AIBU or is all slow cooker food insipid and watery?

[Eminybob]

Every singe recipe I’ve tried is just bland, far to watery and just not very nice.
Is it me? Is it my slow cooker?

I’ve tried recipes from loads of different sites. I’m generally a good cook, I just don’t get what I’m doing wrong.

If you have any really actually good slow cooker recipes please post them here, otherwise I might just give up.

Currently reducing my Mexican pulled beef dish on the stove as it was basically broth with bits of beef floating in it. Don’t shout at him like that

Definitely does tend to be that way. The best solution I have is to add lentils. They can go in most dishes without anyone even noticing.

You definitely need less liquid than all the recipes say if you want to avoid watery consistency!

My successes: beef & Guinness casserole, beef briskit, pulled pork, various curries, soup

My failures: bolognase, sausage casserole and anything with chicken in!

Try shortcuts like precooking some items in oven on previous occasions. So when the oven is on for other foods, roast some extra veg or sausages.

Sausage casserole using precooked sausage, tinned tomatoes, herbs, mixed beans and sweetcorn. Smoked paprika and chorizo are great. In the slow cooker for a few hours and it's lovely.

Never add water.

Have you tried things like lasagna soup? There are recipes online.

True story - we were at Slimming World and the consultant was talking about slow cookers. One lady next to me said 'I tried one of those slow cookers. It took ages!'

Erm...yes. That's the point.

Anyway, as PP have said reduce the amount of liquid. It should just about cover the other ingredients. I use gravy granules to thicken stews & casseroles too. I'll definitely try taking the lid off for the last half hour though.

Thanks. I’ll persevere. I’ve heard before that reducing the liquid compared to the recipe helps, But I always read the recipe reviews and they never say it’s watery so I just carry on.

My slow cooker was an Aldi special buy, for those asking. (Yeah that could explain things)

When we do casserole or curry we either add a few gravy granules or some cornflower. Thickens nicely

I thought the same until I found a FB group! Curries are lovely done in the slow cooker. Pulled pork. Tagine.

The browning step for meat is really important I've found - frying it on high at the start until you get those nice nearly burnt bits of crust (still raw in the middle obv) and then dump it in the slow cooker. There's some flavour you only seem to get that way, a nice sort of caramelized rich meaty taste. Works with veg too - can roadt them in the oven for same effect before popping them in. Otherwise it does tend to be a bit bland and watery.

I think it's all about the recipes. If in doubt use less liquid. I tend to really only use mine for meat as the kids moan about the veg being soggy in stews. Midweek I also often make a chilli/spag Bol before picking kids up from school and then chuck it in the slow cooker on low for a couple of hours so dinners ready when we get back in from clubs. This also works well on nights where everyone is doing different things and eating at different times.

There's a Facebook group called slow cooked wonders.

This slow cooker recipe is gorgeous and you can make it as hot as you like by upping the amount of chilli you use.

Slow cooker peanut chicken

I desperately wanted to love mine (it was given to me by a friend who couldn't get on with it as everything she tried was watery!) but hated it. It didn't taste anywhere near as nice as a casserole done on the hob or oven and the veg were all soggy whilst the onions still crunchy. For me if I have to brown/fry off meat or veg first then it's counterproductive.

Thanks for the tips and recipes. Maybe I’ll try again.

Pearl Barley makes a great thickener for a beef stew

I very rarely add water/stock to slow cooker food, and I tripple the spices/flavourings. The best thing to do is a whole chicken. At its simplest just put the chicken in whole, put the lid on and cook on high for 4 hours. No liquid needed. Even better add some sweet chilli sauce or chilli jam, or some honey and mustard, or some pomegranate molasses. But absolutely no liquid. Not even wine.

The only time I add liquid is to lentils/beans when they obviously need it.
Everything else creates its own and is really tasty.

These are some of my favourites atm :) I use cornflour to thicken if doing a "throw it in and hope for the best" meal and it normally works fine.

www.thespruceeats.com/crockpot-orange-curried-chicken-479403

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-sausage-casserole

It’s definitely tricky to get started but the slow cooker is an important addition to a busy family kitchen. I didn’t get on with ours until I had no choice when we were extending our house and had no kitchen. It’s not quite as good as conventional cooking but once you work the liquid and seasoning out it’s decent enough. It’s especially good for giving you a head start earlier in the day and then slowly doing its thing ready for dinner time. Great in winter for after school/clubs and activities nights. If I’m really ahead of the game I’ll remember to programme the oven for jacket potatoes too.

I only use my slow cooker for proving dough.

Meals I tried cooking in it tasted like boiled newspaper.

Have you read the instructions for your slow cooker? Some do not cook on low, just keep food warm. Our previous cheap one didn't. Worked fine on high though

I think tomato based stews work best or whole chickens. Also agree the 1 and half hour setting on mine often works best on some recipes.

Veg release water as they cook. Add red lentils to absorb that IYSWIM.

Onions can be cooked overnight in the slow cooker to caramelize. (The only time I use low setting!) Freeze in portions and just pop a portion in to each slow cook. Nothing else needs pre frying or whatever.

I used to think slow cookers were rubbish too. Lentils and always use high works for me.

And only fill 1/3 to 2/3 full. Any more and it just won't cook at all. That was a waste of food!

Final tip. Tomato paste. Gives depth of flavour. It's a secret ingredient.

@mathanxiety

I only use my slow cooker for proving dough.

Meals I tried cooking in it tasted like boiled newspaper.

Proving dough? That sounds brilliant, what's your method?

I remember a thread on here ages ago complaining about the same thing. Turned out the OP was filling the liquid up to the 'max level' on inside of the slow cooker thinking that was what you were meant to do!

I’m another one who’d love to like it but there’s nowhere near the depth of flavour I get in a oven cooked slow stew.

Liked it for stock, a ham....and that was it.

Had a slow cooker stew made by a friend.fantastic.

I usually don't add any extra water, to the point where I scrape out a tomatoes tin, rather than swilling it out. If it needs stock, just add the teaspoon of it. I have a sear and stew slow cooker and prefer this type of basin over a ceramic one.

Someone on here recommended the Audrey Deane book and it is good. This comes from there (I adapted it as I personally found it too sweet).

Toffee Apple pudding
*Cream 200g soft brown sugar and 200g butter/marg
*Beat 3 eggs and add to cremed mixture.
*Add 1 tsp vanillia extract and 200g SR flour
*Chop 2 eating apples and cover base of slow cooker with these. Add cake mixture to slow cooker.
*In a saucepan, heat 3300ml apple juice, 50g golden syrup and 50g light brown sugar until sugar dissolves.

Trust me on this next bit... It looks like it won't work but it does.

*Pour this syrup over the cake mixture and put lid on.
*Cook on high for 3 hours until the pudding is springy to the touch.
*Serve warm, possibly with ce cream.