Slow Cooker recipes

OU812 · 20-10-2015 03:27PM

Are they expensive to run ?

curiousb · 20-10-2015 03:44PM

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 04:12PM

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 05:30PM

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 06:36PM

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 06:43PM

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 09:46PM

OU812 wrote: »

Are they expensive to run ?

Not at all. Cheapest method of cooking

vicwatson · 20-10-2015 10:25PM

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

Zelda247 · 21-10-2015 08:25AM

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 08:28AM

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 09:03AM

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 09:59AM

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 10:03AM

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 10:05AM

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 10:14AM

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 10:16AM

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 10:29AM

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 10:44AM

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 11:04AM

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 11:11AM

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 11:24AM

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 11:29AM

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 10:44AM

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 10:48AM

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 06:50PM

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 · 23-10-2015 11:12PM

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 · 23-10-2015 11:15PM

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.

24-10-2015 09:18AM

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

Dotcomdolly · 25-10-2015 09:10AM

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 10:17AM

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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