To think that slow cooker meals are tasteless?

[Twiz5218]

I was given a small slow cooker a couple of weeks ago. I have tried it a couple of times in an attempt to save energy by using the oven.

First time I made a chicken casserole and it was tasteless really, despite me seasoning the chicken and veg and frying them before slow cooking.

Tried to make a garlic lemon chicken recipe tonight and I couldn't tell the different between that and the casserole. It was just so bland. I added lemon juice, then the veg and chicken, and properly seasoned them with a number of spices and added garlic and butter cubes and set it off to cook. It was just tasteless. Incomparable to cooking the same in the oven.

AIBU? Am I doing something wrong?

I think maybe high for 3 hours might be part of your problem too. I put mine on at lunch maybe 1 pm for 6 hours on medium, or mornings on low for all day.
it can be a bit of trial and error. Beef chilli is certainly better all day on low.

Love slow cooked curry

Best bolognese ever. Four large adult portions

Yea it is blandxwater doesnt evaporate so you dont get the dame concentration of flavour. So you can't cook anything where youd expect a gravy to condense eg something with wine in it.

It's ok for something like brisket with bbq sauce where the bbq sauce is ketchup mustard and soy and as thick as you want it to be when you've finished.

I think you need different recipes in general, not ones that have been 'adapted' for the slow cooker

And add onions (my DH can’t eat them)

I love my slow cooker but would like a wider range of recipes so I can use it more often. Some are fab but many are so-so

i do:
bolognese (own recipe)
black bean chilli
honey mustard chicken (good food recipe, very nice)
pulled pork
chicken korma (faffy but nice, spice pots recipe)
sweet potato and chickpea satay curry (taming twins)
beef stroganoff

umm and I think that’s it. I’d love to use it more but do struggle with finding really good recipes. Did a beef and broccoli asian-inspired recipe this week that tasted so close to the strong I already do that I can’t be bothered adding it into my list. I’d love to find another chicken recipe but most are rubbish. Made a Mexican stew - bland. I’ve also made a few beef stews but none have been wow. Yet the recipes I like,I really like!

I always hear this but it's not my experience at all! I couldn't live without my slow cooker 🙌

Only horrible things come out of my slow cooker--weirdly tangy and metallic-tasting, even though it's a ceramic pot. I've given up and it is the breadbox now.

Agree you don’t get that nice condensed flavour you get with stews or bolognese in the oven. I don’t put any water in at all and most dishes are bland and watery.

Only thing that came out ok was beef brisket, but still not quite as nice as in the oven.

I would bin it if the oven wasn’t so expensive to use 😩

curry in slow cooker is amazing! Brown chicken thigh pieces and onion then put in with curry paste; chopped tomatoes and garlic. Leave all day so good.

I got rid of my slow cooker for this reason - I'd like to try an instant pot but worried it will be the same!

Ham in coke left all day. Falls apart amazingly and is great with mash.

also the SC is good for keeping things warm if you made ahead of time. I make the mash (for example) then rest the pan in the slow cooker with the temp on auto and it keeps it hot while you sort out other things

i add a casserole mix from supermarket to mine for a bit of flavour,made a large chicken casserole last week.parsnip/onion/potato/carrot/swede,chicken it was so tasty, i froze half for another week,agree about less water

I make mine the night before but my slow cooker isn’t huge. I sort the meat, veg and seasoning and plonk in the slow cooker (pan part only,
of course) directly in the fridge. You also need a suitably sized fridge. Some days, I do chuck it all in before work but I’ve always pre chopped veg and potatoes.

Did you bung, chuck, throw or sling your ingredients into the pot? That's the MN way. Result is tender, tasty and beautiful. Probably falling apart as well.

I've had successes and utter fails with mine. Slow cooker chicken casserole is harder to get right than beef in my experience. Probably because it's fairly bland to begin with in comparison. But chicken curries have been good, and chicken in tomato sauces also nice. Really agree that much less liquid is required!

It all smells the same and tastes the same no matter what you cook in it. Tried mine 3 times and gave if away. Yuck!

It's a different way of cooking. You need to get familiar with your particular model of cooker. You can't use oven or stove top techniques for a slow cooker.

Generally I find slow cooking doesn't take as long as I thought. I can cook in three hours.

Flavours need to be more concentrated when you put things in. Get the best from searing and caramelising ingredients in the frying pan before transferring them to the slow cook. Add in powdered onion and garlic for an extra kick.

My recent mince with chunky vegetables and gravy was simple but my husband said it was the best he'd tasted, ever. A big compliment.

I've recently made macaroni cheese that was lovely, a pork and apple dish, baked potatoes, whole chicken, chicken Byriani and beef stew.

I'm enjoying mine very much.

Slow cookers are absolutely great for cheap cuts of beef. No water at all. Chop an onion sit the beef on top but you have to cook for six hours on low.

Try an Instapot instead. Equally watery and tasteless, but at least it is quicker.

I've given up on the gadgets and sticking with my cast iron casseroles. Should have known better when some recipe groups said you could use Smash to thicken the sauce... 🤦🏻‍♀️

I agree op. I think some people are a bit delusional about this as well tbh.

I had one, it was just bland watery pale food, blergh. Gave it away.

When you cook in your cast iron casserole, and all you have to do is take out the meat to rest, and whizz up the pan juices and the caramelised veg trivet to make the jus gravy I couldn't be faffing with cornflour and all that bobbins with the SC.

@99problemsandaballisone I made a chorizo and chickpea casserole in mine today. Fry off onions, celery and garlic, pop in slow cooker, chop up chorizo and fry off - add the chorizo and cooking oil into the slow cooker. Add a tin of tomatoes, a tin of drained chickpeas, some tomatoes purée and a chicken stock pot. I also added some rice to soak up any excess liquid. Add salt, pepper and a tiny bit of sugar to counteract the acid in the tomatoes. Cook on high for 3 hours.

In general always use much less liquid, use cheap cuts of meat and season well. I use my slow cooker all the time in winter and dishes always come out full of flavour.

Absolutely agree with this, as I found out with my chicken casserole. Last night!