Been given a slow cooker
Discussion
Throw it out. you were given it because the previous owner never used it, I'd assume. You probably never will either..alternatively, most supermarkets with a book section have slow cooker recipe books. AFAIK you can chuck in all your usual casserole ingredients and just leave it on for the time you're at work.
Defcon5 said:
I was thinking it would make a nice lamb curry. Would I put everything in at once then? Or will it turn to mush?
Slow cooking is wonderful for making tough things tender. Tender things turn to smoosh. This may be OK is you are making a casserole, pie filling or sauce but is not so great if it's supposed to have texture.To make a nice lamb curry buy some cheapo stewing lamb, onions, tomatoes and spices. BROWN the lamb and onions first in a frying pan - else they will have NO COLOUR at all. THEN chuck it in the slow cooker on low for ten hours with the tomatoes.
I got a slow cooker recently and am having fun with it. But you won't use it every day.
Sainsbury's have one on sale at £19.99p at the moment - in case someone else wants one!
Slow cookers are great but it's probably worth picking up a cook book to start with as the food is marinating for a lot longer than in normal cooking so flavours can be altered also the long cooking can mean you need to add more liquid than you would normally. I had (till my Mrs lent it out) a great slow cooker cookbook with some really tasty different recipes this one I think the chicken and peanut rice recipe is beautiful.
As a non-cook it's interesting to plot kitchen fashions.
1978: Slow Cooker. You live on stew every night for a month then never use it again.
1982: Microwave. You try six different ways to cook eggs then never use it again.
1984: Sandwich toaster. You live on toasted sandwiches for a month then never use it again.
What others can we add? Pasta maker?
1978: Slow Cooker. You live on stew every night for a month then never use it again.
1982: Microwave. You try six different ways to cook eggs then never use it again.
1984: Sandwich toaster. You live on toasted sandwiches for a month then never use it again.
What others can we add? Pasta maker?
I love my slow cooker. In fact I've got two - a 1.1l (£10.97 from Asda) and a 4l (£25 from Asda).
In these, I've made:
- Bolognese sauce
- Chilli
- Tuscan bean soup
- Toulouse sausage casserole with Puy lentils
- Stuffed squid in garlicky tomato sauce
- Chickpea, chorizo and snail stew
- Shin of beef in red wine
- Game casserole (slow cooking is very useful for elderly pheasant / wood pigeon)
- Salt beef
- Gammon
Salt beef and gammon were unparalled successes in the slow cooker. To cook these properly, the heat needs to be so low that the surface of the water barely shivers - nigh on impossible to achieve on the hob.
In these, I've made:
- Bolognese sauce
- Chilli
- Tuscan bean soup
- Toulouse sausage casserole with Puy lentils
- Stuffed squid in garlicky tomato sauce
- Chickpea, chorizo and snail stew
- Shin of beef in red wine
- Game casserole (slow cooking is very useful for elderly pheasant / wood pigeon)
- Salt beef
- Gammon
Salt beef and gammon were unparalled successes in the slow cooker. To cook these properly, the heat needs to be so low that the surface of the water barely shivers - nigh on impossible to achieve on the hob.
Simpo Two said:
As a non-cook it's interesting to plot kitchen fashions.
1978: Slow Cooker. You live on stew every night for a month then never use it again.
1982: Microwave. You try six different ways to cook eggs then never use it again.
1984: Sandwich toaster. You live on toasted sandwiches for a month then never use it again.
What others can we add? Pasta maker?
Rubbish - when I was single I nuked everything I ate. The Microwave is the best cooking device ever invented - fast and simple and easy to clean.1978: Slow Cooker. You live on stew every night for a month then never use it again.
1982: Microwave. You try six different ways to cook eggs then never use it again.
1984: Sandwich toaster. You live on toasted sandwiches for a month then never use it again.
What others can we add? Pasta maker?
Slow Cooker? Pah! Not very PH is it?
Pulled pork is nice done in a slow cooker.
Get a shoulder of pork - about 4lb. Roughly cut up an onion and put it as a bed in the cooker. Then put in the pork and cover with another cut up onion (leave the pork tied up). 2/3rds fill the cooker with water, or mix in some ale. You can experiment with what you cook it in a lot - a few different spices, cider vinegar or whatever you like really, can all work. Cook for 10-12 hours on low setting.
Take out the pork and put it on a large plate or in a bowl. You can discard the stuff its been cooking in at this point. The meat should be almost falling apart by this time, so remove any pieces of excess fat, and use a couple of forks to shred the meat - it will be very easy. Then put it back in the now empty slow cooker and mix in a bottle of your favourite BBQ sauce. I like the HP honey woodsmoke one, but it really doesn't matter, and even a mix can work. Leave it in the slow cooker for another hour on low to marinade, and that's it. You might need to add a little water with the sauce depending how thick it is, and how much you use. Serve in crusty white rolls or as a baked potato filling.
Get a shoulder of pork - about 4lb. Roughly cut up an onion and put it as a bed in the cooker. Then put in the pork and cover with another cut up onion (leave the pork tied up). 2/3rds fill the cooker with water, or mix in some ale. You can experiment with what you cook it in a lot - a few different spices, cider vinegar or whatever you like really, can all work. Cook for 10-12 hours on low setting.
Take out the pork and put it on a large plate or in a bowl. You can discard the stuff its been cooking in at this point. The meat should be almost falling apart by this time, so remove any pieces of excess fat, and use a couple of forks to shred the meat - it will be very easy. Then put it back in the now empty slow cooker and mix in a bottle of your favourite BBQ sauce. I like the HP honey woodsmoke one, but it really doesn't matter, and even a mix can work. Leave it in the slow cooker for another hour on low to marinade, and that's it. You might need to add a little water with the sauce depending how thick it is, and how much you use. Serve in crusty white rolls or as a baked potato filling.
Edited by tank slapper on Thursday 11th March 23:41
tank slapper said:
Pulled pork is nice done in a slow cooker.
Get a shoulder of pork - about 4lb. Roughly cut up an onion and put it as a bed in the cooker. Then put in the pork and cover with another cut up onion (leave the pork tied up). 2/3rds fill the cooker with water, or mix in some ale. You can experiment with what you cook it in a lot - a few different spices, cider vinegar or whatever you like really, can all work. Cook for 10-12 hours on low setting.
Take out the pork and put it on a large plate or in a bowl. You can discard the stuff its been cooking in at this point. The meat should be almost falling apart by this time, so remove any pieces of excess fat, and use a couple of forks to shred the meat - it will be very easy. Then put it back in the now empty slow cooker and mix in a bottle of your favourite BBQ sauce. I like the HP honey woodsmoke one, but it really doesn't matter, and even a mix can work. Leave it in the slow cooker for another hour on low to marinade, and that's it. You might need to add a little water with the sauce depending how thick it is, and how much you use. Serve in crusty white rolls or as a baked potato filling.
Thanks for the recipe! Sounds great. Quite a different idea for the slow cooker, that, but ideal since the meat must be utterly soft...Get a shoulder of pork - about 4lb. Roughly cut up an onion and put it as a bed in the cooker. Then put in the pork and cover with another cut up onion (leave the pork tied up). 2/3rds fill the cooker with water, or mix in some ale. You can experiment with what you cook it in a lot - a few different spices, cider vinegar or whatever you like really, can all work. Cook for 10-12 hours on low setting.
Take out the pork and put it on a large plate or in a bowl. You can discard the stuff its been cooking in at this point. The meat should be almost falling apart by this time, so remove any pieces of excess fat, and use a couple of forks to shred the meat - it will be very easy. Then put it back in the now empty slow cooker and mix in a bottle of your favourite BBQ sauce. I like the HP honey woodsmoke one, but it really doesn't matter, and even a mix can work. Leave it in the slow cooker for another hour on low to marinade, and that's it. You might need to add a little water with the sauce depending how thick it is, and how much you use. Serve in crusty white rolls or as a baked potato filling.
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