Hi,
We got a slow cooker as a wedding present. Marvelous invention - everything we have tried so far - beef casserole, sausage casserole, roast pork has just been fantastic! Chuck it in on a Sunday morning, head out for the day and come back to Sunday dinner all cooked! ;D
Has anyone else got one?
Got any good recipes for us to try next Sunday?.....
Mmm yes, we bought a Tower Slo-Cooker years ago. It's gathering dust in the garage. Never quite managed to get on with it.
However, it did come with a recipe booklet. For the above reason, we are unlikely to need it, so if you would like to PM me with your address I could post it to you. There are a lot of recipes in in, covering Soups and Pates, Fish, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry and Game, Desserts and Puddings. It might give you some ideas.
valmarg
picked this link up from another site, looks good value, even better used:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slow-Cooking-Properly-Explained-Dianne/dp/0716020475/sr=8-1/qid=1162820915/ref=sr_1_1/026-6976516-2614068?ie=UTF8&s=books
:)
One of my all time favorite meals is braised steak, even the cheapest toughest meat does well in the slow cooker. We had our first one given to us. We had to buy a bigger one when the kids were about and it is still going strong and used at least once a week. Perfect tool for a busy cook.
I have one but haven't used it since I stopped working full time. Used to get it all prepped the night before, bung it in, turn it on before heading to work and come home to a lovely smell of dinner ready and waiting. I made chillis and spag bols, chicken in white wine, braised steak and kidney, hotpots, roast chooks, curries....just about everything that could be cooked in one pot! Maybe I will dust it off now I am a work-a-day woman.
maybe you shouold EJ, then you can tell me all the yummy inventions you come up with and I can try them too ;D
Valmarg - have pm'd you - very sweet offer, thanks very much. Ours did come with a few recipes but not many.
Book is on the Christmas list too.....
I have my mum's old bright orange Pifco slo cooker & it gets regular use in the winter for chillies, currieas and anything else which involves bunging stuff in with a jar of sauce.
It's nice & small so practical for cooking for 2 + a freezer meal. If it ever dies ( it must be from the late 70's) I will have to invest in one of those small ones from Lakeland.
Sorry don't have any recipies, basically use it for anything you'd stew on the stove top. Especially good for Chicken thighs ( browned off in a pan first & take off skins) as it slowly stews the marrow out into the sauce/gravy and you get a cheap tasty meal.
Speaking of marrow gravy, Oxtail in the pressure cooker - now that is a great winter meal.
;D ;D ;D
I bought one recently, had a vision of tasty food waiting when I got home and it worked! I love it!
Froglets...you must be psychic! I just bought oxtail at the butchers having remembered that some cheffy person said it was wonderful! I have just googled recipes and Delia came up trumps again, but I can do it in the slow cooker too? Recipe please?
;)
Sorry, not tried it in the slo cooker - the big knuckles won't fit in my diddy Pifco.
When mum does it in the pressure cooker she put sit on the middle rack & does potatos in the bottom so they soak up all the juices. Very tasty.
I would think to do it in a slo cooker any casserole recipe would do? Cooking not my strong point.
no slow cooker here, but aroma of slow-simmered ox cheek is wafting around the flat this morning! winter casseroles, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :P :D
;D
Right, that's it...off to play with the Blessed St Delia's recipe!
;)
Ox Tail - do you have to scape the meat off the bones or aren't they hard bones and they so soft which you can eat?
my mum used to stew the ox tail with spuds, onions, carrots etc for hours on end, the result was a fantastic stew, we all got a piece to eat the meat off with the stew, this has made me hungry again, :D
;D
My kitchen smells gorgeous! According to Delia the meat just falls off the bone, will report back some time after 6!
;)
When oxtail has been stewed long enough, the meat falls off the bones, just like lamb shanks.
Now for me, lamb shanks beats all other dishes in this thread hands down.........
Slow cooker gets used here too - favourite is lambs hearts, simmered all day with root veg, and dumplings done in a pan on top with the gravy, at the end. Wouldn't be without it, had it at least 20 years. One advantage I find is that it doesn't make the kitchen hot in summer too.
Right, that's it, you lot just take the biscuit! Now I HAVE to get my slow cooker out! I have a pack of oxtails in the freezer just longing for a long cook, and I have several hearts in there - not my thing but my darling loves them.
Just a thought as I never have, but could you do a pudding in there, like a milk pud for example?
Rice pudding cooks really well in the slow cooker....porridge is good too, done overnight, just right for an early start on the lottie... ;)
I also stick my christmas pudding in mine, early on christmas morning and it sits there until my lot are ready to eat it, usually long after the turkey. It's really handy as you don't need to think about it nearer the time and no pan to remember to top up the water or steam up the kitchen.
T.
My new fandangly cooker comes with a slow cooker, so OH has bought me a book of the month club thingy slow cooker recipes...................will have a check see if it has an oxtail recipe tomorrow......if I remember! :-\
BW recalls very silly joke about being sent to the butchers for some oxtail,and please can you leave the head on.........boom boom! ::)
No slow cooker here but I use my tagine lots. (not quite the same but good for slow cooking.)
:-[
OK, fell asleep after delicious oxtail! It was truly scrumptious!
;)
;D
that's what it's for katy ;) ;D
I really shouldn't read this thread when I'm hungry !! :)
Pah, no oxtail recipes in slow cooking book, but it does have ostrich stew with sweet potatoes and chickpeas! :o Mind you we likes a bit of ostrich when we can get our hands on it!
Quote from: valmarg on November 06, 2006, 19:21:23
Mmm yes, we bought a Tower Slo-Cooker years ago. It's gathering dust in the garage. Never quite managed to get on with it.
However, it did come with a recipe booklet. For the above reason, we are unlikely to need it, so if you would like to PM me with your address I could post it to you. There are a lot of recipes in in, covering Soups and Pates, Fish, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry and Game, Desserts and Puddings. It might give you some ideas.
valmarg
thank you so much for this and your note - came today! going shopping tonight - beef borginogne on sunday I think! ;D
Daisymay, I have the Tower slow cooker recipe book, it is the tattiest of my recipe books by a long way as I use it so much, I have had one for 25 years now and still use it regularly at least once a week.
In fact I have two, the original small one and a larger one when my family grew! I sometimes use both at once! I must have made most of the recipes in there and can fully recommend them! The stuffed pork chops are beautifully tender and I also cook just ordinary pork chops the same way.
Have fun! :)
T.
Glad it arrived OK daisymay, and hope you get lots of ideas from it.
valmarg
Is i t possible to steam a christmas pud in a slow cooker when you have just made it? I used to use a pressure cooker, but its so old, I can't get the bits I need for it!
Cookie, yes certainly. The recipe in the Tower book fills a 2pint pudding basin and cooks on high for approx 13 hours.
Hope that helps.
T.
Hi. Exactly how do you do the xmas pud in a slow cooker?? I will try that if it will work with one of those prepackaged ones you get from the supermarket. Can you do a joint of beef in the slow cooker? I understood that you had to have it 2/3rds full of liquid. Mine is a family sized one and I find it a bit too big.
Saw a Slow Cooker in Waitrose for £19. 99---so I bought it.It has very few recipies but I read somewhere that you can make bread in it. :o
Have sent for a book to get me started.I'm sure it will be a BOON in my kitchen ;D (then I can sell the bread maker that I never use ;D)
Found my slow cooker, but it needs a new plug. The old man is on the case....well...so far I have asked him 4 times. If he doesn't do it, he won't be on braised venison pie for supper tomorrow! I also have oxtails out of the freezer to do oxtail stew on Thursday. I love these cheap cuts that like loooooooooooong cooking! yumyum! Will do him stuffed hearts on Friday I think. FAB!
Can someone advise me as to what size of Slow Cooker is best for 2 people. We have been thinking of buying one for a few months now but not sure what size would suit us. I was thinking of the smallest one but do you think its best to be bigger to be able to cook oxtails, rabbbits, hares and whatever in? ;D ;D ;D
My mum always told me to get BIG cooking things - on the principle that you can cook small amounts in big pans. So I always veer towards big - leftovers (ha ha) can always be frozen ::)
I agree with ss on getting a goodly sized one - you can make more than you need and freeze half for an even more "convenience" meal next time :)
I found this yesterday and the best thing was that you can pre-seal meat on the hob IN the casserole dish. That would solve the thing I dislike about slow cookers, which is pale looking food. BUT does anyone know if it really works???
RIVAL SCV7500K
Product code 236926
RIVAL SLOW COOKER
£39.99
Brand RIVAL
Other features
Ideal for curry, soup, casseroles or pot roasts
225 power
4.7litres capacity
3 heat settings
Keep warm operation
ETC technology crock pot for multipurpose use
Black finish
I saw one in Lakeland at the weekend which is especially for 2 people.... but I would agree - get a bigger one. We got a huge one, think it is 4l +. It does us for 2 very generous meals and have only just half filled it so far. But we are thinking ahead for if/ when our family expands....
You can dry roast joints of meat in them, you do not have to use water. We had roast pork in ours a few weeks ago. I would recommend cooking it the day before you need it though as it was very soft and kind of fell apart rather slicing. The left ivers the next day carved beautifully.
Chantenay - sounds good to me, not the same make as ours though - think it is morphy richards our one.
Book arrived today, 'New Recipes for your Slo Cooker' by Annette Yates.
Nice book, good info, covers a multitude of recipes-lemon curd,lovely puds and meat dishes and only £6.99 from PLAY.COM No postage to pay.
I also bought an ebook from ebay for 99p. Not bad, but American recipes.
Hi, I am very surprised about cooking meat in the slow cooker with no water. I thought it would burn it out. Has anyone else successfully done meat this way??
my mother in law has been doing this for at least 20 years, the meat gives off so much natural juices of its own that it ends up in about an inch of juices/ fat.... is gorgeous honestly!
The long slow cooking makes the meat so tender, it just melts in your mouth. Honestly! There is very little evaporation unlike in a normal oven so that the juices are still all in the pot and keep the meat moist.
Oh Goodness, I have wasted so many cheap joints of meat, cremating them in the oven!!! I will have a go in the slow cooker. thanks for that, will get it off the top of the fridge and give it a clean.
We use our slow cooker very often. You can indeed slow roast in it - brisket and boned shoulder of lamb do particularly well.
We cooked oxtail last weekend (it's in the freezer right now and will be eaten next weekend). The best recipe is the simplest, IMO. Just put in onion and carrot, add the oxtail, boiling water, and black pepper, bay leaf, or whatever herbs you favour. Cook until meat is coming off the bones.
Next day skim fat and remove bones. Reheat for a delicious casserole, or use as the basis for oxtail soup.
We actually have 2 slow cookers, a large oval one and a small round one. The large one is used for roasting larger joints of meat, or if we're making a big quantity to freeze. Single meals are best done in the smaller one.
Two hints:
- Don't add salt before slow cooking, it toughens the meat. You can always season it afterwards.
- Put vegetables, especially root veggies, on the bottom, with the meat on top. Root veggies take longer to cook than the meat.
Can anyone help please? Daughter 1 has been given a 'Cordon Bleu' slow cooker. (2nd hand). The 3 cooking options are -auto, high and low. The model name is Automatic but it only has 1 rocker switch, so I don't understand what is automatic about it! Can't find any info at all, so I assume Cordon Bleu don't make them any more or don't exsist now.
Has anyone got any info please?
oo ooo, I have one of those, but I have no idea where the instructions are, and as I got it YEARS ago when I first left home, I can't remember what auto was for.....I shall try and find the instructions. I tend to use the low setting as the high setting will come to a very gentle simmer, which can be a little to fast a cook if you are going to leave it on all day.
Quote from: Emagggie on December 01, 2006, 21:53:31
Can anyone help please? Daughter 1 has been given a 'Cordon Bleu' slow cooker. (2nd hand). The 3 cooking options are -auto, high and low. The model name is Automatic but it only has 1 rocker switch, so I don't understand what is automatic about it! Can't find any info at all, so I assume Cordon Bleu don't make them any more or don't exsist now.
Has anyone got any info please?
Normally the "Auto" mode starts off on "High" and then, when it reaches boiling point, switches automatically to "Low".
Thanks EJ and M12, I did wonder if that's what it meant. Made some b'nut squash soup in it today to test it. Perfect result. Not quite so was the chocolate sponge I made in my slo cooker at the same time. I just had to try it. It's ok but quite dense for a sponge, but I half expected it as it was cooked in a ban marie. Tasted like the choc sponge we had with pink sauce at school. :(
Quote from: Emagggie on December 02, 2006, 18:19:45
like choc sponge we had with pink sauce at school. :(
glory be maggie that took me back with a jolt! :o
Hey Sarah, BW has just had a slice and deemed it VERY GOOD!! his treat of the week, being diabetic. (I'd rather have had a bag of Allsorts ;D)
Did you get Gypsy tart too?
Glad you're converting BW to Joy of School Dinners ;)
Gypsy tart, oh yeah! ;D I so used to look forward to school dinners :-[ ::)
Plum cobbler, banana custard, pears in chocolate sauce, treacle tart, bread pudding ... never got those at home :P
uummm - school dinner puddings. At juniors my favourite was a thing called "chocolate concrete" with coco custard..... was chocolate shortbread I guess - was fab ;D
pink custard was good too, though not sure Jamie Oliver would approve ::)
fly pie and creamed macaroni, two I didn't like but chocolate sponge and custard , heaven, then as now :D
Manchester tart was my favourite. We had green custard with chocolate sponge too, peppermint. Ummmm
spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam fritters!
bring 'em on EJ!
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/smilies/10.gif)
Only just eating beetroot again now after being put off by those horrid squares that made everything pink and tasted foul...........and the smell of oil cloth, heaving now. :-X
We had a custard skin rota at my school. I was the Head and so was top of the list at the beginning of every term!
;D ;D ;D ;D :-X
Bought my slow cooker years ago from a car boot sale for one pound, perfect for sterilising soil, just add sand and perfect seed compost.
Bought my slow cooker years ago from a car boot sale for one pound, perfect for sterilising soil, just add sand and perfect seed compost
. . . is that really why you bought it? ;D
Why don't you give it a good clean out and use it to do some of the aforementioned delish recipes
Debs