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!

How are you using it?

I don't just throw stuff in mine then leave it. I always start by browning meat, frying onions etc in a pan first then transferring it to a slow cooker to cook. Basically, the slow cooker has replaced the oven part.

The recipe said cook on low for five hours.

I’ve wondered about buying a multicooker instead. Are they good?

Get a pressure cooker, they are much better.

I have several books specifically for slow cooker recipes. This isn’t a one off attempt.

The whole idea of pressure cookers scare me! Maybe because of the horror stories from years ago. I’m sure they’ve improved since then though. I’ll look into it, thanks.

Every meal I've cooked in one ends up looking like mush..but some people rave about them so maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Would like to know how to do a veggie curry and get to it before it turns into a gloopy mess.

People go wrong by putting the veg in far too early so it ends up a mush, some meals just dont work using the bung it all in and leave for 8 hours method!

Isn’t the key problem with slow cookers that food cooked in them doesn’t taste the same as food cooked using the normal methods, because you can’t get the depths and concentration of flavour that comes from the liquid being reduced, since in a slow cooker it just condenses.

You can mitigate this by searing any meat first, browning any onions, reducing liquid or whatever, but if for example it’s got tomato in it (tinned or fresh) you will never get the concentration of tomato flavour that you would when cooked on a hob or in an oven as the liquid evaporates, because in a slow cooker it doesn’t. Now, that’s not to say that the food tastes bad, but it can’t taste the same as when prepared ‘properly’ for want of a better word.

We rarely use our slow cooker - I find it sometimes adds steps in like browning meat and generally transferring separately cooked ingredients across and into it.

We’ve got a massive cast iron pot with a lid now that lives on our hob permanently. Great for casseroles, chilli, bolognese etc. Can brown meat/veg off, generally chuck the rest of the ingredients in and also pop it in the oven. I use it so often, it cleans really easily and I’ve also found that the cast iron keeps the food warmer for longer after it’s been taken off the heat

But I have found recently that the slow cooker is great for soup. Literally chuck all the veg and stock in, leave it on high for around 3-4 hours then all I have to do is blend it with the hand blender and add cream/cheese at the end if we fancy that.

I bought a slow cooker 4 years ago, used it twice and gave it to a friend. I didn't like it at all - total waste of money.

On the other side, I've had pressure cookers most of my life and can't do without them. I can cook lamb shanks in 1 hour with an incredible sauce and with meat falling from the bone.

It sounds to me that people are just bunging ingredients in and expecting the same results that you get from browning and frying off onions and other aromats first.

I always do the frying steps first before transferring to a slow cooker and get exactly the same results as I would if I had oven cooked.

Thank you - will give that a try!

It definitely gives a distinctive taste to many things.
I find it good for the Christmas red cabbage as, poached pears and have had relative success with slow cooking beef casserole type things and meatballs. I don’t like it for chicken dishes much, but would throw curry ingredients in the morning if we were both working in the office and that was ok.

Among my family and friends I'm known as a good cook so I trust my judgement when it comes to food and IMO slow cookers are absolutely shit. Everything I've ever cooked in one comes out looking and tasting bland and slightly muddy. I've bought or been given 4 over the years and have ended up donating them all to other people/charities.

OTOH one of my best mates (also an excellent cook) loves her slow cooker and I've never eaten a bland or muddy tasting meal at her house.

do you like tacos?
i use mine to make them all the time and they taste delicious and since you’re shredding the meat, it doesn’t matter how they look.

i personally think that americans are great at slow cooker recipes for some reason, so i usually seek out their recipes on pinterest

this one for pork ones is outstanding

vikalinka.com/slow-cooked-pulled-pork-tacos/

I find my slow cooker quite useful, but they do vary in efficiency. My tips are 1) use less liquid- if your recipe is not slow cooker specific take at least a third of the liquid out 2) brown all meat first before it goes in to the slow cooker 3) Be patient and do not continuously lift the lid- it looses heat very quickly if you do.

I love my slow cooker. I do curry, beef bourginion, bolognese, beef rendang, Moroccan stew. Basically anything I would usually do on the hob or in a casserole in the oven. I prepare it at lunch time (working from home)and I leave it until early evening and put it on warm and then everyone helps themselves when they are ready for dinner. It's great for my family as they all get home at different times and can eat when they are ready. I don't follow recipes and just cook my normal meals in it. I think the beef dishes taste much better slow cooked and wouldn't do them any other way. As others have said use a bit less liquid and make sure you leave it to cook for long enough for the flavour to develop.

Are you frying ingredients off in a pan first or just bunging everything in?

I fry first and get the same results as I do when I slow cook in the oven.

Yes, they are rubbish. Unless you are making baby food. Real grown up food requires proper cooking.

I love mine! It has saved me so often as a single mum, coming in from work and dinner is ready!
I always brown off the meat first and don’t add any liquid / unless I’m making a bolognaise/chilli when I usually add lentils! I just thicken it with tomato puree if I need to but find it’s usually a great consistency with the lentils involved!
I love doing lamb on the bone or a whole chicken (none of us eat the skin so it doesn’t matter if it’s crispy or not. Also love the deeper flavour of a slow cooked curry.

For stews, browning the meat is the key I think otherwise there’s no colour.

some things are better left in for longer, others for less.

I suspect this also. Always brown meats off, reduce red wine etc before throwing in the slow cooker.

No they aren't. If you start a recipe off the traditional way then finish it off in the slow cooker the results are the same for casseroles, bolognese etc as in the oven.

I was a latecomer to slow cookers and I think people aren't using them properly if the food is rubbish.

If you are using a recipe that is not specifically for a slow cooker the rule of thumb is to use 1/3 of the liquid recommended.

@ThisCanFuckOffToo have you tried a joint of meat cooked in one? I have a friend who once came round when I was cooking lamb so she invited herself for dinner. By the next week she had her own and a couple of weeks later so did her brother. They had both been traumatised by their mothers slow cooked slop.

OP I have the old version of this book, mine is from the 1980s, this is updated. I recommend it because it does explain how to use a slow cooker, how it works and what to do if things go wrong.

www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/dianne-page/slow-cooking-properly-explained/9780716022213/

I have used my slow cooker to cook but i tend to whip up meal like cauliflower cheese, casserole etc and then put it in the slow cooker to finish/keep hot till dinner time