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Beginner's slow cooker recipe?

7 replies

JonahAndTheSnail · 06/02/2023 13:38

What are the easiest things to cook whilst I get a feel for how mine cooks? Tried using it for the first time last week to make a chickpea and potato curry, but it didn't turn out great - very watery even after 10 hours cooking on high!

Thinking I may be better trying a meat dish next. I do have some Pork loin steaks and chicken wings in the freezer I could defrost and use if anyone has suggestions for a good recipe.

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MaggieMagpie357 · 06/02/2023 13:52

My favourite thing to do in the slow cooker is a gammon joint. Literally just bung a layer of soft dark brown sugar in the bottom, pop the gammon joint on top and pop some more sugar on top of the meat. Leave on low for about 6-8 hours and it's done - melts in the mouth and tastes delicious.

Most other things I've tried are either a bit tasteless or watery, apart from chilli con carne, bolognese or similar.

Fivemoreminutes1 · 06/02/2023 14:16

Lamb tagine
Chicken stroganoff
Sausage casserole

DogInATent · 06/02/2023 14:18

When doing a casserole type dish always add a lot less liquid than you think you need - slowcookers don't evaporate off liquid in the same way that other cooking method do. Slowcooking also works better with slightly fatty cuts of meat, lean meat doesn't cook the same way. Shoulder would be better than loin for slowcooking. If you buy lean meat to reduce your fat intake, don't for slowcooking. Instead make the dish in advance, let it cool and refrigerate overnight. Skim off the fat and reheat. The fat is needed for cooking, but by doing it this way you don't have to eat it.

With your loin steaks you could try frying off some onion in oil, put that in the bottom of the slowcooker (include the oil with the onion, the onion shouldn't be swimming in oil when you fry it off), put the loin steaks on top, some chopped apple and chopped carrot over the top of the steaks, some sage/mixed herbs, salt and pepper, and cook on High for 1-2 hours before dropping to Low for 4-6hrs. The apple should provide more than enough liquid to cook the steaks. If it does look dry a couple of hours into cooking you can add a very little boiling water from the kettle.

Given the choice, I would always go with shoulder (pork, lamb), chicken thighs (ideally cooked skin-on and bone-in for maximum flavour), or one of the really tough/cheap cuts that has bags of flavour but needs a long slow cook to become tender - beef shin, ox cheeks, oxtail. Tough sinewy meats are amazing done in the slowcooker, the sinews break down for amazing flavour and texture.

Not sure what to do with the wings, they never have enough meat on them for me to bother with. They would make a truly amazing chicken stock though. Slowcookers make the best stock. Wings, water (add from the kettle so the slowcooker doesn't have to spend 2 hours heating it), stock veg, and leave on Low all day. Pick off the meat afterwards, it won't have huge amounts of flavour but with the stock could make a great risotto.

coodawoodashooda · 07/02/2023 18:20

Look up taming twins.

UniversalTruth · 07/02/2023 19:44

Did you follow a specific slow cooker recipe for the curry? If not, it might be worth a try as it sounds like it could work.

Whatevergetsyouthroughthenight · 07/02/2023 19:56

I found that sprinkling in plain flour and mixing it in works to thicken the sauce really well. It might look a bit lumpy at first, but that disappears with cooking. I will add some early on and then about an hour before the end add more if it’s still too runny. A tablespoon or two, but that’s if I am cooking six portions of something.

I had a lovely slow cooked beef curry tonight. Makes 4-six portions
4 braising steaks, cut off fat and cubed (about 800g before cutting off the fat or buy ready cubed lean beef about 500–600g)
2 medium onions chopped
6-8 blocks of frozen spinach (defrost in the microwave or if you are going to cook it all day it can go in frozen)
1 chopped red pepper
Half a jar of Pataks curry paste (not the sauce, make sure it’s paste)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons of plain flower

Chuck it all except the flour in the slow cooker, I don’t bother browning anything first. Mix ingredients together, top up with water until just covered the meat (doesn’t have to be completely submerged). Sprinkle on half the flour and stir in. Repeat the flour later if it’s too runny, at least 30 mins before serving.

JonahAndTheSnail · 08/02/2023 22:51

Thanks for the tips. I think the recipe I followed last time was a dud 1 tbsp (rather than tsp of tumeric in a chickpea dhal recipe that serves 4 people struck me as odd)! Going to have another go tomorrow with chicken thigh fajitas - will start by add slightly less liquid than I normally would on the stovetop and keep checking and adding to where needing (as I'll be home all day).

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