slow cooker quick questions thread

Burp_2

If I'm using a jar of sauce and worried about it drying up i sometimes put in a teeny tiny dish of water in the slowcooker ... and I mean literally the dish and the water so that the water doesnt make the sauce to liquidy but if it does need a bit more liquid then the steam/condensation is enough

Burp x

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

davetaylor wrote: »

So I found this from another thread (Thanks Pink), It all makes sense, but I now just have one question. How do I actually use this jelly like stock when it's made? Do I need it all for one pan of soup? Or is it that concentrated that it can be stretched out. I've read about people freezing it in ice cube trays. Does one block of frozen stock equate to one tock cube?

Hi Dave, I think if you're making chicken soup then you would use all of the stock so there would be no need to reduce the stock down.
When I'm straining stock, I find it easier to do this twice, the 1st time into a bowl using a colander to catch all the big bits and the 2nd time using a sieve to get all the tiny bones etc as not everything fits in my sieve. Home made chicken soup is lovely! Enjoy!

davetaylor

Thanks for the tip! Yes, I will strain it through and some chopped veg and my noodles and lovely, hearty soup will be made!

peachyprice

Hi folks, I've got some money from Ebaying and have decided I want to spend it on a SC, so I have a few questions.

1. I have about £25 to spend, but can add to it if really necessary. Any recommendations on which SC to buy?

2. I've looked at the Crock-Pot ones that you can use the pot on the hob and in the oven, which appeals, can you do this with other makes?

3. What happens to the fat when you cook things like a whole chicken in the SC?

4. I've got a shoulder of lamb for tomorrow that I would normally cook at 170c for three hours, can I do this in an SC, and for how long?

I think that's all for now, I'm really excited about getting a SC, off to the library in a mo to get some recipe books :j

squeaky

A slow cooker is a tad more versatile than a crock pot and costs less to run than an oven or a hob ring - no matter how low you turn it.

Fat from chicken will rise to the top of the liquids - though tbh these days you get a lot more water than fat. If you lift your chicken out - the remaining stock can be cooled and then chilled in the fridge. The fat will sit as a solid layer on top and you can easily lift it off.

Yes you can cook a shoulder of lamb (or any joint) in a slow cooker. Length of time would typically be eight hours or so - but is very much dependent on the size of your joint, your slow cooker's make and size, and whether you cook on high or low temps. Your users manual will have a guide.

peachyprice

squeaky wrote: »

A slow cooker is a tad more versatile than a crock pot and costs less to run than an oven or a hob ring - no matter how low you turn it.

Confused now, I thought Crock-Pot was just a brand of slow cooker, have I got that wrong, they look the same as all the others, what's the difference?

They just seem to be they only ones that I've seen that say you can use the inner pot on the hob to brown pre-slow cooking.

squeaky

Oh right - slightly different interpretation of "crock pot"... I think of those as ONLY the pot!

Never quite got my head round a Slow Cooker whose pot can separately be put in the oven or on the hob on its own, sorry.

So it's up to you as to HOW you want to use your slow cooker / crock pot. Personally I've never felt the need to pay however much extra for a crock pot. That's what casserole dishes and pans are for

peachyprice

Ah, see that's why I put Crock-Pot, not crock pot

As for needing to put it on the hob or oven, it saves on washing up, if you want to brown your meat before slow cooking you don't need to use a frying pan, and you keep the browning flavours in the pot. As for being able to put it in the over, if you're making something like shepherds pie, you can just put the mash on and stick it in to brown, or stick the whole pot in if you need to brown a chicken etc. Makes sense to me.

squeaky

Fair enough - whatever rocks your boat

If you check the Indexed Collections I'm sure there are recommendations in the Slow Cooker Index.

zippychick

ive merged this with SC quick questions

ZIP