Slow cooker - what's the first thing I should try?

joedenise

@fly-catchers I always just chuck everything in raw.

Pollycat

I always put everything - meat and veg - in raw.

JIL

I put everything in raw as well. 

Sandtree

fly-catchers said:

May sound a bit silly but when you put meat in (lamb/beef) etc should you fry it first and brown off. Or put it in completely uncooked. Same with potatoes should you boil them in water for about 10 minutes. Or just put them straight in.    

Down to personal preference... would personally sear meet before putting it in but certainly wouldn't par cook veg.


Have to say I am really surprised by most the suggestions here... sure all things you can do in a slow cooker but really they are ideal for those tough cheap flavour full things like shin of beef that after many hours become tender and make for rich gravies from all the now dissolved collagen. 

Have a friend who's normally ridiculous about controlling about what they eat...  they were around a while back did a giant slow cooked beef and ale stew. I kid you not, his wife had to stop him after he went in for 6ths (but still took a doggy bag home). His wife was saying for months after that she's never seen him eat a quarter of that before and can we do another one.

bouicca21

Speaking of tough but flavourful cuts - I have just done ox cheek in mine with some dirt cheap red wine.  Delicious.

Pollycat

Sandtree said:

fly-catchers said:

May sound a bit silly but when you put meat in (lamb/beef) etc should you fry it first and brown off. Or put it in completely uncooked. Same with potatoes should you boil them in water for about 10 minutes. Or just put them straight in.    

Down to personal preference... would personally sear meet before putting it in but certainly wouldn't par cook veg.


Have to say I am really surprised by most the suggestions here... sure all things you can do in a slow cooker but really they are ideal for those tough cheap flavour full things like shin of beef that after many hours become tender and make for rich gravies from all the now dissolved collagen. 

Have a friend who's normally ridiculous about controlling about what they eat...  they were around a while back did a giant slow cooked beef and ale stew. I kid you not, his wife had to stop him after he went in for 6ths (but still took a doggy bag home). His wife was saying for months after that she's never seen him eat a quarter of that before and can we do another one.

They are also great to have a meal ready for when you come home - regardless of what you put in it.

I've been using slow cookers for almost 50 years after my MIL gifted us one.
It was a Prestige Crockpot like this:


It was used for many years until the switch failed.
None of the others I've had since cooked anything like as slow or as well.
I remember cooking a 'boiling fowl' over 45 years ago and when I came to take it out, it was so tender the legs fell off.

I still have the pot and still look for a replacement base.

Sandtree

Pollycat said:
They are also great to have a meal ready for when you come home - regardless of what you put in it.

These days that function can equally be done by an oven with a timer on it plus with many now being "smart" you can adjust the timing if your plans change and so yes you can cook anything in it but, in my opinion, you get the most out of them with dishes that benefit from the low and slow approach rather than those that just can survive it without turning to mush. 

Pollycat

Sandtree said:

Pollycat said:
They are also great to have a meal ready for when you come home - regardless of what you put in it.

These days that function can equally be done by an oven with a timer on it plus with many now being "smart" you can adjust the timing if your plans change and so yes you can cook anything in it but, in my opinion, you get the most out of them with dishes that benefit from the low and slow approach rather than those that just can survive it without turning to mush. 

Not if you don't have an oven with that function. I don't currently (timer doesn't work). And my 30 year old oven isn't smart.
My slow cooker can cook a chicken casserole just as well as my oven can.
The advantage being I can switch it on when I go to the pub and have a very tasty meal when I get home - which is one of the original marketing points. Along with tenderising tough cuts of meat. And using only a lightbulb's power.
The first 2 still apply, I don't know about the 3rd.

 In my opinion, a slow cooker is great for whatever you use it for.

JadedAngel88

Rice pudding in a slow cooker is heavenly. I tend to use whole milk/cream and butter the pot. 

I have also tried it with basmati rice and it was so good.

I am sure you could use dairy free milk and plant based products if that's your thing. I have never tried them but I guess they would be fine. 

Also I remember watching an episode of the pioneer woman and she made a lasagne in a slow cooker, definitely one I'd like to try. 

I also have done Gammon in coke, has to be full fat coke. Was very delicious. I have also heard of this being done with Dr Pepper and Sprite but, again, I haven't tried those.

Edit: missed a word out.

Sandtree

Pollycat said:
Not if you don't have an oven with that function. I don't currently (timer doesn't work). And my 30 year old oven isn't smart.

My slow cooker can cook a chicken casserole just as well as my oven can.
The advantage being I can switch it on when I go to the pub and have a very tasty meal when I get home - which is one of the original marketing points. Along with tenderising tough cuts of meat. And using only a lightbulb's power.
The first 2 still apply, I don't know about the 3rd.

 In my opinion, a slow cooker is great for whatever you use it for.

Either your trips to the pub are massively longer than mine or a standard oven could achieve the same casserole in a few hours.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for slow cooking be that in a slow cooker or some other device, but if someone asks how to showcase the best from a new toy I would point them in the direction of what makes the most of it/that's difficult to achieve in another way rather than the more mundane things that its also reasonable at which you can explore once you've realised its potential. 

Like if you got an exciting new car, you'd probably use it for more than just going to the nearest supermarket on its first ever trip even if the supermarket run is what it'll be used for more in the future.

As to the third point... looking online most the slow cookers are around 180w whereas most lightbulbs these days are 5w so these days its more like 36 lightbulbs but it varies by size