Slow cooker - help needed please

MargaretinNorthant

Could I ask a question please? I like to eat my main meal at mid day. Could I use a timer switch to turn the cooker on before I wake up, and if so, would it be best to use cold water rather than warm/hot water in it? I don’t want to give myself food poisoning!

To avoid food poisoning, you should brown the meat in a pan first while the water is heating up in the crock. Throw the meat and veg in the hot water in the crock and turn it on low heat before bed. It should be delicious by mid day. Always try to fill the crock to the top since they commonly heat from the sides and not the bottom. Potatoes take a long time to cook so those first, with onion. Other veg can be added in the morning.

I find stew cooks in 6 hours on high or 12 hours on low. Maybe you could prep (chop) at night and assemble in the early morning?

(Don't leave things cooking at night if you haven't tested your smoke alarms.)

Switch slow cooker on to warm. Brown stewing steak and onions. Put in the slow cooker. Add boiling water to the frying pan you’ve just used and use all the lovely flavour then add to the pot. Cut carrots quite thinly then add along side some potatoes. Make sure you cover all the ingredients with a little bit extra. About an hour before eating thicken as you would normally. I have used tinned peas and carrots in the past and added about half an hour before serving along with the dumplings. 4 hours on high or 6 or 7 on low.

I've had a slow cooker for many years. The instructions said that the veg should be cut into smaller pieces and go in the pot first, with the meat at the bottom as the veg takes longer to cook than the meat.

I just stick everything in at the same time. Sometimes I brown the meat and if I am adding mushrooms to anything I always brown them and onions first.

Add a melted OXO or whatever liquid I am using and cook on medium for anything up to 8 hours, Usually overnight. Never had a problem.

The mention of Oxos reminds me - is everyone aware that you don't need to use your fingers to crumble Oxos, or beat them into submission in water. You just squash them with fingers or the back of a spoon while they are still sealed in the foil wrapper - when you open the wrapper they have been turned into crumbs wich dissolve easily. Discovering this on Gransnet was a revelation to me.

Elegran

The mention of Oxos reminds me - is everyone aware that you don't need to use your fingers to crumble Oxos, or beat them into submission in water. You just squash them with fingers or the back of a spoon while they are still sealed in the foil wrapper - when you open the wrapper they have been turned into crumbs wich dissolve easily. Discovering this on Gransnet was a revelation to me.

I loved that tip, no more beefy fingertips!

Love this thread, being on my own and elderly and not fond of cooking.... so much information to , hopefully, encourage me to try cooking for myself more... thank you everyone.
I tend to "bung" everything into my slow cooker, frozen onions, now learned that I can pre cook them in frying pan, frozen mushrooms, just found them in Morrisons. I have been relying on chicken, but read that I really need some red meat,, so now I shall have a go at that.. Oxo, interesting, I have been relying on Marmite,, and red wine! I really should pick up a bottle of cheap red wine...

again thankyou all so much .

Doodledog

Does anyone have good (and tried and tested) recipes for vegetarian meals in a slow cooker, please? I find it great for meat, but as my husband is vegetarian that's not what I'm looking for usually.

I too am vegetarian, I make mac cheese in the slow cooker with lots of cheese (4 kinds) and black pepper. A hunters casserole with plant pieces and lots of veg, a chilli non carne with veggie mince, a Thai curry using plant pieces, Asian veg, paste and coconut milk. a version of a butter chicken curry with loads of veg and plant pieces. A red wine casserole with (red wine and stock cubes) lots of veg. There are more but I cannot think of them at the moment.

That’s very useful tip about oxo cubes thank you.
I’ve also used tinned or frozen mushrooms, frozen chopped onions and an occasional frozen stew pack from Waitrose. I normally just slice carrots and peppers and put them in at the same time as the meat or chicken.