So I've bought a slow cooker

[RealHouswifeofBury]

Would anyone like to share some recipes?
Is it really safe to leave on all day?
Should I brown stuff in a pan first?

HELP!

Some good recipes we use a lot are...
Chilli Marrakech (BBC good food website)
Whole gammon ham (add your choice of herbs, spices etc, I add no liquid and cook on low for 6-8 hours)
Chicken teriyaki (I use thighs not breast - cheaper and tastier)
Any stew/Bolognese/chilli works well but use half (or less) of the liquid. If it's still too wet, put on high and remove lid for the last hour.
Any soup.

Yes it's safe to leave on, I always leave it on low.

I tend to brown meat. I start a stew the same way as normal, softening veg and browning meat etc then pop it all in the slow cooker for the day.

For really easy meals Google 'dump bags'. You prep everything in advance and literally dump it all in the slow cooker in the morning.

It's a slightly different way of cooking but honestly makes evenings massively easier for me. I double amounts a lot to put a portion in the freezer too.

Thank you so much for the advice.
I have bought some beef to attempt a stew.
Will cook it on low and leave it to do its thing while I'm at work.

the only thing i brown is sausages. chilli/bolognese - i just use normal recipe but only add the stock pot and no water. curry - again use normal recipes but no water - you can use a tin of toms and just add the spices etc. a tin of baked beans, with herbs/garlic/onions/tom sauce/meat/dash of white wine/stock pot (no water) and maybe some cornflour if runny at end works well.

just sling it all in , stir a couple of times and put it on. i do mine whilst i'm eating breakfast

No need to brown, it's a safe as leaving a light bulb on - make sure it isn't up against a plug socket or a melon though - they both melt.

Try just sticking a joint of meat in, shoulder of lamb is my favorite - the fat melts and bastes the meat.

And yes I mean with nothing in, no liquid, zero, nada.

When you are doing a stew you need about 1/3 of the liquid you would normally use.

So for a stew how much liquid? Like next to nothing?

I used to do about a mug or two worth of hot water and some gravy granules.

I like chilli done in the slow cooker and have done a few stews.

My easiest meal was a bag if frozen chopped stew veg and some frozen minted lamb steaks, both from Farm Foods, a layer of chopped potatoes on the bottom, a little water and some gravy granules. I put in a decent dollop of mint sauce on the top for the last hour.

I'm the same, sashh. I just put in a shoulder of lamb with nothing else, no water, no stock, nothing. It comes out gorgeous.

The bone comes out so easily and all you are left is beautiful, soft, tasty meat.

I'm drooling now just thinking about it. 😋

I slow cooked a turkey joint the other day. Balance it on some onion chunks, bacon on top, no liquid added - it was lovely

Currently heading home to lemon chicken thighs and brown rice

Veggie food tastes rank in them.

I brown food as the caramelisation improves the taste.

Next to no liquid.

Whatever any one says ham in coke tastes rank so give in a miss

Also saved this recipe earlier as it looked lovely! www.sproutedroutes.com/vegan-butternut-squash-soup/

** it

Veggie chilli from MN book was lush.
Also found recipes online like all recipes.co.uk
Pork carnitas
Rikos brisket (make leftovers into a pie!)
Did a chicken and bacon stew tonight from BBC website.
Other favourites are lasagne, sausage casserole, stifado and soup!

I'm not a big fan of them tbh. The only thing I like is a chicken thigh stew. Chilli isn't that nice and it all tastes a bit the same. It's in the back of the pantry now after a handful of times being used.

Im just eating beef stew that has been slow cooking all day... delicious!

I tend to use mine to cook food first, and then just leave it in the slow cooker to stay warm.

My slow cooker can be put on the gas to do the sautéing and browning, so very little faff.

A beef joint in the SC is amazingly tasty!!

Pork steaks and a spoon of dijon mustard, on low for 8 hours, then add chopped leek and mushroom and put on high for 45 minutes, mix in a but of cream and black pepper at the end, it's lovely!

Brown the pork first!

Veggie here. Don't do much in mine and would love to use it more but so many recipes rely on tomatoes as liquid.

I do make rice pudding in it sometimes and a v nice Quorn mince shepherds pie filling.

Does anybody know if you can successfully poach fruit in slowcooker?

Remus - yes, I do Elizabeth David's pears poached in red wine as a fail safe winter/xmas pudding

Shameless placemarking. Need to get mine out the cupboard as I think it's been used all of twice!

The slimming world campfire stew with gammon is absolutely lovely.
For Christmas I also cooked a gammon joint, that I'd coated in mustard and brown sugar. With about an inch of water in the bottom with 2-3 tbsp of homey mixed through. Cooked for roughly 7 hours turning gammon over once. Melted in the mouth.
Also cook beef in red wine casserole with dumplings.
I love my slow cooker, throw it all in, go to work and it's done when you get home.

Cox That is very useful to know. I do a lovely version of Nigella's plums in red wine, using port, and wondered if it was worth trying it as a slowcooker version. Will give it a go.