Slow Cooker,do U Put Water In?!!

[pinkcowprint]

Silly question,but ive bought a slow cooker and all the recipes dont say to cover with liquid..i have always covered whatever i do with stock or some form of liquid..theres a recipe for roast chicken but just says to line with foil then put in?

[yogasun]

Only cooked stews, casseroles, etc in mine but always add stock, etc.
Not sure about cooking other things.

[EDDIE51]

No need for water with a chicken , it produces its own juice as it cooks. Same for most meats. Veg needs water or stock but only a little not covered in it . I never add water or stock to any meat on slow cooking they produce plenty of juice as they cook. Some very dry fat free meat may need a bit of liquid added.

[humbersloop]

no need to line with foil or put water in

sit the chicken on five walnut size balls of scrunched up foil and cook on low for 6-8 hours

[Tilly2]

If you do put any liquid in, make sure it's hot. Don't put cold water in.

[pinkcowprint]

Well i never knew that!!i have always preboiled up roast beef etc to seal before putting in s.cooker do i not need to do this either?
So i can just season a chicken n chuck it in?this is brilliant news!!thanks!! Lol...

[humbersloop]

nope, no need to preboil or brown meat either - some people do it because they feel it gives the meat colour, I don't think it matters

for the chicken dish I gave you above, you can rub it with a light coat of oil and add a dusting of paprika, stuff the cavity with a halved lemon and a bunch of fresh herbs

[wendilla]

I do all my meat as above replies. When I do pork I take the fat off near the end of cooking time and put it in with the roasting potatoes to crisp up.

[EDDIE51]

Never preboil meat it does nothing that the slow cooker does not do.
Red meat can be 'sealed' by searing it on all sides in a very hot pan before cooking , just a few seconds on all sides. This is supposed to seal in the flavor and make it taste better. For chicken you can just bung it in and turn on, that is all I do and it works fine. Same for other poultry as well .

[rockyracoon]

I did a whole chicken in mine for the first time last week, I just plonked it in and cooked it on low all day, it was fantastic. The only draw back was no crispy skin, but I'm sure my waist was delighted.

[EDDIE51]

Yes I don't season a chicken just bung it it as it is. You can make a sauce to serve with it if you like. When its cooked I use the juices to make the gravy , you have to strain the fat off first.

[humbersloop]

I've never understood why someone with a healthy "life's too short, bung it in and we can still have great food" attitude invents a really helpful bit of kitchen gear and then people set about reinventing a load of labour to go with it

beats me

[Old_Geezer]

No crispy skin ?!? Arrhhhhhh ! Epic fail.

As someone who does not own one, I'm surprised one ought not put cold water in. I always assumed the whole point was to sling in the cold water and veg and meat and whatever, switch it on in the morning, and come back to a tasty meal in the evening.

[Tilly2]

I did a chicken in my slow cooker last week. I just seasoned it and placed it on top of a couple of halved lemons. I then went out for a couple of hours and when I came back the legs of the chicken had 'risen' in the pot and the lid was no longer sitting on the top. I had to break the ends of the legs off and put it back in.
Next time, I'll use a smaller chicken!

[humbersloop]

exactly, og, imo there's no need to boil a kettle either

or put the lemon inside the chook tilly? ;)

[Tilly2]

Yes, sloopy I'll do that next time. I like your tip about putting it on balls of screwed up foil. That's a good one.

[rockyracoon]

I'm interested in this foil ball business, what exactly do they do?

[Tilly2]

I imagine they stop the chicken sticking to the bottom, rocky.

[humbersloop]

I think it's meant to act as a rack to keep the meat out of the liquid and fat and circulate the cooking steam rocky, - it certainly seems to hold it shape better

[pinkcowprint]

So i could whizz in chicken legs and alsorts and could trandfer to hot oven after to crisp up? this is amazing thankyou for all your advice!! brought a whole new meaning to my slow cooker now!

[pastafreak]

When I do chicken thighs in the slow cooker,I take the cooked skin off - let cool - then fry in a dry frying pan. Turn once or twice.Dust with a bit of seasoned salt,and it's the crispiest skin ever! Like chicken 'crackling'...mmm. ;-))