What time can I put a slow cooker on?

Alfietinker

Looks like I'm getting a free one in the next couple of days. The thing is we both leave the house at 6.45am and don't get back until 7pm ish. I guess 12 hours is too long? But if I were to get a timer switch for it to start later, is it safe leaving meat at room temperature for a couple of hours before it starts cooking?

I was thinking I could prepare the food the night before and leave in the fridge, then transfer to the slow cooker in the morning. Or is that bad? I've never used one before.

I'm a little worried about poisoning hubby....

thriftlady_2

I had the SC on for 12 hours the other day with no problems. But I think using the timer to delay it a couple of hours is a good idea. Your meat will be absolutely fine for a couple of hours. And yes it is a good idea to prep the meat the evening before and refrigerate it.


We have only been using fridges for about 50 years. Housewives would buy their meat in the morning and cook it for the evening meal without it going off between times

pollyanna24

I leave my house at 6.30am don't sometimes get back till 6.30pm. If you put the cooker on low, then I find 12 hours is okay.

As for preparing the meat, I've only ever cooked lumps of meat during the day (therefore no preparation). I might rub a bit of herbs on it, but then just bung it in. If I have carrots and parsnips at the bottom though, I chop them up the night before.

As for leaving the meat at room temp, don't quote me, but I would do it. I leave stuff out to defrost at room temp. I wouldn't leave it in the slow cooker without it cooking for hours and hours, but a couple would be okay.

Paige

Hi
You can leave your slow cooker on for 12 hrs, on auto or slow, no probs, I always leave mine on for that amount of time.
You can prepare all food the night before and either put it in slow cooker pot in fridge or transfer it into another dish if your slow cooker pot is too big for the fridge. If I am adding liquid, a gravy for stew or casserole I always make that and poor it on just before I switch it on . Paige X

Alfietinker

Thank-you. I was originally thinking that it would be OK out the fridge but then starting doubting it. (At work I got told off for making room in the office fridge by taking somebody's marmite and oranges out. I was told I was unhygenic).

I'm going to start with some casseroles, as part of the storecupboard challenge. Then next month I was hoping to start buying whole chickens and making them last for ages like all you clever people do.

It'll be hard at first having to make time to prepare the night before but it will be nice coming home to a ready cooked meal.

Paige

I use my slow cooker at least once a week. A good tip is if you are making a meal like casserole, chilli, ect, put a double amount in the slow cooker then you can freeze the extra and then microwave it and serve it with bread or tortilla chips for a speedy supper the next week.

If you have not doubled up but have a small amount left stll freeze it and serve it on top of a jacket potato the following week, this is really nice with chilli, curry or tomato based pasta sauce.

You can buy those little foil trays with cardboard lids on from the pound shop - 10 in a packet. I use loads of these every month. Hope this is useful to you. Paige X

carrie78

I have been looking at buying a slow cooker.

I leave the house at 5am and am not back unitl 7.30pm. Is 12 hours the longest it can be on for? Are there any with built in timers?

Thanks
Carrie

Queenie

Hiya Carrie

The length of time you can leave your SC on would depend on the meal you are cooking in it. For example, you could easily leave a pot roast in it for 12hours, but you wouldn't cook a fish meal for that length of time.

Most come with 3 'settings' but they are not strictly timers. Low, Auto and High are the norm.

Have a read through The Complete Slow Cooker Collection as I'm sure that will answer most of your questions

thriftlady wrote:

... We have only been using fridges for about 50 years. Housewives would buy their meat in the morning and cook it for the evening meal without it going off between times

pollyanna24 wrote:

As for leaving the meat at room temp, don't quote me, but I would do it. I leave stuff out to defrost at room temp.

thriftlady, yes, you are quite right, however, it's equally important to point out that they did not leave their food out in a centrally heated/insulated home The inside temperature of homes in those days would have been much much different from our electrically run homes of today!

Alfietinker - just so long as you take into consideration where you place your SC (ie, not on the worksurface under your boiler) you should be ok leaving it on timer if you've taken it straight from the fridge.
Chickens take much less than 12hrs of cooking in the SC.

You might want to consider an alternative approach in your particular circumstances. For example, it might be better to cook food in your SC overnight while you sleep for 8hrs and then cool it quickly (while you shower and have breakfast/coffee) and pop it in the fridge for the remainder of the day and simply reheat it when you get home.

Hope you have fun with it, which ever way you decide to use it

ScottishSapper

carrie78 wrote:

I have been looking at buying a slow cooker.

I leave the house at 5am and am not back unitl 7.30pm. Is 12 hours the longest it can be on for? Are there any with built in timers?

Thanks
Carrie

Hi Carrie

I bought one last week in Asda ( ONN was the make @ £19.99) which has timer and 4 settings. After the main cooking time it switches to 'keep warm' tried it during the week and after 8 hours on main setting switched over ok to 'keep warm'

dorry_2

hi,

my sc is always on, good investment if you are out at work all day.

what i have doing as well, was putting sc on and at the same time preparing potatoes and veg and then putting them in my new steamer.

so all you have to do when u get in is switch the steamer on and the whole meal is ready!!!:j

bb_06

Hello,

Another one new to the slow cooker here (and the OS board!). So far 2 ok attempts and one disaster (oops ).

I've got a couple of chicken breast and a chicken casserole sauce mix to use up - seemed like a candidate for the slow cooker but like the other folk on here we leave the house before 8 and don't eat until 7. I've picked up a timer so I can delay the start of cooking - but how long can I get away with leaving chicken breasts in the slow cooker without turning it on?

Can anyone help with how long to cook it for? Previously I've left the cooker on low all day when I've done cubed casserole steak and it was still a bit chewy so I think I need to cook it on medium for a shorter time (if you get what I mean), but this is my first attempt at chicken so I'm a bit lost.

The packet mix says 1.5 hours @ 180c so I figured that thats about 6 hours on medium. I've got a few carrots, onions and mushrooms to throw in with it (at the bottom - I know ) and the cooker is a Morphy Richards if thats any help.

Help!