I love slow cookers. I actually have two! One huge and one medium sized. Roast chicken, sausage casserole, baked potatoes, soups, stocks, beef in beer... My favorite is jacket potatoes - as when my daughter stays late at school her tea is cheesy jacket potato with salad - and it is cooked and piping hot the moment she walks in. No effort on my part.
taniajane,
May 17, 6:45pm
Raw chicken necks are good for dogs.helps clean the teeth. cooked chicken and rice is also good for upset stomachs and for nursing dogs though illness.
ruby19,
May 17, 7:20pm
I use this recipe from epicurious, and have used beef instead of lamb, always received well.I do however brown the meat and add the ingredients to get it to the cooking stage, then put into the crock-pot and cook from there, so not really a chuck in the crock pot and cook recipe. If I have some on hand I also add about 1/3 cup red wine.
Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally and adding 2 more tablespoons oil to skillet between batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to another large bowl after each batch. Add onion and tomato paste to drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, garbanzo beans, apricots, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and lemon peel and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return lamb to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until lamb is just tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.) Transfer lamb and sauce to bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
jen211,
May 17, 7:32pm
My dog also has allegies. I was talking to a holistic vet and they said to feed him raw chicken necks 2-3 times a week. They said DO NOT cook them as the bones are soft when raw. Once the chicken is cooked the bones become brittle and damage the insides. I also go to Pet Essentials to get him his meat. It is unprocessed and is much, much cheaper than supermarket or vet food.
lythande1,
May 17, 8:09pm
Not too busy to cook, those who need to do some slow cooked thing and work fulltime as well. Thats what mines for. otherwise if I am home all day I just do it the usual way.
kuaka,
May 17, 9:02pm
I find I use my slow cooker quite a lot now that I'm home all day, but when I worked full time and had three kids to get to school in the mornings, I hardly ever used it, as I just didn't have the time in the morning to prepare the meal and put it in the crockpot before leaving for work.
maynard9,
May 17, 9:14pm
Gosh that Lamb recipe sounds nice.Have noted that one down. Thanks for sharing and I can vouch for the chicken one.Came out succulent.
mopsy3,
May 18, 12:20am
Ofcourse you are. But you wouldnt give it old chicken. Chicken is an excellent source of protein for dogs and cats and doesnt contain any of the crap that processed foods have.
t.gypsy,
May 18, 12:42am
me is getting a cascade one thats on spec at the warehouse or if they have another good brand cheaper at the warehouse that.. Now question if i was to roast something in it what would i need to do..
buzzy110,
May 18, 1:06am
For starters you could read the instruction/recipe booklet. I always find that the very best place to start and which is what I did. I faithfully followed the recipes and instructions to the letter and yet I'm a slow cook failure because I failed to appreciate that slow cookers require a different technique to normal cooking. You must always remember that when you are using one. It is similar, I suppose, to holding your tongue at the right angle, when cleaning the car, or the result will be less than perfect.
So carefully follow the recipe instructions whilst also remembering that crockpots/slow cookers require different techniques. Once you have that sorted you'll be a whizz bang slow cook master.
While at the WH you could also look for Alison Holst's Slow cooker book and buy that as well. I hear it is an excellent resource. Don't do what I did and try to go it alone without the book.
t.gypsy,
May 18, 1:10am
lol thanks buzzy. I am also lucky i have a mother that will show me the ropes whilist experimenting with it
lindylambchops1,
May 18, 1:11am
I can recommend the Breville Fast Slow Cooker, it is a combination of both Slow Cooking & Pressure Cooking. I am using it daily. Purchased from Noel Leeming in April. Was on a Special Price $179.99. I know this sounds a lot, but you get what you pay for.
korban,
May 18, 1:18am
I don't like stew/casseroles, but friends keep telling me I need a slow cooker.What do you lovely recipe people make in your slow cooker!
Thanks.
kuaka,
May 18, 1:45am
and New World have them this week for $44.95 (and I think it said you get 10 bonus fly buys points - but I might have imagined that) it wasn't a well-known brand and I didn't notice how big it was.
tarshlove,
May 18, 2:24am
I love mine couldn't live with out it. The kids and I love soup/ chicken/ stews/ butter chicken (curries)/ corned beef/ deviled sausages/ almost anything :o)
nzhel,
May 18, 4:11am
I love my crockpot and you don't only have to cook stews and casseroles in them. You can cook soup, puddings, vegetables, cake and even bread plus many other things. It is great being able to put it on in the morning and come home at night to tea already cooked esp in the winter. Have a look thru several crockpot/slow cooker recipe books, especially NZ ones to see the variety of meals you can create!
cb14,
May 18, 4:11am
I would love to use my slowcooker.Was thinking about pulling it out again but for some reason I always BURN the food in ours.!Bizarre but true.!DP has always turned his nose up at the meals too.I'm a SAHM with 3 under 3 so think it would be wonderful to learn to use properly.Can anyone recommend a decent slow cooker recipe book.!(sorry, don't mean to swipe post)
kay141,
May 18, 4:22am
I love mine, both of them. I haven't tried a roast but I fill them up with casseroles, enough for several meals. I have never used packet mixes, just stock or tins of tomatoes.
rainrain1,
May 18, 4:24am
Alison holsts is the only one I have, she has some good ideas.I don't use mine for anything but meat meals so am not the best person to ask.I cooked a stuffed chook on a bed of sliced onions yesterday and the flavour was very nice.I can't honestly see why anyone has a problem with them, it is not as though people eat from them every night of the week.I have a lot of men to feed every day and as far as cooking corned beef, a roast beef etc (for cold meat lunches) it is worth it's weight in gold, nobody grizzles to the cook about their meals around here.
buzzy110,
May 18, 5:20am
Down people. There is no need to get personal. I am not criticising any of you, nor am I debasing any of your opinions. I merely gave poster #1 the benefit of my opinion on, what I consider to be, a useless gadget. I am allowed an opinion aren't I! It would be a boring place indeed if everyone thought the same.
# in response to your original question - "Slow cookers - are they really good!", I'd have to say, in my opinion, they are merely mediocre. I can't be bothered using mine.
rainrain1,
May 18, 5:26am
If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen
amanda_simonp,
May 18, 5:39am
would be intersted about the baked potatoes you do in them.Can you tell me how please.Thank you.
winnie15,
May 18, 6:04am
if you don't like casseroles, soups and stews then i wouldn't advise you to get one to be honest.
lythande1,
May 18, 6:26am
Which is really the point of them, so don't. Although I think you're nuts - much more flavour and tenderness from stews.
rockdale1,
May 18, 6:43am
Someone mentioned making bread in the slow cooker, a recipe please and any instructions on how the dough gets placed in cooker - i.e. spray etc.
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