Anyone going for the slow cooker?

[lilian]

Mine arrived yesterday & I used it straigtaway. Ordered the black one as my kitchen is cream units with black worksurfaces. I have the smaller version & use it a lot. I would not be without one now & have made some really tasty meals in it. I have cooked duck in orange sauce lots of times as OH loves it & it tastes wonderful.

 

[Snowstorm]

Power of word of mouth. On the strength of the comments popped to tesco yesterday and picked up one for 12.00. Bought beef brisket and chopped up lots of veg. Threw some beef stock and a glass of red wine this morning. So am intrigued too see what awaits when I get home this eve. Mine had no recipe pamphlet. Any recommended books?

 

[lilylurknomore]

Mine arrive today also, did a beef casserole, meat a bit tough, maybe it needed longer than 6 hours?!! Does look a bit cheap and flimsy so I'm still undecided. One thing though, if anyone hasn't used theirs yet, it might be a good idea to switch it on for an hour high temp first as it whiffed a bit because of the newness, although the food tasted OK.

 

[lilylurknomore]

Power of word of mouth. On the strength of the comments popped to tesco yesterday and picked up one for 12.00. Bought beef brisket and chopped up lots of veg. Threw some beef stock and a glass of red wine this morning. So am intrigued too see what awaits when I get home this eve. Mine had no recipe pamphlet. Any recommended books?

Hubs has ordered me a book off Amazon, 100 slowcooked meals, or something similar.

 

[Snowstorm]

Mine arrive today also, did a beef casserole, meat a bit tough, maybe it needed longer than 6 hours?!! Does look a bit cheap and flimsy so I'm still undecided. One thing though, if anyone hasn't used theirs yet, it might be a good idea to switch it on for an hour high temp first as it whiffed a bit because of the newness, although the food tasted OK.

On my Tesco one. Beef was lovely but it was on for longer than 6 hours. More like from 7.30 in the morning until I got home which was around 6ish. Very tasty and everything was good. No overheating and smells were wonderful when I opened the door this evening. Am now going to put it through its paces with some other dishes.

 

[Loveinamist]

I really dont know much about them - anyone got one and wish to give some advice?

Right, you lot stop it now. My daughter is vegan and I eat a small amount of chicken, but I want a slow cooker!!!! You should all get commission for this thread, from Q, Tesco, Asda and whoever sells them. Is it worth my while, cooking for one, or can I do a vegetable dish for two in it. Sorry, didn't mean to shout, love you all really. :devil: :sun: :blush:

 

[Snowstorm]

Right, you lot stop it now. My daughter is vegan and I eat a small amount of chicken, but I want a slow cooker!!!! You should all get commission for this thread, from Q, Tesco, Asda and whoever sells them. Is it worth my while, cooking for one, or can I do a vegetable dish for two in it. Sorry, didn't mean to shout, love you all really. :devil: :sun: :blush:

Ha ha I know what you mean! I cooked for two this evening. Meat all wolfed down still quite a bit of stick and veg left though. Am going to get a book already recommended on this thread to see what the possibilities are for smaller portions etc:wonder:

 

[Pick-a-Lily]

Purplepig, the lid should be slightly loose, that's how the steam escapes. Plus it will all expand a bit when it heats up. I would try it out before deciding to send it back.

 

[Kyresa]

Power of word of mouth. On the strength of the comments popped to tesco yesterday and picked up one for 12.00. Bought beef brisket and chopped up lots of veg. Threw some beef stock and a glass of red wine this morning. So am intrigued too see what awaits when I get home this eve. Mine had no recipe pamphlet. Any recommended books?

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/slow-cooker-recipes.aspx

is a very good site.

I have had about four recipes from there that have all been really good.
(There's a pasta recipe with creamy cheese and chicken and it's just DIVINE on that site!
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/11620/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-pasta.aspx
that one... I used bacon instead of mushrooms - it's like a carbonara but... nicer!)

 

[lilylurknomore]

On my Tesco one. Beef was lovely but it was on for longer than 6 hours. More like from 7.30 in the morning until I got home which was around 6ish. Very tasty and everything was good. No overheating and smells were wonderful when I opened the door this evening. Am now going to put it through its paces with some other dishes.

OK thanks, I obviously didn't cook it long enough. Must admit cooking over the equivalent heat of a match might take a bit of getting used to. Maybe if I plan my next slowcooking session 3 days in advance........... :wonder: :happy:

 

[KimP]

Mine arrive today also, did a beef casserole, meat a bit tough, maybe it needed longer than 6 hours?!! Does look a bit cheap and flimsy so I'm still undecided. One thing though, if anyone hasn't used theirs yet, it might be a good idea to switch it on for an hour high temp first as it whiffed a bit because of the newness, although the food tasted OK.

When I had mine years ago they recommended that meat was browned first before cooking in the slow cooker to keep the juices in.

 

[kirkiegirl]

I got another one today after all the discussion on here, a smaller 1.5 litre Russell Hobbs in the sale in Sainsburys for £8. I put a tin of sliced apple in the bottom and then a basic sponge mix (4/4/2/4 of butter, sugar, eggs and SR flour) done in my Kenwood KMix, left it on for 4 hours and have just had the most amazing pud. Feeling very full though.

Sounds good. Did you use the low or the high setting?

 

[lilian]

Mine arrived yesterday & I used it straigtaway. Ordered the black one as my kitchen is cream units with black worksurfaces. I have the smaller version & use it a lot. I would not be without one now & have made some really tasty meals in it. I have cooked duck in orange sauce lots of times as OH loves it & it tastes wonderful.

Mine is being returned. I noticed yesterday that its got a dent in the side of it. Because its black its not easy to see. I've reordered another one. It must have been sent out like it as it was packed up really well.

WELL! Surprise of all surprises. As I was typing this my Hermes lady has turned up to collect it. I only rung QVC last night so theres efficiency for you.

 

[Kim Mc]

I use my slow cooker all the time and I leave it on when I'm out, that's the idea of them. It makes cheap cuts of meat very tender, but potatoes need to be cooked a bit before they go in otherwise they're hard. Also liquid doesn't evaporate at all, in fact it appears to increase when the other ingredients shrink during the long cooking process, so don't put too much in.

I went for the tsv and used my £5 off Elemis so I thought this wasnn't a bad deal. However, after 15 hours of slow cooking (Turned off after 11 and then started again this morning) the potatoes were still quite hard. We managed to eat them, just. I was going to look to see if anyone else had had this problem when I saw the quote from Bensmum so thank you :clapping: I now know to cook them a bit before hand, it does slighty detract though from a one pot meal. I will persevere though.

 

[Snowstorm]

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/slow-cooker-recipes.aspx

is a very good site.

I have had about four recipes from there that have all been really good.
(There's a pasta recipe with creamy cheese and chicken and it's just DIVINE on that site!
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/11620/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-pasta.aspx
that one... I used bacon instead of mushrooms - it's like a carbonara but... nicer!)

Thanks for this web link. That recipe you posted sounds delicious!:sun:

 

[Ruthmay]

Right, you lot stop it now. My daughter is vegan and I eat a small amount of chicken, but I want a slow cooker!!!! You should all get commission for this thread, from Q, Tesco, Asda and whoever sells them. Is it worth my while, cooking for one, or can I do a vegetable dish for two in it. Sorry, didn't mean to shout, love you all really. :devil: :sun: :blush:

you can cook pasta, risotto, vegetable dishes, there are some good cookbooks available on Amazon. Soups as well.

If you buy from Amazon you can still return it and they will collect!!!!!

 

[Ruthmay]

I use my slow cooker all the time and I leave it on when I'm out, that's the idea of them. It makes cheap cuts of meat very tender, but potatoes need to be cooked a bit before they go in otherwise they're hard. Also liquid doesn't evaporate at all, in fact it appears to increase when the other ingredients shrink during the long cooking process, so don't put too much in.

I went for the tsv and used my £5 off Elemis so I thought this wasnn't a bad deal. However, after 15 hours of slow cooking (Turned off after 11 and then started again this morning) the potatoes were still quite hard. We managed to eat them, just. I was going to look to see if anyone else had had this problem when I saw the quote from Bensmum so thank you :clapping: I now know to cook them a bit before hand, it does slighty detract though from a one pot meal. I will persevere though.

Don't think you should pre-cook the potatoes, that is not the point. they are supposed to be cut very small. perhaps that was the problem. be sure they are covered with the stock or whatever you are using.

 

[Diamond Diva]

I've had mine for years and meat cooked in it is so tender it just falls apart. The instructions say to leave it empty on high for half an hour to allow it to heat up, by the time you've browned the meat (I always coat it in seasoned flour to help the thickening process) and prepared the veg its hot then just pop the meat & veg into it plus the stock, which also must be hot and season to taste. I do mine before going to work especially if entertaining in the evening, I prepare the veg and brown the meat whilst the pot heats up and then leave it on high for an hour and turn it down to low before leaving for work. When I come home it smels great, I just strain a little of the juices off, thicken it and return it to the pot which overcomes the problem of the stock being thin and its done, all for the cost of a lightbulb, brilliant !

 

[Rozzy]

All this talk of slow cookers has made me order one. It's coming tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. I had one years ago and loved it. I'm having a 6.5 litre one because we've got a huge family. I've seen a lovely recipe for Butter Chicken but I'm starting with Beef Bourguignon on Saturday:sun:
Funny story. We had a slow cooker for a wedding present (1978) and I was paranoid about fire if I left anything on overnight, we wanted to eat our casserole for Sunday lunch so when we went to bed on Saturday night, so did the slow cooker!!! We woke up to the delicious smell of beef and onions cooking next to the bed, I've never been allowed to forget it!!:sun::sun::sun:

 

[Kim Mc]

Thank you Ruthmay and Diamondiva for your help and advice.
I did think the size of the potatoes was the problem so I will give it another go but cut them a lot smaller. I will also heat up the pot before using.
I knew someone off here would be able to help me. Thank you.:happy::happy::happy: