Slow cooker Advice

[horticultural_hobbit]

Morning sweeties,

I'm not necessarily after recipes, but more logistical advice. I have one of these slow cookers, and quite like it. I bought it last year, whilst gainfully unemployed thinking i could contribute to the kitchen. Have since failed, with pops grumbling that it uses too much power. It doesn't.

My gripe, is that whatever i cook in it: Firstly, ends up in a mush. Probably a key feature of the slow cooking! Secondly, doesn't taste of an awful lot. Perhaps I put too much liquid into it, I dunno.

So how do I remedy the situation, and redeem my toy? I have a slow cooker, I even have a book of recipes. Now, we don't eat anything that moo's: everything else is fine! Don't tend to put any booze into things, don't eat enough fishies but should, and the key here. We need flavour, since we are afterall bollywoods. I would like to throw stuff into it at night time, so ma and grandad mike can have stuff for lunch and the rest of us the following evening. The one time I made lamb shanks-I had hankering-it was odd. And the irish stew.

Going to try and have a bash next week and then during the summer holidays.So all advice appreciated!

[Tomato Head]

I bought a slow cooker last autumn and have to say I have never had anything go mushy! What is going mushy - veg or meat? or both? Are you cooking it too high? Mine has a high and a low temp control and I always use the low one. I find everything full of flavour and melt in your mouth tender but not mushy. I add very little, if any, liquid. Just a small amount of stock if I want a casserole but sometimes I don't add any liquid as there is enough in the food. One of my favourites is pork shoulder chops, chopped leeks and root veg, a little stock, some herbs and a teeny bit of cornflour for thickening plus a dash of worcestershire sauce for flavour. Leave for about 12 hours and it's full of flavour.

[Feral007]

Let me get back to you.........I only have two slow cookers atm because the stovetop has topped itself. I think you have to get your head into the right frame to get the full value. Ask me tomorrow when I've had some sleep

[horticultural_hobbit]

I bought a slow cooker last autumn and have to say I have never had anything go mushy! What is going mushy - veg or meat? or both? .

Both. Think the meat was melt in the mouth, though. The main bit is the flavour. Has two setting, yep. I've not done the longer eight-twelve hour recipes. A couple of the 3-4, high setting ones.

[taff]

I usually leave it in all day for when I come from work [13 hrs]
Made stews etc, but i found that veg was hard, especially onions, and root veg, so now I just cook meat in it.

[SarrissUK]

I have a slow cooker, and very rarely do I put meat in it without frying it off in a frying pan first, for colour as well as flavour. I leave veg as large as I can, as it seems to hold shape better.
Can't beat a bolognaise that has been stewing for hours on low - yum
The only thing I never do, when making stews, is to put spuds in with it. I don't like the colour they take on. I much prefer to boil them separately

[Feral007]

I just throw everything in. I cut the softer veg larger to hold it's shape a bit better. The only thing is sometimes I'll add a few things just before serving.
I've made korma veg's - throw in all the veg, and cook with sauce, but then add chickpeas (canned ones, the dried ones have to be soaked first and then go in first) and corn, at the last minute just to heat it up. If I have mushrooms etc then I just add a few mushrooms in the last 30 mins so there is the taste of them from cooking, but the 'look' of them for show. Same with the leek and tater soup, I keep back a few rounds of leek to put on top.
Long and slow is the trick with slow cookers. They just don't do thngs fast.
I agree that a spag bol sauce is awesome. And you can make oodles of it and freeze a lot for other meals.
Soups wouldn't make soup without a slow cooker.
Also corned beef............can be cooked to long that it shreds. Fabulous with mashed taters and garlic and cheese spinach.
My slow cooker had 3 dials, high, low and auto. I always cooked on auto. But the new one has only high and low.

[veggiechicken]

Also corned beef............can be cooked to long that it shreds. Fabulous with mashed taters and garlic and cheese spinach.

NB Aussie corned beef is not Fray Bentos from a tin!!

[Feral007]

Haha - def not VC!

It's silverside? Or does that come in a tin over there as well! If it does I'd definately take it out of the tin before I slow cooked it

[veggiechicken]

Just thought I should say, Feral, some folk can take things sooooo literally!!
Although you call it silverside, isn't it preserved in some way? I have a recipe somewhere for "corned beef" that requires saltpetre -we'd call it pickled beef - and you can't buy saltpetre here any more because of its explosive effects!

[Glutton4...]

HH, try adding wine/beer to your sauces. Also, I use plenty of seasoning in the early stages, as it is more effective than adding it later. Don't cut your veggies too small, or they will mush.

I use the 'High' setting for the first few hours, then turn it down, or if I'm going out it all day, it goes on 'Auto' and seems to work fine. I also brown off my meat first (usually), and if there's time, I take out the liquid and thicken/reduce it in a saucepan before serving, as we don't like thin sauces. I try not to add flour if I can help it, or at least only use a minimal amount, but that's just my preference. If you're OK with flour you can use more to thicken the sauces.

I'm no cook, but used one of these long before I met Mr.G (ex-Chef), and sometimes I just bung it all in, turn it on and wait-and-see! Not had any disasters yet! Good luck with it, I really think they are worth the money.

[horticultural_hobbit]

I did put red wine into lamb shanks, and apparently you could taste the alcohol :: shrugs:: Have never used wine to cook before. See, I've only done the shorter recipes, the ones that only need say 3-5 hours at high. not the longer ones. I might try do the longer ones, with low and on during the night. I always look at my recipe book, and pout as there's usually a long list of ingredients not in the pantry.

Yes, seasoning. I may well have to toss in half the bollywood spice tin.

Drove to school-carefully-thinking about what I could throw in there and play with. Shall see what takes my fancy next week.

[Tomato Head]

Both. Think the meat was melt in the mouth, though. The main bit is the flavour. Has two setting, yep. I've not done the longer eight-twelve hour recipes. A couple of the 3-4, high setting ones.

Try cooking things for longer. Slow cooking requires long, slow cooking to get full flavours. I generally just throw everything in in the morning before work and eat it approx 12 hours later. Sometimes I even put stuff in the night before and leave it on low until supper time the next day.

[Alison]

I don't really like ours on the high setting, prefer it for caseroles etc that take all day. Beef (I know you don't eat that) and lamb work best to me as I think that chicken and fish don't hold up well enough to such a long cooking period. I do curries quite a bit in mine too which end up with a lovely rich taste. Basically use the same extent of seasoning etc as you would for the oven and you'll do fine.

[Feral007]

I use chicken a lot too. HH I don't use cookbooks for it - too many ingredients and you have to do about an hours worth of browning etc in different saucepans. One pot, shove it all in
I usually add lots of garlic - we love it. Herbs, either from the garden or atm from the cupboard.
If you like mushrooms they give casseroles a fabulous taste in the slow cooker. I cheat and use aldi's roast gravy to thicken the sauces.
We use chicken with tomato based sauces. Just whatever you like, whatever you have in the cupboard/fridge. I like the sniff and add method of cooking. I just sniff the herbs/sauce or veg, and if it seems like it will work it goes in.
The kids really seem to like eatiing the stuff - but they hate cooking cos i can never tell them what to put in - just see what's there!