Slowcooker must-knows

[Solasum]

I got a slow cooker at Christmas.

Basically I am after things that don't need much (ideally any) cooking in the morning, are robust enough to cook for 9-10 hours, and are not stews, which don't seem to be working well for me so far (all greasy and uninspiring) To feed me and toddler DS, and with lunch friendly leftovers.

So far I have discovered:
Baked sweet potatoes
Pulled pork
Ham
Beef with dumplings

Any other must knows?

I do this in the slow cooker
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5846/greek-lamb-with-orzo

I cut the stock to 600ml and cook the Orzo separately when I get home.

There's a mumsnet autumn stew recipe that's pretty good in the slow cooker. It tastes quite sweet so my kids love it.

www.mumsnet.com/food/recipe/469-Autumn-beef-stew

You can do a whole chicken in it. A 4lb chicken takes 7 hours, so if you can fit a bigger one in that might work for 9 hours. The best thing might be to use a timer plug, this works well for me when I'm at work. That way you can do soup, puddings etc too.

Just remembered I make chicken stock in mine (it has a very tight seal so no evaporation)

When making a roast dinner I wash the veg and put the veg peelings into the slow cooker pot. After we have finished the roast chicken the bones go in the pot.
I leave it on overnight, makes fabulous stock and really economical.

Yes to the chicken stock, I did a chicken today and the stock is on now. In the morning I'll strain it, add chopped veg and barley, then cook on low for 6/8 hours.

Whole lamb shoulder, roughly smeared with olive oil, crushed garlic & chopped rosemary. Stick it in for 8 hours, you'll need to drain off the juices halfway through. Absolutely delicious, easy & feeds loads (or loads of leftovers).
Same for lamb shanks, stewed for 6-7 hours in various veg, stock, tinned tomatoes & wine combos.
Slow-cooked lamb is my favourite, can you tell?

Ragu is brilliant in the slow cooker
Chicken enchilada soup is fantastic - you might need to tone done the spice a bit but this is my favourite soup of all time.
Moroccan tagines work well - you can use really cheap cuts of meat in the slow cooker and they work better than more expensive lean cuts. Think robust meat, chunky root veggies, soups.

the Kitchn is one of my favourite cookery sites and there are lots of brilliant ideas here, including chicken enchilada soup!

Those sound great. I hadn't thought of stock, stupidly. Unfortunately I am out of the house 8-5, so it needs to be something that needs no attention in that time.

Slow Cooked Wonders FB group. There's a thread running in chat about it at the moment.

My cheaty but delicious fave involves chunks of meat/Quorn, a can of ratatouille, curry paste and an onion.
Slightly salty for a toddler - maybe omit the curry paste? Never greasy, always yum! SO easy.

Bolognese
Chilli
Tacos

These would all be fine for 9hrs on low.

You can brown mince first but I don't always bother. Usually only if I have bought cheaper mince that will need the fat draining off.

What size of slow cooker is everyone using?
I can't decide between 3.5 and 6l?

I also really fancy a teeny tiny one to make porridge in every night, does anyone have one of the little ones??