Ideas for a Slow cooker?

[Guest2]

In contrast to the 20minute meal thread. I got a slow cooker (crock pot?) for my 25th a couple of weeks ago. I'm loving how I can throw stuff in it at night, add meat in the morning, turn on and go to work all day, then come back and my meal is done

I have done beef and chicken so far. I usually stick in an onion, sweet potato or potato, carrot, turnip, sprouts, oxo cube, salt, pepper

What other things could i put in? Think i might try pasta, milk, chicken and potato but dont know what will happen to the milk

 

[footman]

In contrast to the 20minute meal thread. I got a slow cooker (crock pot?) for my 25th a couple of weeks ago. I'm loving how I can throw stuff in it at night, add meat in the morning, turn on and go to work all day, then come back and my meal is done

I have done beef and chicken so far. I usually stick in an onion, sweet potato or potato, carrot, turnip, sprouts, oxo cube, salt, pepper

What other things could i put in? Think i might try pasta, milk, chicken and potato but dont know what will happen to the milk

Try this site for starters:
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/slow-cooker-recipes.aspx

I'm just about to put a cheap joint of beef in the slow cooker. Ive lightly fried over some onion and leeks and I'm going to briefly fry over some carrots and spuds quartered.
Lay this mixture on the bottom of the slow cooker and brown the meat in the frying pan. Place the joint on the veg in the slow cooker and add 1 pint of beef stock. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Delicious!

I wouldn't want to put in any milk in a slow cooker though. I have cooked a chicken, very tasty but it fell apart when finished so presentation was a bit awkward.

 

[Stumble Bum]

Find a recipe for beef in red wine. It's the perfect dish for slowcookers. serve up with some rice and you're good to go.

make a big batch and store any leftovers in the freezer for another day. bam that's 4 meals done in the space of one.

oh i love slow cookers.

 

[valve90210]

I can heartily recommend doing sausage casserole in the slow cooker, with sliced potato on top. The sausages get a lovely soft texture and the top of the potato goes nicely chewy, delicious.

Also, a nice curry in the slow cooker can be amazing as it gives it plenty of time to develop great flavour!!

 

[footman]

I can heartily recommend doing sausage casserole in the slow cooker, with sliced potato on top. The sausages get a lovely soft texture and the top of the potato goes nicely chewy, delicious.

Also, a nice curry in the slow cooker can be amazing as it gives it plenty of time to develop great flavour!!

Have you more details about this? Do you cook it low or high and for how long?

 

[Guest2]

Thanks, i don't really care about presentation. Im all about taste and nutrition

I've been cooking stuff on 'Auto' apparently it heats it at high then changes to low. Its a bit crispy/burned on the top sometimes but gives it some extra crisp! I turn it on around 8am and off at 6pm usually.

The red wine one sounds good, cant be bothered frying stuff then using the cooker. Think i will do a lads curry night in it soon, everyone chip in for meat then throw in some spices, water and stuff. Or would it be better to use the sauces from a jar?

 

[Vonhelmet]

Chilli is a good one. My wife does a great lentil dhal too.

 

[valve90210]

Have you more details about this? Do you cook it low or high and for how long?

My mum used to make it many moons ago so I'm a bit vague on exact details but it went something like...

Soften some onions in a pan (or in the microwave with a little butter/marg)

Bung in the slow cooker, along with sliced carrot, peas etc whatever veg you like in a casserole. Mum always added plenty of veg so this one pot was the whole meal, so nothing for my dad to have to do except dish up when he got home (my mum often did late shifts you see).

Add the sausages, however many you like per person.

Cover the whole lot with a layer of sliced potatoes (about 3/4 cm thick).

Then add the gravy making sure to fill it enough to cover everything though the top layer of potato slices can be protruding just out of the gravy which gives them a lovely chewiness to the tops while the bottom is lovely and soft from the liquid.

Delicious!!!

Mum used to put this on at about 8am and we'd eat it in the evening about 6.30pm. Her slow cooker had an auto mode that cooked at high setting for several hours then dropped down to low to keep the temperature up but without being too hot so it didn't make things overly dry.

Curries: Just make sure you brown off any meat you use so it won't just break up into pieces during the long slow cooking, then make youre curry as you would and leave it in the slow cooker.

Valve

 

[valve90210]

Thanks, i don't really care about presentation. Im all about taste and nutrition

I've been cooking stuff on 'Auto' apparently it heats it at high then changes to low. Its a bit crispy/burned on the top sometimes but gives it some extra crisp! I turn it on around 8am and off at 6pm usually.

The red wine one sounds good, cant be bothered frying stuff then using the cooker. Think i will do a lads curry night in it soon, everyone chip in for meat then throw in some spices, water and stuff. Or would it be better to use the sauces from a jar?

Much better to create your own curry as the fresh spices etc will develop flavour during the cooking, jars of sauce won't do this to the same extent.

Valve

 

[Glaucus]

Search for pathia curry recipe that is good in a slow cook.
And also one I always refer to in these threads(people probably bored of it)

Harrisa, apricot and lamb stew
Harrisa paste, one jar (found by the spices/herbs, Salisbury's deff sell it)
Lamb neck or beef braising steak.
1 bag of finely chopped dried apricots.
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 onion
1 pint beef or lamb stock
Cous Cous
1 Stock cubes
Salt
Pepper
Optional extra chilli.

Method:
1) dice the lamb into inch cubes, mix the entire jar of Harrisa paste and leave to marinade for at least 30mins. Over night if possible.
2) peel and dice the onion add to a frying pan and fry until translucent
3) add the lamb to the onions and fry for two mins.
4) Take the lamb and onion and place in and oven proof dish (which needs a lid or foil)
5) add the tomatoes, stock, apricots
6) place in an oven at 160, for at least 2 hours. Uncover for the last 30mins. (Longer the better - covered)
7) when you want to serve, boil some water in a kettle.
8) in a bowl add the cous cous and crumble in a stock cube.
9) pour over the water freshly boiled for the kettle, stir and cover, leave for 5mins. its one part cous cous to 2 parts water
10) serve

 

[Makhaira]

Love this thread, thanks guys. Especially like the sound of the sausage casserole, that will have to be tried!

 

[Moogman]

Everything is just to slow, use a microwave.

 

[lookitsjonno]

slow cooker fan here too, anyone got any good whole chicken recipes that cook in a nice sauce

fed up of beef

 

[nikebee]

Spag boll is great in a slow cooker... obviously not the spaghetti.

Another one here for the curry idea

 

[Glaucus]

Spag boll is great in a slow cooker... obviously not the spaghetti.

As is most mince in sauce recipes.

 

[Oxide™]

My friends mom had one of these and I always wanted one myself however are they safe to leave on, alone at home all day? and wouldn't they be heavy on electrity?

Do some have any settings to schedule when to start and what are good brands to look for?

 

[Glaucus]

My friends mom had one of these and I always wanted one myself however are they safe to leave on, alone at home all day? and wouldn't they be heavy on electrity?

Yes and kind of they don't draw a lot of power, but obviously it is on for a long time.

I prefer doing it in an oven. I have a lovely terracotta pot for leaving in the oven all day/night. Don't see the point in having to store yet another contraption, when it's not really that useful.

 

[Guest2]

Everything is just to slow, use a microwave.

put raw chicken and chopped up potatoes in the microwave for 10 hours and say that!

Spag boll is great in a slow cooker... obviously not the spaghetti.

Why cant you do spaghetti in it? I read one of the recipes from the book and im sure it say you could put pasta in it

Do some have any settings to schedule when to start and what are good brands to look for?

Mine is Breville(sp) Settings are 'off' 'low' 'auto' and 'high'
low is for warming, auto heats high then stays at low, high cooks in around 2 - 3 hours

Just remmeber to put water/liquid in over all the food. Otherwise you comehome to a very burned meal and hard to clean slow cooker!

 

[Abraham]

if you use lamb as mentioned in one of the recipes up there use neck, it's the most awesome slow cooked stewing meat

 

[nikebee]

Why cant you do spaghetti in it? I read one of the recipes from the book and im sure it say you could put pasta in it

You can, but it's just me. There's something about slow cooking spaghetti that doesn't sit right with me.

I'd rather whack it in some boiling water and do that part fresh.