I was given a slow cooker for Christmas, but haven’t used it yet – any advice for a complete novice?
Slow cookers aren’t exactly sexy, but what they lack in aesthetics, they more than make up for in meal prepping and problem-solving. Simply chuck everything in there, turn it on and a few hours later dinner is effortlessly served. No fuss, just delicious meals.
But there are a few basic slow cooker rules that you need to abide by. First, the liquid: unlike the oven or hob, a slow cooker doesn’t lose as much liquid through evaporation, so even if a dish looks as if it’s not saucy enough, trust me, it very probably is, in which case adding a load of extra stock or water will just leave you with soup, which is ideal only if you’re actually making soup. You just have to learn to trust the process.
Meat with a higher fat content (think brisket, chicken thighs, pork shoulder) truly thrives with a long, slow cook, and becomes melt-in-the-mouth tender. Leaner meat, on the other hand, runs the risk of drying out, if you’re not careful, so snap up those cheaper, fattier cuts and save yourself some pennies while you’re about it.
If, like me, your schedule is a bit all over the shop, you need freezer dump bags in your life. Don’t let the name put you off: prep ingredients way in advance, put them in airtight bags/containers, and freeze. Defrost overnight, then dump into the slow cooker in the morning. Easy! They’re especially good for soups, stews and sauces, and for those who don’t want to be chopping meat and veg before heading out to work.
Slow cookers aren’t just for stews and soups, either. I use mine for dauphinoise potatoes, and for taco and sandwich fillings – buffalo chicken with coleslaw slapped in a brioche roll is always a winning lunch (add cream cheese to any leftovers for a moreish dip). Also, desserts – orange chocolate brioche bread-and-butter pudding, anyone? The beauty of this is that it can be mostly prepared directly in the slow cooker; for the ideal texture, grab a tea towel, pull it taut over the bowl, slap the lid on top, and the towel will absorb the steam. After one hour on high, it’s good to go.
Any no-gos? Rice. Risotto and rice pudding are the exceptions to this rule, because you want them to turn starchy, but fluffy, individual grains just won’t happen in a slow cooker. Also avoid fish and seafood, because they can go mushy. Squid and octopus could potentially go into a sauce to tenderise them, but I usually steer clear.
Some SOS tips: if you have overcooked a stew and it’s a bit bland, add a splash of acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to bring the flavours back to life. If it looks a bit watery? Crack open the lid towards the end of cooking and leave to cook on high so some of the excess liquid evaporates (or strain the liquid into a separate saucepan and reduce to your desired consistency). And if your cooked meat is dry or tough, somewhat counterintuitively leaving it to cook for even longer can in some cases push it past dry and into mouthwatering.
The slow cooker may not be the flashiest kitchen gadget, but it’s one of the few that are a blessing all year round. So don’t even think about letting it gather dust once the weather warms up: put some puttanesca sauce on the go and get back in the garden while the slow cooker does all the work for you. Again.
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Poppy O’Toole is the author of The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook, published by Bloomsbury at £20. To order a copy for £18, visit guardianbookshop.com
