Slow cooker- a little advice please?

elsien

AJMBryant wrote: »

A general slo cooker question. I've lost the instruction leaflet to mine - are they all much of a muchness? I have no idea how to use one really...

They basically all have just high, low and auto settings. Look online for recipes or get a cheap book from the Works to get you started. Not too much liquid, and you'll need to thicken afterwards. Pretty much it, really.

wurley

Buy one from Aldi or Lidl as they all come with a 3 year warranty. These are usually for sale 3 or 4 times a year. Go for a fairly low powered one as they are on for a long while. I bought mine 2 years ago and use it a few times a month. This is Aldi's current one...

https://www.aldi.co.uk/chalkboard-slow-cooker/p/087905244675600

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

justaquestion wrote: »

Thanks a lot for your very helpful advice everybody.


On a slightly different note do you think there is any danger when leaving it to cook when you leave the house, slow cooking of course not on a hob?


I know sometimes I put on washing machine and dishwasher and leave them to do their thing when I leave, but never a tumble dryer?


Probably would be best not to do that, but just wondering about slow cooker left unattended as well.


Many thanks once again.

Being able to leave it unattended is the point of the things. Always leave it on low, rather than high, and things won't catch and burn - if need be, bring it up to high heat before you leave and then flick the switch as you go.

I wouldn't leave a dishwasher unattended for more than a quick trip to the shop since a bunch of them started catching fire (mine was on the list), but slow cookers aren't made almost completely of flammable materials such as plastic and insulation - they're usually heavy crocks, which don't burn, and metal with the electronic gubbins sandwiched between non flammable crock and non flammable metal. They also don't draw nearly so much power or have widely varying cycles to switch between - when a slow cooker goes, it usually just stops working.

that

justaquestion, have you thought about sploshing your dosh and going for a Sous Vide machine + vacuum sealer (if cooking to freeze), or at a pinch a zip lock bag?

What it looks like is 'boil in the bag' but it is not.

It is much more expensive set up, about £50 for a multi cooker from ebay.

The good:
Perfectly cooked food. This method yields results that are nearly impossible to achieve by traditional means.
Often more juicier and tender, stop that dry chewey texture.
Minimum loss of flavour, and in some cases enhanced flavour.
Once they are cooked you can either eat them, or take package and dump it in ice cold water so that is is not hot and then freeze it. Apparently when you reheat there is no lost of taste and some people say it can be frozen for one year, but others say two years?
Much harder to over cook.
Uniformity of cooking - no over or under cooked segments, but the light and dark meats of turkeys should be each cooked differently.
Food like steaks can loose up to 40% of their volume when cooked, but via this method little to non is lost.
No burnt pots and less washing up
With the right Sous Vide precision cooking device, you can turn it on form your mobile phone.

The bad:
Slightly more preparation work.
Much more expensive than a slow cooker, but ebay takes the sting out of the price a bit.
it does not brown. You will either have to brown the meat first or after it has cooked. Always people seem to brown it afterwards on the vids - Why?

Loads of stuff on youtube, though I would substitute those nice clear container for either a polystyrene or plastic thermos box to cut down heat loss and power.

Disclaimer - I have no active or passive interest, or affiliation with any product or food or manufacturer. I have just been researching for something for months for a project of my own, and this seems the way forward for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dee5FwKOnkM