Advice please on Slow Cookers

I've made meat based curries and casseroles, vegetarian curries and casseroles, soups, rice puddings etc. I've also used it to keep food warm, such as baked potatoes and veg. I've had one for many years and wouldn't be without now.

My kitchen was ripped out just be ire lockdown do I've spent six months with nothing except a slow cooker and a microwave. ?

You can do anything in a sliw cooker! Pasta, sponge pudding, cauliflower cheese, frittata, risotto. You name it.

I may never use that thousand pound oven they've just put in.

Typos ?

Christmas puddings without all the steam.

(Sorry!).

Definitely get one - there are literally hundreds of super easy and super tasty recipes online now, many without meat. I've had my slow cooker for ten years and wouldn't be without it now x

There are a lot of vegetarian slow cooker recipes you can google. I love my slow cooker. I have found that rice dishes don't tend to come out so well (the rice goes a bit mushy) so I avoid those.

I find that that slow cookers work better with meat than veg, but I do recommend an Instant Pot. They combine a slow cooker with an electric pressure cooker, and are really useful. I do lots of veggie things in mine.

My vegan son loves his slow cooker. He makes chilli and curry a lot.
Depends what sort of dishes you like to cook?
Personally I find my wok with a lid the most useful cooking item, I use that for bolognese, chilli and curry as well as stir fries.

I'm vegan and use the slow cooker a lot. Soups, stews, puddings, fruit compote etc. are all easily done.

Veg has to be cut up smaller than usual as it doesn't soften so much during cooking. Very little water (if any) is needed.

Slow cookers are cheap to buy and economical to run. The food won't dry out or burn if it's left an extra half hour or so. There are loads of recipes online.

What I love about slow cooking is getting most of the food preparation done in the morning, or at lunchtime, then it looks after itself until it's ready, in the evening, when needed.

I love my slow cooker, though I suppose I often use it for meat based recipes.
It is on now, cooking a piece of gammon.
When that is done, I shall put it on overnight with tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic and a few other ingredients to make pasta sauce to freeze.
Also cook Christmas puddings in it.

Do get one. Cheapish to buy, cheap to run, lots of uses.

I hope this isn’t a daft question, but when you use your slow cooker for Christmas puddings, do you sit the pudding basin in some water in the slow cooker, like a Bain Marie, or just put the basin in dry?

The mistake I made was to buy one which was too small. It was sufficient for 1-2 meals. I live on my own, fine but I cook and then freeze so this was not large enough for my needs. The next one I bought was ideal.

janeainsworth yep just put water in about halfway up the pudding basin.
Great way to cook Christmas pudding

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janeainsworth

I hope this isn’t a daft question, but when you use your slow cooker for Christmas puddings, do you sit the pudding basin in some water in the slow cooker, like a Bain Marie, or just put the basin in dry?

Yes, in water. Make sure it doesn't run dry.

Good for cooking them and for reheating when all the rings on the hob may be in use.

Absolutely love my slow cooker, wouldn’t be without ours, love the smell of our dinner wafting round the kitchen

Thank you sark & calli

I always thought that everything had to be covered with water or stock in a slow cooker but I've cooked lamb shank without too much stock and saw that DD put a 'slow roast' in hers with very little water. Of course, juices will run out anyway and add to the liquid.

089fraZZeledApricot
You may find that root vegetables and onions take far longer to cook in a slow cooker than you'd think.

But yes, I would recommend them.

Am thinking of buying a digital one from Lakeland. Has anyone bought one . Do they like it? What size is it. Does not say litre size in brochure

I made the mistake of buying a slow cooker divided 1/3rd and 2/3rds, thinking I could do desert at same time. I have never fancies doing that as the smell of meat would go into the rice pud, or whatever.

I am veggie but I cook OH slow roast beef joint (no water) and it's falling off the bone. I freeze lots of portions with the gravy it makes.

Just a query for people cooking just veggie food, please. I have never tried cooking veggie things. I didn't think it's worth it, as veg cook quickly and easily anyway. Surely they don't benefit from long slow cooking. Even a curry would be fine on the hob instead of hours in slow cooker.

Just a P.S.

Our gammon was yummy, it fell apart, DH said “This is pulled gammon”, and had seconds.

I agree with others, it can be used for so many thing apart from a meat stew. Puddings are excellent, Christmas, steamed sponge, rice pudding.

I’ve not done it myself as I have a yogurt maker but I’m told you can even make yogurt in it on the Keep Warm setting.

When making casseroles, always heat the whole thing in the pan you have browned the meat or veg in. Then tip it in the slow cooker. For very long slow meat dishes, I just leave it on low overnight.

Why do you need to do that, Riverside? I’ve never done that.