeWanKenobi do you use a whole jar or curry paste? Or the curry sauce?

Take the lid off for last half hour put slow cooker on high setting reduces volume of liquid.
Reduce any recipe liquid content by 2/3 and should be able to put in a slow cooker - remember it's easier to add liquid than take it away in this situation. Also take into account that vegetables can contain a lot of water and will add to your volume. If a recipe needs tinned tomatoes I use the fluid in these to make up stock.

theydontknowweknow Chunky broth veg soup or cream of veg soup?

Winnerwinnerchickendinner How much water in your carcass?

@LovePoppy apologies I wasn't clear, its the jars of paste. I use about 3/4 of a jar but if you like it stronger throw it all in.

Slow cookers don't use much energy. I have an Instant Pot and a slow cooker. I had a chunky Amazon voucher and it was on offer so I didn't pay much. Brilliant for so many things. The IP has a slow cooker function which I've used, but my Aldi slow cooker was better! I still have it and use it occasionally.

www.ablissfullife.co.uk/2013/02/sausage-casserole-slow-cooker-recipe.html?m=1. This is lovely.

Chinese duck. Rub the duck in 5 spice and put breast down. Just about a 1cm of water on the bottom. 7 hours. Flip upside down in about 3.5 hours. You can then crips it up in the oven.
Pull and just add chinese pancakes, hoison, spring onion and cucumber. It's heavenly and really cheap per portion. I also separate the juices and fat and mix the juices into the pulled meat.

Re the liquid. I had the same problem! Now I add just only 2/3 of the amount of water recipes say to add.
The beef should be tender no matter what cut it was. It was probably a VERY old cow. I had once roasting joint like that. Couldn't even cut it let alone chew it

Pulled chicken. Chicken thighs, no water, bit of bbq (best is the dry one, not a sauce) and cook. When you pull it add the rest of the bbq sauce. Voilà. Bbq pulled chicken sliders/sandwiches/wraps.

@WinnerWinnerChickenDinner0 Stock is so good from it! I did 20 hours one. It was AMAZING! And squeeze the bones (they go soft) and veg too. If you put it on a cooker and reduce, you have super concentrated soup portions for freezer and save space compare to non reduced. Just add water when defrosting. Also great for cooking instead of cube stock.

Any recipes for vegetarians. My Mil brought me a slow cooker for Christmas last year she said that chicken taste amazing cooked in it. She knows that me and dp has been vegetarians for 20 years.

I only use mine when we’ve got a busy evening and I’m not expecting anything spectacular. I can’t stand mince in it so it mostly harbours beef stew or lamb casserole.

I’m gunna try that chicken recipe up there though! ^

I don't use my slow cooker as it just doesn't turn out as well as slow cooked food in the oven. Might just be me! I have a large enamel casserole dish with lid (like Le Creuset but the Sainsburys brand) and since you can use it on the hob and in the oven I can do it all in one pot. So start with a soffrito (I just buy the frozen one from Waitrose if I'm rushed) cooked for 10 mins in melted butter or oil. Stir in a tablespoon or so of plain flour (helps with thickening later) then add your beef (I like ox cheek or short rib or shin and also stick a few bits of oxtail in) and stock (I do about 300ml of guiness or other ale and 300ml of beef stock) plus seasoning then put the lid on and stick it in the oven for 4 or 5 hours on gas mark 2. Always turns out perfectly.

Goulash

Two tins chopped tomatoes
Squirt tomato puree
Chopped garlic
Beef stock melt
2 x chopped red peppers
A load of smoked paprika
Diced Beef
Pepper to season

Whack it all in for eight hours.

Shredded morrocan lamb

Lamb leg
Honey
Rash el Hanout spice mix
Garlic

Cover lamb with honey and spices. Whack in for eight hours
Shred.

Very nice with alioli and flatbreads.

Chuck meat in SC. Switch on, walk away.

Don't use frying steak or anything that would be edible from a quick fry in a pan - get oxtail, chicken thighs, any meat on the bone, stewing or braising steak, things that have inherent fat and connective tissue. Chuck them in with a small amount of boiling water and whatever flavourings you want, stick on low and leave it. About 45 mins before you want to eat, take the lid off and switch to high, as it'll boil some of the liquid off and concentrate the flavours if it's too watery.

Curries are improved by the addition of some fresh garam masala, a blob of chutney and one of tamarind paste towards the end, then switch off as you chuck chopped fresh coriander stalks, spinach leaves, etc, in there to wilt/soften as you sort out the rice or bread.

Mince based things are improved by adding lots of tomato puree rather than just a tin of chopped tomatoes. And Bisto at the end helps if it still tastes as though something is missing. Don't bother SCing Quorn - it takes more effort to make that stuff taste palatable than it's worth.

Sausage casserole - brown the sausages first and don't forget the tomato puree.

Make sure onions are actually cooked before you add liquid.

It's a different way of cooking, it's not inherently better or worse, it's just different.