slow cooker advice

marisco_2

Hi, I am using my slow cooker for the first time today, attempting to cook a chicken casserole. I have set it on high and the cookbook I am using recommends 4-6 hours. That is quite a huge time frame though, so I am not sure when to stop cooking. All the veggies and pieces of meat are cut to about the same size in the hopes that they cook evenly. It is all covered with stock with a gap left at the top. Can you tell I dont know what I am doing

Also can the cooker just sit on the working surface or should I stand it on a heat protective mat? Any advice much appreciated.

mumto2boys

Hi there, I would leave it on low for about 8 hours so high for maybe 4? Leave it on the worktop is fine, and I think u may have too much liquid in? You need a lot less liquid than u think in a slow cooker.

Catslovelycats

I have a question too, if I may jump in.
I too have got a new slow cooker.
Am I OK to leave it cooking for about 10 hours?
I leave for work at 7.30am and rarely get home 6am.
This is a longer period than recipes call for.
Can I leave it on all day if it's on low???

Also, is there any danger of my cats burning themselves on it? My kitten has discovered the joys of jumping onto the worktop so she's bound to want to sniff the cooker! Is it cat-safe to use it if I'm not in the house?

mumto2boys

I would suspect your cat might go to sniff it and realise its warm/hot and not actually touch it, or burn her nose the once and not do it again! The longest I have left mine on low is about 9 hours and it was fine, but you might want to experiment on a day you are home to make sure?

Catslovelycats

mumto2boys wrote: »

I would suspect your cat might go to sniff it and realise its warm/hot and not actually touch it, or burn her nose the once and not do it again! The longest I have left mine on low is about 9 hours and it was fine, but you might want to experiment on a day you are home to make sure?

Thanks. I was going to test it yesterday but forgot to defrost any chicken! I have taken some out the freezer now, though it's too late to experiment with today. D'oh! But yes. I shall give it a trial some point when I'm home. Maybe do it over night, otherwise I'll be waiting until next Saturday!:D

Valli

marisco wrote: »

Hi, I am using my slow cooker for the first time today, attempting to cook a chicken casserole. I have set it on high and the cookbook I am using recommends 4-6 hours. That is quite a huge time frame though, so I am not sure when to stop cooking. All the veggies and pieces of meat are cut to about the same size in the hopes that they cook evenly. It is all covered with stock with a gap left at the top. Can you tell I dont know what I am doing

Also can the cooker just sit on the working surface or should I stand it on a heat protective mat? Any advice much appreciated.

I stand mine on the work surface.

The cats leave it alone.

I find the the vegetables (especially root vegetables) take longer to cook than meat.

I would keep an eye on it THROUGH the glass and don't be tempted to lift the lid. I leave mine on all day; first person in helps theirself to their tea, turns it to low (to keep it warm as we all trickle in) unless it's a stew. In which case the first person gives it a stir and adds the dumplings - then it will need another 30 minutes or so . What I often do is prep the meat and veg the night before and stick them in the fridge and tip it all in in the morning, add the (cold) stock and turn it on; I don't have time in the morning to brown meat off. Works fine.

Because food cannot really dry out it tends not to overcook in my experience, while a 2 hour 'food's ready' timeframe seems wide there will be variables; whether the food was hot when the cooking was started; whether you have a SC you can preheat. For my SC I would assume the longer time because I cannot preheat my SC. I have left it on overnight before.

But the first few time I cooked with it (once I had learned not to lift the lid;)) I did so while I was in.

There is a thread on Old Style (In my Slow Cooker today) full of tips etc; I spent a LOT of time on that thread when I first got mine. As one so often finds in Old Style, the posters there are lovely, kind, welcoming and VERY helpful! I've linked to it - worth a peep OP.

.

BlackSavings

I've used mine for long periods of time before. I've been putting it on before I start work at 6o'clock, getting back at 5o'clock. The longer you leave it the better it tastes I think

marisco_2

Thank you all so much for your advice. I will have a look at the link you gave too Valli.

sKiTz-0

I leave for work at 6.50am and am not back in until gone 5. If I need the slow cooker on, say, low for 6 hours, I just use one of the timer plug socket thingys and set it to come on at 12. That way I have time when I get in to have a shower and get changed with tea cooked perfectly for exactly when I'm ready for it.

Mistral001

marisco wrote: »

All the veggies and pieces of meat are cut to about the same size in the hopes that they cook evenly.
.

Remember slow cookers tend to cook meat a lot faster (or less slowly I suppose) than vegetables which is the opposite to conventional cookers. So no need to worry about vegetables and meat being the same size. In fact a large peice of meat can be cooked surprisingly quickly. A whole chicken takes about 4 hours to cook on high in my cooker, but I usually cook it on medium and it takes about 6 hours.

Mistral001

catslovelycats wrote: »

I have a question too, if I may jump in.
I too have got a new slow cooker.
Am I OK to leave it cooking for about 10 hours?
I leave for work at 7.30am and rarely get home 6am.
This is a longer period than recipes call for.
Can I leave it on all day if it's on low???

Also, is there any danger of my cats burning themselves on it? My kitten has discovered the joys of jumping onto the worktop so she's bound to want to sniff the cooker! Is it cat-safe to use it if I'm not in the house?

1) In my view the biggest advantage of using a slow cooker is the fact that you can prepare the diner hours before you eat it. I work from home and prepar it when I am having my morning tea break. I keep the slow cooker in an outbuilding so I do not have cooking odours in the house while I am working as well so it is like coming home to a freshly prepared meal cooked by someone else when I eat. In catslovelycats case you could buy a simiple mains socket plug in timer to start at about 10am and that would solve your problem. Timers are not expensive. Less than £10. Seen one for sale in B&Q the other day for £1.99 I think.

2) I usually put a doubled up tea cloth on top of the slow cooker. Saves energy and also should keep cat from getting burned.

PS: though cat likely to pull tea cloth off when I think about it. Can it be put in a cupboard or can you get someone to make a wooden box to put over it?