slow cooker quick questions thread

Pricivius

Please help! A slow cooker newbie here!

Is it okay to prepare veg and meat the night before, leave it in the fridge and then lob it in the slow cooker first thing in the morning? I would then be leaving it on all day on low and having dinner when I get back from work.

Thanks in advance...

MrsAtobe

Pricivius wrote: »

Please help! A slow cooker newbie here!

Is it okay to prepare veg and meat the night before, leave it in the fridge and then lob it in the slow cooker first thing in the morning? I would then be leaving it on all day on low and having dinner when I get back from work.

Thanks in advance...

Yes, it will be fine, it's what I normally do.

Raksha

Just make sure the veggies are on the bottim as they need close contact with the heat and liquid to cook properly

claire21

2 questions

Spaghetti Bol / chilli do you brown the mince first before you put it in slow cooker?

Lamb shanks, not cooked them before, not keen on tomato based sauces, what should I cook them with , do I just put stock in with them ? (don't have any red wine)

gayleygoo

Pricivius wrote: »

Please help! A slow cooker newbie here!

Is it okay to prepare veg and meat the night before, leave it in the fridge and then lob it in the slow cooker first thing in the morning? I would then be leaving it on all day on low and having dinner when I get back from work.

Thanks in advance...

I often put it all in a bowl in the fridge overnight. I usually add some hot water, stock, soup or coconut milk just to start it off, but it should be fine from cold. If your meal has lots of flavourings, like curry, it will marinate overnight and taste even better the next day. Or you could SC it the day before you want to eat it, so that the flavours develop more, and you only have to heat it up the next night.

Adding a small splosh of cider or balsamic vinegar often softens up the meat if left overnight. Chicken marinated in buttermilk makes very tender, tasty chicken too (although you will probably want to drain off excess buttermilk before cooking.)

skader

Quick question about slow cooker bolognaise, as never done it before

I am planning to use 500mg mince, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tinned tomatoes, herbs and seasoning
I plan to brown the onion, garlic and mince before throwing into the slow cooker and leave for 7-8 hours on low
My question is about the size of the cooker, mine is 6.5l. I am worried that this amount of mince will be not be enough and will burn
I don't have any more mince at the moment so batch cooking not an option this time, but definitely next time
I have read by doing a google search that I can place the ingredients into a dish and place the dish in the cooker, but wanted to know if anyone had ever done this before? and what kind of results did you get?

Sanaa

iamzippy

skader wrote: »

Quick question about slow cooker bolognaise, as never done it before

I am planning to use 500mg mince, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tinned tomatoes, herbs and seasoning
I plan to brown the onion, garlic and mince before throwing into the slow cooker and leave for 7-8 hours on low
My question is about the size of the cooker, mine is 6.5l. I am worried that this amount of mince will be not be enough and will burn
I don't have any more mince at the moment so batch cooking not an option this time, but definitely next time
I have read by doing a google search that I can place the ingredients into a dish and place the dish in the cooker, but wanted to know if anyone had ever done this before? and what kind of results did you get?

Sanaa

I do this a lot in my 6.5L which is often oversize for what I'm cooking. It's always worked fine for me.

Use a Pyrex or similar dish. Pour an inch or so of lukewarm water into the crock and sit the dish in the water. Just keep an eye on the water level during cooking.

If you can fit a lid on the dish inside the closed cooker so much the better.

Icey77

I want to try making a chicken casserole in my medium sized slow cooker but DH is a fussy !!!!!! and won't eat chicken on the bone - could I use boned chicken thighs instead?

Will they work ok or would I be able to use bone in chicken thighs and take out the bones afterwards, is that easy to do?

Thanks x

Icey77

Bump, can anyone advise on my question above?
Thank you xx

Raksha

De bone beforecooking if possible as its too easy to leave a gristly bit in there - yuck!