Slow Cooker - The Recipe Collection

toozie_2

Last Saturday was a really busy day, took daughter no 2 out for full day (by train) shopping with 3 friends for a birthday treat. I was paying the train fares, and buying lunch.
Knew I'd be late home, and very..very exhausted, and had to give them cheap filling, quick meal as they were staying the night. At 6.30am (!) browned 2lb mince streak, with a couple of onions, thew in 2 jars BOGOF bolonaise sause, and put in slow cooker on low. When we got home at 7.30pm there was a lovely smell, quickly boiled pasta (and rice, one girl didn't like pasta) and warmed a couple of garlic breads. Left daughter no 2 to serve it all, and ran a bath for myself!!

Dumplin

hi All,

i've just sat and read through all 30 pages and have been inspired to go get my cooker out of the cupboard. it used to be my grandads so is in the region of 20 yrs old.

I don't even think it's got a temperature on it!! We were surposed to be having roast lamb tonite but hubby was late home so having it tomorrow!!

If it fits I'll be sticking it in the slow cooker. should I put some water in the bottom as it'll be in for probably 12 hrs??

I'm sure i've got a recipe book somewhere

LOL
Dumplin

tiff

Hi Dumplin, yes I would put about an inch of water in the bottom. It wont evaporate and will make the joint lovely and tender.

I used to have a slow cooker in the early nineties and it never worked properly the veg was always hard after I came home from work but the new ones seem to be much better as they have a low and high setting (usually). Try it out and see.

Dumplin

Thanks Tiff,

Mine is only a 1.5 ltr but my joint just fits and it hasn't got a high low so I'm just gonna plug in when I go to work and keep my fingers crossed.

Cheers
Dumplin

vanoonoo

I had some very lean scottish reared mince in the freezer that had been reduced at some point and i had bought thinking I would do something amazing with it - last night i decided to leave it to defrost and this morning I have popped it in the slocooker with two beef oxo and a slug of water and it smells divine. I'll add some other stuff to it this afternoon and then probably split it out into a few different meals - maybe some for spag - some with mash and some as cottage pie. but it is so tender and seriously smells divine. plain old mince eh? yum

Pat__3

Dumplin wrote:

hi All,

i've just sat and read through all 30 pages and have been inspired to go get my cooker out of the cupboard. it used to be my grandads so is in the region of 20 yrs old.

I don't even think it's got a temperature on it!! We were surposed to be having roast lamb tonite but hubby was late home so having it tomorrow!!

If it fits I'll be sticking it in the slow cooker. should I put some water in the bottom as it'll be in for probably 12 hrs??

I'm sure i've got a recipe book somewhere

LOL
Dumplin

I usually put mine in some foil and stand it on a up turned saucer, and then put water in till it just about covers the saucer.
This way you keep all your juices in the foil if you want to make gravy seperate.:)
HTH.

Dumplin

hi guys,

Well what can I say.... success or what. I didn't get your reply in time Pat so I just poped it in the water in the pot. Put it on when I left for work and it was done for when I got home.

We put in a hot oven while the potatoes to crisp the outside it was fab all tender and just fell off the bone.

I am really NOT a good cook but hubby was well impressed and apologised for giving me strange looks when I said I was going to cook dinner in the slow cooker.

Any advise on how to do sausages in onion gravy??

tiff

When I suggested to my husband I put the joint in the slow cooker, he said "yeah, but its nice to have a roast though". I just did it anyway and he then said how lovely the meat was and what did I do different!!!

Justin_Credit

After having read all 30 pages of this thread I have decided that a slow cooker is definitely a must have item for me.

I intend to get one at the end of the month, not sure which one yet though, then I shall be trying out some of these recipes. I think a small capacity one will be ok for me as I live alone.

I like the idea that it will cook a meal while I am out at work but I think there could also be a fuel saving over using my normal oven. Sometimes I use the full oven to heat a pie or something similar, this seems very wasteful.

I will post again when I have bought and tried it.

fazer6

Well I've got spicy meatballs in the slow cooker tonight, I got some pork mince reduced so I added that some breadcrumbs and a grated carrot to the beef mince to stretch it a bit further and last for another meal. Just out of interest I counted how many I'd made when I put them in this morning and I have 32 and there's only 2 of us!

The meat, carrot, onion, runner beans and tinned toms, £1.85, added to that there's a handful of pulses, a sprinkle of lentils, some frozen sweetcorn, mixed herbs, curry powder and corriander and oil to brown the meatballs. That must be one of the cheapest meals I can do so I hope it tastes good.

I quite fancy doing a risotto with some leftover gammon. I've never done risotto before but can you do it in a slow cooker? Also has anyone got a recipie, oh and do I need special rice? I normally use brown rice for everything because of the health and taste thing so I don't want to have to buy risotto rice unless I have to.

I'm also planning a stew and would like to do dumpings. Once again I've never done them before, I know you can get dumpling mix but is it the same as pancake batter where it's easy to make yourself and way cheaper? I prefer not to buy packet stuff unless I have to.

I'm new to this slow cooker lark so I'm full of questions.