Hot meals when you come home.

Pink.

Hi Phil,

Don't relegate your slow cooker to the bin yet. Get it out, clean it up (might take a bit of elbow grease, but worth it to save you having to buy a new one) and give it a go.

If you are wary of leaving it on all day try it the first time while you're in the house or your Mum or Dad are there to keep an eye on it. My slow cooker is older than you and still in good working order!

For help with how to use a slow cooker have a look at The Complete Slow Cooker Collection where you'll find lots of recipes and advice.

Pink

fallen_angel_shelley

studentphil wrote: »

You know how some people set up their slow cooker to have a hot meal ready when they come home on a night. I was just thinking if you could do something similar with your normal oven timer as in set your oven up so it has the meal ready done for when you come home.

I think you could probably chance it with stuff like veg stews and it would certainly be an outstanding idea for stuff like fresh jacket pots, however, I would not chance it leaving meat dishes left uncooked for hours before the oven came on.

As anyone ever tried this method?

a SC cooker is fab. i got 1 from argos yesterday about £13 cookworks, but will say £29 untill you go to pay it. the beef stew we had tonight was great, even my fussy 15 year old liked it. think i might try doing a curry tomorrow. if anyone one has any other recipes we could try plase let me know, thanks x

Pink.

fallen_angel_shelley wrote: »

if anyone one has any other recipes we could try plase let me know, thanks x

Hi shelley,

I'm glad you're enjoying your new slow cooker, there are loads of slow cooker recipes and threads here that should help.

Pink

fallen_angel_shelley

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi shelley,

I'm glad you're enjoying your new slow cooker, there are loads of slow cooker recipes and threads here that should help.

Pink

thanks for that link pink. i can't wait to try some of them out.

charlies_mum

studentphil wrote: »

Cheers, we have a slow cooker but is old and sits unused.

I would worry about leaving one on unattended as it might set on fire or something. Plus, there is the cost of getting a new one if we went down the SC route.

Don't know if you have a Makro card, but they are advertising one for £12.99 in theie new mailshot

thriftmonster

I use my oven timer a lot and have never had a problem although it's more likely that I would set it up early afternoon. It's a godsend for the days we are out at Beavers etc to walk in and have a lasagne ready. I used it yesterday to cook a plum tart whilst we were out all afternoon as we had guests coming for dinner.

daysieblue

I use the timer on my oven almost everyday. I work full time, and have to pick the kiddlies up from after school club every day. So I get home, stick a previously frozen HM meal (macaroni cheese, cottage pie etc) in the oven and time it to be ready when I get in again with the kids. As this often isn't until 6pm, and they're STARVING (in the way only children can be!) it saves me a lot of time and aggro! Once they've eaten we can then think about homework, but doing it the other way round is counter productive as they can't concentrate while they're STARVING!!! So my oven timer is an absolute god send :j

db xx

morganb

So why is leaving the oven on when you're out more dangerous than using a slow cooker??? I am genuinely interested as I often use my cooker and microwave on timer.

Nicki

I suspect it may be because when you cook in the oven it is at a much higher temperature and also because liquid evaporates during oven cooking. Therefore if the timer switches it on too early and you are not there to notice the food will eventually catch fire. Not sure though as I've never had a safety problem with the timer, and was happy to use it while out at work. My problem though was if I got home later than I thought I would either because I had to work late or due to transport difficulties, the food tended to be dried out, incinerated, inedible lumps!