Tesco Slow Cooker

clairegwen

I bought one of those cheapo/bargainous slow cookers from Tesco a few weeks ago. Although I do everything on the low setting, meat (I recently did brisket, a small pork joint and lamb breast), seems to be done in about 4 hours. What am I doing wrong? I thought the whole idea of a slow cooker is that it can cook throughout the day. Fortunately I've been at home, so have been able to keep an eye on it, but if I was working, by the time I got home at the end of the day everything would be overcooked. Is it because the pot is too big for the meat? At the moment I'm just using up what's in the freezer, and for some unknown reason, joints etc are on the small side (They haven't really been enough for the four of us, so I've ended up doing something else with it!!).

I've bought some stewing steak today though and bunged it in with onions and mushrooms, and a colman's steak & ale mix (made with half ale and half water). There is a lot more in there today, so I'm hoping that it will still be cooking nicely at 5pm tonight (I put it in about 10.30am).

Any advice please?

Also, can you grill, say for instance bacon & tomatoes and then bung them in the crockpot on the heat setting? Will it stay nice and hot without cooking or will it spoil because it wasn't initially cooked in the pot? (Also boiled potatoes? I have to pick my OH up at 5pm and would like it all ready for when we get in at 5.30pm and am thinking I could prepare it then just put it in to keep warm?)

Thanks for any advice. Can you tell this is my first slow cooker!!!!

KittyBoo_2

I recently bought the Tesco slow cooker (£12.69) and not had very good results with it.
I don't know where I have gone wrong with it but it doesn't seem to regulate.
I put a piece of brisket in and cooked it on High as this was what the instructions said was the slow cooking option.
The meat has really shrunk even though I have had similiar pieces in my freezer and cooked them ok in old slow cooker.
The liquid seemed to be bubbling all the time.
Has anyone else got a Tesco one and are you getting good results with pieces of meat?
It cooked a nice stew the other day but seems to cook joints too fast.

geordie_joe

KittyBoo wrote: »

It cooked a nice stew the other day but seems to cook joints too fast.

Try cooking it on low. I cook Brisket in mine quite often, always on low and never had a problem with it.

anguk

The only time I ever use high on my slow cooker is if I want to give it a quickish start for the first hour or so, normally everything is cooked on low or medium in my big slow cooker or low in my small one (that doesn't have a medium).

KittyBoo_2

Thanks for your replies.
I will try another piece next week.
It's trial and error like most things.
Do you cook chicken on low as well?
I would like to do a whole one but don't want to poison us.
Do you put water in when cooking a chicken?

Mrs_Thrify

Hi Kitty, I also bought Mr. T's SC. I have used it quite a bit to cook various casseroles and a chilli. Theese turned out realy well. I have not cooked a joint of meat in it yet although I am thinking of buying a gammon soon.

davjan

Hi Kitty - I have a different make slow cooker, but I very often cook a whole chicken in it - put the chicken in the crock pot and add enough hot chicken or vegetable stock (Oxo works very well) to come about half way up the pot, then just cook on low all day. The meat falls off the bone and is delicious.

wizk1

KittyBoo wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.
I will try another piece next week.
It's trial and error like most things.
Do you cook chicken on low as well?
I would like to do a whole one but don't want to poison us.
Do you put water in when cooking a chicken?

I don't know why, but I misread that as "children". I really should be cutting back on the late nights

Oldernotwiser

I've got the same cooker and the same problem with cooking brisket. I've never had one that actually boiled the meat before so I think we're both going to have to use the low setting.

Oldernotwiser

wizk1 wrote: »

I don't know why, but I misread that as "children". I really should be cutting back on the late nights

Mind you, it's quite a moneysaving idea, isn't it?;)