Author Topic: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?  (Read 8249 times)

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #25 on: 19 December, 2016, 12:20:08 pm »

We have one. I wasn't willing to make stock before- I hate having my kitchen stinking of chicken carcass all day. No smell from the instant pot.

I'd be interested in know which model, and what it's overall dimensions are. I have to operate a "one in, one out" policy for appliances, and the only space available for this device would be the one currently occupied by the pressure cooker.

Edit:  As you were, I found the manual on their website  ::-)
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

ian

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #26 on: 19 December, 2016, 12:31:27 pm »
There was a BBC news spot on lazy Christmas day turkeys done in the slow cooker. I claim prior art. It's the best Christmas idea I've had and I can dedicate the oven to nuking tatties and yorkshire pud.

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #27 on: 19 December, 2016, 06:29:42 pm »
There was a BBC news spot on lazy Christmas day turkeys done in the slow cooker. I claim prior art. It's the best Christmas idea I've had and I can dedicate the oven to nuking tatties and yorkshire pud.

You must have a substantial slow cooker to fit a turkey in.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

ian

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #28 on: 19 December, 2016, 07:15:31 pm »
There was a BBC news spot on lazy Christmas day turkeys done in the slow cooker. I claim prior art. It's the best Christmas idea I've had and I can dedicate the oven to nuking tatties and yorkshire pud.

You must have a substantial slow cooker to fit a turkey in.

Family sized slow cooker (whatever passes for medium). I don't get a giant turkey though (and just the crown), I'm only cooking for four adults and two greedy cats. That said, I have to cram the bugger in (the turkey, not the cats, no matter how much they deserve it).

There's probably one year I'm going to be running around the shops on Christmas Eve looker for a bigger cooker though.

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #29 on: 23 December, 2016, 01:39:49 pm »
First use was yesterday.
Made a chilli con quorn consignment, all of which went (portioned) into the freezer - so I cannot comment on the quality of the cooking. Yet.
On that note, I will report back.

This morning, I noted with interest, that there was still a strong smell of cooked chilli in the kitchen.
Closer inspection of the slow cooker's stoneware showed that it had burnt some of the contents, leaving some charred carbon where the wall of the vessel meets the base.
That's not supposed to happen, is it?
It is currently being soaked.

ian

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #30 on: 23 December, 2016, 03:32:05 pm »
Mind doesn't but it's a cheap non-stick thing.

ian

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #31 on: 24 December, 2016, 03:23:51 pm »
So, yeah, someone is off to buy a new and bigger slow cooker. That's one bigun turkey.

Mrs Pingu

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Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #32 on: 26 December, 2016, 06:34:32 pm »
I've been umming and arring about the electric pressure-slow cooker things (gadget lust!) but have decided I should dig out the old pressure cooker and do something with it instead. Cue the starting or resurrection of a PC cooking recipe thread.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

ian

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #33 on: 26 December, 2016, 06:43:14 pm »
The turkey came out great. Slow cooked all day with celery and carrot in a glass of white wine, a head of garlic, beaucoup de rosemary, sage, thyme, a lemon and a bayleaf. Literally slid off the bone and left us a pot of soup/stock (once we'd picked out the bones) – it's amazing how much liquid comes out, we started with a small glass of wine and now there's a good litre of liquid in the fridge. No faffing around carving. Bloomin' huge turkey though, I don't think we got through a third of it, so if tonight doesn't make significant gains on the remainder we're going to have two very happy and very fat cats. Butcher evidently overestimated our appetite when we ordered for four. Traditionally sized them by eye in the supermarket, this is the first year we've ordered 'blind' at a local butcher.

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #34 on: 03 January, 2017, 07:48:39 am »
Mine doesn't get a lot of use, but it's usually always good. Mostly use it for pulled pork and keep meaning to attempt making a chilli in it, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Great for chicken.

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #35 on: 07 January, 2017, 07:52:28 pm »
Mine doesn't get a lot of use, but it's usually always good. Mostly use it for pulled pork and keep meaning to attempt making a chilli in it, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Great for chicken.
Yes it's great for ready-to-pull pork.  We've used it several times for this - also taken the opportunity to use up some funny cider at the same time.

Best use is to leave on when heading out for a winter's day bike ride - short of leaving someone at home to cook - it's the best way to ensure a joy to open the front door to a welcome home from a house filled with the aroma of a good casserole ready to eat.

Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #36 on: 16 January, 2017, 11:36:18 am »
Ours is on almost every day. Commuting by bike and adding a few miles on at least three days a week means not getting in the front door until after 8:00 some nights and being bothered to start cooking then is never going to happen so to walk in and have a hot meal ready to go straight away is just brilliant.

Chillis, curries, stews, soup, goulash, There is a Thai pumpkin stew in there right now.

Don't know how we survived without one!
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #37 on: 23 April, 2017, 06:28:19 pm »
Not quite thread necromancy - possibly just a bit of resussitation.

We wanted a large cooker, so got one of these 6.5l versions:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-James-Premium-Cooker-Removable/dp/B00C7SDJTM/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen-appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1492968269&sr=1-4&keywords=slow+cooker

Fantasic - works very well, and if you bought the ceramic pot and lid on it's own in John Lewis it'd cost more than the £30 this cooker takes.

Does fantastic pulled pork, - in fact everything we've done it it has been superb. Probably used twice a week on average.


Re: Slow cookers - what's good? what's bad?
« Reply #38 on: 04 November, 2017, 08:02:03 pm »
Whilst deliberating on 'is it time to start the heating yet',  I decided to retrieve our slow cooker from its summer hibernation.  The house is now filled with the aroma of half a dozen very slowly sweating onions ;D