slow cooker quick questions thread

Lexxi

zippychick wrote: »

so make your soup as you normally would.
It will solidify when it's cold but that is normal

I've never made soup in the slow cooker before, or chicken soup or any soup without a recipe book lol.
So, can I now push the carrots and potatoes throgh the sieve to go in the stock or throw them? then just add chicken and reheat as necessary?
Sorry if I sound really backward with this, it's about my 5th time of ever using the sc. The 1st and 2nd being almost 18 months ago 3rd and 4th this week :rotfl:

Lexxi

zippychick wrote: »

Brilliant - it should be a deepish brown colour and taste like stock (funnily enough he he)

It does tatse like stock! I think I've made stock!! I've never attempted it before as I thoght it sounded a bit gross and difficult and all I had to do was mess up the sunday dinner!

zippychick

then that chicken stock to soup thread is perfect as it covers a big range from chicken noodle to just chicken

You can throw the veg - personally i would blend them and put in the soup Waste not want not. That thread is very comprehensive guide

What veg etc do you have? Just trying to work out what kind of soup you wanted ? Im in the middle of making minestrone myself x

I would tend to chuck it all in the SC, put on high to bring to a igh temp, then simmer for 6-8 hours or so.

zippychick

Lexxi wrote: »

It does tatse like stock! I think I've made stock!! I've never attempted it before as I thoght it sounded a bit gross and difficult and all I had to do was mess up the sunday dinner!

Great! Well that's a start! You can always add more water if you need more stock for your soup. And don't be scared of adding in a stock cube if you need - sounds like you are learning as you go along, and there's nothing wrong with using a stock cube!

Lexxi

I'm going to keep the pots and carrots to go in, if everything had gone to plan they would have been eaten anyway.
I have onions, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, peppers and a few mushrooms. I was thinking I could add an onion and find some herby things in the cupboard.

So if I put the stock with a bit extra water in the sc with a chopped onion and the bits of chicken I will have soup? I only have 2 mushrooms, would they add anything to the flavour or should I just add them to a portion?

zippychick

I would try onion carrot potato and do you have any lentils? I think brocolli is a very strong flavour for soup..... as for mushrooms , I can't stand them so I can't help there! Where's CCP when you n eed her?! :rotfl:

I don't follow any recipes as such - i just tend to guess to be honest

Ok, maybe this will help? It's a "soup formula" from our very own Thriftlady

Use this formula to make a smooth soup out of any veg;)

chopped flavouring veg -onion (at least one), garlic, leek, celery
cook gently in butter and/or olive oil

+

other flavourings -spices, chopped bacon, fresh ginger, coconut cream (add this with the stock)

+

chopped main veg (squash, carrot, leek, mushrooms, parsnip, potato, frozen peas, watercress, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, lentils, other beans) cook until beginning to soften

+

Water/vegetable stock/ chicken stock to cover by an inch or so (too little is better than too much as you can easily thin it later). Bring to the boil then simmer until everything is cooked. Allow to cool and then blend with a stick blender or in a food processor. You may want to thin it with more water/stock. If it is too thin add some more potato and cook till soft -blend again.

+

Reheat gently to serve. Add cream/yogurt/ grated cheese if liked

Obviously you don't have to blend the soup, you can leave it chunky. I tend to do this with bean soups. I also add barley or small pasta to this type of soup.

Good combinations are; lentil and spinach,spiced butternut squash and coconut, watercress and potato, leek and potato, curried parsnip, jerusalem artichoke and bacon, carrot and orange, broccoli/cauliflower and cheese, celery and stilton.

Lexxi

I think for the amount of stock there seems to be the 2 mushrooms wouldn't do much to the whole thing so I might save them, I have other things they can go to.
Thanks for the formula, going to go with onions and garlic and an extra potato to bulk it. I'm not a big fan of carrots so there'll be more than enough with what's already there. Herbs, what about rosemary? I'm thinking garlic, rosemary with chicken soup. I'd never thoght abot ptting garlic in soup before but as I said I only usually follow recipes. I'm considering additions by what colour I think the soup will end up

I prefer smoother soup but will have to mash it as I don't have a blender

zippychick

i have garlic in my minesrtone

You might need something more to bulk it out as a potato and chicken alone won't really be of much substance if that makes sense ? That's why i had suggested carrot and lentil.

Half the time i use a potato masher purely for convenience. I only got a blender recently.

Ok, i googled "rosemary and chicken soup" and found this link . What i would do, is use that as a very rough guideline for ingredients and quantities x But again, that would be me winging it, crossing my fingers and hoping for the best:o:rotfl:

zippychick

Lexxi - any update? Hope you get on ok with it

Just thought i would post a link to SC help to thicken - in case you need to thicken your soup. Let us know how you got on

Lexxi

zippychick wrote: »

would be me winging it, crossing my fingers and hoping for the best:o:rotfl:

We muust have learnt to cook at the same place :rotfl:
I don't have any lentils in, nothing really to bulk it out, I don't think I mind too much for a 1st attempt. We have lots of crusty bread and yesterdays [STRIKE]diaster [/STRIKE] culinary creativity leftovers. There is some carrots in it anyway.
We're at the crossed fingers stage right now. Thanks for your help and all the links, going to try that chicken and rosemary soup on the next attempt, shame I didn't see that earlier, we have a bit of this, shake of that in ours and quite a few garlic cloves...