The inner pot needs to be at room temperature before you start cooking. If you've kept a slow cooker dish in the fridge, you must wait for it to warm up before turning it on.

No liquid escapes from a slow cooker, so when adapting a recipe not specifically written for a slow cooker, reduce any added liquid by a third.

3. Best slow cooker recipe book for experimental cooks: Whole Food Slow Cooked by Olivia Andrews

There are photographic guides for helping you prepare the meals, with tips on how to use up cheaper and leftover cuts of meat to help you cook on a budget and reduce waste. It also provides advice on different cooking methods, so this will be a great book for someone who wants to broaden their cooking skills. Readers note that some ingredients need pre-cooking in a frying pan or a saucepan though, which requires more effort than just throwing it all in the slow cooker and leaving it to cook. I would not normally write a review but think this may help some people to not buy incorrectly as I have. I bought this book for my son and his girlfriend. As a slow cooker fan herself, our writer Gemma is always on the lookout for family friendly meals so spent time hunting down the best slow cooker recipe books currently available, making sure to cater for all tastes, needs and budgets. You don’t have to brown your meat first, so if you're in a hurry, you can throw your ingredients in and you’ll still get a tasty meal out of it. However, if you have time, browning is better for adding more depth to your dish. You will get more rich, complex flavours from frying off your meat before cooking it in the slow cooker. Are slow cookers energy efficient?

Slow Cooked, by Miss South. Based on an excellent blog, that's sadly now unavailable.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user DogInATent) Our verdictPerfect for busy families, the best slow cooker can provide a tasty home cooked meal with minimal mess and fuss. What’s not to love? While stews and soups are the most common recipes for slow cookers, there’s loads you can do with them – from slow cooked meat and tasty sauces to desserts and even bread. With so many different slow cookers out there, choosing the right one for you can be confusing. Here are a few questions you might want to consider. I got this book a while ago and it’s bloody brilliant, have got lots of recipes bookmarked. I bought a second-hand copy which was in good condition.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Furries) Our verdict A lot of the recipes involve preparing parts before hand, for example: making mashed potato first to add to the meal and they also involve a lot of ingredients too.