Slow cooker traumas!

[paulawest]

Please can anyone help. I'm a pretty good cook but have little knowledge of slow cookers! I'm having a 70's party on saturday and want to cook a huge quantity of chilli in one large slow cooker and rice in another....everyone I speak to says you can't cook rice in one...but to me its simply adding the right quantity or rice and water....has anyone tried this? Also doing chilli for 35 people in several pots is going to be a pain I have a large SC but don't know if I can put the raw ingredients in and just turn it on, or whether I need to brown the mince onions and garlic first then add everything else....any advice would be great!!

[BBWCHATT]

Paula - I would brown it first and then add it to the slow cooker.

I have never made rice in a slow cooker - I would probably make it the way I always do and then keep it warm in the slow cooker.

[Im a BusyBee]

I never brown anything before putting it in and its always fine. Just chuck it all in and forget about it. As for the rice, although i have used my slow cooker for many years for ALL my meat (probably 4 -5 days of every week), i have never cooked rice in it, as BB says i would cook it in the normal way and keep it warm in the slow cooker. Or do you have a hostess trolley? i find mine invaluable when entertaining.