Best Slow Cooker recipes the family will love

How did we ever live without our slow cookers? These benchtop wizards are the sous-chef of small kitchen appliances. While you’re out living your best life, they spend the day doing the hard work, simmering a sensational dinner that’ll be ready the second you walk through the door. Best of all, the dishwasher-friendly design of the latest models makes short work of the clean-up too.

If you’re looking for delicious new slow cooker meals that will keep the hungry hordes happy, then we’ve got the best slow cooker recipes from our friends at Crockpot and Russell Hobbs for you to try.

How Does A Slow Cooker Work?

While it seems like magic, it’s really all about the base! The heating element in the bottom warms the bowl insert, creating an all-round, low, consistent heat. Rising steam then creates a vacuum seal with the lid, turning the slow cooker into a mini oven. For extra-easy slow cooker meals , make the most of the latest features , including timers and keep-warm settings.

“In addition, new auto settings on slow cookers can change temperature in the middle of the cooking time, taking a recipe from a boil to a simmer for a totally hands-off process,” says Tracy Ellis, The Good Guys Buyer – Portable Appliances.

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“New auto settings on slow cookers can change temperature in the middle of the cooking time, taking a recipe from a boil to a simmer, for a totally hands-off process.”

How Does A Multi-Cooker Work?

These clever appliances aren’t just slow cook stars: they roll all of your cooking needs into one mean machine, streamlining your cooking and cutting down on storage space. You can slow cook and pressure cook, as well as sauté, steam and crisp. You can even make yoghurt! Some models include air fryer settings, as well as rice cooker and stir-fry functions.

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How To Cook Beef In A Slow Cooker

Slow cookers make melting mouthfuls out of the cheaper (and tougher) cuts of beef. If budget-friendly meals are on the menu, buy blade, topside or chuck beef cuts. You can add raw beef to a slow cooker but searing the meat creates richer, caramelised flavours.

How To Cook Chicken In A Slow Cooker

Bone-in chicken gets a chance to shine in a slow cooker. Think chicken legs, wings and thighs, or Maryland cuts with the leg and thigh together. You can even do the whole cook if your slow cooker is large enough! Chicken breast also works well but can dry out on longer simmers. Chicken doesn’t have to be cooked before it hits the pot.

Classic Beef Bourguignon Recipe

A kitchen classic, chefs call Beef Bourguignon “the mother of all stews”. Hearty and warming with bacon and carrots, it’s an easy slow cooker recipe using the Crockpot multi-cooker. The slow cook creates a rich sauce that’s heaven with mashed potato.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 5-6 hours on LOW or 2-3 hours on HIGH

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 rashers of bacon, chopped

• 750g stewing steak, diced large

• 4 tbsp flour

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

• 12 baby onions or shallots, peeled

• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped

• 225g quartered mushrooms

• 400ml boiling water

• 1 cube beef stock

• 300ml red wine

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp cornflour (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the heating base of your Crockpot Slow Cooker to LOW. In a large frypan, add bacon and cook until slightly crispy then place in the Crockpot.

2. Toss the beef in the flour. Heat the oil in the frypan, and cook the floured beef in small batches to colour slightly. Add to the bacon in the Crockpot.

3. Lightly colour the baby onions or shallots and carrot in the frypan then add to the stoneware along with the mushrooms. Mix together the boiling water, stock cube, red wine, tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and pour over the meat.

4. Season well and place the lid on top. Cook for 5-6 hours on LOW or until the meat is tender, or 2-3 hours on HIGH.

5. Once cooked, remove the lid and thicken slightly if needed – mix cornflour with a little water to make a paste then add to the dish and stir through. Heat on HIGH for a few minutes to thicken. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans or braised cabbage.

Easy Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Italian for “hunter”, cacciatore describes a simple, rustic stew of meat, tomato and onions with chunky vegetables cooked in broth. The slow-simmered gravy is delicious soaking into warm grains, so set your rice cooker going, and spoon it over cooked rice to serve. Slow cooker chicken recipes can use a mix of bone-in pieces, like this one made in a Russell Hobbs slow cooker.

Prep time: 15 minsCook time: 7-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1kg chicken thigh fillets, halved

• 1kg chicken drumsticks

• 1 large onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

• 200g button mushrooms, quartered

• ½ cup dry white wine

• ½ cup chicken stock

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 400ml canned diced tomatoes

• 2 carrots, peeled and diced

• 120g pitted kalamata olives

• 2 celery sticks, diced

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

• 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

• Cooked rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat then brown the chicken, onion and garlic.

2. Combine the sautéed chicken, onion and garlic with all of the remaining ingredients, except the seasoning and parsley, in the slow cooker ceramic bowl.

3. Place the lid on the bowl and cook for 7-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH.

4. Season with salt and black pepper and stir in the parsley before serving over rice.

Ready to set, forget and serve? Then slow cookers and multi-cookers are the small appliances you need in your kitchen. To upgrade your benchtop buddies, visit us in-store or online .