A slow cooker question...

[idobelieveinfairies]

..i hope this is the place for it.

So, i like to cook casseroles in a huggeee slow cooker as i have a big family. I put all the ingredients in and then it says all food should be covered in the stock, so i add huge amounts of stock to it. It cooks for hours and hours and when it is done it is tooo watery/runny! I would like it think and yummy looking!

I have tried adding cornflour but to be honest in dosen't do much. I also add the dumplings hoping that will absorb some of the runniness but it dosen't make a difference.

How do i make it more thick?? Do i need to really cover all the veg and meat with stock??

Come and tell me how you do it :) pleeassee

Do you flour any meat that goes into the pot? By this I mean dip it in seasoned flour before adding it.

Also, making smaller cubes of ingredients helps keep it more tightly packed and less liquid is needed to cover it.

Add a few handfuls of lentils or even porridge oats can help to thicken the gravy (and pad it out) so mix these in as you add the gravy too.

But saying all that find as long as the meat and/or potatoes are covered, it doesn't really need to be submerged. The veg will cook down and it all ends up in a lovely stew

hth

No. put very little water/stock in as so much is made during cooking. I cook a whole gammon in the SC and only put in maybe 3 tbs of water. I also cook chicken thighs with no liquid at all.

As has been said..hardly any liquid is needed. A cupful at the most.

Oh excellent! I will try those ideas tomorrow.

I will do the meat in flour thing, do i do that before browning it though?? I will make veg a bit smaller and not put as much stock in, the meat is always at the bottom anyway and i don't add potatoes as there isn't enough room, i do them seperately.

Thank-you! :)

Yes, flour the meat before browning, you'll also get a totally different flavour doing that too.

What time shall we all turn up?

I don't brown the meat first (it makes me at 8am) but I do put it in a bag once diced and shake it with a couple of tablespoons of seasoned flour. Makes the sauce thicker. I realised this after producing waaay too many watery slow-cooked casseroles...

I like the sound of not having to brown the meat but dosen't it all fall apart when cooking if you don't??

Glynis..if you can catch a ferry in the morning you are all very welcome for dinner .

I don't brown the meat and it doesn't fall apart for me :)

the meat won't fall apart, not at all, but definately shake it all about in a bag.

Ohhhh....am i going north?

You need to add about 50% less stock than you normally would. Stir it every couple of hours. I have noticed that with a slow cooker the thin/thickness of the liquid doesn't change upon cooking, so thicken your stock before you put it in.

Can I also add, that the slow cooker is fab for braising bolognese, chilli and ratatouille.

Just to contradict you completely hugebelly - sorry but don't stir every couple of hours, you have to keep the lid on the sc to keep the heat in as it's ticking away at such a low temperature, you'll let heat escape. Put the lid on and leave it til it's ready THEN add cornflour or whatever at the end, but you probably won't need to if you use the bag/seasoned flour method.

No offence taken valiumredhead - everyone has their own method, x

Ok Hugebelly actually it was my mum who told me not to lift the lid as it brings the temp bak down you are more likely to get food poisoning.

I'm off to dust my sc off - not had it out for ages......

Ooo i have a huge slow cooker too and mine always end up too runny aswel il try some of these tips thanks :D

And don't lit the lid peachy

liFt the lid - oops!

I put gravy granules in mine just before I serve it. Sometime I put extra potatoes and carrots in the pot and before serving fished them out, whized them up with a blender and popped them back into the bowl and stired into the stock. This makes it lovely and thick and very yummy.