slow cooker

[mumsie_wumsie]

Well, I have bought myself a slow cooker, because I thought it would be a good thing to have.Trouble is, I haven't a clue how to use it. Do you just put all ingredients for a stew/casserole in together and turn on and hope for the best. And how much liquid do I put in. Shouldn't have bought it should I ?????

[tenrec]

Did it come with a recipe book? With mine I heat most stuff before putting it in. Add boiling water/stock and leave all day.

[sherrardk]

The liquid has to be hot from what I remember - didn't it come with instructions/a recipe book?

[mumsie_wumsie]

No, it didin't come with recipe book, just instructions how to turn it on etc and how to clean it. Am at a total loss with it.

[Booldawg]

just make gravy and chuck it all in together. I dont pre-cook any of it. Normal amount you'd make for a stew.

a joint of beef is lovely in there too. Slow cook in about a inch of water and then finish off for half hour in the oven to brown it. You'll have nice stock for your gravy left over in the slow cooker too.

[slinky.kate]

yep;chuck everything in,pour on boiling water,put lid on,leave for 4 hours on high or 8 for medium.

[237SJ]

The first thing you need to do is establish which size you have. Most instructions that come with the slow cooker have two types of instructions. Usually 2.5 litres or 4.5 lites. Most people have the 2.5 ltr cooker. Your cooker will probably come with a basic recipe book as well. That is a good place to start. It will tell you how to start off a recipe (browning the meat etc). After that, you can`t go wrong. There are many slow cooker recipes on the internet.

[tenrec]

You can get cheap slow cooker recipe book from The Works. Brown your meat in frying pan and then add meat & veg to slowcooker. Some cookers need to be turned on in advance to warm up, but I just turn mine on when I start. Have it on highest setting for a 30 mins then turn down low for rest of day.

[miss]

you can actually buy colemans or schwartz packet mix "slow cooker " add ins, where you add water and the ingredients as it says... they make a good alternative to a casserole meal.

[tenrec]

To get benefit try and fill it it with food to about 2 or 3 cm from top.Freeze any that is left.

[Giggsie]

i just put everything in to make a casserole stew I heat nothing. All veg and meat in at once leave all day lovely every time. You should never lift lid whilst cooking. Same as for a curry all goes in at once. Good also for all chicken dishes and whole chickens also joints of meat. Love mine would not be without it.

[old-wos-is-name]

Hi,
shove all the usual stew type ingredients in, switch on, and 8 hours later it may have cooked it all, ours didn't, took 12 hours before I was satisfied that it was cooked. I just haven't the foresight to arrange a meal half a day away, but for people who work, it is probably o.k.

[marval]

I don't have one, but this might help.

http://slowcookerreci...low_cooker_basics.htm

[gingejbee]

If you have a branch of The Works (cheapo bookstores) near , they do a very good slow-cooker recipe book for 99p.

[boxtops]

what make is it? the manual is probably on one of the manual websites.

[gingejbee]

...it's not a manual needed, it's a recipe/method book.....

[boxtops]

manual usually has guidance about cooking times etc

[gingejbee]

In my experience, a manual informs you about the equipment...recipes come separately.

[mumsie_wumsie]

Wow, thanks to you all for all your wonderful tips. I shall indeed go to The Works bookshop tomorrow and get a recipe book. Didn't think about doing that. And thanks marval for that link, I have bookmarked that for easy reference. Tells me lots, thanks. I shall certainly give it a go, and see how things turn out.
I bought the slow cooker from Tesco, its a 3.3 litre, ( but am beginning to think that it will be something that will end up in the back of a cupboard).

[marval]

Good luck mumsie, let us know how you get on.

[paddywak]

I when I split with my ex many years ago I soon discovered they're gods gift to the single working man, bang everything in, switch on to low, go to work and forget about it. Come home eight-ten hours latter and dinners ready.