Slo cooker talk

[ooby]

Does anyone here have and use a slo cooker? I've got a small and a large one. I have used neither for ages.
By the time I have bought the meat or fish it seems to be cheaper to buy a ready meal.
I know people talk about mince,especially soya mince, as a cheap alternative but (a)dried soya mince when cooked is revolting (b) I am not sure mince of any kind is a good choice for a slo cooker.

Another problem I have is I usually end up with quite a watery gravy.

What kind of things do you cook in your slo cooker?

[gabry]

Hi ooby,
I've used a slo cooker for years. I've never used it to cook mince, though. (I can't stand soya mince, yeesh!) I use cheap cuts of meat like braising steak and chicken (cheap to buy a whole one and chop it up). The meat comes out really tender. I seal it first by frying for a minute until just the outside is cooked on both sides, then chuck it in the slo cooker. Veg in first, then meat and enough very hot water to cover. I've never cooked fish in it as it cooks very quickly, though i have made seafood soup using a tin of tuna, shrimps etc. If you want a thick gravy try adding lentils and chickpeas, or when everything's cooked, strain off the liquid and thicken with gravy granules. I add all sorts of herbs, depends what sort of flavour you want. Curries come out ace. Dumplings only take about an hour or so to cook in the slo cooker, just chuck 'em in about an hour before serving. It's a really cheap way to cook. I make soups, casseroles that sort of thing.
Gabry x

[christabel]

Hi ooby

Not tried it myself but my sister cooks mince with tinned tomatoes, onion and mixed herbs in her slow cooker to make a sauce for pasta. Spaghetti Bolognese.

Granddaughter makes broth. Diced vegetables with bacon pieces and broth mix lentils.

I'm like gabry and tend to do stews etc but you could do cheaper joints of meat ie brisket which would tenderise it.

I think that soya mince etc needs a lot of other strong flavour added or it rank. I have made some passable meals from it though.

If you need any advice on how to do a particular meal ooby just Let us know.

Take care. Chris

[mezzaninedoor]

ive used a slo cooker with Quorn chunks
it seems to marinate the Quorn really well and make for a tasty rather than cardboard meal, especially good for strong flavours like curries

[mihaela]

A cardboard meal? Mmm yummy! My favourite dish is corrugated manila* cutlets with a generous dash of asafœtida sauce.

* with staples removed.

[mezzaninedoor]

A cardboard meal? Mmm yummy! My favourite dish is corrugated manila* cutlets with a generous dash of asafœtida sauce.

* with staples removed.

[betterinrecovery]

I came upon the slow cooker idea by accident. People were using them to keep mulled wine warm a few Christmases ago, during a carol service.
I thought “Ay Ay I might like one of those”, and I got a small one in a sale. It came with a recipe leaflet. I cooked brown rice risotto and a sort of pork stew – from the recipe leaflet – quite nice. I found it was important to stick to the quantities in the recipe or the slow cooker overflowed, obvious to me now of course.
The cooking seems to always start off on a conventional stove and then is transferred to the slow cooker. Just like ordinary cooking, corn flour, rice flour, wheat flour or tomatoes concentrate is used to thicken the cooking at some stage.
I found a book – More slow cooker recipes by Katie Bishop in a shop, but I have not tried her recipes yet.
For me the best thing is that the slow cooker dish can be brought directly to the table, so the stew is piping hot just before serving.
I haven’t cooked with it for a while, but, now that I have found this thread I will have a go at some more recipes.

[christabel]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention again. I will be interested to hear of the meals you make.

I need to start leaning toward more healthy meals especially as I am on a heavy dose of steroids and feel yuk.

If anyone fancies having a go with a slow cooker I noticed ASDA have one in their sale £ 12.

[betterinrecovery]

Dear Christabel,
I am very fond of sweet and stodgy foods at this time of the year. I love rice pudding. I have not had much success in making it in the oven or on the hob...I think I over do the amount of rice, but I will have a go at doing it in the slow cooker. I have just about enough pudding rice to give it a go. Found the recipe on the bbc good food web site. will let you know how it goes.

[christabel]

Hi there

I like rice pudding and usually the thicker the better but I know what you mean. Some people purposely make is extra thick let it go cold and slice it to eat in chunks. I prefer it as a creamy pud.

Hope it goes well.