Slowcooker - Vegetarian viewpoint

[Bren In Pots]

I've been given a slow cooker, its a Morphy Richards 3.5L just downloaded the instruction book and tomorrow I'm starting with a rice pud.

[Glutton4...]

Wozza is talking to Simon Mayo on Radio 2 this evening - about Slow Cookers!! Hopefully you can download it...?

[FionaH]

Yes. However, I was told that a quicker (slightly) method is to heat them to boiling then turn off the heat and leave for an hour. Then proceed as if they'd had an overnight soak. If you are leaving home early though, the overnighter is best if you can get your act in gear!

Thanks for that, got some on the go now. I rarely get my arris in gear to boil them before work so this is great!

[Bren In Pots]

Need a bit of help, I've downloaded the manual its a Morphy Richards 48713 with off, high, low and auto on the control knob but the instructions don't mention 'auto' only medium so are they the same thing ?

[Dottie]

Need a bit of help, I've downloaded the manual its a Morphy Richards 48713 with off, high, low and auto on the control knob but the instructions don't mention 'auto' only medium so are they the same thing ?

Each machine is different, so you really need to download the exact model you have. However, I wouldn't have thought med was auto, as auto is often the option that starts cooking on high and then goes down to low. But then other models auto may mean something else?

If you have downloaded the correct model, then email Morphy Richards and ask them.

[Bren In Pots]

Dottie I've emailed them so I'll post here when I get a reply, its odd the control knob are the same but mine says auto instead of med.

[Glutton4...]

'Auto" starts it off on 'High" then turns it down to 'Low' later on. Mine has all three settings...

OK, I didn't read Dottie's post!

[Flummery]

Well, I ordered it from Amazon Marketplace on Monday, they tried to deliver it yesterday (Tuesday - only standard deliver so I can't fault them!) but we were out. They left it at the village Post Office and I collected it this morning. Going out for lunch (dinner really) with the Village Ladies group today so guess who's having chilli tomorrow? Home grown beans and chillies in there too.

[Bren In Pots]

Result Morphy Richards have emailed back to say that the auto function works the same way as the medium in their recipe book that I downloaded.

[Dottie]

Great they emailed back within a good time frame, but it seems silly that they have printed an instruction manual for similar machines, and yet didn't mention such a basic fact. As med and auto are 2 different ways of cooking, but hey you've got the answer you needed.

[Flummery]

Big Chilli tonight to try mine out!

PS it's a Russell Hobbs

[Dottie]

From what I gather veggie stock does not improve after 1/2 an hour simmering whereas chicken stock needs as long as you can give it.

I'd never being happy with the suggestion on here about vegetable stock only taking half an hour to cook, just did not seem right, as the whole point of stock is to cook it long and slow, to develop flavour. So when I called in the library yesterday, there were to small slow cooker books on the shelves. And I needed to check if it was indeed true, here is the result and recipe of slow-cooked vegetable stock - serves 4-6

2 onions chopped
2 carrots, skins left on and chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 large baking potato, skin left on and thickly sliced
At least 4 whole garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
A few springs of fresh parsley
2.5ml/half tsp whole black peppercorns
2.5ml/half tsp salt

1. Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and pour over sufficient boiling water to cover them.
2. Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 3-4 hours, until all the veg are tender.
3. Strain and use same day. Alternatively, cool completely and freeze until required.

Now that sounds like a stock and one I shall try soon as an alternative to the chicken stock I make, just for soup and if any left over, risotto. Always cooked on Low for me, because it's the slow cooking that gives the lovely flavour. I never have enough left to freeze, as the chicken stock and then soup is so tasty, that I do a big pan of soup and tuck into it like it's a naughty but nice pudding.

[Jeanied]

Thanks for that Dottie - I am going to experiment with that recipe now and get myself weaned off the stock cubes which are always too salty.

[Hilary B]

Kallo (some of them organic) stock cubes are OK for when you just haven't got home-made, otherwise I wouldn't bother!
The big advantage with Kallo is the terrific range of flavours, if you can find them all. I have mushroom, tomato-and-herb, herb-and-garlic, french-onion as well as chcken, beef and vegetable varieties, but running low on some. Hoping to find an online source of the less common varieties. Much better than any other commercial stock-cube I have ever tried.