Sorting your tea (& slow cookers)?

VfM4meplse

There was something on a recent thread about slow cookers making food taste the same? - and apparently not good for soups?

skintchick

K_P83 wrote: »

When we move out, depending on where we move to, it's likely that i will be even later home, whereas the gf might be a bit earlier - but still around the 7:00pm ish marker.

You don't then want to be preparing tea for an hour. I wont be having microwave ready-meals either!!

Round here, most people who work are lucky to be home by 8! I'd have loved to get home by 7 at the latest when I was working! It's London-commuterville and people get home around 8ish usually.

And I used to then cook a meal, it's easily done, there are plenty of things you can cook that take less than an hour, pretty much everything I make takes no more than 40 minutes.

But yes, slow cookers are good, however I don't like stuff that's been in it all day, I use mine to make tea for 6pm, and start stuff in it around 1pm. The only things I leave in there for ages are stocks.

I'm still chuckling at 7pm being late for an evening meal, though. I only eat at 6 now because we have a toddler and I like us to eat together, personally I think it is hours too early and would prefer dinner around 8/8.30. 6pm is nursery food time for me!

freyasmum

VfM4meplse wrote: »

There was something on a recent thread about slow cookers making food taste the same? - and apparently not good for soups?

I definitely think everything comes out tasting the same - and everything has the same texture.


I would recommend either buying one which would allow you to return it if you weren't happy (QVC) or borrowing one from a friend.

tea_lover

VfM4meplse wrote: »

There was something on a recent thread about slow cookers making food taste the same? - and apparently not good for soups?

Slow cookers are brilliant for soups!!

I've cooked all sorts of things in mine since I got it for Christmas and it's definitely all tasted different:D

OP, if you've got a freezer it's worth getting a decent-sized slow cooker then batch cooking and freezing. It's lovely knowing you've got some homecooked meals ready in the freezer for the days when you both get in late and just CBA to cook.

Nine_Lives

skintchick - i'm not saying eating at 7-8pm can't be done. I'm not saying that starting prepping a meal at that time can't be done. What i'm saying is - i don't want to do it, i want to avoid it.

Take mortgages & the like for example...

If we moved out when my gf wanted to, then we'd have probably had about a 10k deposit, if that, in 2005/2006, right before the world ended.

Yes it COULD be done & we COULD'VE struggled on because many families do (just like i COULD prep tea late), but my point is i didn't WANT to struggle (just like i don't want to prep late). As a result, we stayed with my folks & i got much earache in the process. I was accused of not wanting to move out. My gf couldn't see the bigger picture, but my eyes were constantly on the prize. I don't want to struggle in life, i want it as easy as i can make it. We are now looking at a £48k deposit (& this is with me having taken off over a year in sick leave in that time, so we could've been so much better off) which will make the mortgage very manageable.

My point is we can all do things, but do we want to do it that way, or do we want to make things easier for ourselves? Personally, i like things to be easier.

I'm up at 6:30am, i don't have a set finishing time, so we can finish up to 7pm or even sometimes beyond - we don't know until the moment we get told to go (so we don't even get 5 minutes notice, nevermind half a day or 24hours). It may not be late for you or where you live, but it's late for me.



Just to point out - i didn't take offence to your comments & i hope you don't with mine. It's tricky knowing how something was meant when it's just text on a screen.

daska

freyasmum wrote: »

I definitely think everything comes out tasting the same - and everything has the same texture.

Possibly if you cook similar dishes but there's little similarity between my chilli, domoda and a lamb shank. Using a timer means they don't have to be cooking all day.

Gloomendoom

I just noticed this thread after just putting down a book Mrs G has just bought from the Book People at work called 'Easy Slow Cooker'.

I can thoroughly recommend it. It has colour picture for every recipe.

We use our slow cooker a lot. I bought it years ago from Argos. I think it cost £15.

londonsurrey

One good thing about a big slow cooker is that you can put a whole chicken in it.

madrhino

I have a slow cooker and I love it, especially being able to just serve up dinner when hungry and not having to spend ages preparing food.

Saying that, I've just bought a book from The Book People for £3.99 called 10 minutes to table. I've not tried any recipes yet as it just arrived today but they do look quite promising, all with fresh ingredients and all for 2 people. Here's the link;

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=268194&searchTerm=10+minutes+to+table

and here's a link to free delivery code on the MSE forum

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/214899

kittykarate

I used to have 1 night a week where knew neither me or my partner would get home before 8, so I would make something like a chilli or a stew in the slow cooker. I would chop and prep the veggies etc. the night before and put them in tupperware boxes in the fridge, as long as the air doesn't get into them they won't take any harm.

So you could cook something in the steamer one night, and while that's running chop the veggies for tomorrow's tea.