slow cooker recipes

The first slow cooker I had from a reputable company appeared to cook far too fast. So I took it back and got a replacement. Same thing.

I would have thought a slow cooker just did the occasional burble but this one really bubbles. I am reluctant to take it back yet again in case it's just me (the eternal cry!). I know they are cheap, but isn't that the point?

Any advice, please!

I gave my slow cooker to the Heart charity that takes electrical items. It either bubbled too quickly, or cooked so slowly you had to put it on in the wee small hours. And then the food didn't have a really cooked flavour. It was a Crockpot. Stoneware inner.

I use my slow cooker all the time, for soup and stews. I bought a big one years ago but found it too large for the two of us. My sister gave me her small slowcooker and it is great for a couple. My daughter and family are with us while they look for a new house and I have found it quicker to start lentil soup on the stove then transfer it to simmer away until required. My daughter like lots of carrot in her soup and I find it sticks if left on the stove as well. I have done chicken broth the same way and it comes out thick and creamy.

i've had a slow cooker for years and use it very often for those wintery stews.

i don't brown the meat first but it always turns out ok.

sometimes i use a "packet mix" and sometimes a tin of sauce - coq au vin is lovely in the slow cooker, as is beef in red wine sauce [love the packet mixes]. my grandaughters love my sausage casserole - again a packet mix - and you can add anything you like to the pot - usually frozen carrots and peas although sometimes barley goes in.

once in the cooker you just wait - if you have to go out you don't have to worry if it'll get burnt [i've done that in the oven!!] and, when you come home, there's a wonderful smell of cooking and you've got the satisfaction of not having to spend hours in the kitchen getting a meal.

there are lovely books on amazon and i've also found a page on facebook for "crockpot cooking recipes", signed up for information and get recipes sent to my email inbox almost daily. although the site is american it's easy to translate everything and a crockpot is exactly the same as a slow cooker!

Mine is a Swan, and about 25 years old now. For me, it's the best way to cook meat - always tender and succulent. I can get a small turkey crown in. Comes out so much better than when done in the oven. Pot is earthenware, and though slightly discoloured now, is fairly non stick. I bought a cheap one some time ago, to have as an extra when catering for a larger number, but it had a hole in the glass lid. I felt that defeated the purpose. Will definitely replace mine when necessary.

I use my slow cooker probably once a week, in fact I have two slow cookers, one large one and a small one of my mother's, which is good for doing single portions.

I tend to use them for chicken or beef casseroles, I brown the meat first and add things like peppers, garlic and onions, chilli pesto cos "some like it hot " I've been using those Knorr stockpot jelly like thingies, I like the Mexican one. Sometimes I just add tinned tomatoes instead. Sweet potatoes cook very well with the meat and don't need to be par boiled first. I have also made soup in my slow cooker, I find it very useful, particularly when we were having our kitchen fitted and were without our proper cooker for a while.

Red cabbage. Use any recipe you want (I use Delia's), but the slow cooking really brings out the flavour of the spices. Chop up the ingredients, cook it all for about four hours and it's done. It freezes wonderfully too.

I have a Lakeland slow cooker it was half price marvellous , I did spare ribs In a barbecue sauce really really good. for loads of recipes I go to Pinterest google it they have everything on there ideas for cooking sewing gardening you can save things you want on boards. I'm going to try there cakes and bread could be interesting lol

And by cakes and bread I mean slow cooker cakes and bread

Thankyou LynnMThomas! My daughter would just shake her head or laugh outright when I complained that my new slow cooker cooked too fast! I had one from the 70s which got broken sadly - now it was SLOW. The replacement Cookworks - from Argos) is FAST!! 6-8 hours in the original one is actually 4 hours in the new one. Bizarre! But I am getting used to it and echo all the others comments - they are brilliant, especially that smell on a cold winter's evening.........

One of the best sites for recipes I have found is www.allrecipes.co.uk.
Everything you could possibly want, tried and tested by subscribers.
The nice thing is you can save recipes and add your own for others to try, and it's updated all the time.

I agree that browning meat is a good idea. However, sometimes I am in a hurry, using up leftovers or just feeling lazy. Yesterday I did an extremely idle coq au vin in the slow cooker. I threw a bag of frozen chicken pieces in the pot and added some bacon which had the rinds snipped off with scissors and then was snipped again into pieces. I wiped a bag of mushrooms and threw them in adding a mug of red wine. Eight hours later the result was delicious. The preparation truly took under five minutes.

I LOVE my slow cooker and use it quite often. New Years Eve I always make my mulled wine in it - the Warm setting is perfect for this. Yesterday I made pea and ham soup with the ham stock from our New Years Day ham. Delicious!

I certainly wouldn't recommend using frozen meat or poultry in a slow cooker without first defrosting it thoroughly!
Slow cookers don’t reliably get frozen meat up to a safe temperature (above 140°F) evenly enough or quickly enough. Your meat/poultry is likely to spend too much time hovering in the danger zone (from 40°F – 140°F) which gives bacteria the chance to flourish.
I'm aware that some people have cooked meat from frozen and lived to tell the tale, but every time they do it they're chancing their luck!

I'm going to use mine to make a steak and ale stew with dumplings for Monday lunch for the Great Gary and his wife, my cleaner, Kate on monday!
I've never tried dumplings in it before?
Can someone tell me why I'm cooking lunch for Gardner and cleaner every Monday as well as paying them? ( they're eating in my paid time. I must be stark raving bonkers)
Ps. Don't reply to that last remark!

Curries, either from scratch or using a jar of sauce. Always delicious.

I have not actualy looked to see if they sell a slow cook with a timer on.,,but what I have done in the past (as mine did seem to cook pretty fast) is I plug it in a timer if I was going out. set to either come on later whilst we were out or to switch off at set time.

I always defrost meat and vegetables first for the reasons mentioned by Juggernaut. I also brown chicken as well as meat and it looks as well as tastes better.

Has anybody tried doing dumplings in a slow cooker stew?

As long as any liquid is heated before being added to a slow cooker I think you can't go wrong.
Love it.

Galen Add the dumplings about 30 minutes before you intend to serve your stew. Stir the contents of the cooker, put the dumplings on top, cover and cook on high.

Galen I make stew just for dumplings! you can keep the stew jut give me the dumps! yumyyyyyy(ate 16 at one time) love em...I use either the Goldenfry dumpling mix or Tescos own, its very light n fluffy.

The stew and dumplings have been a great success. It's the first time I've made dumplings since before my husband died and that was in 2003. I'd forgotten how easy and delicious they are.

Glad to see I haven't lost my touch. My Gran made super dumplings but my mother's always disappeared into the stew!