Slow Cooker Recipe Ideas

[ach5]

OK, so I know this is a bit of a "mumsnet" post, so please forgive me!

I am really not a cook, but am learning and really enjoying it - I can do all sorts of soups now, can manage a simple roast chicken dinner and have mastered chili-con-carne but that's about it!

I bought a slow cooker, and wondered if anyone had any favourite simple but hearty recipes? Also, I try to be fairly healthy so I am keen on simple, fresh ingredients and nothing processed. Also want to try and avoid adding sugar / fat wherever possible, but I am not completely averse to using, say, sausages for example but wouldnt want to add cream / sugar / lard / whatever.

I have looked on google, but I am looking for personal recommendations and any TZUK clever tips and tricks.

Please assume I know nothing! (I havent even unpacked the slow cooker since I bought it a month ago!)

I have heard that sausage casserole is easy, so I bought some sausages and a Schwartz powder packet thing, but where to start?!



Thanks!

[ach5]

PS this is my slow cooker - it's just a basic Aldi one, but all my other Aldi kitchen gadgets are very good quality

[Tomw2000]

I've decide this is my 'winter social/dinner party' signature dish:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/m...urguignon.html

You don't need a slow cooker per se. Just a large casserole dish. And allow time to prep the ingredients - that go in at different points.

~4hrs, gentle cooking in total and then I let it cool down and reheat before serving. Served with baby potatoes and maybe carrots.

YUMMY :)

[Vanguard]

This is one of the best slow cook Stews I've ever made, it was incredible, in fact I'll be making this again soon as Winter is firmly here. You can easily adapt the recipe and add whatever you like too.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/b...2Uirby7V0Oo.97

[alexaff]

This is one of the best slow cook Stews I've ever made, it was incredible, in fact I'll be making this again soon as Winter is firmly here. You can easily adapt the recipe and add whatever you like too.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/b...2Uirby7V0Oo.97

Yep. I've made that a few times and can confirm its delicious!

[MakeColdplayHistory]

... then I let it cool down and reheat before serving.

I don't know why that works but it does.

[gamingdave]

I have never cooked this in a slow cooker (I don't own one), but assume it would work great, as I cook this in a large pot over a low heat. I normally make this in big batches so divide as necessary to fit.

2Kg diced beef
3 large onions
500g carrots
500g parsnips (optional)
2 or 3 bottles of beer (sometimes more)
Flour
Salt and Pepper
Butter

Dice the onions, carrots, and parsnips, and cook slowly in butter in a large pan till translucent, but not brown.
Put a large amount of flour in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
Muddle the beef in the flour, and make sure it's well coated.
Heat a frying pan to a medium high heat and melt some butter.
Fry the beef in batches until the outside is nice and dark and transfer to the pot.
Add more butter, and fry the next batch of beef until it's all done and in the pot.
Pour beer into the pan and scrape to get all the burnt bits, then into the pot until the other ingredients are all covered.
Bring the heat up until it bubbles once, stir, then turn down very low, cover, and wait. The longer the better. Give it a good stir to get any stuck bits off the bottom every 30 mins (probably not an issue in a slow cooker).

You can experiment with the recipe, but that is always the base.

Dark or rich beer works well, Guinness original works well, Guinness Extra even better. I had great success with Duval as well. I would avoid anything hoppy though.

I normally make this on a Saturday afternoon, cook for about 6 hours, let it cool overnight, then heat for a further 2 or 3 hours before serving for Sunday lunch. Dumplings go in 30 mins before the end, and best served with crisp jacket spuds.

Whether or not you feel that is fairly healthy is up to you. You could use oil instead of butter, and I suppose you could substitute the beer for beef stock, but I wouldn't.

[catch21]

I don't bother with recipes too much, just veg - as much variety as you can muster - couple of cans of tomatoes, some stock, seasoning, maybe some smoky paprika and you're good to go.

[Deckard81]

I'll ask the wife tonight about her slow cooked brisket. Not sure how she does it but the end result is amazing. She tells me briskets are perfect for slow cookers.

[Dazzler]

Are the two recipes above casserole dishes not slow cooker? Not used one for a while but a slow cooker cooks at a lower temperature than the casserole. The one big problem I has with my slow cooker was that it did not really boil off the water and concentrate the flavours like a casserole does. So I never really found it very useful which is probably more my problem than the cooker.

[ach5]

That looks great, and as a new cook I must admit Jamie's recipes have been consistently easy to follow and turned out great when I have tried them. Thanks!

[stooo]

Beef Stew, easy. But fry the beef in flour and OXO first to get good gravy. Lots of onions, swede, carrot.

I love sausage and(baked) bean casserole.

Chicken - use thighs, breast just does not cook right in a slow cooker IMO.

Overall - use lots of seasoning / flavour - slow cookers need it for some reason.

[ach5]

I love sausage and(baked) bean casserole.

Well sausage is going to be my first recipe, so does anyone have any specifics?

Do you literally just add a tin of baked beans?

Found this via google - feel free to add amendments / suggestions!


1. Set the slow cooker to HIGH

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the sausages and quickly brown on all sides, then transfer to the slow cooker

3. Add the onions to the frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown - stir in the flour and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Make sure you scrape all the flour from the bottom of the pan

4. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the stock - bring to the boil, stirring continuously, until thickened

5. Stir in the chutney (?), Worcestershire sauce and pepper

6. Transfer to the slow cooker

7. Turn the slow cooker down to LOW, put the lid on and cook on LOW for 5-8 hours

[stooo]

Well sausage is going to be my first recipe, so does anyone have any specifics?

Do you literally just add a tin of baked beans?

Found this via google - feel free to add amendments / suggestions!


1. Set the slow cooker to HIGH

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the sausages and quickly brown on all sides, then transfer to the slow cooker

3. Add the onions to the frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown - stir in the flour and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Make sure you scrape all the flour from the bottom of the pan

4. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the stock - bring to the boil, stirring continuously, until thickened

5. Stir in the chutney (?), Worcestershire sauce and pepper

6. Transfer to the slow cooker

7. Turn the slow cooker down to LOW, put the lid on and cook on LOW for 5-8 hours

Er, I think I brown the sausages and onions. Waz them in the slow cooker with the beans and a sachet of sausage and bean mix powder stuff.

Though in effect browning the sausages is a bit of a waste as the skins just dissolve anyway.

It has me trumping like crazy for days.

[PickleB]

Are the two recipes above casserole dishes not slow cooker? Not used one for a while but a slow cooker cooks at a lower temperature than the casserole. The one big problem I has with my slow cooker was that it did not really boil off the water and concentrate the flavours like a casserole does. So I never really found it very useful which is probably more my problem than the cooker.

According to Mumsnet, it shouldn't make any difference (link)...perhaps you could cut down on the water/liquid when using your slow cooker? And the slow cooker is meant to be cheaper (link):

"...the slow cooker comes out as the cheaper appliance to use, as well as being a useful way to cook if you have a busy schedule. Although it requires - as you say - more faffing in the mornings, it does make your stew tastier than if it was cooked in the oven, and saves you a few pence."

[PipPip]

I just keep it simple with slow cooker. Yesterday I did slow cooked lamb stew. The recipe was:

Lamb chunks
2 onions
4 cloves of garlic
Handful of rosemary
Diced carrots
Chopped up kale
1 beef stock cube
Pint of water
Salt and pepper

Cooked for 10 hours on low, served witha fee new potatoes. Healthy and tasty.

[pitbull666]

Beef brisket
A pulled pork powder mix following instruction but still add
Pinch of brown sugar
Couple table spoons of Tom sauce
Cook for as long as possible 8 hours plus

Pull beef apart and serve on lightly toasted brioche buns

[ach5]

Brilliant, thanks for all the help so far!

[Alansmithee]

Takes 3 hours - serves 4

300g easy coook basmati rice
2 TBSP korma curry paste (I perfer jalfrezi myself)
2 eggs
600 ml/1 pint veg or fish stock
100 g frozen peas
140 g smoked mackerel
3 tbsp low-fat creme fraiche
handful of coriander leaves

Instructions

1) Heat the slow cooker

2) Rinse the rice and tip into slow cooker, Add curry paste

3) Snuggle in unshelled eggs and cover for 2 hours

4) Finish out egg and stir in peas, fish and creme fraiche and cook for another 30 minutes

5) fork through rice, serve with egg quarters

[willie_gunn]

I cooked venison goulash the other day, using smoked sweet paprika. After initially browning the meat in a casserole dish I then stuck it in the bottom oven of the Aga for a few hours.

Succulent doesn't describe the result, but then venison is a meat that generally takes well to slow cooking.

https://www.highlandgame.com/recipes/venison-goulash-2

Someone also pointed me towards this recipe for neck of venison, which apparently cooks wonderfully well in the slow cooker. Neck of venison is not a popular cut, so it is cheaper than cubed stew meat, haunch or (naturally) fillet. I'll report back once I've given it a try....

https://www.foxvalleyfoodie.com/beer...-venison-neck/

[Crazytrain]

Our slow cooker gets used for about three things but still fairly regularly and they're all dead easy.
1. Pulled pork - cheap pork joint with anything you fancy to pep it up lobed in too. I generally go for garlic and caramelised onion chutney. 8 hours or so on low - fantastic.
2. Whole chicken - again just lob a little seasoning in with it, baste occasionally and good luck getting it out without it collapsing after 8 hours.
3. Campfire stew (don't know why it's called that - it's a slimming world recipe my wife found) - big Gammon joint, chopped onions, garlic, chili and peppers plus two tin of baked beans and some paprika (I often add dried lentils and kidney beans too) - after 8 or so hours the gammon just falls apart and can be stirred into the rest making a very thick hearty mess!

[yumma]

Jamie Olivers 14 hour Rabbit bolognaise is flipping tasty, healthy and thrifty.

[zanderpants]

Can you just put meat directly/on its own into a slow cooker or does it need liquid?

[justin44]

Can you just put meat directly/on its own into a slow cooker or does it need liquid?

Same question, but with a pulled pork theme. Anyone put a shoulder joint of pork in for pulled pork?

[Crazytrain]

We put meat in on it's own all the time. The juices from the meat start to sweat out quite soon in the process so it always seems to work very well. This may be why our slow cooker dish has a few hairline cracks in it though so maybe a small amount of stock isn't a bad thing...

[MST]

A couple of weeks back Mrs. MST cooked a lovely Slimming World pulled pork recipe, the recipe is as follows:

1.5-2 kg Pork Shoulder - All visible fat removed
5 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 heaped tsp of mustard powder
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
500g Passata
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp sweetener
Salt and pepper

Remove all fat from the pork and place in the slow cooker (controversial I know but it is a SW recipe after all!)

Combine all other ingrediants in a jug or bowl, and mix well

Pour the sauce over the pork, and cook covered on a low heat for approximately 6 hours

Using a knife and fork, shred the pork roughly*

Next time I want to incorporate some Diet Coke into it, perhaps substituting some, if not all, of the passata with it.

Enjoy!

[yumma]

Always brown sausages and onions first, then add your beans, personally I'd add a handful or two of lentils and a tin of chick peas or other beans, tinned tomatoes, slug of port, tea spoon of mustard, whatever takes your fancy.

Personally I don't use a slow cooker but stick stuff in the oven on low all day, Pork belly slow roasted or beef brisket over vegetables are my favourites.

[MakeColdplayHistory]

Has anyone mentioned ox cheeks yet?
No? Good.
They're great in the slow cooker and dead cheap. As long as there's just me buying them they'll stay that way.

[Mooty]

I don't use a slow cooker, but cook slowly a lot :)
It seems like simple advice, but you said assume you know nothing so here goes:
Whatever you're cooking, make sure you avoid lean meats. Things like chicken breast, fillet steak etc are great for quick frying, but get murdered when you slow cook. Look for a nice marbling of fat running through the meat, even tough looking sinew becomes juicy and gelatinous when you cook it for long enough, so aim for those cuts.

A chunk of beef shin with some red wine becomes one of the most succulent dishes if you cook it for long enough.

[number2]

The beauty of the search function,i didn't need to start a new thread.

Just like the OP in his original post I've just bought a slow cooker, any more recipes are welcome.

[alexaff]

The beauty of the search function,i didn't need to start a new thread.

Just like the OP in his original post I've just bought a slow cooker, any more recipes are welcome.

If you like a curry, try this mate ;)

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2...ed-beef-madras

[woodacre1983]

Loved this thread and just got a new slow cooker! Anyone got any new recipes?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sweepinghand]

the best thing about slow cookers is there's no real right and wrong

Chop up a load of veg, throw in your left overs, maybe some sauce of some kind - switch it on and boom - its so cheap to cook and eat his way - and you end up buying a lot less

[relaxer7]

Buy yourself a big joint of beef (1.5 – 2kg), put it in the slow cooker on low for 10 hours and crack plenty of black pepper over it. After about 8 or 9 nine hours it will just fall apart with a bit of help from a fork. Pour the juices into a jug and make a pint or two of gravy then pour it back over the ‘pulled’ beef and mix it up. let it bubble away for the last hour or so and serve with steamed veg or / and Yorkshire puds. Left overs make and awesome sarnie but go with ciabatta or French baguette so the soggy factor doesn’t catch you out. This works equally as well with Pork / lamb leg or shoulder.

[badger1]

This is a favourite in our house

https://delishably.com/meat-dishes/H...ed-Ham-in-Coke

Don't use diet coke though!

[Matt London]

Short ribs on their own or with some onions and red wine.

Skinless chicken with your choice of seasoning sprinkled on. My favourite is Dunn’s River Jamaican Jerk seasoning.

Brisket with a little bit of beef stock or barbecue seasoning.

I have a slow cooker with a delay timer which makes it even more convenient!

[bootneck]

Buy yourself a big joint of beef (1.5 – 2kg), put it in the slow cooker on low for 10 hours and crack plenty of black pepper over it. After about 8 or 9 nine hours it will just fall apart with a bit of help from a fork. Pour the juices into a jug and make a pint or two of gravy then pour it back over the ‘pulled’ beef and mix it up. let it bubble away for the last hour or so and serve with steamed veg or / and Yorkshire puds. Left overs make and awesome sarnie but go with ciabatta or French baguette so the soggy factor doesn’t catch you out. This works equally as well with Pork / lamb leg or shoulder.

That sounds amazing must try it.

Last Black Friday the Mrs bought an instant pot which seems to be a mix between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker she loves it and I must admit some of the food she’s made with it has been amazing especially the meat which just seems to fall apart. I haven’t used it myself yet but I’m assured it’s as simple as a slow cooker only faster if you want it to be

[robt]

Last Black Friday the Mrs bought an instant pot which seems to be a mix between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker she loves it and I must admit some of the food she’s made with it has been amazing especially the meat which just seems to fall apart. I haven’t used it myself yet but I’m assured it’s as simple as a slow cooker only faster if you want it to be

Started following this thread as I also have an Instant Pot. The pressure cooker and the slow cooker are two different modes, it doesn't have some way to do both at once although you can easily switch from say pressure cooking to then slow cooking without removing the lid, but I'm not aware of any recipe calling for that.

The main difference between an IP and any other slow cooker or casserole is that it has exceptionally low vapour leakage, so whatever liquid you put in at the start will not boil off (and may significantly increase in volume depending on what else you put in there). I find this tends to make a lot of traditional slow cooker recipes come out with far too much liquid, especially if it's a stew that includes the exact amount of thickener for the expected amount of liquid. In some cases you can adjust the recipe by adding less liquid, but sometimes that results in not enough liquid for the cooking process itself. So while the IP is great, that aspect can be annoying. I've had quite a few things come out badly, although usually that only happens when my plans change and I increase the cooking time. While very long slow cooking at low temperature can work well, it's also certainly possible to over-cook things.

I've tried making bolognese in the IP a couple of times, which is something I am generally pretty good at making on a traditional cooker, since it was the first thing I learned to cook. I make my own variation based on the Accademia Italiana della Cucina recipe and Delia Smith's recipe (which is the best I've found, even if it's not quite the "classic" version). I normally leave it to reduce overnight in the oven, which gives amazing results. Trying to do the same thing in the IP just doesn't work because it doesn't reduce and it tends to end up gritty (overcooked).

All that said, someone mentioned the holy grail notion of just chucking a bunch of leftovers in the slow cooker in the morning and coming home to a decent meal in the evening with minimal prep. That certainly is possible with the IP. Once you get to know the approximate ratios that work, you can certainly get away with this. I've done it successfully a few times. Other attempts have gone badly, usually when I've tried to use a meat that wasn't robust enough for all-day cooking. It's worth keeping notes about what works and what doesn't, experimenting when you don't mind it going a bit wrong and otherwise sticking to something you know is going to work. Just don't complicate things by trying to add ingredients with different cooking times that otherwise need to be added at the end. You can also save time by not browning meats: it most cases the only difference it makes is cosmetic.

There are quite a lot of dedicated IP recipes out there so it's definitely best to start with those rather than trying to adjust others until you get used to it.

[Maysie]

Just a simple 'tip' rather than a recipe and my apologies if this is teaching Granny to suck eggs...

Cheaper cuts of meat tend to work much better in the slow cookers as they suit the longer/slower cooking. The harder working cuts are generally the tastier cuts of meat too, so it is a win (cost) win (flavour).

Osso Bucco is amazing (I do mine with rose veal shin - if you can find it).
Ox Tail is also meltingly gorgeous when cooked long and slow.
Shoulder of mutton madras.
Beef/pigs cheeks.

Save yourselves some cash and pack in some flavour!

[woodacre1983]

Just a simple 'tip' rather than a recipe and my apologies if this is teaching Granny to suck eggs...

Cheaper cuts of meat tend to work much better in the slow cookers as they suit the longer/slower cooking. The harder working cuts are generally the tastier cuts of meat too, so it is a win (cost) win (flavour).

Osso Bucco is amazing (I do mine with rose veal shin - if you can find it).
Ox Tail is also meltingly gorgeous when cooked long and slow.
Shoulder of mutton madras.
Beef/pigs cheeks.

Save yourselves some cash and pack in some flavour!

Thanks for that. I’ve always gone for things like stewing steak for the stews etc. May look into huge cheaper cuts. I like the idea of ox tail. What others you recommend?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[woodacre1983]

So first attempts of the winter. In our small slow cooker we have my wife’s tea.
Chilli
500g mince
Mushrooms
Onions
Grated carrot
Couple of tins of tomato’s
Herbs and spices

In the bigger family slow cooker
1kg stewing steak
2 bottles of Guinness
Carrots
potatoes
Brown sauce
Herbs and spices

Both off going on low and will be on for 9+ hours! Can’t wait!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BEZELBOY]

Great for cooking jacket potato's, 4-5hrs.
They come out lovely and soft, you can always crisp up the skins in a high oven temp later if required.

Andy

[MakeColdplayHistory]

I came across this thread again this morning and saw a recipe I'd added with a kilo of beef and a can of cola and thought I'd do that again.
But then I opened the fridge and there was a butternut squash and a chorizo that both needed eating up so I've done something loosely based on this: https://www.wholekitchensink.com/cho...ealthy-dinner/
It will cook for 6 hours now and then be reheated tomorrow to be served with some chunky bread.

[mijyou]

Wife reckons these books are her go to books

Slow Cooking: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/00072882..._ungZDb2HDZYFM

More Slow Cooker Recipes https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/00073255..._0pgZDbX79D7FV

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

[MakeColdplayHistory]

Wife reckons these books are her go to books
Slow Cooking: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/00072882..._ungZDb2HDZYFM
More Slow Cooker Recipes https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/00073255..._0pgZDbX79D7FV

Thanks - I picked up the first one from Amazon for pennies and have cooked a couple of the recipes (Thai green chicken curry and Kleftiko) both of which worked well.

[ryanb741]

One recipe I use when on the keto diet (low carb) is a simple eastern European style pork and sauerkraut stew. Take 500g diced shoulder of pork, brown in a bit of oil over high heat. MUST brown the meat as it adds flavour. Then add a drained 600g jar of sauerkraut (rinsed) plus around 500ml pork stock (or veg stock is fine). Add 2 whole large red chillies and a few bay leaves. Add around 2 heaped teaspoons of unsmoked, unsweetened paprika (I find the Spanish stuff is best for quality). Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (ideally towards end of cooking).

Simmer for around 2 hours until most of stock has evaporated (if it looks dried out before then add a bit of water). When pork is tender remove bay leaves and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, some wholegrain mustard on the side and some more paprika sprinkled on top. Recipe is so simple you think no way is half a kilo of sauerkraut making anything taste nice but it is lovely.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk