Slow Cooker

Pollycat

joedenise said:

To flour the meat I add a heaped Tablespoon of flour to a plastic bag and then put the meat in and seal it and then shake the bag around a bit to coat the meat before adding to the SC; although if you are only using 200g that will probably be too much.  I have a larger SC and tend to use at least double that amount as I'm making a lot of portions for the freezer and not just enough for a single meal for the 2 of us.

I do this - you can season the flour with black pepper and herbs/spices too.

Farway said:

All the previous replies, and I'm a bung it all in raw including a crumbled OXO and tablespoon of flour, give it a stir during which the flour goes into lumps but carry on regardless because come the end it's all stewed down.

I normally give it a stir after a few hours just in case anything is sticking or not dissolving

OP Have a look on YouTube, loads of slow cooker stuff on there

I add flour to the dry veg and give it a stir before adding the meat. I find the flour doesn't clump.

Collyflower1 said:

Thanks again for the replies! The beef stu with dumplings looks delicious but they make it look so easy! Maybe i would be better using braising steak rather than stewing steak?
   The cook in bags are a great idea, can they be bought from any supermarket? 
  

Stewing steak is fine for the slow cooker.
One of the first dishes I cooked almost 50 years ago was a whole boiling fowl.
It was so tender that when I lifted it out, the legs fell off.
I used to cook bone-in neck of lamb and the meat fell off the bones.

Longwalker

Stewing steak is best I find, its more sinewy which makes for a softer meat when cooked low and slow

Browning meat just means fry it a little so the outside is browned. Usually you toss the cubed meat into flour, salt and pepper, then fry in a bit of oil so you get nice crusty bits over the meat - that thickens the stew. You also deglaze the pan you have browned the meat in with a bit of water or wine and scrape of whats stuck to the pan and throw that in.

I rarely bother with browning either, I just sprinkle a table spoonful of flour over the meat

goldfinches

I've seen the slow cooker liners in my local Sains by the sandwich bags and silver foil, greaseproof paper etc. section. I'm not sure what size pot those were for as I didn't look very closely but expect they come in at least two sizes.

Aelon

I always fry the meat chunks in a light coating of flour until browned while I assemble the rest. It helps cook the meat and gives it some colour, otherwise in the end result it looks pale and unappetising. The flour also helps with thickening when its in the slow cooker.
I use a bag of Icelands frozen cassarole veg, some potatoes, the meat i've fried off, and a handful of Bisto granules. Sometimes i add a tin of tomatoes too. 

My housemates always go back for seconds.

rancid-a

Hi Colly
I've never really had any problems with undercooked meat in the slow cooker either and I like my pieces of beef diced in large chunks. I coat my pieces in flour and black pepper before sealing them in a separate frying pan, just a few pieces at a time, making sure they are well charred. After the beef has been sealed and moved to the slow cooker, I lightly fry a little veg in the pan with some red wine. This all gets chucked into the slow cooker with a dollop of garlic puree & tomato paste plus a few herbs. Then I add some really thick Bisto gravy and a dash more wine. Sometimes I swap out the wine for some Guinness. I usually leave the slow cooker on high for the first hour and the turn it to low for another 6 hours or so. If the gravy looks watery near the end of cooking due to all the steam, I would leave the lid off for the final hour. I always make sure there is way too much gravy so some of it can be put into freezer bags and used later for something simple like Yorkshire puds and gravy

P933alilli

Ive just bought 300g of stewing steak and plan to get all the veg chopped tomorrow morning for a 8-9 hr slow cook. I'll serve 100g per meal so with 200g leftover should i split it into 2 containers for freezing? And , another queary how long should it be left to cool before going into the freezer? 

bouicca21

Thé sort of container you use is a matter of preference. I always freeze two meals at a time, but then I don’t mind eating the same meal twice in a week.

In this weather I’d get the leftovers into whatever container(s) you are going to use and put in the fridge straight away.  Then freeze when cold.

Pollycat

I freeze in double portions as there are 2 of us so  would use 2 containers.

Leave it until there is no heat left in it before putting it into the freezer.

joedenise

With 300g of stewing steak plus loads of vegetables & stock I would think you'd end up with enough for 4 or even 5 portions!

If you're on your own then freeze in single portions.  Even if there are 2 people it's worth having some single portions in case one of you isn't eating for some reason - away with work, not feeling well etc.

P933alilli

Thanks again! I agree it may make up to 4-5 meals! I'm just cooking for myself:)
  Re, letting it cool afterwards:
 After eating my first meal should i dish portions from the SC into the plastic , sealed containers i have and let them cool in the fridge and then put in the freezer? Or let it cool in the slow cooker ( i suppose that would be a bad thing as it would take much longer to cool and the cooker would become much more difficult to clean afterwards!).
  Or let them stand in containers for a short time on the kitchen top then transfer to freezer.
  Im thinking the fridge then freezer option is best!  Its just confusing info online about not letting it cool for long or bacteria will build up but not putting in the freezer warm or a similar thing can happen as it cools and can contaminate other items in the freezer.