Smaller meals in large slow cookers....

Actually not the missus, more me

The golden rule with slow cookers is not to have them cooking completely dry. You may get away with it a few times but ultimately they will crack. It makes for an interesting challenge sometimes because the very cooking process usually generates a lot of liquid but the good news is you don't need a lot, so long as the bottom is covered to say 5mm all is good in most slow cookers.

A trivet would actually be fine to raise the smaller cooking container but still put some water in the bottom to prevent cracking but also to get some steam going around the smaller container otherwise your cooking time will be extended quite a bit.

It does work fine though with a bit of trial and error, the cooking time will still be a little longer which for a typical slow cooker use is really not a problem - put it on in the early am, come home to a meal.

I do use the slow cooker sort of for this sometimes to cook individual stuff in ramekins in there, that works really well especially if you put hot water in first then add the ramekins.

Don't put anything metal beyond maybe a trivet in there, can really cause thermal shock to the ceramic.

It might help ozy if you gave an idea of what you'd plan to cook in smaller portions. You don't have to fill the cooker at all but if the overall level is lowish a piece of baking paper, not foil, over the surface reduces the size very well for some dishes.

This is why the most interesting innovation in slow cookers is a base and three ceramics of different sizes, not that I know of available in Oz yet but do want

Cheers

ah...

I would say it's not really a slow cooker but that would be very elitist, no reason it can't be metal just the ones I've always had are ceramic

In that cooker you really can pretty much do what you like, it's bullet-proof

Cheers

I do feel the pain, when I lived alone the only way to use up a slow cooked stew et al was get friends over

I don't actually know with brisket, last weekend's corned beef was unbelievable though

The simplest solution might be to just get a small slow cooker which in Australia is easier said than done right now.

I'm told Target have one, sometimes, around $20, but not where I am.

Slow cooking is in a new wave of interest here now though so I'd expect a rash of new models soon - will be watching myself because the ones we have whilst great for a roast or stock were all bought when there was a full table to feed

Cheers