I'm disappointed with my slow cooker

jez33

I've tried a few recipes in a slow cooker.each time its always tasted like a taste of being left in a vacuum flask after youve had tea with milk in it after a day. i tried pre-frying the onions and garlic but the taste was still there.
i might leave the chicken stock out till the last min next time but i can rule out uncooked meat as i used lastnights leftover chicken.

any one else know which veg or ingredience to leave out?

silverjay

I put the veggies in raw and on the bottom then cover with water and stock cube, then add raw meat tossed in plain flour and cook on low through the night. I was surprised when my first attempt at beef casserole tasted as good as M&S lol

krustylouise

I've never had a problem with my slow cooker, from day 1 it has been very good, no funny tastes etc and everything cooked to perfection. Silly question but the funny taste isn't left of washing up liquid etc?

jez33

silverjay wrote: »

I put the veggies in raw and on the bottom then cover with water and stock cube, then add raw meat tossed in plain flour and cook on low through the night. I was surprised when my first attempt at beef casserole tasted as good as M&S lol

when you say veg which veg do you use ? its not left over washing liquid. im pretty sure its a reaction of either some of the veg or the fat in the meat n stock

silverjay

Any combination of potatoes, carrots, swede, onions, leeks and some mixed herbs. Sometimes of clove a garlic as well.

I usually add black pepper during cooking but leave salt out until the end and use if needed.

I'm quite a newbie to slow cooking but am surprised how often I use it.

lobbyludd

I'm a bit hit and miss with mine, mostly due to my cooking skills i suspect rather than the sc itself. I have never been able to make a tasty meal from scratch completely in the sc. but I use it at least once a week to turn leftovers into something really yummy with low effort: the leftovers from sunday dinner is a prime example, I can get a lovely stew/curry etc from that, but use the gravy (deglazed from the roatsing tin) as the liquor and only ever use the low setting.

jez33

silverjay wrote: »

Any combination of potatoes, carrots, swede, onions, leeks and some mixed herbs. Sometimes of clove a garlic as well.

I usually add black pepper during cooking but leave salt out until the end and use if needed.

I'm quite a newbie to slow cooking but am surprised how often I use it.

do you leave the salt out till the last min because of the flask taste or just because you prefere to salt it to taste last min?

silverjay

Just for taste, sometimes there is enough salt from the stock cubes. I don't tend to use much salt in cooking.

jez33

oh well i spose i need to experiment with different veg combos n see if the vacuum flask tastes stays away!

heretolearn_2

I love my slow cooker meals - they are tasty and not soggy.

I can't seem to get the hang of beef in it though, always goes dry, but everything else is good.

Very little liquid, plenty of seasoning, don't leave for too long = lovely!

I've found that leaving it on all day while I'm at work is too long and gives poor results, so now I stick it on when I go to bed and off when I get up, so it gets about 6-7 hours. It then sits in fridge all day, which I'm sure helps the flavour develop, and I just heat up for dinner.