Slow cooker experts this way please...

[LovelyDear]

Help me, if you will.

I have a brand new £10 Argos slow cooker. It came with a flimsy list of recipes and instructions which mainly say everything must be boiling before it goes in the cooker. This flies in the face of the the ease-of-use aspect of slow cooking that I had been tempted by. Is it right? Does it depend on the make of cooker? I can't see myself cooking up a roast before school/work...

Anyway, today I have bought a bargain rack of ribs that were due to expire and googled a slow cook recipe for BBQ ribs. They are now plopping away in their sauce where they will remain until 6pm. Thing is, some of the ribs are slightly sticking out of the sauce. Am I allowed to rearrange them half way through, or will this cause poisoning and calamities? And while we're here, what would you serve with them? Jackets i suppose....

Thank you helpers.

please don't make me ask my SIL...she will be smug for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and...(repeat for 5 minutes).. ever.

Boil everything??? Naah, just pop in your meat or veggies or whatever, add stock or sauce or what have you, pop on lid and leave.

Although not advised to take lid off while coooking, it won't kill anyone if you push the sticky out ribs under the sauce. If I'm around I tend to take the lid off and have a sniff and no one died yet

Oh, and unless it's for flavour, the meat etc doesn't have to be covered by liquid to cook, as it sort of steams it anyway IYSWIM

Agree with eyeballs. This is what I do to.

i just chuck in everything too.

Why thank you. I really hope i haven't bought a naff one...

my first slow cooker was an argos one. Its not a bad one.

Well mine was a tenner from Tesco so if yours is naff, so is mine and mine isn't!