I'm disappointed with my slow cooker

givememoney

I have bought a Prima slow cooker as recommended by WHICH magazine.

I have had three attempts and cannot get it right.

1. Pork cooked it for 8 hours on Auto (this is HIGH for a few hours then
automatically turns to LOW) - all cooked but drier than I expected.

2. A stew again on AUTO for 8 hours - OK but very bland tasting the gravy
was very runny when I expected it to reduce and be thicker and the veg
was cooked but firmer than I like with a stew.

3. Whole chicken decided on HIGH this time did it for 5.50 hours and it is
over cooked.

Where am I going wrong. I expected succulent meat that is melt in the mouth, am I expecting too much?

bonvonnie

I only have a cheapy Cookworks one, but I find that whenever I put it on high, anything and everything overcooks.

I think cooking for 8hours on low is suffice for anything

pigpen

I have just done a chicken on low for 6 hours and it is perfect.

Stews I only do for 4 hours and put in minimal amounts of water.. you can always add more later on.

If I do pork again it goes in for 5-6 hours MAX. and comes out delish.

I think you are cooking things for too long for a start and starting with too much water in the stews.. I put about a pint in my 6.5L SC for 10 of us.. and a few freezer tubs.

Try reducing the times.. especially on the meat!

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there

When i do a stew... i throw in all the meat n veg... but NO liquid ... it will create its own - you can always top up with stock if you find you need it...i then add the gravy granules toward the end

pork has a habit of going really tender..but if you then continue to cook it - it dries out and becomes fiberous - so perhaps cut down the cooking time.. cut the veg up smaller to compensate if need be

hope that helps

System

i always put dried onions or mushrooms in to take care of the extra moisture.

Mutantk

I always cook EVERYTHING on low for around 8 hours and haven't had anything disappointing yet...I always seal the meat first to give it some colour and to get some of the fat out as this doesn't help with the excess liquid problem. Anything like peppers, mushrooms, onions I then par-cook in the same pan as the meat before adding just to help them on their way as we don't like them to be too hard either. Also, I only ever add boiling liquid as I heard this helps with the veg too (by helping it cook quicker). HTH

givememoney

Thank you all for your advice I will try again cooking less time with less liquid on the low setting and see how I get on.

Bongedone

You should also look at the cornflour thread from a few days ago.

Essex-girl_2

I personally dont like stews made in the slow cooker, I also prefer shepherds pie mince made on the hob. As I am generally home all day I can cook it on the stove and keep an eye on it.

However I do use my slowcooker for joints of meat - today we had beef brisket which was lovely though I did finish it off in the oven. Also I always cook gammon in the slowcooker - wouldnt do it any other way now.

They do seem to vary in temperature, my Mum has two - one cooks at a much hotter temperature than the other.

lbt_2

Essex-girl wrote: »

I personally dont like stews made in the slow cooker, I also prefer shepherds pie mince made on the hob. As I am generally home all day I can cook it on the stove and keep an eye on it.

However I do use my slowcooker for joints of meat - today we had beef brisket which was lovely though I did finish it off in the oven. Also I always cook gammon in the slowcooker - wouldnt do it any other way now.

They do seem to vary in temperature, my Mum has two - one cooks at a much hotter temperature than the other.

Hi Essex girl

Can I ask how you cook your gammon please?

Hi givememoney

Don't give up on it. I have not long had mine either but once you get the hang of it, it's great. I wouldn't be without mine now. Initially I cooked things that I knew how they should turn out so that I could get used to using it. I even cooked some apple for my apple pie, and I would normally cook that on the hob but I just wanted to get an idea of how quickly it cooked.

I like a really thick sauce too. I never brown the meat, but I cook the onions first then add some plain flour, cook for a little bit, then add the stock. This produces a really thick sauce which I pour over the meat and veg, then the extra liquid produced makes it perfect.

I have a MR 6.5l and I don't think I get as much extra liquid as everyone else because it has never affected any of the dishes I have cooked. I do think it cooks faster than some models though - so maybe that's why.

You might find there are some dishes that you just prefer cooked in the oven/on the hob. The slow cooking does really break meat and poultry down. I cooked a whole chicken the other day and when I took it out the legs fell off! I put the bones straight back in with some veggies and put it on over night to make stock - and it is the best stock I have ever made!!!

thriftlady_2

givememoney wrote: »

Where am I going wrong. I expected succulent meat that is melt in the mouth, am I expecting too much?

Slow cookers aren't for everyone, I've never been impressed with mine I made a beef stew in the oven yesterday, cooked at a low temp for 2-3 hours. It was gorgeous, the liquid had concentrated and the flavours intensified. I didn't have to mess about with cornflour to thicken it and the vegetables were so soft they had practically dissolved into the gravy. Yummy.