How to use a slow cooker

Do you want tasty meals with minimal prep, served up hot just as you come through the door, and at relatively low cost? Learn how to slow cook delicious, nutritious and good-value meals with our slow cooker guide.

Food Editor

Malou Herkes

So how does a slow cooker work?

A slow cooker is a ceramic pot with a lid that sits inside an electric unit, which heats the ceramic pot gently from underneath. A slow cooker generally has three settings: a warm setting to keep your food warm, a low and a high setting. The high setting is still pretty low, if you’re comparing it to a hob, but will speed up the cooking process. As the heat builds up in the pot, the liquid and retained steam will slowly cook your ingredients – ideal for tougher cuts of meat or hardier root vegetables that benefit from longer cooking, with the moisture gradually breaking down their tissues and fibres until beautifully tender.

Slow cookers are a midweek saviour for budget-conscious, practical and busy cooks, because they're low cost to run, can easily accommodate big-batch meals, take minimal prep, and are the perfect method for cooking cheaper cuts of meat, too. Stock up on brilliant basics in our quality, Remarksable Value range or perfect-for-batch-cooking Bigger Pack, Better Value staples and get set to embrace your slow cooker.

Browse our Slow Cooked range

Top tips for using a slow cooker

1. Celebrate cheaper cuts. Cheaper cuts of meat tend to be tougher or fattier than more expensive parts, but they work a treat in a slow cooker, breaking down slowly and releasing their delicious juices into the pot, with no risk of them drying out while they cook. Think, pork shoulder, beef shin or chicken thighs, as in our hot honey pulled chicken recipe.

2. Brown your meat. While this isn't a must, browning your meat in a pan on the hob before adding it to the slow cooker, will add depth and flavour to your finished dish. Try it with onions, too.

3. Don't lift that lid! As your food cooks, steam collects inside your slow cooker, helping to seal the lid and retain a consistent heat. Every time you lift the lid, the seal is broken and it will need to work for longer to regain the temperature again.

4. Freeze the leftovers. Perfect for those practical cooks who want tasty, nutritious dinners with minimal effort – double the recipe and make a bigger batch for the freezer.

Keep reading for more practical slow cooker tips and recipe ideas.

Top slow cooker meal ideas

Casseroles, chillis, soups and stews are all well suited to a slow cooker. You can also double the ingredients easily for bigger batches and freeze it in portions, ready for those times when you need a fast, nutritious and budget-friendly dinner. Our batch-cooked slow cooker bolognese is one such meal, made with lean beef mince, our ready-chopped Soffritto Mix and Remarksable Value ingredients so it’s easy on the wallet, and takes no time to prepare. Here are three more slow cooker meal ideas.

Batch Cook Bolognese What's Remarksable Value?

Slow cooker chicken korma

Learn how to use a slow cooker with this easy slow cooker chicken korma recipe. Simply throw in the chicken, tomato paste, coconut milk and our aromatic Korma Paste, then leave it to tick away until the meat is deliciously tender and packed with all those rich, spiced flavours. Serve with rice and naans, and toasted almonds scattered on top.

Slow cooker top tip:

Make sure you defrost your ingredients. If using frozen chicken breast, make sure to fully defrost it before adding it to your slow cooker so that it cooks properly and evenly. Apply this rule to any meat or fish.

Chicken korma recipe, this way

Slow cooker lentil dal

With lentils, Remarksable Value tomatoes and garlic, and plenty of warming spices, this creamy, gently spiced slow cooker lentil dal is budget-friendly and takes minutes to prep in the morning. For a special finish, top with a fragrant tarka, by frying whole cumin and mustard seeds, ginger, chilli and garlic in a pan until aromatic, and sprinkling over before serving.

Slow cooker top tip:

Fill your pot between half and three-quarters full, no more. Slow cookers retain moisture so the liquid will not reduce as much as when cooking on the hob or in the oven without a cover. Over-filling will stop the heat circulating as well, so you food may not cook properly.

Try this lentil dal

Slow cooker beef goulash

This warming, hearty, paprika-packed goulash is all about the beef, slow-cooked until falling apart and meltingly tender.

Slow cooker top tip:

Add the sour cream towards the end of the cook. Dairy – like yogurt, milk or sour cream – can curdle, while leafy greens, like spinach, will become mushy and tasteless if cooked for too long. Stir in these ingredients towards the end of the cooking time to retain their freshness.

Slow Cooker beef goulash

Published 2.8.2025