Slow cooker mistakes you'll want to avoid (2024)

Easy fixes

The slow cooker is a fantastic kitchen tool. Add ingredients to the pot in the morning, press a few buttons and by the evening, you'll have a warm, comforting dish. It's ideal for dinners on colder nights, when you want hot soups, hearty casseroles and meaty meals. Although it's a relatively straightforward piece of kit, you could be making some common mistakes. To ensure you're getting the most out of your slow cooker, here's how to avoid these errors.

Removing the lid too often

It's an easy mistake to make, but do avoid removing the lid to take a peek, unless your recipe tells you to do so in order to add an ingredient. All the heat that has built up inside will be lost, so your recipe will take longer to cook.

Adding too much liquid

If you add too much liquid to your recipe, it will become very hot and cause excess condensation, which will drip from the lid back into your dish and make the recipe too watery. Ladle out the excess before cooking, if you find there's too much.

Not reducing alcohol first

If your recipe includes wine, a slow cooker doesn't get hot enough to boil off the alcohol, leaving a strong taste. Bring your wine to the boil in a saucepan on the hob first, and let it bubble and reduce slightly, before adding it to the slow cooker.

Curdling dairy products

Soggy pasta

Forgetting to brown meat first

Some slow cookers have a browning or sautéing function built in. Older models may not. Browning meat adds texture, colour and flavour, so remember to brown the meat over a high heat first, whether on the hob or in your slow cooker.

Overspilled food

Don't overfill your slow cooker if you want evenly-cooked food and a clean kitchen! When you cook meat and vegetables, they'll produce more liquid than you started with, so ensure your cooker is large enough to accommodate it. Think about the average amount of portions you generally cook, and buy the appropriate-sized slow cooker to begin with.

Lacking "herby" flavour

When cooking a dish for such a long time, you may lose the flavour of any dried herbs you have added, especially if using a recipe which hasn't been written specifically for a slow cooker. As a general rule, add half the amount in your recipe again. So, if it asks for a tablespoon of oregano, add an extra half tablespoon.

Mushy vegetables

Vegetables which are relatively quick to cook on the hob should be added towards the end of the cooking time in a slow cooker, around 30 minutes. This applies to courgettes, mushrooms, peas, broad beans and French beans, and any other more delicate vegetables. Otherwise they'll be totally overcooked, mushy and soggy.

Overcooked food

This problem may be down to a couple of issues. Firstly, don't forget to set the timer! It could also be your recipe. Some slow-cooked recipes call for a certain amount of time on low, then extra time on high. This is to firstly tenderise, then to speed up the cooking process for less dense ingredients. So you may need to experiment but as a general rule, the slower cooked, the better.

Uneven cooking

Lacking flavour

There's a very good chance that if your dish lacks flavour, you've over-filled your slow cooker. The food ends up steaming and becoming watery. As a rule, aim to fill your slow cooker no more than two-thirds full for optimum results.

Tough, chewy meat

Rubbery, tough chicken skin

Forgetting to sauté onions first

Food is consistently over-cooked

If all your slow cooker recipes are coming out over-cooked, it's highly likely your slow cooker is operating at too high a temperature. It happens with domestic ovens too, which often have hot spots. Experiment by turning your slow cooker down to a lower setting than stated in the recipe, and your problem should be solved.

Sauce is too fatty

Dry, overcooked meat

Soggy cheese and breadcrumb topping

As condensation or steam builds up on the lid, it drips back onto the surface of your recipe, making the topping soggy. To avoid this, line the lid of your slow cooker with two layers of kitchen paper to absorb the steam. You may need to replace it during cooking if it becomes too wet. Alternatively, leave off the topping, add it when the dish is cooked and flash it under a hot grill instead. You'll have a better texture this way.

Using the wrong cut of meat

Thin, watery sauce

There could be a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, you may have added too much liquid which dilutes the flavour. Remember that the vegetables and meat release their juices too. The condensation builds up on the lid and goes back into the dish. If it is too watery, try adding an extra stock cube at the end. You could also thicken it with cornflour mixed with cold water – bring it to the boil on the hob to thicken it. Tossing meat in flour before browning will also thicken the sauce.

Converting a recipe incorrectly

Unevenly-cooked meat and poultry

Add fresh herbs at the end

Adding fresh herbs too early in the recipe will take away that delicate, aromatic flavour. So wait until your dish is fully cooked then stir them in. The only exception is if your recipe asks for a bouquet garni – a bunch of bay leaves, thyme and parsley with stalks, tied up and cooked in the sauce to add more flavour, and removed at the end of cooking.

Hard to clean