I know there are lots of old slowcooker threads BUT....

[KTeepee]

I specifically need recipes where

a) you don't need to brown the meat, etc beforehand and

b) you can cook the whole meal in the slowcooker (i.e you don't need to cook pasta/rice/potatoes separately.

Also, if I want to adapt a "normal" recipe, how far from the end should I add pasta, etc?

Can anyone help?

.

I´ve got a slow cooker recipe book, all say to brown meat first. Defo can put potatoes in from the beginning, although they will come out mashy rather than firm usually.

think the rule on adding pasta or rice seems to be an hour from the end, and turn it up to high for the last bit.

i think the browning stage is because everything has to start off hot, otherwise it takes about 4 hours just to heat everything up to start cooking it iyswim. Think you could try just putting in everything raw with hot stock and leaving it on high for 8 hours, but I can´t guarantee it will be cooked......

try googling slow cooker recipes. usually comes up with lots

hth xx

Thanks for replying! I think I will just have to experiment and see how it turns out... Will be without a kitchen for a while next year so trying to look at alternative ways of cooking dinner!

could you go veggie for a while and use canned beans, chickpeas etc? Since looking at all these threads, I have been thinking about searching out my old slow cooker and thought I would just make casserole type thing with veggies, canned pulses and tomatoes and stock.

No problem with going veggie - it's more the cooking of the pasta/rice/potatoes to go with it that will be a problem I think.

hmmmmm - don't really know enough about it tbh. I suppose you could do a risotto type thing in it? Or similar - paella, jambalaya - where the rice is cooked with it all anyway?

Sorry not to be of more help. If you have no kitchen and you could bear it, you could try the instant noodles or rice things where you just mix them with boilng water from the kettle?

Heat it all up in a microwave before putting in the slow-cooker with the boiling stock?

Godness me Ive never browned meat beforehand. removes the whole chuck it in and leave purpose of a slocooker IMO.

Ones that work for me are

Diced Lamb, jar roasted peppers, jar passata, diced onion, diced carrot, whole baby new potatoes, black olives, anchovies

Diced Beef, tin Borlotti beans, diced carrot/onion, jar passata + water. add couple of handfuls pearl barley 1 hour before eating.

Thanks all - that's given some good suggestions to try out!

i just chuck it all in too, i never brown the meat (sometimes if i was to do bolgnaise i will brown the mean in the microwave first just to get rid of the fat.) if i want to do it quickly. usually 2/3hrs