30 Whole30 Slow Cooker Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables should not be added to a slow cooker? ›

Tender vegetables

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker.

For many dishes, particularly soups and stews, you really can just throw all the ingredients in. It can be nice to cook the onions beforehand, as the flavour is different to when you put them in raw, but experiment both ways as you may find you prefer one.

Honestly, you can cook just about anything in the slow cooker. You're probably most familiar with slow-cooker main dishes which range from shredded chicken tacos to meatloaf to puller pork sandwiches—as well as cozy slow-cooked soups, stews and chili that gather more flavor from simmering over hours at a time.

Not enough liquid: Slow cookers rely on moist heat to soften food. If you don't have enough liquid in the pot, the carrots won't cook evenly and may stay tough. Aim for at least a cup or two of liquid, enough to reach about a third of the way up on the ingredients.

Creamy ingredients (whether they're dairy or non-dairy) can split in a slow cooker. Avoid adding milk, cream, yoghurt, coconut cream or coconut milk at the beginning of cooking as it can end up curdled and grainy. For the best results, stir through at the end of the cooking time and warm through gently without boiling.

In my opinion it's this: build meals around frozen vegetables and your slow cooker. Frozen vegetables save time and money because you don't have to prep them and they won't go bad in your crisper if you can't use them in time.

You can use slow cookers to make pasta as long as you don't mix the pasta in with the sauce and leave it sitting in the slow cooker for an extended period of time. Doing so will result in pasta that is mushy, soggy and unappetizing. For best results, keep the pasta separate until serving.

If you simply pop some raw meat in your slow cooker, it won't have a chance to brown, which adds some much-needed flavor and cuts down on plenty of unappealing grease. Instead, you're better served by browning raw meat in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker with your other ingredients.

The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.

If you overcook meat, it becomes dry and tough. Often people using a slow cooker and don't check when the food is actually done. If a recipe says cook for 8 hours on low, people may not check the food for 8 hours.

What happens if you don't brown meat before slow cooker? ›

While searing meat before slow cooking can enhance flavors by developing a caramelized crust, it's not strictly necessary. If you skip searing, the meat may lack some depth of flavor, but it will still cook and become tender in the slow cooker.

A slow cooker and a Crockpot are the same thing, essentially. A slow cooker is an appliance of which there are lots of brands. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker. Crockpot popularized slow cookers when they launched their version in the 1970s.

Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.

Are slow cookers safe to leave on? Yes, it's safe to leave a slow cooker on when you leave the house. The purpose of a slow cooker is to allow you to cook while you aren't home. Slow cookers simmer food slowly, killing bacteria and raising meat to the perfect internal temperature.

The best vegetables for a slow cooker are sturdier veggies like celery, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers and green beans, like we used in this recipe.

Tender vegetables such as zucchini and beans can be added to your dish in last ¾ - 1 hour of cooking when cooking on High, or 2 hours if cooking on Low. Hard, starchy vegetables like potato and carrots are best added around 3 hours before the meal is done if cooking on High, and 4 hours on Low.

Certain vegetables: Delicate herbs and veggies like fresh tomatoes, zucchini, and peas won't fare well in the slow cooker, as their individual textures may become mushy and flavorless if left for too long. If your recipe calls for these vegetables, try adding them close to the end of cooking time.

: I know that boiling vegetables makes them lose some of their nutritional value. But what if you cook them in a slow cooker and eat the liquid the vegetables stewed in? Answer: Done right, veggies prepared in slow cookers can deliver disease-fighting nutrients and a delectable meal all in one bowl.