Slow cooker-what do you do with yours?

[PatTheHammer]

So Dh has just been out and bought a slow cooker in the sales, been meaning to get one for ages and then my lovely (if a little batty) grandmother gave us a slow cooker recipe book for christmas so we decided to get one.

I think what clinched it for DH was the energy saving as he is a tight bastard.

Anyhow, is it really as complex as the book makes out to cook things in it? I was just envisaging chucking all my stew or casserole ingredients in it before I go to work, turning it on and having a lovely dinner made for when we all get in. Now I notice there is talk of browning stuff and reducing the amount of liquid you put in and timings and such..............its making head hurt!

So, people of MN, what do you cook in yours? any good tips? Anything so easy i can do in 10 minutes in the morning? Anything i most definitely shouldn't do?!

My top tip is fill the SC with boiling water while you faff around chopping veg etc, then pour it away and bung in the food.

To speed cooking time up place a folded tea towel on the lid.

must remember to write down your chicken instructions before this thread disappears dee.

It is lush Santa

have you just namchanged?

No, not me. Tis another Dee

I bung a brisket in with some slice onions and a bit of wine and/or stock. After cooking all day on low it just falls apart and is delicious with a jacket potato or anything else.

A whole chicken is lovely too, with a can or jar of barbecue sauce and some chopped onion. You can crisp it up in a hot oven for 10 minutes at the end and it's even yummier.

ah well i meant the mented one

I don't usually bother browning stuff, my MIL says it gives things a better flavour, but I've had no complaints about anything I've made so far!!

I'm making easy pork curry tomorrow - a couple of pork steaks per person, and depending on how many of you there is, a couple of tins of beans, a couple of tins of tomatoes a whole chopped onion and half a cup of water with some curry powder mixed into it. Leave it on low for six to eight hours and serve with either crusty bread, jacket spuds or over mash.

Cheap and very yummy - great for freezing too.

Do you need to cover everything with water? I fell out of love with mine. Well actually, I was never in love with it but I'm giving it another go. Mine always had too much liquid in and tasted rank but the stews in the oven taste divine.

def much less liquid required

For years I've done a pork casserole, with assorted veg, in a le Creuset casserole in the oven - the liquid for that is a tin of veg soup plus a tinful of water.

In the oven it generally dries out pretty much, unless the temp is really low, but when I did it the same way in the slow cooker it ended up swilling around in more liquid than it started with

So no, IME you need to add a minimal amount of liquid

HTH