slow cookers

[woolybananasbrother]

Any advice please on the best electric slow cookers around, given I live alone? My daughter happens to be in the UK  for a month and has volunteered to bring one over. What should I be looking for as qualities please?

[Russethouse]

 Variable temperatures, Low, Medium and High'  Tesco's do a reasonable one for about £20. I am on my second one now (still use the first one but it's big, so not so often) Its all I have ever needed.

http://direct.tesco.com/product/images/?R=100-2168&tn=/8/100-2168F_C.jpg

Mine is : http://direct.tesco.com/product/images/?R=100-3323

Selection : http://direct.tesco.com/search/default.aspx?search=Slow+Cooker&confirm.x=45&confirm.y=3

 

[Anna]

Hi

I've had a very old slow cooker for years now (I'm a great believer in slow cookers!) and it's been very well used so I wanted to treat myself to a new one. Pretty well impossible to find in France and if you can, I would imagine it would be very pricey. So I opted to get friends to bring one over from the UK. I opted for a Tesco slow cooker (about 3 litre size), cost £19.96. My neighbour's wife (he's English and she's French) was very impressed with my slow cooker so they also bought the same Tesco one.

That was last week and I've just had a look on Tesco's website and ......would you believe....it's been reduced to £14.96??

Take a look here:

 http://direct.tesco.com/q/N.1999571$4294967133/Nr.99.aspx

and get there pronto...you won't be disappointed, it's a really nice piece of kit!

Anna

[woolybananasbrother]

Thank you guys for the help.

[Clair]

[quote user="Anna"]Pretty well impossible to find in France and if you can, I would imagine it would be very pricey.[/quote]

I paid under €20 for one in Géant about 3 years ago. (3.5l, low, high, keep warm settings, 200W)

Some info here: http://www.teamuki.com/documents/SL%2058XX%20i-b.pdf

[Patf]

That's interesting Clair. We were searching for one a few weeks ago and the shops had never heard of them, didn't know what we were talking about. I called it a mijoteur electrique. Is that right? Might try Géant next time we are in Tarbes.

[Russethouse]

 I can second the fact they are sold in France, after several years of me threatening to bring one with me from the UK, a promo came up and my friend in Brittany bought one, about 6 months ago.

[Clair]

[quote user="Patf"]That's interesting Clair. We were searching for one a few weeks ago and the shops had never heard of them, didn't know what we were talking about. I called it a mijoteur electrique. Is that right? Might try Géant next time we are in Tarbes.[/quote]

It's called a mijoteuse électrique and if all else fails, you can get one here: http://www.darty.com/.

[Russethouse]

 I find the 'trick' is to make sure everything is hot, before you put it in.

[woolybananasbrother]

please explain RH

[Judith]

I'm a slow cooker devotee also, had one for over 30 years, Prestige and still the best, but too large for one.  I have now three others, two small and one medium, all very cheap but do not cook quite so well as the Prestige.  I find that the small ones tend to be "fast" slow cookers, and overcook where the lead comes in.  I bought all mine in the UK as I found it impossible to find in them in France, but I did see one last time I was over, too late, as I had already bought here.  I find them invaluable.  I now have two in France and two in the UK, they will be reunited when I get to France, but as I have two kitchens it will save me having to carry them between!

I don't worry too much about how hot the food is, I've cooked almost anything that needs thorough cooking, and would never do a stew any other way.  I love my meat tender and falling off the bone (if there is one, like duck or chicken).  I throw all sorts in, but you do not need as much water as you would in a normal stewpot in an oven.  Trial and error will give you the best way of doing it.  I've even discovered how to cook salmon in it, put it on top of all the other stuf f(veg, potatoes etc which need longer cooking), and cook for about half an hour, depending on size.  It is cooked when it is cooked how you like it, but an hour will be too long.

You can get slow cooker cookbooks, but I find the best is the Prestige one which came with my first cooker, much more detailed than the ones supplied by the later manufacturers, and gave me most of the information I still use today.

It is easy to experiment, and as it cooks slowly, it is very difficult to overcook something.  Just choose food which needs the same time of cooking (roughly) or, as with the salmon, or green beens for example, put them in part way through the cooking time.  It will not cook pasta (that needs a fast boil) and I have not tried to cook rice in it, but meat, root veg, potatoes are great.  I've started using dried beans also, but several of them you must fast boil for 10 minutes bofore adding to the slow cooker (red kidney beans and chick peas being two which must be boiled for a short time before using).  Meat will tend to cook more quickly than veg, so you put the veg in first and cut it reasonaly small, then the meat on top.  But experience will guide you.

Sorry this is so long - I keep thinking of what I had to  learn over the years which I now do automatically.

[Russethouse]

OK - if you are doing a stew, casserole or soup, brown off the meat and heat the stock before you add it to the slow cooker. If you want to do it from cold then add extra hours.

For example from cold I would start at supper time for the next days evening meal, if I start in the morning - I just soften the onions, brown the meat and add hot stock. If I start before mid day and set it to medium or high I'd be Ok to eat the dish in the evening . I have started soup  about 8am - 9am and had it at lunchtime.....a lot depends on the dish....

[woolybananasbrother]

I get the idea RH, thanks.

[Clair]

Revisiting this thread, as the bad weather has lead me to use the slow-cooker a fair bit over the last few days.

Beef stifado, bolognese sauce, pork chops and a whole chicken cooked today, which is just scrumptious!

I also found this recipe booklet, which I thought might be useful to WB [:)] http://www.morphyrichards.co.uk/Downloads/InstructionBooklets/IB48714.PDF

[woolybananasbrother]

Thank you Clair, I'll check those recipes against the ones given in the cookpot instruction booklet. Some may be the same.

Tried a pork in cider yesterday as my first attempt. Tastes are really good but the meat came up a bit dry. Anyone got any ideas why please. It had six hours plus.

[mint]

Don't attempt to buy pork that is really lean and has no fat on it; that's the first thing.

Second thing is, you might try tossing the pork in seasoned flour and sealing the meat by frying until it is browned (with a sort of crust on it) before putting it in the slowcooker and putting in whatever veg or stock you're going to use.

[woolybananasbrother]

Yes, there was no fat on the pork but I did try to seal it.

[Judith]

It's quite an art knowing just how much water you need, you may need to experiment a little, some meals (and veg) produce more water than others, and I find if I use beans I need more water than usual.  Also try varying times and power as eventually the meat will dry out if overcooked.  Or if it might have to be in longer than ideal (say you are going out and want to make sure the pot won't get too overcooked or run out of water), make sure the meat is covered in water.  Does your instruction booklet tell you to put the meat in last, it should go in on top of the  veg as it takes less time to cook than veg, strangely enough.  If you have too much water in, you can make gravy, or you have lovely effortless but nourishing soup!!

[woolybananasbrother]

thank you all, I shall take that advice in and experiemnt again at the weekend

 

[vervialle]

I have a Riva and it is amazing, never start anything off unless its a curry, throw everything in cold, including whole potatoes, that soak up the lovely tasty stock, when I get home from work just take the potatoes out cut them in half and roast them in the oven for twenty minutes, they go all crispy.I cook everything in it, whole chickens,shoulder of lamb, brisket,gammon joints, belly of pork,sometimes transfer meat to a hot oven for ten mins if we want a crispy experience, its great for ribs. The riva has 3 settings fast slow and just warm for keeping hot, also great for steam pudding and christmas pudding, lovely soups with pearl barley and lentils, I could not live without it,and on a cold winters day, opening the front door and smelling your dinner, just reminds me of my childhood when my mum would have a casserole going in the rayburn.Yes am a big fan.Got mine in Argos.