Silly slow cooker question!

[Dottydoodoo]

I am a complete newbie with my slow cooker and I don't really know what I am doing!

I would like to make the meaty part of a cottage pie in the slow cooker. I thought finding a recipe would be simple but no! All I can find either serves enormous amounts but it's not easy to half the quantities, or suggests putting the mash on the top in the slow cooker and I don't really want to do that. I think I'll brown the mince first, but then can I literally just bung all the ingredients in together? Do I need to add water? Add less water/no water? Do I need to bung everything in in a special order/layer it? How long should I cook it for and on which setting?

Please help!

I do chili in the s c which is similar. I fry the onion, mine is a metal one so fry it in the pan add the mince to brown, then make as normal. No need to add extra water other than maybe a tablespoon. A S c doesn't tend to lose fluid the way stuff does in the oven. I do so much in mine now. It's great coming home to stuff ready, or almost ready to eat. They are great for ratatouille as well, in the summer. Have a good cottage pie.

Sorry, forgot to say, I cook on medium for 5 to 7 hours or high for 4 or 5 hours.

Bung all the ingredients in together add liquid as much or as little as you like then turn it on. Either high for fewer hours or low for longer hours I.e all day or overnight. For a gammon I only use a little bit of water but for things like stew chilli etc I use about half to three quarters full. Whole chicken/chicken thighs are lovely and moist. Again just throw in no liquid required for them. After a few hours there is lovely chicken and the juices can be kept for stock.

Imagine your oven being on very low for a few hours when you cook something in it. It just braises it slowly and all the taste comes through. That’s all it is. :)

Thank you! Now I've read your replies it seems so simple, especially crispbuttys explanation but if I sit down and try to think about it I just cannot get my head around it at all.

I'm definitely going to give my cottage pie a go next week, just have to be brave and try a new way of cooking! Thank you again everyone