Slow cooker virgin needs help!

[tricksybaby200]

Says it all really. Bought a slow cooker. Work full time and lots of people have raved about them. Being a bit thick though. Bought a recipe book ( 2 pound cheapy) but they all talk about 1 to two hours in the oven.. Often stating middle shelf.

Bit confused really, please help! :)

Not sure why the books say to put in the oven first.

You can pretty much do anything in your slow cooker. I've forgotten how to cook a whole chicken the conventional way. I use it mainly for whole chicken or gammon joint this time of year (just bung in raw and turn on!).

In the winter I use it almost everyday! Bolognese, curry, casserole etc. You can even turn it on overnight to make porridge, though I haven't tried that yet!

Not sure it means first. It doesn't even mention the slow cooker. Looked at another one and it was the same. Think I'm missing something.

Sorry forgot to say thank you for replying :)

I would say, ignore the recipe books :) . Look online or search threads on here, there are loads.

Is it an actual slow cooker book? Or a slow cooking book, as in cooked slowly in the oven in a cassrole dish?

When I first got mine I was worried about trying different recipes, or cooking in a way I wasn't used to. Just experiment and you can't go far wrong.

I'm a SAHM now, but when I worked full time, there was nothing better than coming home to a cooked meal, particularly in the winter!

Two recipes for you, they both freeze well so you can double the quantities.

Beef and paprika casserole

500g of stewing beef
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 onion sliced
250g of mushrooms sliced
1 tin of chopped toms
2 tbsps of Tom purée
2 teaspoon of paprika
200ml of beef stock

Put all ingredients in Slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

Chicken and tomato casserole

4 chicken breasts
1 onion sliced
1 pack of button mushrooms
2 carrots sliced
1 tin of chopped toms
1 tbsp of Tom purée
200ml of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs

This is lovely served with rice, same instructions as above

Thank you so much both of you. Really lovely of you to post recipes wineandchoccy x
It is a slow cooking book so perhaps that's the issue! Told you I was a novice

Slow cooked wonders is a really good facebook group with lots of recipes.

Ignore the books...

MN south west chicken

2 chicken breasts chopped
Tin of black beans
Tin of sweetcorn
Jar of hot salsa

Bung it all in together, on low for 3-4 hours. Serve with tortillas and/or Mexican rice.

Beef stroganoff

Beef casserole steak chopped
Onion sliced in half rings
300g mushrooms sliced thickly
1 tin of Campbell's condensed mushroom soup
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Cool on low 6 hours, last half hour add half a small garlic an herb Boursin cheese!

Serve with jacket potato, rice of tagliatelle.

No Pre-cooking involved just shove it all in.

Pinterest is great for slow cooker recipes!

Just go out, buy the cheapest joint of meat you can and stick it in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours.

Then experiment with adding veg to make a pot roast.