Alison Holst's recipe which I used has the meat sitting on a bed of quartered onions, pieces of carrot and sliced garlic. She also adds peppercorns, cloves andbayleaves. The meat was rinsed and patted dry first. I only had smoked garlic so used that and didn't have any bayleaves. It was still delicious.
kinna54,
May 24, 8:37pm
I don't use mine nearly as much as I should,(mainly because it's too damn heavy to lift in and out of the cupboard) so you inspired me to get it back out of the cupboard. While I was out, DH put the corned beef in it for me, but he has put in a lot of water. He is adamant the corned beef needs to be fully covered in water, whilst I say around 2 cups of water. Who is right! What do others do! Also with whole chickens do you need to add any water.! I have only ever used mine for soups and stews.
kay141,
May 24, 9:15pm
I used one of Alison Holst corned beef recipes at the weekend. She said 2 cups of hot water for a 1.5k piece nad turn it over halfway through if you are near it. Mine was a bit less but I used 2 cups, turned it and it was delicious. When I used to cook it in a pot, I covered it but not in the crockpot.
jenstaar13,
May 25, 4:10am
kinna54 wrote: DH put the corned beef in it for me, but he has put in a lot of water. He is adamant the corned beef needs to be fully covered in water, whilst I say around 2 cups of water. Who is right! What do others do!
Kinna I only put in 1/4 cup Brown Vinegar and 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar, nothing else - cook on low approx 8 hours and mine always turns out mouth watering.
blyme_jerv,
May 25, 6:51pm
i do chickens, only put a smidge of water, you will be surprised how much liquid comes out of a chook!they tend to fall apart a bit, but are tender, I usually put breast down, so its imsersed in juice. corn beef.only a bit of water, i usually slice apples up on top to stop it getting dry and turn over at some point
t.gypsy,
May 25, 7:03pm
did chicken in mine and boy it was so darn tasty it was yum. Gunna do a hangi in it this weekend we have our chicken,pork and lamb put aside. and the veges too. ready to assemble on sunday morning starting at high for first part of the morning then turning it to low just after lunch and hope it works.
kay141,
May 25, 7:46pm
Alison Holst's recipe which I used has the meat sitting on a bed of quartered onions, pieces of carrot and sliced garlic. She also adds peppercorns, cloves andbayleaves. The meat was rinsed and patted dry first. I only had smoked garlic so used that and didn't have any bayleaves. It was still delicious.
megy3,
May 28, 7:23pm
OMG my best purchase EVER, seriously.
kirsten5,
May 28, 7:36pm
I love mine and use it all the time, at the moment my oxtail stew is gently bubbling away in it. I'm not a stew or soup fan either (except oxtail stew as the meat is so sweet) I use mine for silverside, macaroni and cheese (it's the recipe I got of a thread on here once where you just throw all the ingredients in then 4 hours later, yummy mac n cheese. This I find great on Saturdays when due to sport we all come and go at different times and there is always a hot feed waiting) I love a whole chicken cooked in it (smear it in garlic, soya sauce and honey) Have done the hangi in it yum, yum. I do cook a pot of soup in it most weeks as i'm the only one in the family that doesn't like soup. Also make a yummy spongee pudding in it.
kirsten5,
May 29, 7:36pm
I love mine and use it all the time, at the moment my oxtail stew is gently bubbling away in it. I'm not a stew or soup fan either (except oxtail stew as the meat is so sweet) I use mine for silverside, macaroni and cheese (it's the recipe I got of a thread on here once where you just throw all the ingredients in then 4 hours later, yummy mac n cheese. This I find great on Saturdays when due to sport we all come and go at different times and there is always a hot feed waiting) I love a whole chicken cooked in it (smear it in garlic, soya sauce and honey) Have done the hangi in it yum, yum. I do cook a pot of soup in it most weeks as i'm the only one in the family that doesn't like soup. Also make a yummy spongee pudding in it.
mm12345,
May 9, 6:06pm
Yep - I love using a pressure cooker.It's a bit weird how there's two ways to skin a cat so to speak - use either a slow cooker or a (fast) pressure cooker to make the best use of inexpensive cuts of meat. General important tip with pressure cooker is to never thicken a sauce then use pressure.The thickener will all drop out to the bottom very fast, catch and burn, and by the time you've noticed the slightest odour of it catching and rushed to cool it down in cold water, there'll be about an inch thickness of tarry crap and charcoal on the base of the pot.At least the effort required to get it clean means that you'll generally only make that mistake once.
fee1965,
May 9, 10:26pm
I agree, no packets required: 1. Brown meat in batches 2. Season well 3. Deglaze frypan with red or white wine (1/2 cup) 4. Add onions, garlic, veg etc
You are ready to go!Now you can add anythinf rom:curry flavours, tinned toms, spuds, kumara, pumpkin or even chilli beans - just get creative!Add fresh herbs closer to the end.
bindyloo,
May 14, 12:16am
I always use the Slow Cooker recipe book by Simon & Alison Holst,fantastic, my favorite being beef and beer casserole, (I use shin beef, really cheap but cooks up so well., tender as.Also cook veges with it.
karmarh,
May 14, 5:57am
Tonight I had a stuffed chicken which had been slow cooked for 9 hours & it came out perfectly & tasted just yumm. However a wee problem that I hope someone could help me with. I included potatoes, pumpkin & parsnips each individually wrapped in aluminium foil. They came out perfectly too but they tasted a bit well. bland! is how I'd describe it. Is there anything I could enclose in each tinfoil parcel which would give it a bit of subtle oomph in the taste! Everything was melt in the mouth but it was just the veges that seemed to be missing something taste wise.
sarahb5,
May 14, 6:07am
Didn't you season the vegetables before you wrapped them - just salt and pepper, or a bit of garlic salt or lemon pepper.Personally I don't think root vegetables work in the slow cooker - they need to be roasted nice and crisp but that's just me probably.
whiskey13,
May 14, 7:49am
Hi pom4, sorry i haven't posted recipe yet as i had forgotten that I'd posted in this thread. I'll post recipe in the morning,I've just gotten in from work and am knackered, so it's off to bed i go.
sarahb5,
May 14, 4:06pm
I do like stews, casseroles, soups, curries, etc. but my kids didn't like them when cooked in the slow cooker so I have retired it - I might use it for soups for myself for work over the winter but to be honest soup is so quick and easy to make anyway I might just as well sell it so to answer your question I don't think they're a kitchen essential for everyone.
eljayv,
May 14, 4:46pm
I saw an Allyson Gofton recipe book - Slow - yesterday, such a big book with so many recipes and all the photos look fabulous ,made me wonder why I don't use my crockpot more often, it is one of the cook books I would like to have.I have Allison Holsts but don't really use it so I hesitate to buy another.
whiskey13,
May 14, 7:52pm
Sweet Chilli Chicken For 4 servings 4 Bone in skin on thighs or legs flour to coat 2 Tbls apricot jam 2 Tbls tomato sauce 2 Tbls Kikkoman soy sauce 2 Tbls sweet chilli sauce Turn slow cooker on high and coat with non stick spray Pat chicken dry and shake them in a bag with the flour Stir remaining ingredients together in the slow cooker bowl. Turn the chicken in the mixture to coat it and arrange skin side up in the sauce Put lid on a cook for 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. I usually serve chicken on a bed of rice and spoon any remaining sauce over top.I make my own apricot jam, tomato sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Enjoy
sarahb5,
May 15, 3:57pm
I have a big one - bought a large one deliberately so I could get a whole chicken in there if I wanted to but have to admit I don't like meat that should be oven roasted slow roasted in the slow cooker - tastes too wet to me.Oats aren't hard to do anyway - just soak overnight in the bowl, leave it in the microwave overnight and press a couple of buttons in the morning.
janny3,
May 15, 9:32pm
I like dumping dried chickpeas in with water and in the morning they're done. No pre soaking needed.
Is your chicken too wet as well!
sarahb5,
May 15, 9:47pm
Don't know - have never done it, just imagine that it would not have crispy skin like a proper oven roasted chicken and would be more like simmered or poached chicken than roast
rosel4,
May 28, 9:51am
Beef Stew in the crock pot.
Take a zip loc bag and dump in diced potatoes, baby carrots, cubed stew meat, 1 can of Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup, 1 package Maggi Onion Soup Mix, 1/4 cup of burgundy wine, some worcestershire sauce and 1 Knorr Homestyle Beef Stock.
Seal the bag, shake it up and leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, just dump it all in the crock pot and turn on. Without the baggie.=)
Are you meant to pre brown the whole chicken too!
sarahb5,
May 28, 5:47pm
Seems a bit pointless - I can roast a size 20 chicken in the microwave and then finish it off in the oven in about an hour when I get home from work if I want to
iman007,
May 28, 5:50pm
i find them too slow!
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