Using a Slow Cooker (Newbie)

Pollycat

I've been using slow cookers for over 45 years and have never browned meat. I do toss it in flour as I think that helps to thicken.
Everything goes in raw. I've never had an issue with the taste of potatoes in the slow cooker.
Re pulses:
I have a recollection that raw red kidney beans are poisonous if they aren't soaken and then boiled for a while first.
I'm on my phone so can't check easily.
Canned pulses are fine although I find butter beans can go mushy - but they do thicken the dish nicely.

Wraithlady

Kidney beans need to be boiled for a full 10 minutes (on a hard rolling boil) to destroy the toxin phytohaemagglutinin (sp?) - soaking doesn't do anything to assist apart from making the cooking time a bit shorter IIRC.

Canned ones, obviously, are fine.

buildersdaughter

All pulses have some of that toxin. There are tables about how long to cook each one - kidney beans need the longest (some say 12 minutes). I solve the problem by giving them all 15 minutes, then I don't have to look anything up!
Slow cookers are great for pot roasting cheaper cuts of meat - with onions, carrots, parsley, peppercorns and whatever herbs or spices you like for flavour. No liquid - you will end up with tender, flaky meat and some juices.

balabooberlies

Okay, the things I did right. I tried.

The things I did wrong :

Underestimated time it would take to cook such vast amount of vegetables so bunged it in the oven.

Used nutmeg ( bought for another recipe) only to discover that I do not like nutmeg when I can taste it as a separate entity. Used too much of it

So. First try. Think I need to follow a few recipes to gain experience,..........

But thank you all

Pollycat

Wraithlady wrote: »

Kidney beans need to be boiled for a full 10 minutes (on a hard rolling boil) to destroy the toxin phytohaemagglutinin (sp?) - soaking doesn't do anything to assist apart from making the cooking time a bit shorter IIRC.

Canned ones, obviously, are fine.

I believe soaking helps digestion

Soaking Savvy

• Soak all pulses (not split lentils) for greater digestibility.
• Quick soak method - see link below.
• Long soak for eight hours or overnight in a cool place – particularly important in hot weather. Use a large enough bowl - they expand a lot when soaked - and enough water to cover by a few centimetres. Drain away the soaking water from the pulses and rinse well. Cook in fresh water, in either an ordinary saucepan or pressure cooker.
• Extended soak. If you find it hard to digest pulses (especially the larger beans), soak them for 2-3 days, ensuring you change the water twice a day (breakfast and dinner time!) until the beans are just starting to sprout. This breaks down the sugars that can lead to bloating. Then cook them as usual.
• Whole lentils. Soaking isn’t necessary but may make them more digestible. It also reduces cooking time (and fuel use!) quite substantially. 1-2 hours soaking is sufficient, but you can leave
  them overnight if it’s easier. Split lentils don’t need soaking at all.

The above is from this link - the OP may find it useful as she says she wants to introduce more pulses/beans into their diet:

https://www.veganrecipeclub.org.uk/articles/quick-guide-pulses-beans-lentils-and-peas

OP:
Maybe tell us exactly what you put into your slow cooker (and quantities) and how long it took to (not) cook so posters can make suggestions for your next try.
And maybe the make and size of your cooker.
And did you leave the lid on or did you keep lifting it to have a peek?

Doing The latter will extend the cooking time.

I do a veg soup in mine - especially if I get some reduced veg or on one of Aldi's super six - and when it's cooked I blitz it in the pot with a stick blender.

I also cook a dhal with a recipe that came from an Indian lady.

Nargleblast

A very useful tip for me is to put the slow cooker on to heat whilst preparing the ingredients and make sure the ingredients are already warm before they go in. I do this by putting the ingredients in a large frying pan as I prepare them then tip the lot into the slow cooker and stir it. Stock ingredients, herbs, seasonings can all go in the frying pan (this picks up the bits of meat and veg left behind), stirred then added to the pot and topped up if necessary with boiling water from the kettle. The cooker and the ingredients are then at a temperature to start cooking straight away, rather than having it warm the whole lot up first, which would take a good half hour or so. If your cooker has high and low settings, an hour on high is roughly equal to two on low, so two hours on high initially followed by four hours on low equates to about eight hours on low. Useful to know if it's late morning before you get round to preparing it.

Farway

balabooberlies wrote: »

Underestimated time it would take to cook such vast amount of vegetables so bunged it in the oven.

Vegeatables take longer in SC, and many will have different results from say boiling, steaming or nuking


Not nasty, just different texture at times

balabooberlies

Okay, it's a very old Russell Hobbs 3 litre (model 4435). I love it because the pan is ceramic so finishing it in the oven was possible.

I put 6 sausages with carrots, parsnips, green beans, cannelloni beans....... and 2 tins of tomatoes. The idea being that this would last a couple of days for 2 adults. Also, stick of celery and an onion. I know I put too much in. And I only gave it 4 hours on high. Obviously my mind does not understand the concept of 'slow'. Other than the mistake with the nutmeg (won't be using that again) had I had more knowledge I might have made a success of it. Not too worried as I am more excited at the prospect of mastering this and ridding myself of the habit of making everything with tomatoes !

Thank you for advice on pulses.

Pollycat

Nargleblast wrote: »

A very useful tip for me is to put the slow cooker on to heat whilst preparing the ingredients and make sure the ingredients are already warm before they go in. I do this by putting the ingredients in a large frying pan as I prepare them then tip the lot into the slow cooker and stir it. Stock ingredients, herbs, seasonings can all go in the frying pan (this picks up the bits of meat and veg left behind), stirred then added to the pot and topped up if necessary with boiling water from the kettle. The cooker and the ingredients are then at a temperature to start cooking straight away, rather than having it warm the whole lot up first, which would take a good half hour or so. If your cooker has high and low settings, an hour on high is roughly equal to two on low, so two hours on high initially followed by four hours on low equates to about eight hours on low. Useful to know if it's late morning before you get round to preparing it.

Just checked my instruction booklet and my morphy richards 4.5 litre oval slow cooker specifically says:
"do not switch on the cooker if the ceramic pot is empty".

Nargleblast

Ok, each according to the instructions of their particular model. I can happily report though, mine is a Crockpot ("The original slow cooker") and it has not cracked or suffered in any way through being heated whilst empty. I suppose you could put a little water in the bottom to appease the manufacturers.