slow cooker quick questions thread

ShelBell

Hello KR15SNW I leave mine on for upto 12 hours sometimes, so long as its on low it will be fine.

Packet mixes are ok to use, just use less water than it states as you won't lose any during simmering etc so if you put the whole lot in it tends to be a bit runny. Same with gravy etc.

LabLover

Yeah I would agree , packet mixes are fine. I often use them. Another cheat I have is using jars of curry sauce , plonk some chicken and veg in slow cooker , then add Jar of sauce. mmmmm Lovely. Something I often do on a sunday is cook a job lot of rice in my slow cooker and freeze into meal sized portions , that way when i get in from work my curry is simmering in the slow cooker ready to serve and all I need to do is stick rice in micro

cady

hiya ive got slow cooker just a cheepie tesco one 3.5l and ive only ever made chilli, bol in it really im looking for some meat to make strews or even roast kind of thing in it and i hear people talking about cheap cuts go lovely in the sc, sorry to be thick but what is a cheap cut of meat is it the shoulder or other bits? im happy for pork lamb beef anthing like that but were on a tight budget ..... there is a butcher accross the road form me and i was thinking about going there for a look as the supermarkets are expensive for meat and im not fussed on value stuff but i dont know what im looking for!! any help on some good cheap cuts to do in the sc would help me loads!!!

Cady x

princesstippytoes

cady wrote: »

hiya ive got slow cooker just a cheepie tesco one 3.5l and ive only ever made chilli, bol in it really im looking for some meat to make strews or even roast kind of thing in it and i hear people talking about cheap cuts go lovely in the sc, sorry to be thick but what is a cheap cut of meat is it the shoulder or other bits? im happy for pork lamb beef anthing like that but were on a tight budget ..... there is a butcher accross the road form me and i was thinking about going there for a look as the supermarkets are expensive for meat and im not fussed on value stuff but i dont know what im looking for!! any help on some good cheap cuts to do in the sc would help me loads!!!

Cady x

I use neck of lamb, pork belly and brisket as cheap cuts. Have a look at this website for some ideas.

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/02/15/311522/undervalued-cuts-of-meat-deserve-more-attention.html Sorry about the long link.

cady

princesstippytoes wrote: »

I use neck of lamb, pork belly and brisket as cheap cuts. Have a look at this website for some ideas.

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/02/15/311522/undervalued-cuts-of-meat-deserve-more-attention.html Sorry about the long link.

Thanks thats fab ill look now!!!

Is a butcher gonna be more expensive for these cuts or is a supermarket best? i found the supermarket expensive and the value stuff horrid but dont wanna pay loads from a butcher ??

princesstippytoes

cady wrote: »

Thanks thats fab ill look now!!!

Is a butcher gonna be more expensive for these cuts or is a supermarket best? i found the supermarket expensive and the value stuff horrid but dont wanna pay loads from a butcher ??

it depends really. I have 2 butchers here and one is more expensive for mince and sausages but is cheaper for chicken and lamb. It should be cheaper though than Finest ranges. The beauty of slow casserole cooking too is that you can make the meat go further by adding more vegetables and pulses.

cady

princesstippytoes wrote: »

it depends really. I have 2 butchers here and one is more expensive for mince and sausages but is cheaper for chicken and lamb. It should be cheaper though than Finest ranges. The beauty of slow casserole cooking too is that you can make the meat go further by adding more vegetables and pulses.

i might wander over and ask him just be honest and say im looking for some cheap cust of meat to go in the slow cooker and see if he reccomends anything and if he is too expensive ill just leave it and hunt around in the supermarkets for whoopsi deals

sarahwhu

Hi all, although i'm not a regular poster on this board I read it religiously and i know you'll all be able to help.

I put a meal in the slow cooker this morning about 7am on low - planning to eat it around 6pm tonight. However, when i got home at 3pm the cooker was flashing and somehow had reset itself. Now, I know it was on until at least 12 o'clock so it had at least 5 hours cooking on low - then sat there for up to 3 hours. I have now put it back on again on high with a view to eating it around 6pm still.

My question is: having sat there for up to three hours before being switched on again - will it be safe to eat? Particularly important as I was planning on giving some to my 2.5 year old. For extra info, the meat is beef......

I would really appreciate your input and thoughts as I dont want to poison my family (not today anyway!! :rotfl:)

MrsB_2

I would have thought that so long as you get it piping hot before you serve it it will be fine. My DH used to work in a restaurant and always says so long as it gets to above 72 (I think) degrees C that;s high enough to kill any bugs.

sarahwhu

Do you know if the high setting on a slow cooker is hot enough to do that?