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Old 09-02-2012, 16:34
nuttytigger
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Hi all,

I was given a slow cooker for a wedding present and need some ideas to make in it.

I am on a limited budget so looking for cheap and cheerful ideas.

Thanks.
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Old 09-02-2012, 17:32
_radioamerica
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I do a spag bol in the slow cooker that comes out really nice.

I brown onions and mince, then add it to the slow cooker with passata (tinned tomatoes would do) chopped garlic, beef stock and whatever herbs I have (oregano, basil etc.)

I do similar for a nice chilly too, I just add more beef stock, exclude the oregano and basil, and add chilli powder, a fresh chilli or two, chilli powder and kidney beans.

If I get a cheap mince, I tend to rinse it in cold water after browning to get rid of some of the fat. I usually use about half a 500g pack for each meal and that does more than large enough portions for two.
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Old 09-02-2012, 17:36
nuttytigger
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I'll try them soon, thanks!
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Old 09-02-2012, 18:11
queenshaks
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What's the best slow cooker to buy?
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Old 09-02-2012, 18:15
Sweet FA
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What's the best slow cooker to buy?
I'm looking to purchase one too. Has anyone bought Morrisons or Asda's own brands as they're reasonable priced right now and if they do the job, why not?
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Old 09-02-2012, 18:16
queenshaks
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I'm looking to purchase one too. Has anyone bought Morrisons or Asda's own brands as they're reasonable priced right now and if they do the job, why not?
I was looking at either Morphy Richards or Crockpot.
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Old 09-02-2012, 18:20
burton07
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Hi all,

I was given a slow cooker for a wedding present and need some ideas to make in it.

I am on a limited budget so looking for cheap and cheerful ideas.

Thanks.
The cheapest stewing steak comes out really well.
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Old 09-02-2012, 18:28
degsyhufc
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I do a spag bol in the slow cooker that comes out really nice.

I brown onions and mince, then add it to the slow cooker with passata (tinned tomatoes would do) chopped garlic, beef stock and whatever herbs I have (oregano, basil etc.)

I do similar for a nice chilly too, I just add more beef stock, exclude the oregano and basil, and add chilli powder, a fresh chilli or two, chilli powder and kidney beans.

If I get a cheap mince, I tend to rinse it in cold water after browning to get rid of some of the fat. I usually use about half a 500g pack for each meal and that does more than large enough portions for two.
All sounds good Just not sure why you would exclude the oregano. It is very prevalent in Mexican cooking.
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Old 09-02-2012, 18:34
_radioamerica
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All sounds good Just not sure why you would exclude the oregano. It is very prevalent in Mexican cooking.
I didn't look at a recipe, I just guessed at what was in chilli and it turned out alright haha. I didn't realise.
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Old 10-02-2012, 18:22
HollyC
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I love my slow cooker. I've got a cheap and cheerful one (I think it was £10 in Tesco about 4 or 5 years ago) and it does the job perfectly.

Chicken casserole is easy - I use chicken thighs or drumsticks (which are cheaper and breast and are much tastier in a casserole). Chop up whatever veg you like (I use carrots,celery, potatoes, turnips, mushrooms and onions), put in the bottom of the slow cooker, sprinkle on some flour or thickener, brown the chicken and put on top of the veg. Add chicken stock and a spoon of soy sauce. I cook it on low all day. Yummy, and because I put potatoes in the stew, there's no need to cook any on the side (although I do like to make yorkshire puds with it)

Also, when Co-Op have large gammon joints for half price (£5 for a large joint), I just wipe it off and cook it in the slow cooker with either half a can of cider or a small carton of pineapple juice, or a can of full fat coke. A large joint easily lasts me a week, kept in the fridge.

I'm very tempted to have a go at spare ribs in the slow cooker, because I bet they'll turn out really succulent. I just need to find a good spare rib sauce recipe.

The most important thing to remember is that, if you're cooking veg, this has to be put at the bottom of the slow cooker as it takes longer to cook than the meat.
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Old 16-02-2012, 08:46
nuttytigger
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Well I used it the other day, I put veg, sausages, potatoes and gravy in it, and it was yummy!

I am wondering though if I can put chicken in it and just a jar of chicken tonight sauce with it? Its a 2L slow cooker, how much would I need?

Thanks.
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Old 17-02-2012, 09:10
njp
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Chicken casserole is easy - I use chicken thighs or drumsticks (which are cheaper and breast and are much tastier in a casserole). Chop up whatever veg you like (I use carrots,celery, potatoes, turnips, mushrooms and onions), put in the bottom of the slow cooker, sprinkle on some flour or thickener, brown the chicken and put on top of the veg. Add chicken stock and a spoon of soy sauce. I cook it on low all day. Yummy, and because I put potatoes in the stew, there's no need to cook any on the side (although I do like to make yorkshire puds with it)
Having bought some chicken thighs which were being put on the bargain shelf for a ludicrously low price at the supermarket as I passed by, I decided I'd make a casserole in my slow cooker.

I just made it up on the spot, using fresh vegetables and potatoes I already had, chicken stock plus a carton of passata, a couple of cans of butter beans, some herbs and a bit of soy sauce, and some lentils to give it a bit more body - no flour.

It was delicious. The only downside was that the chicken so entirely separated from the bones that although I could easily fish out the large ones, there were some small ones lurking that were quite hard to find. Not quite sure what the answer to that is!
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Old 17-02-2012, 09:38
big_hard_lad
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I got one for free from Staples - they had this thing going where you could get a Russell Hobs slow cooker if you order more than £30 of their stuff... Did it, but now I've no idea what to do with it - cooking food for 8h isn't really my thing - now looking to stick it on ebay.
As stupid as it sounds, if you don't have much time to cook then a slow cooker is perfect. I love putting mine on before work and coming home to a house full of lovely smells!
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Old 17-02-2012, 10:05
birdsong
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As stupid as it sounds, if you don't have much time to cook then a slow cooker is perfect. I love putting mine on before work and coming home to a house full of lovely smells!
Browning meat first thing in the morning isn't ideal for me. Is it ok to do it the night before? Then it has to sit around for ages to cool enough to put in the fridge. How do you overcome this?
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Old 17-02-2012, 10:26
big_hard_lad
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Browning meat first thing in the morning isn't ideal for me. Is it ok to do it the night before? Then it has to sit around for ages to cool enough to put in the fridge. How do you overcome this?
I usually would brown it the night before and just stick it in a bowl with cling over it and straight in the fridge. Don't really worry about letting it cool before I put it in the fridge...don't believe it makes much difference TBH.
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Old 17-02-2012, 10:34
theARE
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I do the bulk of our sunday lunch in the slow cooker

Joint, potatoes and carrots go in the slow cooker saturday night
Sunday morning I do part boil some more potatos in the micro - then stick them and the parsnips in the Halogen Oven

Fast, energy efficient, and hassle free way of doing a sunday lunch
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Old 17-02-2012, 11:16
MillyC
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I flung a piece of brisket in the other day, on its own, and it came out wonderful, like slow braised steak
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Old 17-02-2012, 11:17
JulesF
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I usually would brown it the night before and just stick it in a bowl with cling over it and straight in the fridge. Don't really worry about letting it cool before I put it in the fridge...don't believe it makes much difference TBH.
I was actually looking into this issue recently and the general consensus is that you are quite right - you don't need to let food cool before refrigerating. Indeed, a lot of people say that it's best not to, as you then avoid too much of the 'danger zone' time, when food is at a temperature when bacteria multiplies. The only issue is that you might lower the fridge's temperature to an unsafe level - but I would have thought you need an awful lot of hot food for that to happen to any significant degree.
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Old 17-02-2012, 11:19
Ignazio
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I usually would brown it the night before and just stick it in a bowl with cling over it and straight in the fridge. Don't really worry about letting it cool before I put it in the fridge...don't believe it makes much difference TBH.
I never part cook meat then leave it for a period of time before completing the cooking process, having heard that any bacteria present will multiply rapidly in such conditions.
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Old 17-02-2012, 11:39
JulesF
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I never part cook meat then leave it for a period of time before completing the cooking process, having heard that any bacteria present will multiply rapidly in such conditions.
It's absolutely fine to do so. The bacteria will be killed off during the rest of the cooking. And it won't mulitply in the first place if the part-cooked meat is left in the fridge.
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Old 17-02-2012, 11:44
big_hard_lad
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I was actually looking into this issue recently and the general consensus is that you are quite right - you don't need to let food cool before refrigerating. Indeed, a lot of people say that it's best not to, as you then avoid too much of the 'danger zone' time, when food is at a temperature when bacteria multiplies. The only issue is that you might lower the fridge's temperature to an unsafe level - but I would have thought you need an awful lot of hot food for that to happen to any significant degree.
Yup...I've always heard you should get the food from warm to cold as quickly as possible to prevent bacteria. Hence, put it in the fridge straight away. And as you say, you'd need to have a fridge full of hot food to drop the temperature drastically....a bowl of browned meat probably wouldn't make any difference. The same applies the other way, by the way, defrost stuff outside of the fridge as then it will reach the required temperature quicker and spend less time in the "danger zone".

I never part cook meat then leave it for a period of time before completing the cooking process, having heard that any bacteria present will multiply rapidly in such conditions.
Nonsense...any bacteria that is there will be killed during the final cooking process. And if the meat is straight in the fridge then it'll reduce the production of bacteria anyway. In a professional kitchen everything is prepped in advance and, whilst I've never worked in one, I'm pretty sure meat is included in that.

It's absolutely fine to do so. The bacteria will be killed off during the rest of the cooking. And it won't mulitply in the first place if the part-cooked meat is left in the fridge.
Exactly!
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Old 17-02-2012, 11:47
birdsong
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I usually would brown it the night before and just stick it in a bowl with cling over it and straight in the fridge. Don't really worry about letting it cool before I put it in the fridge...don't believe it makes much difference TBH.
Thanks .

I worry about warm food in a refridgerator bringing up the temperature of the other food in there but I guess I worry too much about it.
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Old 17-02-2012, 12:03
njp
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The only issue is that you might lower the fridge's temperature to an unsafe level - but I would have thought you need an awful lot of hot food for that to happen to any significant degree.
And as you say, you'd need to have a fridge full of hot food to drop the temperature drastically...
Er, I think you both mean "raise the temperature"...

But yes, you'd need a fair amount of hot food to do that for long enough to be a concern. In the case of fully cooked food, I'd leave it out to cool down for a while (heat loss is faster the hotter it is) before putting it in the fridge, but if I was just browning the outside I'd stick it in straight away (not that I've ever done that). For one thing, it won't be hot all the way through, so there's less heat to lose, and for another, you don't want it left warm when there are still bacteria inside that could multiply.

The point about killing bacteria during final cooking is true, but living bacteria can produce toxins that might not be broken down by cooking. Otherwise, why bother refrigerating it at all?

Which brings me to another interesting point about slow cooking - don't ever be tempted to slow cook raw kidney beans. The slow cooking can actually make the toxins more potent!
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Old 17-02-2012, 12:17
big_hard_lad
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Er, I think you both mean "raise the temperature"...
Yup....that's exactly what I mean
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Old 17-02-2012, 16:08
JulesF
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I think you both mean "raise the temperature"...
Oops. Yes, raise, of course.
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