Browning meat (merged)

suzukibabe

I brown mince off if i'm doing a spag bol, but any other meat i just chuck it in.
Haven't cooked a whole chicken in the slow cooker but did do chicken thighs once, meat was lovely and tender but i like the skin on chicken to be crispy.
Ooh, i'm hungry now, got beef stew and dumplings in my slow cooker at mo.

Ellidee

I do whole chicken in the slow cooker but when cooked lift it out onto roasting tin and bung it into oven for about 20mins to brown the skin.

Penelope_Penguin

I've tried it both ways (as when I asked OSers were split in their preference for either method) and I prefer to brown meat first. It gives a better, deeper flavour.

HTH, Penny. x

Pollycat

Hi winniepoo
I've never browned meat before putting it in the slow cooker, and I've been using mine since they first came out over 33 years ago.

Sometimes, I dust the meat with flour before putting it in the pot, this helps to thicken the liquid as it cooks.

Polly

dbelle

I am planning on making a lamb stew for tomorrow nights dinner and I need a few questions answering!

Firstly, is it essential to brown the meat?
And if so is it ok to brown the meat the night before, chop up the veg, and then put the whole lot in with some stock and seasoning in the morning cooking all day? Does the meat keep ok browned and in the fridge?

Thanks!

redmel1621

I'm pretty sure the book that comes with my SC reccommends to do this, as a morning time saver. You just have to add boiling stock/water in the morning, as it would take a long time to heat up otherwise....

Mel x

parsonswife8

It isn't essential to brown the meat first, but it definately improves the flavour of the stew.
I have browned meat the previous evening and just left it in the covered pot overnight and then used it in the slowcooker the next morning.
Unless your kitchen is extremely hot, it should be okay overnight.
If you want to refrigerate the meat after browning it, make sure it is cold before putting it in the fridge.

kandyfloss

Hi there dbelle,whenever I am making a casserole in my slow cooker I always brown the meat first in a dry frying pan so that any excess fat comes out of the meat,which I then throw away.I add seasoning ie salt & pepper to the cooked meat and cook it on a low heat until I am certain that most of the fat has left the meat and there is no redness showing.

I often do mine the night before with the lamb gravy stock made with boiling water.I place the meat,stock and vegetables and usually herbs into the slow cooker ,though if I am adding potatoes I often cut them up quiet small as I have found they tend to stay hard if too large.

I turn the power setting to high for a couple of hours and then before I go to bed I switch to Auto and just let it do it's own thing.In the morning when I get up I usually take the lid off and give it a good stir before replacing the lid.

If I am making dumplings I often add them for the last hour and I turn the heat setting back up to high.I also gently turn the dumplings half way through....Enjoy

dbelle

Thanks everyone!

davetaylor

So, do you brown your meat before cooking in the Slow Cooker? I have a leg of lamb and would normally brown it first, but am wondering if it really makes a difference?

Also, if you do brown, do you do it in a frying pan or under a hot grill?