i got a slow cooker this morning

[ThatVikRinA22]

please tell me how to use it!

• ive no idea how to use them, what to do in them at all. Up until recently i have regarded them with suspicion....low heat + long time = bacteria soup in my book but i have been convinced by my friend who has bought me one for the princely sum of 12 quid this morning in Tesco!

so please help me become a culinary whiz with a slow cooker and post your slow cooker recipes!

thank you!

but i don't believe you, valium, you see. you do minimise all liquid, which was promising, but you don't brown the mince... ack. too much surface area not to brown imo, i need some maillard reaction. i'm sure it's okay, but if i'm cooking meat, cheap cuts or otherwise, i do like it to be delicious.

anyhoo, that's just my experiences with a slow cooker, good for stock, handy for soup, excellent for chicken and ham (ie better than oven)... cacky for everything else.

Mince doesn't need to be browned - even Jamie Oliver says that!

And it IS delicious, my food is never just okay!

no, JO says that casserole meat doesn't need to be browned afaia, and i don't always brown that, depends on the recipe. and it was you who said your ragu was 'okay', iirc.

I didn't mean 'crap ok' - I meant 'good ok'

you slow cookerers are funny...

Stews and casseroles cooked here regularly. Also do curry and slow cooked beef. Currently slow cooker is filled with milk and rice and bubbling away slowly.... Love homemade rice pudding!!!!!!!

Any recipes for pork loins ?

This thread is great. Bookmarking and going to do some copying down later! I've been doing the filling for steak and ale pie in mine. Toss casserole beef in flour, brown in pan then add to slow cooker with chopped onion or shallots, chopped carrot and celery and about 3/4 bottle of ale and cook for the day on low. I sometimes put button mushrooms in about half an hour before cooking.
Tip- if your meat is cooked but not tender enough keep cooking it for longer.

ooh our slow cooker is very well used
agree with others spag bol which can be rung through changes with chilli beans, mexican spices and put in tacos, topped with mash and grilled for shep pie, or bung some frozen vege in last 1/2 hour and have one pot meal.
We cook alot of game in ours as brilliant on venison, goose etc
I do a vegetarian lentil dahl.
Soups and casseroles as mentioned.
Shanks.
Corned beef
Dh's favourite is a pot roast put in it on an upturned saucer. Fill cooker with water so it is just lapping at saucer and cook. Meat is very moist and literally is falling off and water makes a great gravy at the end.

www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Cooker-Curries-Sunil-Vijayakar/dp/0600621545 is my fav recipe book right now.

Place 1 diced onion, 2 diced potatoes, 1/2 diced kumara, 3 diced carrots, 2c red lentils, 2 tsp garlic, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tbsp fennel seeds, curry powder or paste to taste (I used about 1 tbsp), 1 can coconut cream, 1 can water (use cc can) 1 tsp vege stock into cooker. It is supposed to be cooked on high for 3 hours but I did it on low for about 6 or 7 hours. Stir through bunch chopped spinach. Serve with plain yoghurt and mango chutney.

Just made Ministrone in my slow cooker using scraps of leftovers and some bacon I was too mean to defrost the whole pack so hacked a chunk off
Thanks for the inspiration!

Ok should have thought this through a but more as don't have all tge stuff I like to use.

I have put in garlic, herbs, stick cube, pepper, onion, red pepper(frozen) and mine with a tin of chopped toms. Have put it on low and have not started it on the hob [scared]

It does look very dry

I don't bother to dissolve the stock cube, just crumble it in with the tomatoes/passata.

You will be amazed at the liquid it creates loves that's why the food is so yummy in SC's as the flavours are concentrated not diluted.

Didn't put tge stock in any water.

Is it meant to look a bit yucky, am used to it being very red due to loads of passage/toms that I boil down

yes it is MEANT to look yucky, that's what all these weirdoes think is nice.

dahl recipe sounds delicious, i will do it in a pot.

do a chicken in it on those nights, it'll be awesome. more steamed than roasted with a lemon up it's arse, but sensationally nice. plus, when you lift out the bird and strip it you can immediately fling in stock ingredients and hey bingo, stock for soup. there are some things that are utterly brilliant in the sc, deffo. pot roast, chicken, ham, all brilliant.

(unless you are veggie)