Slow Cooker - The Recipe Collection

Clowance

I use a slow cooker on high (about 6 hours) to roast a small leg of lamb, first smearing some mint sauce over it, and adding a little (about half to one inch deep) of boiling water. The water is optional but I use it for the gravy at the end, having skimmed the fat off. It also stops burn mark on the slow cooker dish.
Its amazingly easy and succulent.

I personally wouldn't cook a chicken in a slow cooker because I am worried about salmonella, and also because I do chicken in the normal oven in a terracotta brick with a lid (about a quid at a boot sale) with a little added water for the normal length of time for its weight although in my oven there is only one setting - full blast (its faulty) and it comes out as tender as it would in the slow cooker. Again, you can use the juices for gravy having skimmed the fat.

I also use the slow cooker for bung it all in style casseroles, you could put meat in if you want or just do veg.

Crazychik

I have an e-book of 450 crock pot recipes. Im willing to email to anyone, just PM me your email address.

Ive offered this before on other threads, and its been appreciated.

HariboJunkie

For sausage casserole I brown some sausage onion and pepper and add to sc with beef/pork stock, tomato puree, tinned toms and chickpeas and baked beans. Cook on low for about six hours. Yum. :drool:

Dotmatic

Thanks for all the replies, :beer: I've spent weeks looking at the many threads on here re: slow cookers but felt overwhelmed by all the recipes/advice so was looking for recommendations to get me started on something simple. The idea of putting a whole chicken in the SC scares the life out of me :eek:, maybe leave that one for a while.

When it says 'brown' the meat/sausages, how long should that process take?

Crazychik

I cooked a joint of brisket on Tuesday in the slow cooker. 1st attempt for me and it was lovely.

I chopped up some parsnips, carrots, an onion, and potatoes, and laid them on the bottom. Sat the brisket on top of the veg (some people prefer to brown it, but I didn't)
I then made about a litre of gravy using bisto granuals & an oxo cube,
Add seasoning, then add the liquid to half way up the joint.
On low for about 7-8 hours.

Meat was lovely, soft
Used the gravy also, and what was left, I blended it with the veg & used it for soup the next day!

skintandsad

Dotmatic wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies, :beer: I've spent weeks looking at the many threads on here re: slow cookers but felt overwhelmed by all the recipes/advice so was looking for recommendations to get me started on something simple. The idea of putting a whole chicken in the SC scares the life out of me :eek:, maybe leave that one for a while.

When it says 'brown' the meat/sausages, how long should that process take?

Browning any meat (sausages or beef etc) only takes minutes. To do this, just take a frying pan, heat on medium with a little oil and leave for a couple of minutes on each side until the colour has changed to a nice golden brown. The reason for doing this is (a) to give a nice colour to the meat and (b) it helps seal it. Sealing it means that it remains nice and juicy; although slow cooking stops things being too dry anyway if you are using some liquid.

Dont be scared of cooking a whole chicken. I do a small one, add a pint of stock (Chicken oxo and water is my stock!), a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs, a clove of garlic and a chopped carrot and a chopped red pepper. I put it on at about midday, and its cooked for 6pm. I take the chicken out, and then blend all the rest of the stuff with a hand blender until its smooth, then boil it in a saucepan to reduce it to about 1/3 of its original amount (takes about 15 minutes - just enough time to cook my veg). Add a squirt of lemon to the reduced sauce and a sprinkle of pepper. Serve as a gravy/sauce to accompany delicious chicken! Dinner is ready for 6.30pm.

Any meal that can be cooked in the oven, ie stews, braised items, can be cooked in the slow cooker. Just prepare ingredients by chopping etc, chuck in cooker, and leave for around double the time that the recipe suggests in a normal oven.

Dont be scared and have fun

Montymoo_2

what about if like me on weekday you leave the house at 6.30am and dont get home until 6.30pm. Due the nature of my job i often dont eat until 8pm does that overcook the chicken / casserole etc????

skintandsad

I've never cooked anything for that long in mine; perhaps someone else would be able to answer that question?

Otherwise you could try it on a day when you are around to check the progress just to make sure it doesn't dry out - provided it doesn't I can't see how it would be anything other than lovely! Long slow cooking of meat improves it. Let us know!

ladyofthehouse_2

Just come onto this site looking for slow- cooker recipes. What does &amp stand for ? cheers

Iccy

Just bought a s low cooker from tesco, 3.5 litre reduced to 9.99.

Not used it yet, but I'm having a dinner party soon, but will be at work all day. Any suggestions fro soemthing special I can just leave on all day.

Thanks