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Using a slow cooker - techniques and tips
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CFC wrote:OK I've read through a lot of the SC recipes, and here's my question: in some of the recipes for cooking joints/chickens, posters have not covered the whole lot with water,but just put a couple of inches in the bottom. In my handbook (morphy richards 3.5L) it says that the whole joint should be covered in water.
So is this necessary, or is the handbook erring on the side of caution? I've bought half a shoulder of lamb that I'd like to cook in the SC so it's ready when I come home from work on Tuesday - I've got a moroccan sauce that I'm going to put in with it, but I don't want a whole pot full of watery, runny stuff if I can help it...so do I really need to cover the whole joint with water, or not?
PS you naughty lot are costing me money, I went out and bought the SC yesterday!!!
I use my slow cooker on virtually a daily basis.
When I want to cook a whole chicken, I've got one in at the moment, or a piece of beef or gammon I just barely cover the bottom of the dish with water, I thought perhaps if it was bone dry the dish may crack but after a while the juices start coming out of the meat anyway, and just put the meat in on low for most of the day or overnight. It says in my instruction book that chicken should be cooked on high, which if I do if I want it done faster, but I do cook it on low for a long time and I haven't died of food poisoning yet.
I would never fill it up with waterLoretta0 -
I use my sc most days, if I am cooking a whole chicken or piece of beef or gammon I just barely cover the bottom of the dish with water, I thought maybe heating an empty dish may make it crack but the juices start running out of the meat quite soon, I would never fill it up or cover the meat with water, it would be too heavy and messy and unnecessary
If I am cooking a stew I don't add too much water but I make sure any potatoes are covered, I put them on the bottom, otherwise they go black.
The main thing with slow cookers is less liquid if you are adapting a 'normal' recipe.
I am a great believer in chuck it all in and see what happensLoretta0 -
I would think brisket is ideal for cooking in a sc all day on low for as long as you like, it will just get better and betterLoretta0
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Sorry not very good at this! chicken thighs going on at about 2.00pm would be fine for 8.00pm but I would put the brisket on before you go to workLoretta0
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Recently I saw a recipe for cooking lasagne in sc and it looked good but now I can't find it. Does anyone know how to do this?Loretta0
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After reading much of this thread I may buy a Slow Cooker, the 3.5 L size as I am cooking for 1. Due tochronic illness I usually "cook up a storm" and end up eating the same meal for days.....Now I am thinking of freezing more items plus making a meal list.
I cook and eat a large amount of FISH, anybody have any input please?Today, my BEST is good enough.0 -
We did a meat and potato pie yesterday. We parboiled the potatoes and left them until near the end; they were fine. BUT - the meat was tough as old boots! You couldn't get your knife through it. We used casserole beef and cooked it for about 5 hours - albeit on low.
Did we undercook it or was it just ropey meat? The meat had previously been frozen - although it had thawed before we cooked it. I can't believe we over-cooked it, because we've had stews in the past when it's been cooking for over 9 hours.0 -
My favourite meat to use is shin beef (called stewing steak in ASDA and Tesco). It needs cutting up into smaller bite-size pieces before going into the SC. The meat looks quite fatty and gristly when it's raw but don't worry, all that gelatinous stuff in the meat disintegrates into the stock and adds to the flavour.
I cook 'Scouse' in mine - shin beef, carrots, onions, swede, parsnip, leek, potatoes, beef stock cube, veg stock cube, mixed herbs. Make sure the veg are covered with the water. I leave that going on auto for about 8 - 9 hours and the meat is really tender. If the stock looks too water, I remove some of the veggies and blitz with the hand-blender and then stir back into the pot. The potatoes should have begun to fall a bit and thickened the gravy.0 -
do i need to cook beef before putting it in slow cooker for stew/casserole?0
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short answer is no0
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