c/easy-slow-cooker-meals

My aunt called my slow cooker meals 'depression dinners' last Sunday

I was showing her my new pulled pork recipe (literally just pork shoulder and a can of Dr Pepper) and she laughed and said only lonely people use slow cookers. It hit different because she grew up watching her mom use one to stretch cheap cuts during hard times. Am I wrong for feeling kinda embarrassed about using mine now?

My sister swore by dumping frozen chicken in the slow cooker and I thought she was nuts

My sister kept telling me to just toss frozen chicken breasts into the slow cooker with a jar of salsa and walk away. I argued with her for like a year saying it wouldn't cook right or it'd be dangerous. Finally last Tuesday I was in a rush before my shift and gave it a shot with 3 frozen breasts and a $2.50 jar of medium salsa. Left it on low for 8 hours and came home to perfectly shredded chicken that wasn't dry at all. She was right and I hate admitting that. Has anyone else had a family member give you a tip that you stubbornly ignored for way too long?

Had a slow cooker beef stew debate with my sister last weekend and I'm still not sure who's right

So my sister swears by searing the meat first before tossing it in the slow cooker. She says it locks in flavor and makes the stew taste way better. But I've been doing it the lazy way for years just throwing raw beef in with veggies and broth and honestly I thought it was fine. Last weekend at her house in Pittsburgh she made a batch with pre-seared chuck roast and I gotta admit it was richer and had this deep brown color mine never gets. But here's the thing it also took an extra 30 minutes of cleanup from the searing pan and she had to rinse oil splatter off her stovetop. I'm torn between convenience and taste. Has anyone done a side by side comparison of the same recipe? Which side do you lean towards when you're in a hurry?

Shoutout to the lady at my local park who told me to throw a beer can in my pulled pork

My mother-in-law insisted I didn't need to add liquid to a slow cooker roast

She swore the meat released enough juice on its own, so I followed her advice last Sunday and ended up with a dry, burnt hunk of beef that stuck to the sides like glue, has anyone else had a family recipe tip backfire that badly?

My sister swore by browning meat first, I thought it was a waste of time

Last month my sister kept telling me I had to sear the chuck roast before putting it in the slow cooker. I figured it was just extra work and dirty dishes for no reason. Finally tried it with a 3 pound roast from Aldi and the difference was huge, way deeper flavor in the gravy. Has anyone else been stubborn about skipping a step that turned out to be worth it?

Just realized I've been overfilling my slow cooker for years

Saw a post saying to never fill it more than 3/4 full and realized my chili has been watery and bland because I was cramming it to the rim, has anyone else dealt with mushy veggies from overfilling?

That $60 bag of organic frozen chicken thighs was a total flop in my slow cooker

I bought a huge bag from that fancy market on Elm Street thinking it'd be way better than the regular stuff... ended up with dry, stringy meat after 6 hours on low. Cost me $60 and a whole Sunday dinner. Has anyone else had bad luck with expensive chicken in a slow cooker?

My slow cooker saved me after a nightmare week of burnt dinners

Last Tuesday I had one of those days where everything went wrong. I got home late from picking up my kid from soccer practice and realized I forgot to thaw the chicken I wanted to grill. My husband was already hangry and the kids were complaining. I remembered I had a bag of frozen meatballs in the freezer and a jar of grape jelly and some chili sauce in the pantry. Threw it all in the crockpot on high for two hours and it turned into this sticky sweet tangy thing that everyone actually ate without fighting. That was the best unexpected dinner I've had in months. Has anyone else discovered a random combo like that when you were just desperate?

Pro tip: bone-in vs boneless chuck roast for pot roast

I used to always grab boneless chuck roast because it seemed easier. But after 3 tries getting dry, stringy meat in my slow cooker, I switched to bone-in and it was night and day. The bone adds so much flavor and keeps it juicy even on a 10-hour cook. Has anyone else noticed the difference or am I just bad at picking meat?

Everyone dumps raw chicken breasts into the slow cooker and wonders why they get rubbery

I learned the hard way after 4 stringy dinners that searing the meat first for 3 minutes per side locks in texture, and now I'm never going back to that sad boiled chicken texture - did your grandma ever teach you this trick or am I the only one who had to figure it out alone?

Took me 8 years to realize I was overfilling my slow cooker the whole time

Overfilled my slow cooker for 10 years before a chili disaster

Made a big batch of chili last Sunday and it overflowed into the heating element, smoking up the whole kitchen. Turns out you should never fill past the fill line or 3/4 full, who knew?

My first attempt at pulled pork turned out perfect at a party last weekend

I was super nervous about making pulled pork for my sister's backyard BBQ on Saturday with like 20 people there. I used a 4 pound pork shoulder from Aldi and just dumped in some root beer and a cheap packet of seasoning. It cooked on low for 10 hours and shredded like butter, everyone kept asking me for the recipe lol. Has anyone else found a weird ingredient that makes meat super tender in the slow cooker?

Warning: that 3-ingredient salsa chicken will stick to the liner like cement if you forget to spray it first

Spent a whole 45 minutes chiseling burnt salsa off my slow cooker after a 6-hour cook because I skipped the cooking spray, has anyone else done this or am I just the only one dumb enough to learn this the hard way?

Frozen meatball trick saved my dinner last Tuesday

I had a big work meeting run late and got home at 7pm with zero dinner plans. Threw a bag of frozen Italian meatballs into the slow cooker with a jar of marinara and some chopped onion. Cooked it on high for just 90 minutes and they came out perfect, not dry at all. My kid said it was better than the restaurant version we get downtown. Anyone else use frozen stuff straight from the bag like this or am I the only lazy one?

Visited a friend's house in Omaha and noticed they line their slow cooker with foil for cleanup

She showed me how she just lifts the foil out after cooking pot roast and barely has to scrub the insert, has anyone else tried that trick or does it mess with cooking times?

My neighbor Jeanette told me she never rinses her beans before dumping them in the slow cooker

I was making my usual chili last Saturday and she saw me rinsing black beans and said I was washing away all the flavor and starch that helps thicken the pot... she said her grandma taught her to just dump everything straight in from the can with the liquid and all. Has anyone else skipped the rinsing step on purpose for things like soups or stews in a slow cooker?

My neighbor swore by adding a can of cream of mushroom soup to every roast...

I always thought it was a shortcut that would ruin the flavor. But last Sunday I was out of beef broth and desperate, so I dumped in a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom instead. The gravy came out so rich and thick, I actually liked it better than my usual recipe. Has anyone else had good results with random canned soups in their slow cooker?

Watch out for that cheap crock pot liner hack I found on TikTok

Last week I tried that TikTok hack where you use a plastic liner bag in your slow cooker for easy cleanup. Put in a pot roast at 9am, came home at 5pm and the bag had melted into the food. Spent 2 hours picking plastic chunks out of dinner. Has anyone else tried these and had them fail? What do you use instead for cleanup?

Wasted $25 on those fancy slow cooker liners that claimed to be leak-proof

I bought a box of those slow cooker liners from the grocery store last month, thinking they'd save me cleanup time. I made a big batch of beef stew on a Sunday, put the liner in, added everything, and set it on low for 8 hours. When I came back, the bottom of the slow cooker was full of liquid because the liner had a tiny hole in it. I lost about a third of my stew that had leaked out and made a mess on the counter. Plus I had to scrub the ceramic pot anyway, so the whole point of the liner was pointless. Has anyone else had cheap liners fail on them or found a brand that actually works?

Nearly ruined a whole batch of chili with a cheap liner

I spent $3 on those budget slow cooker liners from the dollar store last week and they melted right into my chili, coating everything in a plastic mess. Had to throw out $20 worth of beef and veggies because I didn't want us eating melted chemicals. Anyone else had this happen with bargain liners or is it just me?

Learned to layer ingredients in my slow cooker and it fixed my soggy veggie problem

My carrots and potatoes used to turn into mush after 8 hours on low but putting hard root veg on the bottom under the meat kept them firm, has anyone else tried flipping the order like that?

Salt trick made my cheap chuck roast taste like prime rib

I was always told not to salt meat before slow cooking because it draws out moisture. But I saw this old granny on a youtube video say to salt the roast heavily and let it sit for 30 minutes before browning. I tried it last Tuesday with a $7 chuck roast from Aldi and it came out so tender and flavorful that my husband asked if I bought expensive meat. The salt really changes the texture somehow. Has anyone else tried salting beforehand or is that just a myth?

Tried throwing a whole frozen chicken in the crockpot on low for 8 hours and it actually came out juicy, not dry like I was scared it would

I figured it would taste like rubbery mush based on everything I heard about slow cooking poultry, but after my neighbor in Des Moines swore by it I gave it a shot last Sunday and now I'm wondering if I've been overcomplicating chicken dinners for years, has anyone else been surprised by a frozen protein turning out better than fresh in the slow cooker?