I'm disappointed with my slow cooker

MammaCas

Helloo!

Just to add - I had a cheap slow cooker and hated it. I have just bought a better one that was on offer and I LOVE it! I have done chilli, spag bol (pasta done seperately) and hot pot in it.

Each to their own I suppose.

Now pressure cookers scare me to death....

lol

Penelope_Penguin

Lalaladybird wrote: »

I "cooked" a chicken in it for 7 hours that needed time in the oven to finish it off, I have tried a lentil soup in it overnight that still had crunchy lentils, I tried a pasta bake in it that ended up with mushy pasta and a bolognese sauce that lost all its flavour.

From what you say, the SC isn't being used correctly or is faulty - have you looked again at the manual Is the liquid simmering 7 hours for a chicken should be plenty and you're risking food poisoning having a chicken at a lukewarm temp for that long, even if you do finish it in the oven :eek: If lentils aren't soft after 8 hours, they either were very old, or the water wasn't boiling IMHO, pasta bake should be done in a hot oven - a SC isn't hot enough to "bake"

thriftlady - I know you're not a fan of BMs, but for those of us who spend full days out at work, we can't make bread on those days, so a BM is a good compromise

We have an existing thread on SC problems, so I'll add this thread - you can then browse more suggestions there

Penny. x

MATH

I must admit I was disapointed with mine too! A lot of things tasted bland or the same. Meat on the bone made for a greasy meal and off the bone dried out too much.
My sister is slo-cooker queen tho and tells me it is better to cook with almost no liquid and then add the sauce at the end to heat through using various tins of soup, which is a common thing to do in America aparently. I must admit her slo-cooking tastes better than mine LOL
Now I am working tho I am just not organised enough in the morning to have the evening meal on the go before 8:30 am so my slo-cooker gathers dust LOL.

thriftlady_2

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

thriftlady - I know you're not a fan of BMs, but for those of us who spend full days out at work, we can't make bread on those days, so a BM is a good compromise

I told you not to get me started:D but, I often bake bread at the weekend as well as the week when I'm at home alone -it isn't hard to fit in. The big advantage of oven baked bread is that you can bake 3 or 4 loaves at the same time. I freeze the extras meaning I only have 2 baking sessions a week.

It takes me about 10 mins to mix and knead a batch of dough whether it is for 1 loaf or 4. 2 hours to rise, another 5 mins to knock back, shape and put in tins, 30-40mins to prove and 40 mins to bake -about 3 and a half hours from start to finish.

Yes, of course I do see the advantage of breadmakers and I know people like to programme them so that there is hot, fresh bread in the morning. I realise that if you work all week you don't necessarily want to be tied to the kitchen for 3 hours in order to make bread at the weekend.

Churchmouse

thriftlady wrote: »

I told you not to get me started:D but, I often bake bread at the weekend as well as the week when I'm at home alone -it isn't hard to fit in. The big advantage of oven baked bread is that you can bake 3 or 4 loaves at the same time. I freeze the extras meaning I only have 2 baking sessions a week.

It takes me about 10 mins to mix and knead a batch of dough whether it is for 1 loaf or 4. 2 hours to rise, another 5 mins to knock back, shape and put in tins, 30-40mins to prove and 40 mins to bake -about 3 and a half hours from start to finish.

Yes, of course I do see the advantage of breadmakers and I know people like to programme them so that there is hot, fresh bread in the morning. I realise that if you work all week you don't necessarily want to be tied to the kitchen for 3 hours in order to make bread at the weekend.

And there's another problem:p What if you don't have space to freeze extra loaves? If you have a tiny amount of freezer space, bread is not an economical thing to take up such precious space. So all that time and running a hot oven for one loaf is way too expensive:eek: :eek: Added to which I have admitted (finally!!!) that I hate the taste of previously frozen bread. I like my loaves with a lovely crisp crust ( very similar to french bread). You just never get that from a frozen loaf. I've stopped even keeping half an emergency loaf in there, if needs be I'll go to my local baker who bakes exquisite, but very pricey bread.

I like my SC for certain things. Skirt of beef (when I can get it:rolleyes: ) always makes a delicious thick gravy. I never have too much liquid, and my family certainly think everything tastes different and not the same And at under10p ( think it was 7p or 8p when I costed it recently) it is much, much cheaper than even the lowest setting of the oven. And with limited freezer space it really isn't always possible to fill the oven and freeze the rest:rotfl: I do lift the lid loads, can't leave anything alone that long:o and always allow for the fact the veggies will put juices into the casserole. I also seal or sweat everything, including all the veggies before putting them in, just like I would have with a conventional casserole. Maybe this makes a difference

I suppose it's horses for courses. Neither way is superior to the other, just different, and we all have our own preferences:D I just wish that to be OS it wasn't always assumed you have copious amounts of freezer space, pantry space for storing preserves and pickles, and garages and other outbuildings to store huge amounts of vegetables or other bulk-buy stores. If I had a pound for every suggestion to " cook loads and freeze all the rest" I'd be so rich I wouldn't need to watch the pennies at all:rotfl:

thriftlady_2

Churchmouse wrote: »

I suppose it's horses for courses. Neither way is superior to the other, just different, and we all have our own preferences:D I just wish that to be OS it wasn't always assumed you have copious amounts of freezer space, pantry space for storing preserves and pickles, and garages and other outbuildings to store huge amounts of vegetables or other bulk-buy stores. If I had a pound for every suggestion to " cook loads and freeze all the rest" I'd be so rich I wouldn't need to watch the pennies at all:rotfl:

Fair point Churchmouse;) But I have to say, and indeed did say to OH today as I was stashing my pumpkin in the freezer, that in my opinion a freezer is the best money-saving tool you can have. However no one thing is essential and as you say horses for courses and I do apologise for assuming everyone has ample freezer space like what I do:o

Don't agree with you about frozen bread though, but then we favour a fairly solid wholemeal loaf. Elizabeth David recommended freezing bread as the best way to store a surplus in her book English Bread and Yeast Cookery so there:p

HariboJunkie

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!

Microfibre cloths at dawn ladies. :rotfl:

With regards to the SC, I brown everything off in a pan first and coat all meat in flour to thicken the gravy. I always use less liquid than recommended and even veggies on the top will cook well if I don't lift the lid.

Because my arms are jiggerred I use the BM for dough and bake in the oven. Because my freezer space is limited and I can't fit another one in, I am unable to freeze more than half aloaf at a time.

thriftlady_2

HariboJunkie wrote: »

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!

Microfibre cloths at dawn ladies. :rotfl:

.

:rotfl: :rotfl:

moanymoany

I love the SC for cooking beans. I soak them, boil for 10 mins and slow cook.

I also use it for making chutney - the few hours when it lets the ingredients really mellow - but then finish off in a pan to thicken.

I like chicken casserole in it and Lancashire Hotpot and soup. Bone based stocks are good.

I like it when I can put the food in and it's ready when I get back home.

I don't cook beef or joints in it.

Churchmouse

HariboJunkie wrote: »

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!

Microfibre cloths at dawn ladies. :rotfl:

.

I will not fight Haribo:p We're much too civilised for that:D And I'm not a great fan of microfibre cloths either, so there:p (am I to be drummed off the boards for that bit of heresy) As for dawn, you know I don't do mornings:rotfl:

Thriftlady, I know most people are quite happy with previously frozen bread, just I've finally admitted I don't like it:o If truth be told I don't like frozen vegetables much either, with the exception of peas, sweetcorn, soya beans and broadbeans. I suppose I also think that the cost in space of freezing is more suited to higher value goods like meat, but that's very influenced by not having much. My mother on the other hand, used to maintain a freezer full of bread and veggies, but hardly any meat, because she insisted it was much nicer straight from the butcher's slab. She was definitely a horse for a different course to me;)

edited to add, if I had the space I'd have a much bigger freezer, thriftlady:D Along with a much bigger fridge. I'd love to be able to freeze more soups, casseroles etc. I would definitely say a fridge and freezer are essential equipment in the kitchen. Can't imagine how my grandmothers managed without either:o