I have a stupidly large slow cooker - help please

[missorinoco]

For some reason when we bought our slow cooker, DH and I bought a very large one (6.5L, working capacity 4.5L). Goodness knows why.

I'm struggling to adapt recipes. I have the Slow Cooker Made easy book, and cooked a recipe for a standard sized slow cooker (3.5L, W.C. 2.5L), thinking it would half fill my machine, but it's not even filled it a quarter. I used 50% more meat than the recipe said, and added the same amount of liquid again when I looked at it (so it's had double the volume required), but it's only a quater full now.

Supposedly they need to be half full at least. The last time I tried it the meat was all dired out and by the end there was virutally no sauce.

Advice please...

TIA.

I have a 1.5 and 3.5l for the two of us, so I have no experience of cooking less than the capacity (I use the big one for freezer cooking), but I'd guess either cooking on low for the same amount of time, or halving the cooking time.

Either that or do as I do, and freezer cook with it.

With the 3.5L one, do the standard recipes fill it completely, or do they half fill it?

(I wonder if my mistake is that they do the latter, and I thought they did the former.)

I don't use recipes, I just guess, but slow cookers aren't about specifics I find.

If the recipe is for 3.5l though, what I would do is add more of everything, about a third to half more. Hard to tell without seeing the recipe really.

Also not all Slow Cookers are the same. I find my small one cooks faster than I'd call slow, so I cook everything on low, and only on high if I want it not slow cooked if that makes sense?

I only fill mine if I'm making stock or soup. They can't spoil. Otherwise I'd say three quarters is the max.

I also have 6.5 l one, I fill it up and freeze the leftovers in portions, saves cooking and elec on another day.

Enjoy.

you need to cook for less time and possibly on a lower temperature. do you use it on the weekends when you are around to check it?

i find with my monster one that i only need to cook for about half the time the recipe states so i have it on a timer on work days.

Shall have a play.
Thanks.