How to Use a Slow Cooker: Morphy Richards’ Top Tips

Slow cookers are convenient and easy-to-use appliances - which perhaps explains why they’re flying off the shelves here at Morphy Richards HQ. But, whether you’re a seasoned slow cooker pro, or a newbie to slow cookers, there are some top tips that can help you get the most out of your slow cooker. Let’s take a look…

Slice, dice and repeat!

Picture the scene; you’ve sat down after a long day at work. The commute home was a nightmare, only made bearable by the prospect of tucking into a delicious stew that’s been bubbling away in your slow cooker all day. 

Mmmmm. Delicious. Except, when you take your first bite into a spoonful of potato and beef, the potato is all hard and lumpy. Euck!

Sure, over a long enough timeline, a slow cooker will reduce even the hardiest of root vegetables into a palatable softness. But, if you really want to make sure your veggies cook properly, make sure you slice and dice them into smaller pieces. 

Why is this? 

It’s due to the composition of most root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and turnips. 

Most root vegetables are predominantly made up of starch (a type of carbohydrate). They also consist of a large percentage of water. 

This means they can take quite a while to fully cook. Therefore, they greatly benefit from being cut into smaller pieces which will heat through quicker within your slow cooker. This is especially true if you’re just going to be cooking food in your slow cooker for a few hours (as opposed to an entire day). 

Tip - cut any root vegetables going into your slow cooker into smaller pieces. This will allow them to cook better. 

Prepare, prepare, prepare

One of the best ways to use a slow cooker is to leave it on the ‘low’ setting all day, so that when you get in from work, you’ve got a meal ready to eat instantly. 

The thing is, when do you find time to actually prep the ingredients? We all know that getting to work in the morning can be hectic enough as it is. 

The secret is to a) use recipes that require minimal preparation, and b) use pre-prepared ingredients as much as possible. 

What does this look like in practice? 

In terms of recipes that require minimal preparation, you’ll find loads on the Morphy Richards blog. We have a dedicated slow cooker recipes section. 

With some recipes - particularly soups and stews - you really can just chuck all the ingredients in at once, cover over with water, and turn on the slow cooker.

Some ingredients require a little more prep (e.g. cooking onions before adding them in, or browning meats) - but even that can generally be accomplished relatively quickly. 

In terms of the second point - you can substantially reduce the amount of preparation by using ready chopped vegetables and meats. With all the ingredients already sliced and diced, you really can have a slow cooker recipe prepared in minutes. 

Many UK supermarkets now also sell recipe-specific chopped vegetables and meats e.g. ‘casserole vegetables’, and ‘vegetable soup mix’ etc.

Tip - use simple recipes and pre-chopped ingredients to reduce meal preparation time as much as possible.

Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Oval 3.5L Slow Cooker

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Prepare the night before

Whether you want to prepare a slightly more complex slow cooker meal, or you’d rather just not have the hassle of getting dinner ready first thing in the morning - you can prepare your ingredients the evening before. 

We’d recommend getting your ingredients ready and then placing them in the cooking pot of the slow cooker. Why? Because if you have something like a Morphy Richards Slow Cooker, the cooking pot is removable. 

This means you can get everything ready, remove the cooking pot, cover it over, and place it in your fridge overnight. 

The next morning, all you need to do is take the pot out of the fridge, allow it to warm up to room temperature (which will take around 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the pot), and then place it in the slow cooker. Turn the cooker on to its low setting, and you’ll have a delicious meal by the end of the day.

Tip - prepare your ingredients the night before for an even more convenient cooking process the next day.

Want extra flavour? Then brown the meat first

Most slow cookers are perfectly capable of fully cooking meat from raw - however, if you really want to bring out the maximum flavour from your meat, we recommend browning it first. 

Why? 

Because of something called the Maillaird Reaction. 

When meat such as beef is cooked at temperatures of between 140ºC to 165ºC, the amino acids and sugars within the meat begin to react together and isomerise to eventually produce a number of different volatile organic compounds. These compounds can include furans, pyrazines, thiophenes. This, in short, is the Maillaird Reaction.

It’s these compounds that contribute to the flavour, aroma and rich brown colours associated with many cooked meats. 

Even better? If you buy a Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow Cooker then you can actually brown meat in the cooker before you add the rest of the ingredients. It couldn’t be easier! 

Tip - for maximum flavour, brown your meats before adding them to your slow cooker. 

Scale back on the water

No matter what recipe you’re cooking, the odds are you’ll need less water than you think.

In fact for many newbies, the first thing they’ll be asking themselves after running their slow cooker for several hours is “why is there so much water in my slow cooker?”. 

The answer is surprisingly simple. 

In contrast to cooking food in pans on a hob, slow cookers are enclosed environments, where the tight-fitting lid prevents most of the steam from escaping. Instead, evaporated water ends up being circulated back into the cooking pot. This is why slow cooked foods tend to taste incredibly ‘juicy’ and tender. 

There are a few other reasons why you don’t really need to add much water to slow cooker recipes: 

• Lower cooking temperatures - thanks to the lower temperatures that slow cookers operate with, rapid evaporation hardly ever occurs. This means foods are able to stew in their own juices for long periods of time.
  
  

• Water content of food - most foods contain considerable amounts of water in their own right. Think about tomatoes and meats like beef. Given a long period of cooking in a slow cooker, these foods will leach their water out into the cooking pot. 

As a general rule, if you are working from a standard recipe that calls for the addition of water, you’ll need to reduce the amount of water you add to your slow cooker by about 40-50%. We do stress that this is very much an estimate - exactly how much you should scale the water back by depends on exactly what you’re cooking. 

Tip - slow cookers generally need less water adding than you think. Although, it’s very much a case of trial and error!

Morphy Richards Sear & Stew 6.5L Hinged Lid Slow Cooker

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Keep the flour handy

We’ve all done it. You’ve perfectly measured out the ratio of ingredients to water/stock. You’ve set it all up and started your slow cooker off, heating away. 

And then, after several hours you come back only to find that your dinner is still swimming in water/stock. 

What can you do? 

Well, luckily, there are two tricks you can use to thicken up your meal before you serve it. 

Firstly, during the prep stage, you can roll and coat the meat in a small amount of flour. This will ensure that the liquid in the slow cooker thickens during the cooking process. If you prefer a gluten free option, then you can substitute flour for cornflour at this stage.

Secondly, if you get towards the end of the cooking time and your meal is looking a bit too watery, then you can add a small amount of cornflower. If you’re going to do this, though, ensure that you mix the cornflower with a little water first to create a paste. You can then slowly mix this paste into the meal. If you just chuck cornflower in without doing this, you’ll find that your dinner has clumps of cornflower in it…

Tip - you can always thicken up your slow cooked meal by adding flour at the start, or adding cornflower at the end. 

Try not to lift the lid

We know, we know. The temptation to have a peek of your food whilst it’s cooking away can be irresistible - especially when you’re feeling hungry. 

But, did you know that every time you lift the lid of your slow cooker, you extend the cooking time (sometimes by as much as 15 minutes)? 

This is because you’re disturbing the cooking process whereby evaporated water is recirculated back into the food. 

Yes, sometimes it’s unavoidable - particularly if you have to add some additional ingredients/spices towards the end - but try and keep that lid lifting to a minimum!

Tip - try not to lift the lid of your slow cooker. Doing so can extend the cooking time.

Adjust your cooking times

Are you cooking a meal in your slow cooker that you would normally cook on the stove? Then you’ll need to revise your cooking times. 

For example, if you’re cooking something like chilli con carne that would normally take between half an hour to an hour on a stove, then you’ll need to cook it in your slow cooker for approximately two to three hours on high, or five to seven hours on the low setting. 

The table below sets out common stove top cooking times and their equivalent slow cooker times. 

Tip - remember, cooking food in a slow cooker is different from cooking it in an oven or on a hob. So, adjust your cooking times accordingly. Please refer to the instruction manual of your slow cooker for more information.

Position the ingredients intelligently

One of our favourite slow cooker tips involves the way in which you position the ingredients. 

What exactly do we mean by that? 

Well, you’ll recall earlier in this article that we recommended cutting root vegetables as finely as possible. This is because they can be the ingredients that take the longest to cook. 

Our second tip, then, is to ‘layer’ your ingredients by how long they take to cook. So, place root vegetables at the bottom (as they’ll be closest to the heat source), then place any meats on top of the vegetables, and end by placing the ingredients that cook the quickest at the top (e.g. any cruciferous veg like cabbage).

In this way, your slow cooker can work its magic, and you’ll end up with all ingredients being cooked consistently. 

Tip - put the ingredients that take the longest to cook at the bottom of your slow cooker, closest to the heat source.

Morphy Richards Stainless Steel 3.5L Slow Cooker

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Add all the ingredients at the start (if possible)

If possible, you should add all the ingredients for your slow cooker recipe at the very start (or, if that’s not possible, add the majority of your ingredients at the start). 

Why? 

Because, that’s how you’ll get the tastiest meals - with all the ingredients able to interact and stew together throughout the cooking process. There’s also the point above that if you keep adding ingredients throughout and thus lifting the lid, you’ll extend the cooking time. 

Plus, if you are able to add all the ingredients at once, at the start, this will leave you with time to get on with other things whilst your slow cooker bubbles away in the kitchen. 

Tip - for best results, choose recipes where you add all the ingredients at the start in one go. 

Add delicate ingredients towards the end

Yes, we’ve just said you should always try and add the ingredients in one go at the start. 

But, there is an important caveat to this that we just had to tell you about. 

There are some ingredients that you should only add towards the end of the cooking time. 

Examples include cream, and certain pastas etc. If you add these types of ingredients too early they can end up curdling and/or disintegrating. 

This also goes for fresh herbs like basil and parsley. Add them too early, and they won’t be able to properly add their flavour to the dish, becoming dissipated. We’d recommend adding any aromatics or herbs as a garnish at the very end as you plate up your food. 

Tip - certain, more delicate ingredients, are better added towards the end of the cooking period. 

Trim the fat!

Because of the way in which slow cookers cook food, fat doesn’t drain away. Instead, it’ll separate from the meat and simply float at the top of your slow cooker recipe.

So, we’d always recommend trimming away the fat on cuts of meat before you add them to your slow cooker. That way, you’ll avoid your resulting meal being overly greasy. 

It’s also healthier. Win, win!

Tip - trim fat from meat to get the best results from your slow cooker.

Use different cuts of meat

One of the beautiful things about slow cookers is their ability to make almost any cut of meat taste delicious. Plus, as they cook their ingredients for hours at a time, even fairly tough bits of meat end up being soft and delicious. 

So, a slow cooker gives you the opportunity to try out different cuts of meat. Cuts like pork or lamb shoulder, chicken thighs, beef brisket, shin of beef, flank steak etc are all perfectly suited to slow cookers - plus, they’re typically much cheaper than other cuts. 

Plus, because slow cookers help to ‘leach’ flavours out of the meat, you generally don’t need a huge amount of meat to give an entire dish a hearty, meaty flavour. This means you can bulk out many slow cooker recipes with vegetables, saving you further money.

Tip - experiment with different cuts of meat in your slow cooker. It can save you money whilst also being delicious! 

Always thaw meat beforehand

Staying on the topic of meat - our next tip is to always thaw meat before adding it to your slow cooker. 

If you just add frozen meat to a slow cooker (even if it’s going to be in the cooker for multiple hours), you risk the meat not being thoroughly cooked through. 

Tip - never put frozen meat straight into a slow cooker. Allow it to thoroughly defrost first. 

Morphy Richards Easy Time 3.5L Slow Cooker

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Experiment!

Far too many people think that slow cookers are only suitable for cooking stews and the like. But, the reality is that you can turn almost any recipe into a slow cooker meal. 

As we mentioned above, it’s fairly easy to tweak a recipe so that it’s suitable for a slow cooker. These changes involve: 

• Adjusting the cooking time - remember, slow cookers cook ingredients for longer. 

• Scaling back on the amount of liquids used in a recipe - again, slow cookers don’t really allow liquids to evaporate. 

• Tweak the amount of certain ingredients - as we mentioned earlier, cuts of meat tend to go much further in slow cookers!

If all else fails, you can check out our huge selection of easy slow cooker recipes. The Morphy Richards team is always looking for new recipes. So, why not click that link, scroll down the page and submit your own recipe. If your recipe is approved, you could win a 20% discount on your next order!

Tip - don’t just cook stews in your slow cooker. Why not experiment and modify some of your favourite recipes into slow cooker recipes? 

Look after your slow cooker

If you look after your slow cooker, then it’ll look after you - delivering delicious meals consistently. 

So, what do we mean by ‘looking after’ a slow cooker? 

Put simply, if you want to keep it in top condition, we’d recommend doing the following things each use: 

• Turn off and unplug your slow cooker every time you’ve finished using it. 

• Allow it to cool down completely.

• Remove the cooking pot and lid and wash them in warm soapy water. 

• Dry both the cooking pot and lid thoroughly and replace back in/on the slow cooker. 

And, that’s it! With only a few minutes of cleaning you can have your slow cooker ready to cook the next meal. It’s simple!

Note - some slow cookers - such as the Morphy Richards Sear & Stew 6.5L slow cookers feature a hinged lid. Thus, to clean these, you just need to flip open the lid and use a damp cloth to remove any food residue.

Tip - keep your slow cooker in great condition by cleaning it after each use. 

Using your Morphy Richards slow cooker: step-by-step

Want to get the most out of your Morphy Richards slow cooker? Then follow the steps below to achieve a perfect finish every time. 

1. Add some cooking oil

This is especially important if you are going to be cooking a meat-based dish, but you should begin by adding a little oil to the removable cooking pot (how much oil to add will depend on the recipe you are following). 

2. Pre-heat the cooking oil

Next, you’ll want to take the removable cooking pot and place it on your hob. Turn on the hob to a medium-high heat (the cooking pots in Morphy Richards slow cookers are compatible with most hobs, with the exception of induction hobs). 

3. Add the meat to the cooking pot

Once the oil is hot, it’s time to add the meat to the cooking pot. Turn the meat in the cooking pot until it is fully seared. 

As soon as the meat is fully seared, you’ll want to take the cooking pot and place it back into the slow cooker.

Warning - ensure you use oven gloves to lift the cooking pot. It will have become very hot whilst the meat has seared. 

4. Add the rest of the ingredients

With the cooking pot back in the slow cooker, it’s time to add the rest of your ingredients. If you’ve remembered our point from earlier, it’s a good idea to place things like root vegetables towards the bottom of the pot, closer to the heat source. 

And, remember not to overdo it with any liquids that you’re adding!

5. Choose your setting

Once you’ve finished adding all the ingredients, it’s time to place the lid on the slow cooker and choose the appropriate heat setting. 

Morphy Richards slow cookers make this easy, with an easy-to-turn wheel on the front of the cooker.  Choose from the high, low, or medium heat settings depending on what your recipe calls for. 

The indicator light will illuminate to show that the slow cooker is in operation.

6. Finish and tidy up

Once you’ve reached the end of the cooking time (again, this will be determined by your chosen recipe), turn the control wheel to the ‘Off’ position. 

The indicator light will extinguish to show that the slow cooker has stopped cooking. 

Once you’ve plated up your food and enjoyed a delicious meal, it’s time to give both the removable cooking pot and lid a good clean. 

Your slow cooker is then ready for next time!

And, that’s it! It couldn’t be easier.

Shop the best slow cookers at Morphy Richards

If you want to buy the best slow cooker, then choose the brand that is synonymous with slow cookers - Morphy Richards. 

For decades, we’ve been designing and manufacturing slow cookers that have been loved by homeowners right across the UK. 

Our current slow cooker range includes both 3.5-litre and 6.5-litre slow cookers, so no matter the size of your household, we’ll have a slow cooker that’s perfect for you. 

Even better, we offer free shipping on all orders over £60. Plus, when you register your slow cooker with us, you’ll get an additional year of warranty for free!

In need of some inspiration? Then explore our huge range of lovingly curated slow cooker recipes. 

Shop slow cookers at Morphy Richards now

For more home appliance buying guides, inspiration and recipes, explore the Morphy Richards blog…

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