Slow cooker virgin

hiya, i have the same slow cooker as you your recipe would work either way, if you prefer your chicken skin to have a bit of colour by all means brown it off first as it does come out of the slow cooker looking a bit anemic (sp) if you dont, but i dont eat the skin anyway so i dont care! if you put the whole bird in it comes out delish and the meat falls of the bone, but as a casserole its better to joint it, just drop the dumplings in about 1/2 an hour before eating... either way you will have a delish meal! have a play around with it and try different recipes. i find it so much easier being able to throw everything in to it in the morning and then when my tribe come in at different times theres always something hot ready and waiting for them to eat saving me cooking 3 times :rolleyes: btw im always lifting the lid of mine and giving it a stir etc i just cant help having a fiddle with it and checking alls ok also i find mine is absolutly fab for cooking up a hugeeee portion of bolognese and freezing enough for about 3 or 4 meals in tubs,the ingredients work out cheaper and it saves you cooking 3 or 4 times!

HI
I have this slow cooker too, had it a year or so now, I have used it but probably not as much as I could. I find it difficult judging how much stuff to buy to fill it to make enough to eat and freeze... plus affording to. It is fairly big, but then there are 2 adults, 2 kids and a baby.
I have thought about putting in a whole chicken, but haven't yet. I roasted one in my convection oven last weekend and it was nice, but would have been easier to do it in the slow cooker I think.
I don't eat the skin, but I still like it to have the colour and a roast flavour.
I like buying the pot roasts, they're yummy in the slow cooker. I brown that off first, bit of salt and pepper, then throw it in the cooker with a little bit of water over the top.. I've used it as a roast dinner and had it with a barbecue sauce in buns.. yummy.
I need a new range of recipes for it too though.....

Yvonne

i love using my slow cooker! the whole house smells all homely as the smell wafts around...quite often my dad will visit in the afternoon and will sit there smelling it untill he is forced to grab a spoon and taste and quite often either takes home a small tub of it to eat later even though mum will be cooking in a hour or so at his house :rotfl: its either that or he will steal my homemade bread from my breadmaker under his jumper and then phone up when he gets in to admit his theft :rotfl:

Hope I don't sound daft, but I hadn't even heard of a slow cooker till last sunday!! Went to stay the night at my cousins place, and she's got a VersaWARE one, she swears by it - and from the look and taste of the curry that came out of it....she's right! It tasted fabulous, and took NO effort. No oil - so quite healthy on that respect and the chicken was sooo soft.

Am considering buying (managed to convince my OH, just about!) before he changes his mind about it!!! She got hers for £20 in costco, and the same size is only available at Tescos Direct for double that!!

Does anyone know where I can get the same one, its a VersaWARE Crock Pot its the medium sized one, I think 4 or 4/5 ltrs.?

Hope someone can help!

Thanks
Byeee

I brought the morphy richards 6.5l one in argos last week for £30 i think it was, was reduced in one of their sale catalogues. Used it last sunday and made a delicious rice pudding, and yesterday made chicken casserole, using bogof chicken thighs/drumsticks from mr tesco. I was nervous too, so did them on days i was around so i could get used to it. The casserole was lovely i bunged some rice in at the end to use up the excess sauce (think i put too much stock cube/water in!), and the meat just fell off the bone. Did hubby,me,2 kids and still had 3 portions to freeze!

Perhaps next week i will get more ambitious and leave the house for more than 30mins while its cooking!!! House did smell lovely though, hubby and the 4yr old mentioned it when they came in. And i confess i too, opened the lid to check/stir it a few times!!