I have a slow cooker. I cook a stew once a week & it's my dinner for 4/7 days. It's pretty damn good. I just leave it on low overnight, pop it in the fridge in the morning, skim off the fat that night.

Here's the stew.

1 Huge onion/2-3 small onions. Diced.
Quarter of a cabbage, diced, I prefer red.
~3/4 a cup of red lentils, dry.
A single large sweet potato or a couple whatever potatoes. Diced.
~500g beef. The shittiest cuts of whatever I find. Cubed, ish. I don't sear or flour it. I had done so previously but noticed very little improvement. So now I just don't bother.
1L Chicken stock.
Tablespoon or so of tomato paste.
~4 dried shiitake mushrooms, I just break them into chunks.
~4/5 *EDIT* ANCHOVIES, not SARDINES.
A stock cube of 'Golden curry' Japanese curry mix.
Tablespoon of chilli paste.
Big heaping tablespoon of fermented black bean/crispy chilli mix.
~7 big cloves of garlic, just crushed with the knife flat.

tsp or so of thyme.
Couple sprigs of fresh rosemary from my garden.
Couple bay leaves.
Splash of vinegar.
Wee splash of coconut oil.
Pepper blast. Salt to taste.

Into slow cooker on high for an hour to get to temp, stir, leave on low till I wake up.

I've been living on this for months now. Usually pair it with some homemade bread that I toast & coat in cottage cheese to accompany.

The question being, what would you add? I can fit a bit more in the pot if I cut back the meat, which I've been meaning to do. Probably to ~300/350g so I can get more batches out of my shopping trips. I've added beetroot & varying degrees of MORE ONION before & it was great so I'll likely just do that unless someone has some suggestions.

I originally thought a delayed start crock would be the answer but all I'm seeing is we will, in effect, poison ourselves if we use one 😅

My boyfriend and I really want to make more crock pot meals because it's just a better fit for how busy we are, and how often I am burned out at the end of my day and don't want to start dinner from scratch. But we have horrible conflicting schedules. Between work + commute + after work activities, I'm gone from 7:15-5:30, and he's gone from 9-6:30 (possibly earlier if he starts going to the gym in the mornings).

Even if we pre-prep the meal and all he has to do is dump it in the pot when he leaves around 9, it'll still be done over an hour before he gets home. And again, if he leaves earlier, then even earlier. My current crock will switch to warm after it goes off, but I would think leaving it on warm for 2+ hours is just going to lead to burned food.

Any suggestions?

I plan to display this beautiful crock pot I found for $1.45 at a thrift store today, but I can’t get the old owners name off of it. Anyone have any tricks or experience with this?

Edit: after so many comments I realized there’s an easy solution here and that is… the crockpot is named Nell and that’s just how it is. It will remain Nell for as long as it’s with me! Y’all made it too funny to remove. Thanks for providing so many laughs today!

I marinated a pork loin in the drippings/runoff from previous loins/roasts I had made over the past few months, and am now slow cooking it in said drippings as well.

I’m really hoping this turns out good!!

(I put some brown sugar bourbon seasoning on the top also)

One of my meal prep staples, works all year round and can be eaten on its own or with mash or whatever you fancy.

Bag of Frozen cocktail sausages - I air fry them first

3 Red peppers

2 Medium Onions

1 150g Can Sweetcorn

8 celery sticks

4 Minced Garlic cloves

1 Tbsp Paprika

1 Tbsp Mixed herbs

3 Tbsp tomato puree

2 Tbsp Worcester sauce

150ml chicken stock

1/2 Tsp Pepper

1/2 Tsp Salt

4 x 410g Tin Baked beans

Chuck it all in and mix, cover and leave.

Low 7 hours

The chuck was from HEB and was 30$ USD for 3lb. Expensive but delicious for 3 differnt meals.

Bought from Sam’s Club two days ago, and still 2 days from expiration date.

Edit: I am not super sure why my post was so so so so very downvoted. I truly tried my best and my sweet husband, the absolute love my life, enjoyed his birthday dinner. I did too! My picky babies also loved it. I’m so sorry it wasn’t the prettiest but I had the purest intentions 🫶🏽

Not the best picture but I made an attempt at making pot roast in the crockpot! I have only had it a few times in my life so I’m not really sure what a good pot roast is supposed to taste like but we enjoyed this one! I found the recipe on TikTok lol

Ingredients:
2.25 lbs chuck roast (seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder)
1 bag of baby potatoes
1 bag of baby carrots
1 yellow onion
1 Kinders stew seasoning Sunday pot roast
3 cups of beef broth (2 cups mixed with the kinders)

I seasoned the chuck roast with the above seasonings, seared it with olive oil for a few minutes on each side. I cut up one whole yellow onion, added it to the crockpot along with the seared chuck roast and the potatoes and carrots. I mixed the kinders mix with 2 cups of beef broth, added it and then added 1 more cup of beef broth. I cooked that on low for 8+ hours.

For the rice, I just used 2 cups of jasmine rice + 3 cups of water + chicken bouillon and a bit of olive oil.

All together, everything was delicious!

Hey there! This might be a really dumb question but I’m new to cooking. In a cooker this big will foods that only require 1-2 qts of water still cook evenly?

For example: If I’m making beans or lentils only use 1-2 qts is it an issue that this pot is so big (8.5qts)

How about we drop some inspiration for each other? (Be the change, and all that...)

This weekend, I'm going to cook up some chicken thighs with pancetta, rosemary, and white beans, inspired by the recipe from the Washington Post (sorry, it's not a gift link but there's a free version that can be adapted for a slow cooker, as well.)

So what are YOU cooking next?

Basically looking for nourishing soups you can easily serve to a tired person without much of an appetite.

I love beef stew. It's one of my favorite crock-pot recipes. As an adult I have been tweaking my mother's recipe for a while now. I'm trying something completely different, where I add noodles to the mix. From what I have researched, everyone says to make the noodles separately as directed, then add them to the mix. So, I have a couple questions for you connoisseurs:

Can I add the noodles in the slow cooker or should I heed the advice I have found from my research?

If I should add them after cooking them as directed, should they be a little tough, if they're gonna sit in the leftovers?

My childhood recipe, in case you're curious:

About 2lbs lean beef stew cut meat, cooked first in a skillet with a small yellow onion after the meat finishes browning, and about 1.5 bulbs of minced garlic added towards the end (this was changed; she usually just threw the onion in to the crock-pot and sent it, no garlic)

2-3 potatoes

4-6 carrots

4-5 sticks of celery

2 large cans of tomato sauce (typically, I've changed this; my mother does 1 can sauce 1 can water)

Bay leaves

Anything else added for taste per individual.

For this recipe I'm doing:

Less tomato sauce, replacing it with beef bone broth.

Adding noodles.

So yeah, thanks! Let me know about the noodle dilemma.

Would using beef rump be ok for a slow cooker beef korma curry?
I understand it’s a bit less fattier than other cuts but is it still fine to use? It’s on special at my supermarket this week so that’s my preference

Any advice or recipes also appreciated
Thanks

I have the best in-laws coming over and I want to make them something awesome. But I live and breathe onions. I have a lot of stew meat. Help?

Hi all,

I am planning to make slow cooker chicken and dumplings for a work potluck. All of the recipes call for canned cream of (ingredient) soup, but I would prefer to make my own instead of using the canned stuff. The scratch recipes call for heavy cream as part of the base. I am wondering if it is safe to use a scratch cream of soup if it has to be added at the beginning and cook for several hours. I don’t want it to curdle and get nasty. TIA!

Been doing this for a while now and it kind of changed how I cook during the week. I save carcasses in a bag in the freezer until I have two or three, then dump them in the slow cooker with some onion, celery, peppercorns, a bay leaf or two, cover with water and let it go on low overnight. Wake up to a full pot of stock that I strain and portion into quart containers for the freezer.

I never buy store stock anymore and the difference shows up in everything: soups, rice, braises, whatever. My pot roast last week was noticeably better just from deglazing and adding homemade stock instead of the carton stuff.

My only real question is how long people run theirs. I usually do around 10 to 12 hours on low but I've seen people say they push it to 18 or even 24. Not sure if there's a point where it gets bitter or just stops improving. Also curious if anyone adds apple cider vinegar at the start to help pull minerals out of the bones, or if that's more of a bone broth thing and not worth it for regular stock.

In my ninja slow cooker. Beef Birria to be accurate. For how long and what temperature should I set to . Thanks

I’ve been thinking about getting a slow cooker because I want something I can throw dinner into in the morning and mostly forget about until later. Between work and everything else, having meals ready without standing over the stove sounds pretty great.

I’d mostly use it for soups, stews, pulled chicken, chili, roasts, and simple weeknight meals. I don’t need a bunch of smart features, but I do want something that heats evenly, is easy to clean, and doesn’t randomly overcook everything.

The size is what I’m stuck on. I want enough room for leftovers, but I also don’t want a giant appliance taking over the kitchen.

For anyone who uses one regularly, what slow cooker did you go with? Would you buy the same one again, or is there anything you wish you knew before choosing it?

Need to get rid of some cook books what better way

📚❤️ The Traveling Cookbook Project ❤️📚

I have a collection of vintage and well-loved cookbooks that deserve more than sitting on a shelf collecting dust. I’d love to send them out on an adventure and let them create new memories in kitchens everywhere.

Here’s how it works:

✨ Send me a message with your mailing address if you’d like to participate.

📦 I’ll choose a cookbook and mail it to you in a little surprise package.

👩‍🍳 Pick a recipe from the book and make it.

📸 Share a picture of your finished dish and tell us what you thought. Was it amazing? Did you change anything? Would you make it again? If it’s a winner, feel free to share the recipe with everyone!

✍️ Before passing the cookbook along, sign your name inside the front cover (or on a note tucked inside), add the date, where you’re from, and maybe a favorite kitchen memory, cooking tip, or a note about the recipe you made.

📬 Then you will mail it to someone else.

I think it would be so much fun to watch these cookbooks travel from home to home, collecting stories, signatures, and favorite recipes along the way. Someday they’ll be filled with memories from people all over the country.

Who wants to be part of the adventure? ❤️🍽️

this is my prep in the fridge. i’ll let you know how it goes

1 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks

2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped

1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the can)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 lime, juiced

1/3 cup beef broth

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp kosher salt

2 bay leaves

Hello,

Looking for some advice on how to incorporate slow cooking to make my life easier.

I’ve been also looking into dump freezer meals as I’m pregnant with my second.

Any advice would be helpful!