Slow cooker...where am I going wrong?

[tefal]

I try to make stews and casseroles and they used to come out very watery so have cut down on water ingredients and that imporoved but the meat always tastes horrid! Never tried chicken yet as I am not keen on legs and thighs and prefer breast.

Where am I going wrong?

Thanks

yes, slow cookers do make more watery stews as the water doesn't evaporate off like it does with oven/stovetop methods. Have you tried putting cornflour in? Mix a couple of table spoons with water and it'll thicken the gravy.

Not sure why the meat's not nice though, our is always lovely! What have you tried in there? What are you putting in with it?

Brown the meat first, add salt and pepper and herbs (dried work best imo, dash of worcester, slug of wine, very little water (just to cover veggies at bottom) - should be fabulous

I always add some flour to thicken it up.
Do you add stock? I always chuck in a couple of stock cubes too.

I add a stock cube but never flour or cornflour.
Always brown beef first.
What meat are you using? And what are you putting in?

I thicken mine with some gravy granules, works a treat.

meat
water to cover
veggies (root type)
2x strock cubes to 'match' the meat
couple of big spoonfuls of flour
S&P and herbs to taste

always lovely!

About half way though I stir and if not thick enough add some more flour.

chicken

1x whole chicken
1 onion sliced into quarters
water to voer bottom - about 2 cm deep
herbs and spices as wanted

Lovely!

Serve with pasta or roast potatoes etc

Cece Do you chuck the flour in at the begining? May give it a go.

What do you all do about dumplings?

Yes all goes in at the beginning. I never brown the meat first either. Just put it on before I go to work and eat on return.

Dumplings

8oz SR flour
4oz veg suet
mix with water.

Plce on top of stew and replace lid of slow cooker. Wait about half an hour. Eat.

Can add herbs etc as required BTW...

I always brown meat and sautee veg before putting them in or everything ends up a bit pale and tasteless.

The most regular use for my s.c. is for the sunday chicken carcass to make stock which my partner and I use for risotto after the kids are dealt with on a Mon. Yum. Everyone should have a Monday treat! If there are chicken legs/thighs reduced at the supermarket, I stick them in overnight with a carrot or two and have nice stock for soup or freezing and some chicken to do for the sandwiches ie coronation chicken or just with mayo.

I also make chilli, sausage casserole, bolognaise, curries and soups. Don't be shy with the and spices for example worcester sauce is your friend! I tend not to do many different cuts of meat I don't feel too confident and my kids would turn their noses up.

Bolognese

Pack of mince
onion
veggies as reuired
garlic as required
tin of tomatoes
tomato puree

Bung in slow cooker, switch on, go to work, get home, cook pasta, eat!

Can you tell I use mine a lot!

I dont usually brown meat either and not found any different but its a matter of personal taste. I do chuck the sausages in the grilling machine though.

Regarding the dumplings. Can I make them in advance and leave in fridge or covered on side. Hoping that DP will chuck them in so when I get in later we can all eat together.

Really need to start using my Slow cooker again and get a bit more adventurous,

Never made them in advance but might try it myself. I can't see why it souldn't work, as long as they were covered and didn't dry out.

This week we have had
bolognese,
brown mince or it goes weird, chuck in with passata, worcestershire sauce, stock, mushrooms and red pepper. leave for 10 hours.

Roast chicken
whole chicken. Quarter lemon and squeeze over/insert up bum (of chicken, natch). possibly chuck thyme over top but sometimes I cba. Leave for 10 hours.

I do admit to using packet sauce mixes when I am really behind in the morning, recently we used beef in ale and coq au vin with half the amount of water, some mushrooms, meat and carrots. (and leave for 10 hours)

One thing is the meat, its all well using cheap cuts but too fatty cuts taste proper minging

Re water, it really does take a lot less than you would think. When I do a whole chicken I don't add any liquid apart from lemon juice and am left with 2 inches of liquid from the chicken when it has finshed.
You don't need to cover the meat either, especially if there is someone to give it a stir in the middle of the day (which I dont have but it doesn't matter anyway)
Yesterday I did coq au vin with carrots and chicken legs, the chicken legs weren't in the liquid when I started, and when I got back only the bottom half was 'underwater' but it had still cooked and was yummy.

I don't brown joints or chickens in there either. Jamie Oliver reckons it doesn't make a difference plus it saves on washing up so that's good enough for me Haven't done anything 'mincey' in there though. My top tip for chicken stock is to put a few dried mushrooms in while it's cooking - v yummy.

Just a packet of stewing steak from ASDA but it just tastes rough and chewy despite being cooked for 8 hours or so.

Thanks for your receipes. Great to have them. Will keep trying but if anyone has suggestions for beef, I'd be grateful in particular to type of meat used.

I just buy mine from Tesco - either the value stewing one or their own brand depending on the budget that week. Oh and I forgot to say I often add a tin of haricot beans to bulk it out a bit.

I usually get either shin beef from the butcher or rolled brisket. You need meat with some fat in it otherwise it goes sort of powdery tasting. Add onions, carrots, bottle of ale or red wine, it'll be lovely. tbh if you've got crap meat it'll just taste crap irrespective of how it's cooked.

i just use cheap stewing steak from tesco, I brown it first and chuck in as much plain flour as i can while frying it (as much as the fat will absorb). This thickens the sauce a bit. Stock cubes or gravy granules also help. Tinned tomatoes go in and my fave veg to add is sweet potato, yummy!

I am so lazy and such a crap cook I used packet mixes.

Anyone fancy sharing a failproof chicken chasseur or casserole receipe? I usually use skinless boneless thighs or whole breasts (but these can sometimes fall apart)

Also what do you guys do about mushrooms in the slow cooker. I find they can sometimes go abit funny all day in slow cooker (10hrs)

Thanks

MN slowcooker tips [[here]

ahem here