Can you make any one pot recipe in a slow cooker?

[Leafy3]

Stupid question...I've been given a slow cooker and just wondering if I can cook any of my one-pot recipes in it or is there something in particular about slow cooker recipes?

Technically yes however I find you need to adjust the spices or it gets a blander taste

Yes, as long as would be okay slow cooking. Like not everything benefits from low and slow, but might technically be ‘one pot’. Chicken breast, for example, can go a bit weird in a slow cooker if left too long. What recipes did you have in mind?

Thank you...mainly things like chilli, ragu, casserole...I know these can all be made in the slow cooker, obviously, I just don't want to faff about with new recipes unless I have to.

It sounds like I just keep an eye the first time I cook them in the slow cooker and adjust ingredients to taste, is that right?

I know these are typically winter foods but after a stressful few months I've finally got a bit of time to batch cook again - getting bored of soup.

Oh - soup! Can I take any old soup recipe and use it in a slow cooker?

Just add less liquid than usual as things don’t reduce!

Just don't cook raw red kidney beans in a slow cooker. They need boiling up for 10 minutes first

As someone else said further up, reduce the liquid or you will end up with a very watery result.

I have looked here https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/?m=1 from time to time.

Felicity Cloake in her Guardian How To Cook the Perfect … many, many years ago did an article on the crock pot. It was useful the way she talked through the cooking process and getting the basics done and when to add the herbs etc.

I always take the lid off for the last hour to let the steam off.

You can cook some dishes relatively fast in a slow cooker - last night we put courgette and onion in at 5, fresh pasta and passata at 6, and it was ready to eat at 7.

Very handy for having something wholesome ready at short notice.

Thank you - this is really helpful!
Please do keep any tips coming :)

Pretty much OP! I love my slow cooker! I make so many meals in it a month and it’s so easy! I barely use my oven now. I make lots of different casseroles, stews, chowder, soup, goulash, beef bourguignon, cioppino, baked pasta dishes etc. I have about 20 staple dishes I have tweaked and perfected over the years.

There are so many great slow cooker recipes online. Taming Twins has some of the best ones I find. For most recipes, it’s a case of just chucking the chopped veg and meat into the slow cooker (you may have to fry or brown in a pan first for a bit), then add some stock or canned tomatoes depending on the recipe, add some herbs, feta, nuts, beans, dumplings, whatever is required for what you’re making. I do it on a Saturday morning and I have leftovers for days. I can get so much out of a stew or casserole.

@blackbird77 I'm starting to get hungry - which is why I don't watch cooking shows😂

How long should I leave dishes to cook in a slow cooker? When do you know they're ready?

Just going to check out Taming Twins and haven't had a chowder in years but now I want one lol

Normally your slow cooker should have 2 or 3 settings for timings. I have high (4 hours), medium (6 hours) and low (8 hours). Any dish can usually be cooked in any of these times. The power adjusts accordingly. You just select the time you want. Basically work backwards from the time you want to serve the dish. For example if you stick it in the slow cooker at 9am and want it for lunch, you select the 4 hour setting. If you want it for dinner, select the 8 hour setting.

I use my slow cooker multiple times a week. The Poppy Cooks and Bored of Lunch slow cooker books are really good. We have a lot from them. I do prefer to sauté some meat and veg first, I have a Ninja 15-1 which means I can sauté in the Ninja and then just press the slow cook button so don’t have to use any other pans etc., but some slow cookers you can use the pot on the hob. Onions I find really benefit from being sautéed or they go a bit mushy.

Most recipes are either 6/7 hours on low or 3 hours or so on high so depends on your timing. I usually do low because I want to load it when I have time in morning and for it to be ready at dinner time.

So it appears the slow cooker I've been given is old enough to not have an automatic timer (did I mention it's second-hand?) 😄

I've attempted a sausage casserole today, I put it on high and it must have been cooking a good 6 hours! I sautéed/browned some of the ingredients beforehand and have definitely ended up with too-much liquid @InsolentAnnie & @InsolentAnnie warned about!

It's delicious but I clearly need some practice!

You could have done this in 15 minutes on the hob.

I love my slow cooker but I don't understand people who insist on using it for things that cook very quickly anyway.

@Ferro I agree that today it hasn't saved me any effort!

Useful if I want to cook something overnight though, or if I'm at work, which is the point of slow cookers?

Use mine for chilli, bolognaise, stews, occasional curries.

I use mine for fresh beetroot, quince, oranges for marmalade, Christmas pudding and cake, and occasionally, cakes to be iced. Rice pudding and porridge.

I haven’t yet cracked the dinner secret.

What do you do with fresh beetroot?

Once cooked and peeled, it’s lovely with roast beef. Or dress it for salad. Soup (borscht).

To cook, scrub well. Leave 2 cm minimum of leaf stalks. 2 tbs of water. Beetroot in and leave for about 4-6 hours, depending on size. Peel once cooked.

If you're disabled ( like myself) slow cookers are a life saver.
I can't stand up in one spot for too long and I find I can eat healthy easily by making meals in my slow cooker.
I make literally every home cooked meal in it and some things can be cooked within the hour or 2.

@Deanthebean this is why i was keen to try one, I have a medical condition that makes it different for me to cook these days. Doesn't seem to have saved me any effort today, but I've only tried one thing so far

Thanks I might try that, haven't eaten beetroot in years

I like to do a ham in mine. Put a full joint in, and have about an inch of water or apple juice (or cola) in the bottom. Stud in some cloves and brush with honey if you like. Cooked sliced ham freezes really well. The fat doesn't render so I tend to just take it off.

I tend to steer away from any pulses except tins, which are fine, and I find hard veg like carrot and swede can be a bit stubborn so fry them off at the begining with your onion. Anything you cook that uses cornflour as a thickener, add the cornflour slurry right at the end. I find if you add it early on, it doesn't thicken.

Yes you can just use any soup recipe but careful with dried pulses. Red lentils are ok. I make it with less water, almost like a casserole so portions take up less space, then dilute to serve.

@Dizzly the ham sounds delicious! How long do you cook it for, and low or high? Never heard of using cola in cooking before either!

Thank you for the tip re pulses and cornflour :) the carrots in my casserole were definitely al dente today as well!