Are slow cookers shit?

[rainbowstardrops]

I mean, I know they’re not shit but I’m currently cooking a Thai beef dish and it looks absolutely nothing like the picture in the recipe book. It looks dull and watery and just so unappetising.
Am I being unreasonable to think that the bloody recipes in these books look nothing like the final result photos?
Oh and I put half of the chilli flakes in because one of mine doesn’t like spicy (I do) but this is even setting my mouth on fire!
Pah!

Maybe try a different recipe book. BBC good food tend to be ok.

Generally curry does quite well in a slow cooker.

R u taking the lid off constantly checking it? Don’t because it takes ages to heat up again.

i have one from the 1970s’, it is 35watt power and takes about 12/13 hours for a beef stew, 18 hours to cook a lump of gammon, Christmas puddings about 2days!

Personally, I brown all the meat of at the beginning because it seals the meat, but if you’re watching the calories don’t brown the meat but it looks grey.

i love love love my slo cooker, i use it loads

Use a recipe specifically for a slow cooker until you get the hang of it.
we had a delicious oxtail stew made in the SC last weekend.

No but I use very little liquid when cooking anything in the slow cooker
A tip I learnt on here
Otherwise it ends up watery mush ime.

I think they are, also the food tastes rubbish too

I love my slow cooker and food always taste great cooked in it .
I find you don’t need a lot of liquid in a slow cooker and don’t open lid during cooking time.

You need a better recipe

Brown meat first and very little liquid is the key.

Yes. Next!

I’ve never tasted anything out of a slow cooker that’s has much flavour or any texture at all and it always looks like unappetising slop.

Pressure cooked food is far, far superior in every possible way.

I use mine a few times a week and have made some great tasty meals. I use specific recipes though . This book is great. Particularly recommend the garlic and honey beef noodles. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whats-Dinner-Slow-Cooker-bestselling-ebook/dp/B0DYM2F9ZJ

I think they are, yes.

I haven't voted because you have actually conflated two different issues.
Slow cookers are marvelous, I wouldn't be without mine, however, you need to be aware of a few basics, one of which is that you need to make the initial sauce much, much thicker than normal as the slow cooking makes the ingredients give off juices which can't evaporate to reduce the sauce. They just condense on the pot lid and go back in to the food.
Second point: the pictures in cookery books. A long, long time ago, when I was an inexperienced cook, I made an apricot tart to serve to my favourite aunt and uncle who were visiting. Athough it tasted fine the appearance was really disappointing, nothing like the photo. When I told my uncle how disappointed I was he explained to me that food photos are a big con, and the perfectly rounded, glossy apricots were a) not cooked and b) covered in inedible glossy gloop to make an appealing photo. I bless him for that to this day because it has made all the difference in how I judge my success at home cooking.....and various magazine articles over the years have confirmed that the food in recipe photos is often not actually edible!
So no vote because you are being unreasonable to expect what you cook to resemble the photo in the recipe book.

Edited to add: I see you say "am currently cooking" and " it looks", unless your slow cooker has a transparent lid (mine doesn't) you shouldn't have any idea what it looks like until you reach the end of the cooking time. As a PP said, you absolutely must not take the lid off until the end of the cooking time.

I've never seen or tasted a meal out of a slow cooker that looks appetising.

Did get one to do casseroles in but the gravy was rubbish compared to an oven cooked one so I gave up.

My slow cooker is great and the meals I cook in it are always lovely
i I use recipes from tamingtwins and they turn out great every time

I find casseroles really good but need to thicken gravy with cornflour.

@rainbowstardrops when searching for recipes I always put ‘best slow cooker thai curry’ or something like that, then only go for those with at least 4 out of 5 star reviews. Also read a few of the low reviews to see if it’s a dimwit who’s done it wrong rather than the recipe. Most times then what I’ve made has worked a treat!

I’ve used a few recipes from the taming twins website. The slow cooker works so well for my family as we are all in and out at different times due to school and working changing shifts. Short rib ragu is my favourite. I’ve asked for the ‘Poppy Cooks’ slow cooker recipe book for Xmas from my kids.

We are vegetarian and have found you cannot go out and expect a lovely cooked meal when you get back that isn't mush .

I have this, the paperback (it just defaulted to kindle because I buy everything on kindle now) and everything I've cooked out of it has been nice.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Recipes-your-Slo-Cooker-ebook/dp/B0081GDQ1K/

It seems notable that the amazon reviews complain the photos in the book are not very good perhaps that why I'm not disappointed by it - no hopes raised by unrealistic photographs! Actually most dishes don't have a picture at all, but that's good because it means the pages stay flat as they are mostly not glossy.

Jade’s bites on Instagram has some good slow cooker recipes and videos. They’re also on her website (lots of ads so I screenshot what I need)
I would recommend this Mongolian beef recipe www.jadesbites.co.uk/slow-cooker-mongolian-beef

Honestly, unless you're prepared to start the cooking by browning meat and starting the onions cooking it'll be horrible. I'm not a fan of the 'bung it in and leave it' method so it's not entirely faff free but if you like that kind of melty, falling off the bone, tender meat (which I do) slow cookers are brilliant.

I love my slow cooker!