Slow cooker question

[Todayisanewday75]

Is it better to cook on high or low? Going to make a nandos style chicken and recipe gives times for both settings

Depends on how fast you want it. Ironic as it’s a slow cooker! 😃
If I’m not bothered about eating until this evening, it’s low, if I want it this afternoon, then high.

I have the time to do either was just wondering if one produced a better result

My preference would be to use the low setting and cook for longer. This won't dry the meat out, also I have found that high setting is so hot that I need to cool it down on the warm setting.

Thanks, will go for low

I don't know about Nando's style chicken, but quite often I start things on high then turn down to low later on if I think it's close enough to being "done".

Same as above I cook for an hour in high and turn down to low for a few hours

Ooo fancy sharing your recipe?
Nando's chicken sounds delicious

Yes please.

Its from Nathan Anthony’s Bored of Lunch book

1 tbsp dried oregano
juice 1 lemon
juice 2 limes plus 1 slice
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp mild chilli powder
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 whole chicken
5 corn on the cob
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Place the oregano, lemon and lime juice, paprika, chilli powder, oil and garlic in a large mixing bowl, season to taste and stir to combine. Add the chicken and corn and turn to coat in the marinade.

Pop the bay leaf and lime slice inside the chicken and arrange the corn and chicken in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8 hours then place the slow cooker pot without the lid in a preheated oven at 200 C for 10 minutes until the skin is crisp. If your slow cooker pot is not ovenproof transfer the chicken and corn to an ovenproof dish.

So far no great smells coming from the kitchen but will report back later

No idea how but I managed to cook it upside down! Tasted ok but no crispy skin

Can anyone recommend some slow cooker recipes that I can’t mess up?

The skin won't go crispy in slow cooker.For recipes try Taming Twins website. The chicken satay is delicious. Sorry I not savvy enough to put a link😫

It's hard to get crispy skin in a slow cooker - you have to realise that it's basically steaming and boiling as a cooking method. Works great for things like casseroles, soups, stews, curries and anything like baked potatoes, whole chickens, joints etc. But you need to transfer to a different heat source to crisp up, and that can be delicate as the long slow cooking method seems to make things fragile.

DH does a whole chicken in ours for sandwiches, but we've never managed to get crispy skin regardless of method of browning at the end!

It's also better for cheaper/fattier/tougher cuts because of this. It's a bit of a waste (IMO) to spend money on a cut of meat that is already tender and flavoursome and then boil it to death in a slow cooker.

I do mince in ours for no longer than 4 hours (bolognese/chilli) and occasionally put chicken in for a curry but it's much better for things like chicken thighs than breast/leg meat. Most often I cook tougher cuts of beef or pork, or lentils/beans as a protein source since it incorporates the soaking and cooking time (I think... I would research that before you dive in. I've only done this a couple of times).

is a whole chicken in the slow cooker tasty?
does it need extra?

do you need to cover the meat and vegs when making a casserole?

I think it's tasty yes. You have to stand the chicken on something so that it's not directly touching the pot. DH puts chunky potatoes and carrots underneath it. They get very flavoured by the chicken juices. You can also rest it on balls of foil if you prefer. Don't add liquid. Can't remember cooking time - google will tell you.

When making a casserole (assuming you mean UK definition like a stew) then yes you want to just cover the ingredients with liquid. Pay attention to the thickness of the liquid as it doesn't evaporate while cooking, so won't naturally thicken up like other cooking methods do - you need to add some kind of thickening agent, whether that's some sort of flour or starch or whether you use something like gravy granules or a packet mix that contains a thickener. Or you can add purees like tomato paste or stir something like thick yoghurt in at the end of cooking, or you can actively use ingredients that you know will turn to mush when overcooked, such as floury potatoes cut into smaller pieces, or lentils.

thanks so much @BertieBotts