Have fallen in love with my slow cooker - but need some recipes

[LoveBeingAMummy]

I've had a slow cooker for 2 years but have only just used it for the first time and ahve now used it for times in the alst week!

PLease share your fav ideas.

Thanks

[phdlife]

oh I'm going to lurk here - first go with SC an utter disaster so I have yet to be convinced! (free tip - don't do sausages in it. Or if you do, really really make sure they don't get overcooked!)

[Lovemyshoes]

I love doing the meat for a cottage pit.

I throw everything in raw then when I come home from work I scoop the meat/carrots/peas out, put it in a casserole dish and top with mash and its lovely.

If you turn the slow cooker to high then the remaining gravy reduces down - lovely.

I've cooked a full chicken in it - absolutely the best EVER

Full gammon joint, divine, I was eating in for a days after.

Sausage casserole, just brown the sausages first and then throw everything in together.

Pasta sauces (garlic, chicken (browned), passata, courgetts and mushroom) put in for about 8 hours and serve with garlic.

Spaghetti bolognese (put mushrooms in when browned about 1/2 hour before serving)

Chilli

I'm going to start having a go at different things soon like puddings etc.

[stubbyfingers]

Nigella's coq au reisling works beautifully in it.

yu-uh-hum

[LoveBeingAMummy]

y phdlife Wed 05-Aug-09 12:23:40 Add a message | Report post | Contact poster
oh I'm going to lurk here - first go with SC an utter disaster so I have yet to be convinced! (free tip - don't do sausages in it. Or if you do, really really make sure they don't get overcooked!)

Oh no I'm so sorry for you, I did a sausage casserole and it was amazing. In fact Dh got a bit fed up of me saying so after every bite

The reason for needing reciepes is that, my first go was very wet cuase used to cooking on stove top, then I've been using packets

Pasta sauces (garlic, chicken (browned), passata, courgetts and mushroom) put in for about 8 hours and serve with garlic.

Hope you meant garlic bread

So if you cook a chicken do you just put the chicken in the pot and swtich on, anything else to go in? (I was wondering about this and thought it might act like a chicken brick?)

Stubby is that the one in the express book?

Thanks guys, keep um coming.

[smellen]

Lamb stew

Quickly fry off lamb pieces in frying pan. Throw in SC (which you can pre-heat by filling with boiling water, which you chuck out before adding contents).

Put some stock, a couple of tsp of tomato puree, a tsp of worcestershire sauce, some red wine (if you want) into your frying pan, and let it bubble for a few minutes. Chuck on top of lamb.

Wipe out frying pan, quickly fry some chopped onion, carrots, courgettes, or whatever other veg you want to add to your stew - chuck in the SC. Harder root veg take ages to cook in a SC, so need to be precooked a bit.

Add raw crushed garlic, rosemary and seasoning. Stick the lid on and leave...

Cook on High for about 5 hrs, or med/slow for 6-9hrs.

Serve rice or potatoes.

Use the basic idea with other meats, such as chicken pieces, beef etc., just vary the veg/herbs/stock as appropriate.

[weegiemum]

Fry up 3 onions, 2-3 peppers and some button mushrooms.

Layer in Slow Cooker

I layer veg
I layer chicken thighs or drumsticks
I layer veg.

Cover with chicken stock. Add a slug of wine.

Yum

Or

Chicken thighs, onions, stock and half a jar of pesto (made this one up myself one day when struggling). Its lush!

[stubbyfingers]

Yes, it's this one, except I would fry off the bacon first so that it's crispy.

[CillySunt]

Phd, you need to fry the sausages first. Op, you can put just about anything in a slow cooker. We've used ours on an almost daily basis for over a year now.

[TheArmadillo]

My favourite in it is to finely chop an onion and a few cloves of garlic and fry it off with paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper and some ground chilli (about a teaspoon of each).

Then put in slow cooker with 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, a couple of grated courgettes and a couple of finely diced peppers. Sometimes a couple of sprigs of rosemary as well. I also add half a bottle a splash of red wine.

I tend to put a slow cook beef or lamb joint on top of it and cook it on a medium setting for about 8 hours.

It's not hot or particularly spicy but has a good flavour.

We have it about twice a week (cos it lasts a couple of days) and is definately my favourite meal.

(my slow cooker also sat in cupboard for a couple of years and is now used almost constantly)

[CillySunt]

Oh and when any recipe says add any liquid, remember just to put half the quantity in. If it is a recipe that has tinned tomatoes and stock, use a quarter of the quantity of stock.

[CillySunt]

Try slow cooking a cassarole or joint overnight. Lovely to wake up to the smell of it.

[phdlife]

thanks, CS - in addition to not frying first, suspect I (a) overcooked and (b) over-liquided. PLUS I had looked at this dumb veggie SC recipe book that said to fully cook your pulses before putting them into the SC main meal. Result = mush.

Is there a diff between a "SC joint" (as in TheArmadillo's post above) and a normal joint? I have half a leg of lamb to do, thought I'd give the SC another go (if someone'll tell me how)

[CillySunt]

Just put the joint straight into the sc with any veggies you want with it. Some rosemary and garlic. No need to put liquid in as you will get loads of the meats juices. A joint is best done on (depending on your sc type) low or medium for about 9 or 10 hours. When cooked you will have the most tender meat. Take it out and the veggies and put sc on high and make gravy out of the meat and veg juices.

[phdlife]

do you brown meat/veggies first??

[differentID]

I've had mine a week and love it. DH loves it as well.

Will post results of my jambalaya, if it works well today.

[CillySunt]

Depends what mood I'm in phd tbh I never brown veggies, and rarely brown meat although a joint is best off being sealed first.

[LoveBeingAMummy]

Brillant thanks

[CillySunt]

Phd, when you did your sausage cass, what setting did you have it on and how long?

[Deemented]

Easy Pork Curry

2 pork chops/ pork steaks per person.

1 onion, chopped

2 tins beans

2 tins chopped tomatoes

half cup water

Curry powder to taste

Put onions and pork into slow cooker. add beans and tomatoes. Mix curry powder into water, then add to slowcooker.

Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Serve either spooned over mashed spuds, or with some garlic naan bread.

Great on a cold winters evening - coming home to the smell of this is fantastic!

[phdlife]

it was on low for, I can't remember, 6hrs? (no recipe - I was totally making it up!)

[phdlife]

deemented should I cut up the pork steaks?

and there are only two of us (ds not eating a full steak yet, we'd just cut him off some bits) so 2 tins of tomatoes seems a lot of liquid? (this is what happened to the sausages - can you tell I'm traumatised?)

[Deemented]

If there's only two of you then i'd only put one tins of beans and on tins of toms in - there are five of us and most of us are gannets

I usually throw the pork in uncut, but it doesn't really matter - if you want to cut them up, that's be fine.

Once it's done, if you feel that the sauce is a little too runny - and this goes for any sauce made in the slow cooker - make up a little cornflower with a few drops of water, and add to the sauce, stir and leave for a few mins to thicken to your liking.

I bought a slow cooker just after Christmas, and i lov it - i do everything in it, soups, stews, porridg, rice pud - it's fab!!

[LoveBeingAMummy]

I browned my sausages a bit and then they were in for about 2 hours but on high.

[Deemented]

Have currently got a chicken chasseur cooking in the SC - it's been on since 8am and i'm drooling!!

[LoveBeingAMummy]

Whats in it?