Just bought a slow cooker......

[Mama1980]

What do u cool in yours? All your best recipes and tips will be much appreciated :) Tia

Cook obviously

First thing you need to do is cook a chicken in it you'll never roast one again. Literally falls off the bone and is so juicy. Plonk it onto some balls of foil at the bottom of your slow cooker and leave it on high for a couple of hours then low for another 4.

I'm still a bit neutral on mine. The only problem I have with it is that it doesn't reduce down the liquid, so don't put as much as you normally would in a pan on the hob. I always end up having to either add cornflour which I hate or putting it into a pan to reduce down the liquid!

Interested to get some recipes/tips myself :)

I do brisket of beef. It's one of the cheapest joints you can buy but slow cooked it's better than anything else.

Season the skin with a little sea salt and black pepper. Put it in the pot skin side up along with a white onion. Chop the onion in half then slice it so the onion is sliced into long slivers and NOT cubed or diced if you know what I mean?

Then add a pint or two of beef stock and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Fill the dish until the stock comes just below the top of the meat. You don't want to wash away all that seasoning off the skin.

Leave overnight on low and in the morning it will have shrunk (always buy a bigger piece than you think you'll need) The sea salt should have made the top a little crispy and you should have a fatty liquid floating on top of the stock. It's entirely up to you but I leave this in for flavour but you can skim it off if it's not your thing. Next, thicken the stock with gravy granuells. I use bisto as I prefer the flavour. Thicken and stir in to desired consistancy making sure there's no lumps left in.

Next, carefully lift out the meat ensuring it doesn't fall apart on you and remove the string which was holding the meat together, again trying not to let it fall apart. You really don't want to be eating that.
Portion off and serve with roasties and veg and the gravy from the pot. It will fall apart and melt in your mouth.

Here's some, mine is the apple crumble...absolutely delish, and you don't need cream or ice cream with it either...

here

Thisis... I totally agree about the reducing thing. I don't like having to thicken using thickening granuells either but you have to in a slow cooker.
Also another tip is never cook with alcohol like red or white wine or beer dishes as the pot doesn't get hot enough to burn off the alcohol properly and it just ends up tasting bitter. If you're making a beer or red wine grayy or doing chicken in white wine it's a better idea to do this on the hob or simmer/boil off the wine first before adding it to the slow cooker other wise it will overpower and ruin your dish.

Try here as well:

here

Finally found it...

apple crumble here

Sausage casserole and beef casserole.

and yet more

Can you tell I have a slow cooker?

Try a whole roast, like a leg of lamb. Just stick it into the cooker, turn it onto low, leave it 7-10 hrs. You won't be able to lift it out in one, the bone will fall out and you won't be able to carve it as it will fall to pieces. Absolutely divine!

more!

Thank you so much

Why does my meat always taste horrid from a slow cooker. I binned mine but really could do with having some meals ready on busy nights.

I think I'm a little bit in love with mine now. We had slow cooker mac cheese today weird but it tasted amazing and literally no effort at all-would never have thought you could cook pasta

I like to make a casserole with skirt of beef. I put abit of tomato puree, italian herbs, beef stock cube, carrots, leeks, seasoning, bisto gravy (make it quite thick,) and cook for about 8 or 9 hours. I get 2 red wine chicken slow cooker sachets, shwartz(?) do, veg, chicken thighs, thin sliced potatoes on the top. Cook for 6-8 hours. Normal spag bol sauce and normal chilli with frozen beef mince is really good, just don't add as much water as usual. Again 6-8 hours. I also like veg with passata cooked all day, the tomato sauce tastes special. I add italian herbs, 3 cloves of garlic, 1tsp of sugar, 1tsp salt and half a tsp of cumin. I haven't managed to cook pasta successfully. I love my slow cooker.

Just read Oxygene, I have cooked lamb with red wine and redcurrant jelly and that was good, I think the jelly must offset the bitterness. Thankyou, as I didn't know about that.

I brown chicken thighs in the frying pan then put in the slow cooker with chopped onions, a pack of frozen mixed veg (carrot, peas and sweetcorn) and a cup of stock. Cook on low for 6-7hrs and just before serving stir in a few tablespoons of double cream or creme fraiche.

You can serve this as a casserole with rice or potatoes, or as a chowder with crusty bread if you have a lot of liquid.

I've never had a problem with copious amounts of booze in mine. The best stew I made was with a bottle of Old Tom (v strong beer.) Failing that you can't go wrong with a can of Guinness.

I second the chicken - but i slather the top in herbs. I put a sort of cross of foil under it so that it comes out as one, not in pieces.

Shoulder of lamb too - the fat melts betweent he layers of meat, to the point I pour it off part way through cooking.

My fave sc recipe

1 packet of sausages - the better quality the better the dish will be
A chunk of chorizo - sliced if you can't get a chunk or a whole one.
1 packet / jar of pessata
1 green or red pepper
1 tim of butter/kidney/ broad beans

salt and pepper - herbs to taste

boil a kettle

chop up the chorizo and then just bung the other ingredients in.

Add a little bit of boiling water - just enough to make the dish hot and leave.

You can change it by using chicken instead of sausages or varying the veg. This is for my small slow cooker, the large one I would at least double the quantities.

Rules for slow cooking

1. use 1/3 less liquid than you would for other methods
2. all stews / hot pots/ caseroles - you need heat to start them - a bit of boiling water will do - if you don't the edge will cook before the middle
3. roasts - just put in the put, put the lid on and leave.