Preparing for winter IV

Islandmaid

:hello: Hi all,

We,ve been stocking up too, have bought 5 sacks of coal for the multifuel burner, OH has been storing wood all year too - so fingers crossed we,ll be warm.

The slow cookers are out and in use, bulk cooking for winter is deff the way to go.

I loose all energy once the sun disappears, so to be able to grab a bag of HM dinner from the freezer is a major bonus

Winter duvets are already on the beds, even though its too hot really, the huge fleeces have been washed - one for each sofa, and one each for the kids beds.

Christmas prezzies are being bought/made as I can get them - not going mad this year HM hampers all round

Snorkypants

115K wrote: »

Oh okay, thanks.:) Would you recommend any particular brand? I've just been looking on Amazon.



People seem to rave about their slow cooker.:T I'm vegan so cooking pulses would come in very handy.

I'm not sure what brand our is - I think it's Russell Hobbs. It doesn't have a timer which I think would be useful, depending on how much it increased the price.


My slow cooker meals get cooked for about 11 hour on low because that's what fits with my schedule. I don't think lentils would be very nice cooked that long, my guess is that they would cook down to nothing.

cornishchick

Snorkypants wrote: »

I'm not sure what brand our is - I think it's Russell Hobbs. It doesn't have a timer which I think would be useful, depending on how much it increased the price.


My slow cooker meals get cooked for about 11 hour on low because that's what fits with my schedule. I don't think lentils would be very nice cooked that long, my guess is that they would cook down to nothing.

Re timer , for a couple of pound you can get a timer plug, if your cooking a pulse based meal, set it to start x hours before you need it.
I have a couple of the plugs as I hate coming home to a dark house so have them set for different times on lamps.
Hope that helps. X

Snorkypants

cornishchick wrote: »

Re timer , for a couple of pound you can get a timer plug, if your cooking a pulse based meal, set it to start x hours before you need it.
I have a couple of the plugs as I hate coming home to a dark house so have them set for different times on lamps.
Hope that helps. X

I'd forgotten about those plugs! Great idea, thanks!

twiglet98

Enjoying the hedgerow harvest, I made elderberry syrup last week. Filled an old glass jar which had held either pickling vinegar or pickled onions at some stage - it has a green plastic screw top with a white rubber seal.

I've been having a tablespoonful a day, using a clean, dry spoon, but after a week the syrup tastes unpleasantly sharp and is fermenting.

Does anyone know what's gone wrong, and is there any way to salvage it before I pour it away? What a huge waste of electricity simmering it for ages on the hob! I've made much smaller quantities before, just enough to fill a mustard jar, but the hedges round my garden and field are heaving this year and I went a bit overboard. Perhaps they were too ripe?

Ideas gratefully received, thanks in anticipation!

fuddle

Thank you so much for the timer plug idea! I will be using it as my dilemma is if I switch the SC before I leave for work it's on for too long and if I switch it on when I get in it's not on long enough.

kmiller4

Hi--
Its been forever since I've posted here. It's Kathy from New York, USA. Fall is upon us so thought i'd pop in and see what you all have been up to!

kmiller4

On the topic of slow cookers-- I also have an electric pressure cooker which I just love. It cooks things so quickly and makes delicious soups, stews, roasts, etc. Its lovely to use-- just put the ingredients in the pot, close the lid, twist on the top and in a few minutes its done! And it is almost silent!

twiglet98

At the weekend I noticed Sainsbugs had a red Morphy Richards 'Sear and Stew' slow cooker reduced to £29.99, capacity 3-4 servings, a pot that is hob-safe so food can be browned in it before slow-cooking, and a 2 year guarantee.

I have a 6.5 litre Rival Crock-Pot that I use mainly for turkey drumsticks, and a little round one that is exactly the right size for a Tesc0 Value gammon! The stoneware pot on the big one has a faint surface crack so I only ever use it with a liner - don't know if they're in the shops, I order them on Amaz0n and they're shipped from the USA.

twiglet98

Hi Kathy, nice to see you back here! Hope you've had a great summer and will join us prepping for the coming winter, anticipating you'll get more snow than most of us will!!