Am I the only one who thinks slow cookers are overrated for budget meals?

I tried making a cheap beef stew last Saturday in my slow cooker. Followed every tip online. 8 hours later the meat was still tough and the veggies were mush. I ended up tossing half of it because it tasted off. My mom always says slow cookers save money, but I spent more on wasted ingredients than if I just used a regular pot. Does anyone else have better luck with stovetop cooking for saving cash?

2 comments

2 Comments

henderson.mila1mo ago

Wait are you sure you followed the recipe right? I mean 8 hours on low should be plenty for cheap beef stew so something might be off with your cooker's temp. Try browning the meat first next time before tossing it in the slow cooker, that locks in flavor and helps the texture. Also cheap cuts like chuck or round need to be cut into smaller pieces so they break down properly. For veggies add them later like halfway through so they don't turn to mush. Stovetop is faster but slow cookers can still be budget friendly if you prep things right.

blairwhite1mo ago

Exactly this. I made the same mistake the first few times I used a slow cooker for cheap beef stew and ended up with this weird gray mush that tasted more like sadness than dinner. Browning the meat first made a huge difference for me too, like night and day on the flavor. And yeah, throwing the carrots and potatoes in at the start turns them into paste, so adding them halfway really helps. My cooker runs a little hot so I actually do 6 hours on low instead of 8 and that stopped the meat from falling apart into stringy bits.