Slow Cooker recipes

Pistachios & cream · 02-10-2015 10:09am

SillyBeans wrote: »

I've recently bought a slow cooker but haven't tried it out yet. Anything in particular anyone would recommend as an easy beginner recipe? I'm making notes of lots of these recipes though, they all sound yummy!

I don't think you can get much simpler than the recipe below. No browning or sauteing onions just pop the ingredients in the slowcooker and turn it on. I changed the spices a bit when i made it so you can spice to your own taste.

The main thing to remember with a slowcooker is that you need less liquid than you would use for slowcooked dishes in the oven as very little evaporates.

Marty McFly wrote: »

Here's one I do regularly enough done it last week for my one year old birthday party and it went down a treat.

No measurements I tend to just judge it myself.

Your normal diced beef,stewing beef
Passata
Onions
Peppers
Garlic
Chick peas
Worcestershire sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Dried oregano
Dried basil
Cayenne pepper
Smoked paprika

Then cook on high for about 6 hours.

I was nervous making it given its my own concoction and had only ever made it for the better half so was delighted to see people going back for seconds.

SillyBeans · 02-10-2015 10:14am

ahayes84 wrote: »

I don't think you can get much simpler than the recipe below. No browning or sauteing onions just pop the ingredients in the slowcooker and turn it on. I changed the spices a bit when i made it so you can spice to your own taste.

The main thing to remember with a slowcooker is that you need less liquid than you would use for slowcooked dishes in the oven as very little evaporates.

Oh perfect, I'll be giving that a go soon. Thank you

Zelda247 · 20-10-2015 8:51am

Would using the slow cooker on Medium or High for 4 hours be something equivalent to simmering on the hob for 1.5 hours?

talking_walnut · 20-10-2015 9:10am

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Sure.

1 teaspoon of paprika
Half a teaspoon of smoked paprika

Is there a difference between "paprika" and "smoked paprika"? I asked in my greengrocers before and he thought they were the same.

Dizzyblonde · 20-10-2015 9:17am

talking_walnut wrote: »

Is there a difference between "paprika" and "smoked paprika"? I asked in my greengrocers before and he thought they were the same.

Smoked paprika has a strong smokey flavour, the other doesn't.

Zelda247 wrote: »

Would using the slow cooker on Medium or High for 4 hours be something equivalent to simmering on the hob for 1.5 hours?

4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low (which on some slow cookers is actually the Medium setting because what they call low is really the Keep Warm setting).

L'prof · 20-10-2015 9:19am

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

which on some slow cookers is actually the Medium setting because what they call low is really the Keep Warm setting

What? :eek:

Never knew this, must check the manual when I go home...if the stew I put on this morning is medium rare, hey-ho

talking_walnut · 20-10-2015 10:15am

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Smoked paprika has a strong smokey flavour, the other doesn't.

Makes sense

. Would chipotle work as a substitute?

loyatemu · 20-10-2015 10:38am

6.5L cooker, €20 in Aldi on Thursday: https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thu-22-oct/products-detail-page/ps/p/large-slow-cooker-2/

anyone bought one from Aldi, any good?

Dizzyblonde · 20-10-2015 10:43am

talking_walnut wrote: »

Makes sense . Would chipotle work as a substitute?

I've never tasted chipotle, but if you like it then it would work as a substitute. I think stews are all about throwing in what you like yourself.

L'prof · 20-10-2015 10:58am

loyatemu wrote: »

6.5L cooker, €20 in Aldi on Thursday: https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thu-22-oct/products-detail-page/ps/p/large-slow-cooker-2/

anyone bought one from Aldi, any good?

I got mine in Aldi last year. No complaints.

the_sonandmoon · 20-10-2015 11:06am

I got the smaller (3l, I think) slow cooker in aldi a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE it!

loyatemu · 20-10-2015 11:52am

anyone bought one of the cookers where you can use the internal pot on the hob for browning etc - is it worth paying extra for this

e.g. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1708473.htm

MissFlitworth · 20-10-2015 11:55am

I don't have one of those but would really, really like one. For browning meat before hand and also to reduce down stock or sauces after. I'd like to be able to prep something on the stove and move it over to the slowcooker directly quite a lot. Hmmm. Temptation to break my current slowcooker riiiiiiiiising

toadfly · 20-10-2015 11:56am

loyatemu wrote: »

anyone bought one of the cookers where you can use the internal pot on the hob for browning etc - is it worth paying extra for this

e.g. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1708473.htm

I got one of those for my mam, it is handy. Dont know if worth the extra month unless you use it often and would make life much easier.

loyatemu · 20-10-2015 12:34pm

MissFlitworth wrote: »

I don't have one of those but would really, really like one. For browning meat before hand and also to reduce down stock or sauces after. I'd like to be able to prep something on the stove and move it over to the slowcooker directly quite a lot. Hmmm. Temptation to break my current slowcooker riiiiiiiiising

does running the cooker on "High" not allow the same thing?

toadfly · 20-10-2015 12:47pm

loyatemu wrote: »

does running the cooker on "High" not allow the same thing?

Would take much longer to heat up and wouldnt really get hot enough.

curiousb · 20-10-2015 1:52pm

A friend told me this and i have done it a few times since and you can't get simpler. Results are fantastic.

2 jars of Green Saffron curry sauce (mild or hot). Hot is more medium.

Pour into slow cooker.

Place 1/2 leg of lamb on top.

Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Shred lamb with 2 forks.

Serve with rice.

Simples... and delicious.

OU812 · 20-10-2015 3:57pm

Am thinking of getting a slow cooker, Is it just main meals you can do in them or can you do other stuff ?

And on the main meal front, we tend to eat a selection of stuff, Could I maybe put in raw mince & bolognese cause & let it cook while at work & then just do some past when we get in, or maybe for chicken enchiladas, doc all the raw chicken, veg & sauce, leave that cooking for the day & then come in that evening, wrap them & oven bake for five minutes & be done ?

keane2097 · 20-10-2015 4:05pm

Came across this lately, looks great

https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedVideo/posts/1846845072123033

katydid · 20-10-2015 4:19pm

OU812 wrote: »

Am thinking of getting a slow cooker, Is it just main meals you can do in them or can you do other stuff ?

And on the main meal front, we tend to eat a selection of stuff, Could I maybe put in raw mince & bolognese cause & let it cook while at work & then just do some past when we get in, or maybe for chicken enchiladas, doc all the raw chicken, veg & sauce, leave that cooking for the day & then come in that evening, wrap them & oven bake for five minutes & be done ?

I do bolognese sauce in it, but I fry the mince first, as it's nice and browned. I'd imagine if you do it from raw it would be sludgy.

I make the sauce as usual, frying the meat and onions, and adding the other ingredients.Then leave it on for HOURS. Last time I left it on for 14 hours. It came out with a deep, delicious taste. Well worth it.

OU812 · 20-10-2015 4:27pm

Are they expensive to run ?

curiousb · 20-10-2015 4:44pm

OU812 wrote: »

Am thinking of getting a slow cooker, Is it just main meals you can do in them or can you do other stuff ?

And on the main meal front, we tend to eat a selection of stuff, Could I maybe put in raw mince & bolognese cause & let it cook while at work & then just do some past when we get in, or maybe for chicken enchiladas, doc all the raw chicken, veg & sauce, leave that cooking for the day & then come in that evening, wrap them & oven bake for five minutes & be done ?

Essentially yes. There is debate on whether or not to brown the meat first, but I have done it both ways and can't taste the difference.

Belle E. Flops · 20-10-2015 5:12pm

I bought a slow cooker last year for the soul purpose of keeping mulled wine ready for me whenever I was in need of it last year. It was a great job.

I must get around to using it for food.

katydid · 20-10-2015 6:30pm

curiousb wrote: »

Essentially yes. There is debate on whether or not to brown the meat first, but I have done it both ways and can't taste the difference.

Would the texture of the meat not be different?

curiousb · 20-10-2015 7:36pm

katydid wrote: »

Would the texture of the meat not be different?

I think you don't notice any difference, as the meat is cooked in a moist environment with the sauce, so it is not as if you have a seared 'crust' as you would with a good steak.

Dizzyblonde · 20-10-2015 7:43pm

I slow cooked a piece of housekeeper's cut beef for 5 hours on high today and it was amazing (I think it's also called top rib).
I browned it first, then put it into the slow cooker and added sliced onions to the pan. I fried them gently for a while, then stirred in a heaped dessertspoon of flour and then added a mug of hot water mixed with an Oxo cube, a squirt of tomato purée and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and salt & pepper.
When it was cooked I put the meat into a low oven to stay warm while I put the onions and gravy into a pot and let it bubble until it reduced by about half.
The meat was very tender and succulent

yogalady · 20-10-2015 10:46pm

OU812 wrote: »

Are they expensive to run ?

Not at all. Cheapest method of cooking

vicwatson · 20-10-2015 11:25pm

Aldi got 6,5l ones for 19.99 on Thursday next

Zelda247 · 21-10-2015 9:25am

loyatemu wrote: »

anyone bought one of the cookers where you can use the internal pot on the hob for browning etc - is it worth paying extra for this

e.g. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1708473.htm

Yes I have one of those and its worth it, saves washing a pan!

Zelda247 · 21-10-2015 9:28am

curiousb wrote: »

I think you don't notice any difference, as the meat is cooked in a moist environment with the sauce, so it is not as if you have a seared 'crust' as you would with a good steak.

I dont notice any difference between searing the meat and onions etc and putting them all in together at the start, the taste is the same.

Lovely Bloke · 21-10-2015 10:03am

loyatemu wrote: »

6.5L cooker, €20 in Aldi on Thursday: https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thu-22-oct/products-detail-page/ps/p/large-slow-cooker-2/

anyone bought one from Aldi, any good?

It's the one I have and it's grand.

Just popped some bread in to cook.

Halved this recipe, I like the idea that it turns out with a soft crust.

Hopefully it turns out ok

talking_walnut · 21-10-2015 10:59am

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Just popped some bread in to cook.

Halved this recipe, I like the idea that it turns out with a soft crust.

Hopefully it turns out ok

Article says "cook on high for 1-2.5hrs". Anybody know if it would work on low for ~8hrs? Could be nice to wake up to.

Lovely Bloke · 21-10-2015 11:03am

Hmm, it has risen lovely in an hour on high, so I stuck a skewer into it to test the doneness - and it collapsed around the hole.

nothing came out on the skewer though, but the colour of the top is rather disconcerting. The recipe says 1 to 2.5 hours, which isn't helpful.

loyatemu · 21-10-2015 11:05am

talking_walnut wrote: »

Article says "cook on high for 1-2.5hrs". Anybody know if it would work on low for ~8hrs? Could be nice to wake up to.

I think you'd be better off buying a bread machine with a timer...

padzer · 21-10-2015 11:14am

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I slow cooked a piece of housekeeper's cut beef for 5 hours on high today and it was amazing (I think it's also called top rib).
I browned it first, then put it into the slow cooker and added sliced onions to the pan. I fried them gently for a while, then stirred in a heaped dessertspoon of flour and then added a mug of hot water mixed with an Oxo cube, a squirt of tomato purée and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and salt & pepper.
When it was cooked I put the meat into a low oven to stay warm while I put the onions and gravy into a pot and let it bubble until it reduced by about half.
The meat was very tender and succulent

Had the same thing last night. First time to do a cut of beef like it in the slow cooker and it was amazing.

Browned it like yourself but put it on a bed of carrotts which were delicious. Probably the nicest gravy ive had came from the juices.

Have a roll of puff pastry there so tonights dinner will be the leftover meat, carrots and gravy in a pie. Cant wait!

talking_walnut · 21-10-2015 11:16am

loyatemu wrote: »

I think you'd be better off buying a bread machine with a timer...

Yup. But I've a small kitchen and don't want to clutter it up more

Lovely Bloke · 21-10-2015 11:29am

Took the bread out after 1.5 hrs.

it's cooling, I'll stick up a picture of it once cooled and sliced.

Dizzyblonde · 21-10-2015 11:44am

padzer wrote: »

Had the same thing last night. First time to do a cut of beef like it in the slow cooker and it was amazing.

Browned it like yourself but put it on a bed of carrotts which were delicious. Probably the nicest gravy ive had came from the juices.

Have a roll of puff pastry there so tonights dinner will be the leftover meat, carrots and gravy in a pie. Cant wait!

It's unreal isn't it, and perfect for the smaller pieces of meat that would shrink in the normal oven.

toadfly · 21-10-2015 12:04pm

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

It's unreal isn't it, and perfect for the smaller pieces of meat that would shrink in the normal oven.

Do you guys put any liquid in with it? When I do the housekeepers cut in the slow cooker, I always put in stock or casserole mix.

Lovely Bloke · 21-10-2015 12:11pm

So here it is, you can see where it collapsed on me, on top, but apart from that it's a passable loaf of bread, maybe a little dense at the bottom where it couldn't expand as much as at the top which was outside the tin

Be grand with some soup now for lunch.

Dizzyblonde · 21-10-2015 12:24pm

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

So here it is, you can see where it collapsed on me, on top, but apart from that it's a passable loaf of bread, maybe a little dense at the bottom where it couldn't expand as much as at the top which was outside the tin

Be grand with some soup now for lunch.

That looks good! I'd have had to brown the crust a bit under the grill, but the bread itself looks very nice.

Dizzyblonde · 21-10-2015 12:29pm

toadfly wrote: »

Do you guys put any liquid in with it? When I do the housekeepers cut in the slow cooker, I always put in stock or casserole mix.

Yes I do. If you scroll back up, my method is quoted in padzer's post at the top of the page.

OU812 · 22-10-2015 11:44am

Bought one in Aldi this morning. It was Manic with the amount of people getting them. I called in at 9 on the way to work & passed about six people on the way out with one. When I got in there, there were three pallets of them & these were half empty with people just pulling them out. Managed to get one but wasn't eve sure what colour it was (out of 3) until I got out.

Looking forward to trying it out. They're ok to leave in an empty house, right ? They don't need watching to the occasional stir etc?

L'prof · 22-10-2015 11:48am

OU812 wrote: »

Looking forward to trying it out. They're ok to leave in an empty house, right ? They don't need watching to the occasional stir etc?

They're grand. I leave mine on low for 8-10hrs while I'm at work.

onlineness · 22-10-2015 7:50pm

Has anyone tried porridge in the slow cooker? (sorry if this has been covered in previous posts)

My sis told me she made fab porridge so I gave it a go on low for about 7 hours....the porridge seemed to liquefy!

spottybananas · 24-10-2015 12:12am

onlineness wrote: »

Has anyone tried porridge in the slow cooker? (sorry if this has been covered in previous posts)

My sis told me she made fab porridge so I gave it a go on low for about 7 hours....the porridge seemed to liquefy!

Porridge takes 5 minutes to cook so I can well imagine it would liquify, what's supposed to be the benefit of slow cooking something that cooks so quickly??

beertons · 24-10-2015 12:15am

onlineness wrote: »

Has anyone tried porridge in the slow cooker? (sorry if this has been covered in previous posts)

My sis told me she made fab porridge so I gave it a go on low for about 7 hours....the porridge seemed to liquefy!

I tried it twice and the top at the edges went crispy. Never again, I binned it.

Mystery Egg · 24-10-2015 10:18am

I've tried overnight oats in the slow cooker twice and it burned both times.

Dotcomdolly · 25-10-2015 10:10am

If you want a pre-cooked porridge option a baked porridge is great, just zap a slice for 1 min in microwave to re-heat & serve with a dollop of greek yogurt.

OU812 · 25-10-2015 11:17am

Anyone ever cook their Xmas ham in a slow cooker?

I normally do it on Xmas eve, either boiled in cider or Coke and then glaze & roast to finish. Takes hours to do anyway, but requires constant attention when I've plenty of other things to be doing (oh but the smell!)

I was considering sticking it on that evening & letting it cook throughout the night. Have three guests for dinner that day so anything to take the pressure off would be great.

Alternatively, what from the dinner could be done in it which would also free up oven space?

Slow Cooker recipes

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