Slow Cooker disaster! Need help!

daithiocondun

I took the plunge and bought a slow cooker last week as so many of my friends have said how great they are.

So today I tried it out for the first time. I was told that meat and veg can all go in at the same time and be left to cook away for hours.

So I put in a loin of pork and added half a bag of mixed veg. Now, this was actually a fajita veg mix which consisted of sliced onion, peppers etc. I then added some water, put it on the low setting and went off for work.

I came home 7 hours later expecting to find a beautiful meal waiting for me, but DISASTER!

The veg had all gone black and caused the water (which I had intended to make gravy with) to go black and rancid. The smell was vile and the meat was destroyed as a result. The meat was cooked perfectly, I must add, but it was tainted from the burnt onions and peppers and I had to chuck the lot in the bin!

What did I do wrong? Can I only cook certain veg in a slow cooker, or do they have to be a certain size? HELP SO I DON'T EN UP THROWING ANOTHER DINNER IN THE BIN.

Thanks,
D

Misty Moon

Was that frozen veg? I've only ever used fresh. Since frozen only need a couple of minutes cooking I wonder if that had anything to do with it? I haven't gotten to the stage where I just throw stuff into mine yet - I (loosely) follow recipes. I did buy one cookbook and read some of the basics stuff at the start of that when I first got it. Tips like to put onions at the bottom if you're using onions as they actually take really long to cook, not to add salt to the liquid if you're cooking beans and that kind of thing.

Did you wash it before using it? That's the only other thing that occurs to me - some kind of factory residue or something.

Hopefully some other more experienced slow cooker people will be along to help you out. Your post reminds me of the first time I used my Romertopf a few months ago. Was expecting such great things and it all just sort of tasted off. Still haven't convinced myself to give it a go again. Don't give up on the slow cooker though - they really are brilliant. Try pulled pork next time, it's the bee's knees!

OldBean

Did you have enough stock in there? I'm usually not happy unless the majority of the solids are in contact with liquid. Did you have it on high? It can still burn - I'd use low for dishes around 8 hours, give or take, and high for dishes needing 2 -3 hours tops.

daithiocondun

Hi guys.

They were fresh, not frozen. More onions and peppers than anything else. It ended up a smelly mess. I had it on low for about 7 hours. I threw the veg in on top of the meat and I put about an inch of water at the bottom, but the liquid had increased at the end because the meat juices etc.

I'm still baffled, it's actually turned me off the slow cooker, which I don't want to happen!

Dolbert

I'd hazard a guess that there wasn't enough liquid in there - it all becomes a soggy mush and just sort of 'steams'. The only successful 'one pot' meals I've made in a slow cooker have been stew/curry-type dishes.

Pistachios & cream

Yes as dolbert says not enough liquid. i also find peppers don't work well in the slowcooker as they have too much water in them. Even stirfrying them for a bit long makes them mushy.

Whattype is your slowcooker? Some are hotter then others. Maybe google the name of the brand and model to see if there are any reviews.

Misty Moon

Any of the times I've cooked meat in mine the recipe has called for the veg to go in on top of the meat. So far I've found that liquid covering the veg and an inch or so up a piece of meat gives me the best results. It braises the meat nicely. Almost fully submerged, I found the meat came out a bit tougher.

Kovu

Did you wash it thoroughly before using it? Could there have been residue from being made left on it if it you hadn't washed it?

I have a 6.5lt one from Aldi (Possibly Lidl, I forget) and have never had an issue with it. Has yours a steam hole in the lid?

stevenmu

I've found if you're doing veg it either has to be completely submerged in a lot of liquid like with a stew or soup or something, or throw it in 30/40 minutes from the end. Generally it also should be in biggish chunks, not finely diced/sliced.

daithiocondun

There was a couple of inches of water. Maybe I should have them fully submerged as suggested. And I guess they were a little small (sliced) and not chunks, so 7 hours was probably too long.

No, I washed it with soapy water fully before I used it, so I don't think that would be the issue.

Does anyone have a good recipe for Irish beef stew for a slow cooker?

Dizzyblonde

daithiocondun wrote: »

Does anyone have a good recipe for Irish beef stew for a slow cooker?

You'll find some great recipes in this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055468379

The first post contains a handy list of links to recipes within the thread:)