Start a Tradition: Slow Cooker Sunday!

By: Allrecipes Staff

By keeping a few of your favorite recipes and ingredients on hand, you'll never waste time searching for a meal idea.

Slow Cooker Videos

Slow Cooker Recipes

Prepare your slow cooker the night before and refrigerate, or simply toss everything in first thing in the morning. Just plug it in and forget about it! Let it cook all day long and you'll have a delicious meal by evening.

Slow Cooker Tips

The following helpful hints will help make sure your slow cooker Sunday is a successful one:

No frozen meats. Always defrost meats and poultry before placing them in a slow cooker.
Smaller chunks. Cut whole chickens and large pieces of meat into smaller chunks to ensure thorough cooking.
Layer your ingredients. Vegetables should be placed in the bottom and up the sides of the pot, then layer in the meat on top.
Fill 'er up. It's best to fill a slow cooker to at least one-half and no more than three-fourths full.
Keep the lid on. Each time you lift the lid you'll lengthen the cooking time, this can be anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes.

Get more slow cooker advice:

Slow Cookers: Still Hot!

Comments

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susandj

Jun. 28, 2009 10:01 am

Can you overcook on a slow cooker? If I get home from work after a ten or twelve hour day, and it was supposed to only cook for eight hours, will it still be good? Also, can I prepare everything the night before and refrigerate in the cooker bowl, then just plug it in the next morning?

carolee55

Jun. 28, 2009 1:09 pm

From my experience, meat fares just fine going longer on low, as do chopped vegetables for flavoring or adding to the au jus or gravy. Just microwave your vegetables instead of putting into crockpot.

Ilze South Africa

Jun. 29, 2009 12:08 am

We have winter now and luv warm saucy meaty dishes. The crock allows for soft and tasty oxtail - just roll the meat in flavoured flour, add 2 cups of stock, 1 cup of good red wine, a bay leaf, parsley, some ground cloves, coriander, nutmeg, a touch of garlic and some braised onions. (No salt - the stock is salty - rather add salt at the table to taste!) Micro or steam an assortment of baby or chunky veg, mushrooms, etc - strain and add do meat just before serving! Simply add the starch of your choice - rice, crushed wheat, samp or 'pap'. Pap is the African word for a type of porridge made from maize meal. It comes in mainly three consistancies - soft like oatmeal, sticky and crumbly. The last variation being the popular one in our region!

Rhonda

Jul. 30, 2009 9:59 am

I have prepared the dish the night before and refrigerated it and popped it into the Cooker before leaving for work in the morning,

Lynda Park

Aug. 3, 2009 7:51 am

I tried the Moist and Tender Turkey Breast in the August/Sept. issue. It did not say to add any water or liquid; just the spices and cover. Will this cook properly without adding liquid.

BUFBUCHIC

Nov. 5, 2009 5:56 pm

Lynda - yes, surprisingly it DOES cook properly even with no liquid. I was hesitant at first, but I made it on a day I was home to monitor the crock pot and it came out amazing!