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

joedenise

JadedAngel88 said:

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.

I don't agree that it has to be full fat coke!  I've done is with Diet Coke and it works well, although have to say better with chicken than gammon!  I like gammon cooked with diet Tango!

springchicken

Ive got a beef paprika simmering away in mine. Diced beef, minced garlic, onion, mushrooms, beef stock cubes, worcester sauce, tin tomatoes, chilli flakes, 2 tbsps paprika and red and green peppers. We like to serve on rice with a dollop of sour cream. Love my slow cooker!

kimwp

During my brief foray into slow cooking, I didn't fry off the meat and though it was fully cooked, it was a disconcerting bright pink. Cabbage soup, though tasty, was very crunchy. The stock was nice though. I ended up deciding that I could get the same result with a stovetop pan and it would be fewer gadgets in the kitchen, particularly where the recipe required pre-cooking.

If you are aiming to save money and time, I'd be looking to recipes where low slow cooking is required to turn cheap ingredients into yummy meals with minimum prep. So the cheaper tougher cuts of meat, cooking dried beans (albeit this usually requires some pre-boiling) etc.

newlywed

I always brown off sausages… they look a bit strange if not browned.

I don’t brown anything else, and use it for mince quite a lot.

as for using an oven instead… heating an entire oven even on slow cook level  must cost way more than just heating one little pot! It’s also better in summer as the oven heats up the whole kitchen

Sandtree

newlywed said:

as for using an oven instead… heating an entire oven even on slow cook level  must cost way more than just heating one little pot! It’s also better in summer as the oven heats up the whole kitchen

Whilst certainly heating it up would be much more given its size you'd imagine the insulation of an oven is much greater... no idea if that's sufficient to offset the initial heating. We have a half steam combi oven that can be set at 30C up... must admit we don't have it because we think its more energy efficient but simply don't have space for every gadget we could want so have gone for multi-functional devices like this.

The Mrs has a large (for a non-production potter) kiln for pottery firing that can go up to 1,700C or such but it only takes the same power as two kettles which is less than our hob but the walls are 5" thick at their thinest of insulating bricks and so even after running at full wack for 24hours the outside is barely warm to the touch. Insulation makes a massive difference to the cost of heating

Pollycat

It really doesn't matter what you use your slow cooker for or why you use it as long as you are happy with the results and get benefit from it.

One poster cooks mushy peas and rice pudding in it for themselves.
No tough cuts of meat there.
But I don't see anything wrong with that.
They are clearly happy with the results.

It doesn't matter if you brown your meat or put it in raw - as long as you are happy with the finished dish.

Sky_

I love my slowcookers. I have 2: a 3.5l crockpot one and a sear and cook 6l one which are both used regularly.  I also have a ninja multicooker thing with a slow cook function, though I rarely use it for that.

For me the main benefit is being able to cook from scratch without having to stand over the hob, stir pots and so on.  I have chronic fatigue, so I especially appreciate being able to enjoy a healthy meal without having to stand over a stove for an hour or so to prepare it.
 

monnagran

The slow cooker also makes the yummiest lemon curd, without having to stand over it stirring.

Sky_

Our current favourites are chicken curry made with dessicated coconut instead of pricey coconut milk, beef and carrot casserole with seasoning and a wine stock pot and chick pea and apricot tagine.  We also enjoy sausages or chicken thighs cooked in chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and seasoning and various cheap joints. 

I never add water to joints or whole chickens because I find that slow cooked joints/chicken generate enough liquid and that adding water takes flavour out of the meat.  That probably depends upon different slow cookers and what people's personal taste/preference is though.

Good luck OP, I hope you enjoy your first slow cooked meal, whatever you choose.

-taff

monnagran said:

The slow cooker also makes the yummiest lemon curd, without having to stand over it stirring.

recipe please?

And yeah, what Wraithlady said....we're all just in it for it's usefullness, however it's used..