Help - getting food up to safe cooking temperature in slow cooker

[jumpyjan]

Just bought a morphy richards slow cooker with low, med and high heat settings.

I have been reading quite an old fashioned slow cooker recipe book which says you should put food on high for first 20 mins to get it up to a safe temperature as quickly as possible but to check individual manufactuers instructions to see if this applies.

The manufactuers instructions just say cook on low med or high according to when you want to eat - does that sound right or should I blast it a bit to start off with?

Hoping to put my chicken in white wine on in a mo!

I was hoping I would be able to just put it on low and then go off to work for the day. Its a bit of a faff if I have to wait around for 20 mins while its on high - but then don't want to poison everyone either!

I never ever put it on high first - it's fine and always nice and hot when it's time to serve, I wouldn't worry about it.

am a bit paranoid about stuff like this! I guess if there is a low setting it is safe to cook at that temperature?

With mine, (a very old one), you are instructed to turn on the slow cooker for 10 minutes before you put the food in.

It's not too hard to manage this, as it generally takes some time to get everything else prepared first. But I have also used it without doing this and it has been fine.

Just make sure it's cooked for the proper length of time, and don't take the lid off during cooking.

Right have chicken in wine in the slow cooker but I have made the mistake of taking a bit from 2 different recipies and they both say completely different cooking times/levels.

Need it to cook in 5 hours and so far have put it on high for half an hour and now switched to medium - does that sound about right?

Also does it matter if it is nowhere near full. I have bought the 6.5 litre as will sometimes need a big one but only cooking for 2 tonight so its only half full.

Also - I really want to stir it - is this allowed?

perhaps I should go out and stop obsessing about my slow cooker!

I always pre-heat my slow cooker and cook on high for about 20-30 mins before switching to low.

I just chuck meat onions and carrot in the slow cooker at 8am, leave on all day and its all nicely cooked and piping hot when we come home.
If I was going to do different temps I'd have to remember to switch it to low before going out in the morning so it would probably be ruined every day before we got home!

I guess it just seems odd as its quite a different way of cooking. The sauce is simmering around the edges but the chicken is just sort of sitting there but guess it must be pretty hot in there.

Don't stir it. Every time you take the lid off the temperature will drop and you will have to increase the cooking time even more!

I always do my (whatever recipe) in the saucepan first to a) brown whatever meat I am using, and b) I know that at least it went in boiling and c) reduce cooking times to about 5/6 hours rather than 8/9/10.

I always brown meat and cook veggies for 2 mins plus put in hot stock. Does everyone else put stuff in uncooked? Must admit it would be easier but i didn't know if it would heat up quick enough.

Mine has an auto setting that is an initial period (no idea how many minutes though) on high then turns down to low but I must admit I don't use that setting just leave it on low. I sometimes brown the stuff in a pan first and sometimes not.

I did look for one with an auto setting but argos did not have any. Wish I was not such a worrier when it comes to food prep.

I must admit the chicken in wine smells fantastic and its really nice that all the cooking is done so I can sit back and enjoy x factor!

Just think that if I need to put it on high for 20 mins to half an hour before I can turn it down to low it might not be as convenient as I first though for preparing dins before going to work as I will have to wait around for too long.