SC "rules"

[Marydean]

Ok, just wondering what principles guide your SC methods, esp if you're just making a recipe up, based on what you have handy?

If you double the quantity/recipe, do you adjust the cooking time?

Do veggies go on the bottom, or meat?

What is your guideline for how much liquid to add in any given recipe?

Do you cut your food to a certain size or doesn't it matter?

How do you ensure that the veggie is neither under nor overcooked but hte meat is also perfect?

[missymoo84]

hehe I must be the slackest cooker ever. I chuck the meat in first on high, vegies in 3 hours later and turn to low for another 3-4 hours.
I never add liquid unless the recipe calls for it (curries etc)
If Im going out for the day I just chuck them all in together on low and leave it.

Always comes out perfect

[Tinks]

I just chuck it all in together and mix it up then cook it on high. If I'm going out I'll cook it on auto or low. It always turns out fine.

I just put anything I have handy in there and usually add a little more water than the recipe says becuse my slow cooker is quite big. I find the recipes are made for the smaller ones.

[Muppity]

I'm a chucker too.

The only rule I do have is that the meat is on the bottom.

[Hollo]

good question. alot of the recipes that i see say to brown the meat first and i think whats the point of using the SC when you gotta get out the fry pan etc anyway. its meant to be quick and easy. do you guys bother browning the meat?

[butterfly_warrior]

Chuck and run here, too.

I do sometimes brown the meat (I find for ossu bucco you need to), but most of the time I just don't bother.

I usually chuck in the meat, the vegies, a tin of tomatoes and then stir and pop on the lid. Herbs and spices, obviously. Sometimes I throw in lentils and extra water, but mostly it's just a case of throw in whatever's handy.

I know I'd probably find things taste better if I browned the meat and followed timings a bit more accurately, but what comes out tastes pretty damned good anyway!

BW

[Heaven]

I never brown the meat unless it's something like meatballs so they don't fall apart.

[Marydean]

Do you have stainless steel or crockery pots? Do you reckon it makes a difference?

[butterfly_warrior]

I've only ever had crockery ones... I didn't even know they had stainless inserts. You'd think the heat transfer would be too fast through metal, but I'm only guessing here.

BW

[Marydean]

BW I saw one on the Breville site today with a stainless steel pan designed to go on the stove & in the oven as well, so you can brown meat before cooking on the stove or brown off to finish cooking in the oven - only one pot!! Great idea, wonder how well it would work in reality.

I think mine's a bit behind the game - bought in 1994 - has a plastic lid (I would imagine glass lid is much better for starters) and I also think the element must be primarily at the bottom...isn't it wrapped around the outside for newer cookers?

[Tinks]

Mine's a crockery pot with a glass lid. I have no idea where the element is situated, it's all enclosed.

[Astrid]

I would be reluctant to go for anything different from normal. We got a SC with a divider in it, so you can cook 2 meals at once. Sounds great, but the reality is quite different. We rarely use it, and it gets in the way of cooking some dishes, like silverside or whole chicken.

[butterfly_warrior]

Glass lid here, too. Can't imagine a plastic lid would be all that useful or practical, but at least it wouldn't break if you drop it!

I honestly have no idea where the element is in mine either, it gets damned hot up the sides, but then it is stainless on the outside so it could just be the heat being conducted around.

Having one pan that can go on the stove top and then into the SC would be useful (but I often don't brown the meat more as a time/energy thing rather than a generating washing up thing), but I've got corningware casserole dishes that can go on the stove top as well as in the oven so I don't see why it needs to be metal to do it. I certainly wouldn't suggest anyone go plonking their SC insert on the stovetop - they aren't designed like the corningware!

BW

[missymoo84]

ours is ceramic and glass lid. No idea where the element is, but I know the sides get super hot so I think it goes all the way around.

[LoriRae]

Crockery pot, glass lid, element on the bottom but it was a cheap one.

I find I need to brown off the cheaper, fattier cuts of meat, but the leaner ones i throw straight in.

I have a bad habit of adding extra liquid when I don't really need too, so things come out too liquid

There is a recipe in the SC recipe thread for a gooey choc cake- if you haven't tried it, I'd highly recommend it- it is divine

[littlelara]

I find everything I try comes out quite bland (DP is not one for tomato bases).
Don't know what I'm doing wrong

[danniellabella]

I'm using my slow cooker for the third time for tomorrow night's dinner. My first dinner was made using a recipe base from the supermarket. Cooked it on low for about 10 hours while I was at work and it was gluggy and starting to burn to the bottom of the pot. Also, the recipe said it serves 4 and we hardly had enough for 2 of us and had to quickly make some chips to go with it. The next meal I cooked was corned beef with potato & carrot. I thought it was perfect! Tomorrow will be interesting. I'm using a different recipe base and thought I'd get 2 packets of it and add 2 tins of tomato instead of one. There's lots and lots of veggies - my 6L cooker is almost completely full and I'm probably going to need to add one or 2 cups of water I think.

I've been told that much of slow cooking is trial and error, so if we have something that isn't quite right then we'll try it again with a few adjustments (like adding more liquid - or slightly reducing the amount of liquid if necessary).

[butterfly_warrior]

Well... I've been very lazy (and possibly naughty) and threw the meat in my SC frozen... I'm hoping it turns out ok!

BW