Good slow cooker recipes - need five per week as too busy to cook in evenings....

[mahonia7]

Anyone? I have more time and energy in the mornings and with all the kids things in the evening I think the only solution is lots of slow cooked meals...

My Anthony Worrall Thompson one came with a recipe book. I usually make stew like Rubberduck's. I don't know where the instruction book is that came with it but I seem to remember that it said to use less liquid than you normally would as it evaporates less but other than that any recipes you usually do with some kind of sauce.

There are a few soups in my booklet and the times are all 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 on high. The same for stews and it even has a recipe for a whole chicken on low for 8 hours (browned first then cooked in 3 floz of water and 2 floz on lemon juice). You can add rice or pasta or frozen peas for the last hour I think but I haven't tried that.

Good point, re: getting it out earlier and doing the school run ... will have to try that.

The chilli con carne can go a bit dried out and cruncy if you leave it on too long... tend to stick it on low for 8-10 hours to be on the safe side.

Hi Everyone

Thanks very much for the ideas. I need to leave the food to cook from 8am to 5 or 6pm. Is it ok just to add more liquid/water?

M

I'd just stick it on low tbh. Liquid levels should be fine, you lose very little.

The morphy richards book says that for something you'd normally cook for 6-8 hours on medium, takes 8-10 hours on Low.

And if you google for 'crock pot' (or as one word) you'll get lots of American recipes as that's what they're called over there.

By lots I mean 1000's!

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tesco have a slow cooker reduced to a tenner...pondered over it today,.....

and you don't need to brown the meat either. I prepare all my veg the night before then just chuck in the raw meat on top with some stock and leave all day.

Just had a fab sausage casserole for tea - but I do brown sausages, they look a tad obscene if you don't

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Martin Lewis has some good recipes on here

The man is a god.

Cod have you started on the wine?

I always do spag bol in mine and it tastes ten times nicer when slow cooked just make it as usual fry your veg and brown mince add tomatoes etc them stick in slow cooker on low for at least 4 hours (although even nicer for longer. I love my slow cooker as someone said earlier it is useful as a distributer of time rather than a saver. I don't mind making it earlier when one dc is in school and the other is happily getting on with something if it means avoiding cooking in the witching hour in between coming home from school and eating!

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I don't get people who have no empathy or understanding of how other people live their lives, but that's just me ranting too. I worked 11 sodding hours today though, so perhaps I'm in a bad mood. I don't have time to cook this evening, but luckily I'm not hungry either.

My fave slow cooker recipe (by miles!) is kleftiko

4 lamb steaks/neck fillets/shanks or whatever
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-5 bay leaves
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp fresh oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato puree
Salt and black pepper
Pint of lamb stock or enough to cover it
Block of feta cheese

serves 4

Chuck it all in the slow cooker for the day. When it's time empty most of it (not all the liquid) into a ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the feta and melt it in the oven. Good with potatoes or salad.

Nice with baby potatoes as above and a greek salad.

PS My other top time saving tip is to get a rice cooker, between that and a slow cooker you can have the whole tea ready!

I have the tesco tenner slow cooker and it is just the job

i may get the tesco one

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1lb stewing steak
parsnip
carrot
sweed
shallots
tin of tomato puree
2 tins of tomatos
beef stock
1 tin of corned beef
pepper (i like lots do it to your taste)
and another tin of corned beef goes in 30 minuets before the end of cooking

that is a looovley stew recipie

Buy the slow cooker recipe book from Lakeland. It has some lovely stuff in it.

Anchovies - recently made the Kleftiko and it was LOVELY. Thanks!

Hang on so I have to chop veg,cube meat, brown things and transfer to slow cooker at horrific time in the morning when all going mad anyway, so that slow cooker can produce food at 6/7/8 oclock when DDs will be fainting on floor/screaming/asleep?
What is the point?
Was tempted by threads before and drooling over rice pudding and kleftico. Now am

Pushchair - it's not always nec to brown meat.

Anyway - prepare everything the night before! Bung it in in the morning and it should be ready by 4-5pm on a low setting. Most slow cookers have a high setting too - in which case, things are cooked in about 4 hours. It's easy, honestly - and you make double and freeze a portion.

chopped chicken breasts (according to how many are eating)
chopped garlic
chopped mushrooms
sliced courgettes (usually 2)
1 large bottle of passatta

lightly brown the chicken and garlic together.

Throw everything else in and serve with pasta.

This tastes better the longer that it is in the slow cooker.

Parmagiana: Slice and aubergine into the bottom, cut chicken (breasts or thighs) into pieces, egg/breadcrumb them and brown slightly in a frying pan then pile on top. Cover with passata, put in garlic, herbs, peppers etc if you have them lying about. Cook. 15 minutes before you want to eat, cover top in grated cheese. YUM.