I have a beef stew cooking for tomorrow night, is that too long?

[MrsTumbletap]

So I want to come home to the smell of beef stew cooking like I did when I was a kid.

But I don't have time to make a stew in the morning before work, so I have whacked it all in the slow cooker on low. But won't that be over cooked by tomorrow at 5pm?

Don't have a mum anymore to ask these things. Google says 8-10 hours do does everyone just do it in the morning?!

Take it out in the morning and chill it. Reheat at tea time. You can’t leave it in the slow cooker for 24 hours. You are more likely to come home to the smell of acrid smoke than beef stew.

8-10 hours?! No way! Just switch it on in the morning on low. No stew needs 10 hours.

What wolfie said mate

When I've done this I tend to prepare it all in the slow cooker the evening before (chop veg, brown meat), fridge overnight, then put it on low in the morning. It can't cook from now until tomorrow evening it will be mush!

I prep night before and then turn it on low when I leave for work in the morning. Ready to serve when I get home.

Put the prepared stew in the fridge overnight and put on slow in the morning as pp said.
I can't imagine it'll be edible after 24+ hours of slow cooking 😳

It tastes better reheated the next day anyway, so take it out in the morning, and reheat for dinner on the stove top for dinner. Not quite the "coming home to the smell of dinner", but also not likely to turn into a burnt mess either

Turn it off in the morning and reheat when you get in.

Next time prepare night night before and sling in the slow cooker in the morning.

Ah buggar.

So it's currently hot at the moment, so I can't put it in the fridge now. Ahhh I have cocked this up! Do I now have to wait for it to cool to put in the fridge before I go to bed?

Fine for the meat, but definitely far too long for any veg.

Leave it over night on and then reheat tomorrow night. Next time just throw it all in the morning. I don't even brown anything anymore

What time did it start cooking OP?

Don't turn it off now just leave it. Turn it off in the morning.

Just remember for next time.

Switch it off in the morning. Reheat tomorrow evening. You can come down to breakfast to the smell of cooked casserole instead 😂

Yes, to come down stairs like the bisto kid

I love the smell of slow cooked beef first thing, it's a very cheery smell.

But if I just turn it off in the morning then it will be sitting from morning until 5pm isn't that dangerous bacteria wise?

Clearly I am no Nigella!

Turn it off when you get up.
Put it in the fridge before you leave. (Having cooled enough not to raise the temp of the fridge)
Reheat thoroughly at tea time. NOT in slow cooker.
Enjoy!!

No, you will cool it and pop it into the fridge in the morning. Then take it out and reheat it in a pan in the morning - you might need to add a splash of water to make more gravy if it seems a little dry in the pan

*reheat it in a pan in the EVENING

Gah!

Need that edit button!

Honestly it will be fine sat in the slow cooker. Generations of people have cooked stew like this and lived to tell the tale. I’m a chef and I can promise you will be safe.

I definitely wouldn't have time to wait for it to cool in the morning before work, so I have taken your advice about cooking it so I've put it into a different dish to cool and then will put it in the fridge in 10 mins.

So I then leave it in the fridge until I get back tomorrow at 2ish and stew it for 3 hours yeah?

Dear lord keep me away from the kitchen.

And it smells disgusting.

Sat in a slow cooker that’s switched off in a potentially warm house for many hours? God no. Don’t do that.
Crisp I hope you don’t work anywhere I’m ever likely to eat. Bleurgh.

@CrispbuttyNo1 see that's what I thought! I swear my mum shoved it all in the slow cooker, turned it on for a few hours. Turned it off again. And then turned it on a few hours before dinner, the next day or something like that. I can't really remember, but I remember the stew was started the night before.

I wish she had written these things down as I'm now trying to remember details and getting it wrong!

The advice would be.
Cook a beef stew in the slow cooker on low for about 8 hours.
Either eat. Or chill. Freeze if it won’t be eaten that day.
Never reheat in a slow cooker.

Crisp that’s awful advice. I can’t believe you’ve ever studied food safety or hygiene.
Hope you don’t work anywhere I’m ever likely to eat. I’m on immunosuppressants and food poisoning would be bloody serious for me.
Leaving food at an ambient temperature for a prolonged period of time is bad.
Slow cookers don’t heat food fast. It stays at a temperature that allows food poisoning type nasties to multiply and no amount of heating will necessarily kill them all off.