I'm disappointed with my slow cooker

aimee21j

I bought a slow cooker last week and so far have done 2 meals in it. Spaghetti bolognaise (did the pasta seperately) and a welsh stew/soup called Cowl.

I got some lamb chops but have been informed that cheaper cuts of lamb will do. I rubbed them in plain flour and sealed them in a pan. Add lots of potatoes, carrots, a swede, an onion, a leek, hot water, two veg stock cubes and a veg cup of soup thickened to a paste if you need to thicken it. Serve with lots of crusty bread. It is absolutely delicious.

My mum did chicken chasseur in hers using a packet mix and lots of veg.

Hope that helps.

Skint_Catt

I've got my mum's SC on long term loan (12months+.......) and I agree everything that comes out of it tastes the same!

All the casseroles have been very samey (sausage, chicken, pork, beef......), but I did use it to produce stock (which is currently still in the freezer) from a chicken carcass :j. Can't do chilli/spag bol sauce etc because I use Quorn for these and I was informed they shouldn't be cooked for long periods of time so I do them on the hob. Did a beef curry once and it was ok, but too much liquid, whereas on the hob they're nice and thick.

Pooky

Just a thought to the OP - but if your chicken wasn't cooked after 7 hours and your lentils were still crunchy....maybe it wasn't actually getting up to temperature?

Love mine to bits - it gets used at least twice a week....I do everything from soups and stews to joints and puds....I make a huge batch of pasta sauce and add pasta - the pasta takes on so much flavour it's fab.

But I've never got on with a pressure cooker....as they say, each to their own and as long as you get the results you want then use what you feel comfy with.

newleaf

I do use my slow cooker a lot, but only in winter. I work full time, so I like to do things like Oxtail stew, neck of lamb or braised steak, good and cheap, and ideal for long slow cooking. I use loads of veggies, an oxo or two, and a splash of sherry or red wine always helps the flavour - we usually have a bit left in either a bottle or winebox. It's great to come home after a long day to find tea is almost ready - just thicken the gravy with some cornflour and put some potatoes on to mash and soak up it all up

From what you say in your post though, I suspect you have a faulty slow cooker - a chicken should definitely not need time in the oven after 7 hours of slow cooking :eek:

Edit to add: I have a pressure cooker too, but use it for different things - steamed treacle puddings etc. Yummmm

Surfing_spaniel

I got mine last week. I've made delicious chilli, caribbean chicken, lamb stew & 2 lots of yummy rice pudding, however tonight I made irish stew using a recipe from my Food & Drink book....it was terrible!! No taste in it at all, so I'm going to stick to proper slow cooker recipes now, & ones that have been tried & tested on here

FZwanab

I love my slow cooker and use it for lots of tomato based dishes, eg. chilli, spag bol sauce, chicken in a spicy tomato sauce. However, I have had no luck with it for lentils, carrots, celery or potatoes, so if I need to add these I cook them first and throw them in. I suspect grated versions of those veg would work, but not chopped pieces, unless you like your dishes with very crunchy veg.

buxtonrabbitgreen

I bought one a few months ago and I thought it was rubbish. The stew didn't thicken the rice pudding burnt, and then the handle fell off. So that was a good excuse to take it back. I got a gift card from sainsburys as I didn't have a receipt.
I have a S on my oven which stands for slow. So I can put a stew in there and leave it for 6 hours and it is far superior imo.

maman

thriftlady wrote: »

I do get a bit bothered that people new to Old Style come on this board and go away with the idea that to 'do it right' they must get a slow cooker I know loads of people love their slow-cookers and have success with them but really, they are not essential money-saving tools.

Ive been dithering about getting a slow cooker after reading posts on here. I don't need it to cook while I'm out but I understand they are far more economical than using your oven or hob. I batch cook for the freezer (chilli, bolognese) and make cawl (Welsh stew with shin of beef, simmer for hours on the hob). Might it be worth it economically?

gairlochgal

I couldn't get on with a slow cooker either. Love one pot cooking but I tend to do it in the remoska or else my cast iron le creuset, which sits on the hob all the time and gets used 2-3 times a week. I wonder how much one's own style of cooking matters here? I love cooking and am not much of a planner so maybe I'm better suited to a faster, hotter pot that doesn't mind being opened and having more stuff added all the time.

[Deleted User]

I hate mine too and it has become a dust gatherer. The pressure cooker is much better for taste, speed and costs half in electricity. The pc and remoska are what I use most and my last 2 quarters of total energy costs were each <£96

However I do understand people loving the sc if they are busy working people, although I would be twitchy about leaving an electrical device on all day if I am out of the house