Slow Cooker Chatter #19

[Salsa]

I had a look at a couple of cheapy cookers today. Both were only 5kg and I wasnt sure about the settings.
Is it normal for them to just have low and high?

I will be looking at some better brands and try find one with the warmer/timer setting.

[sloane]

this thread convinced me i needed a slow cooker so i bought one last night & have just put on my first dish - a thai red chicken curry. fingers crossed it tastes okay!!

[mrsmac]

I had a look at a couple of cheapy cookers today. Both were only 5kg and I wasnt sure about the settings.
Is it normal for them to just have low and high?

I will be looking at some better brands and try find one with the warmer/timer setting.

Mine has warm as well but it has a timer. I think the basic ones just have high and low. I got mine from Bing Lee and it was about $80 from memory, they usually will do you a good deal.

[Sair]

I got the Breville Banquet Meal Maker for about $80 at Kmart. It has High, Low and Warm. I figure I don't need the timer although I can see how it would be nice. I don't work though so I can get home when ever I need to if I am out to turn off the SC. Size was more of an issue for me because the 4th person in our family is on the way and if I get my way there will be a family of 8 in a few years time so 6.5lts was very important!

[christy]

Well I've got my potato, leek and bacon soup in today.

I went to the butcher and got a bacon bone to put in the pot and only a little bacon.

Today I went for a vegetable hiding spree so I have in my soup:

6 cups chicken stock
1 ham bone
1 cup water
100gm bacon chopped
6 potatoes large chopped
2 leeks chopped
1/2 cauliflower chopped
1 zucchini chopped
2 cloves of garlic, just smashed
pepper (salty enough)

We're all super sick atm so I thought I'd do a dose of veges for everyone. The girls didn't eat the chicken vege soup I made last week but "White Soup" is one of Matilda's favourite soups and if you use bacon bone, you can't taste the other veges in it. I am going to go out to the garden & chuck in a handful of baby spinach as well. Blended up we call it "herbs" in our house *wink wink*

[Sair]

Mmmmm sounds great Christy, I am on way way over to have some

[Heaven]

Oooh....I am feeling so inspired from reading this!! I don't have a slow cooker but I'm going to get one now!

So, I don't cook, lol. DH usually does. Not that I'm a bad cook I just never really have and DH likes to do it so he does. I figure seeing as he knows how to do it and likes it he can probably do it better so let him do it. Anyways, I'm feeling like cooking stuff lately!! And I think, when the baby comes DH isn't going to be wanting to come home and cook dinner, he'll want to see me and the baby and I'll probably want him to help out with the baby. SO a SC sounds good. I could put the stuff on during the day so it's ready for dinner when DH gets home. AND I could also make him things to take to work, we always run out of ideas for work so this would give him more variety.

Anyways, my questions. Does this sound like a good plan?

Is it really that easy? Would even i be able to do it?? lol

Do you use your SC in summer or is it more of a winter thing?

Is it energy efficient? Having it on for so long does that use up more energy than cooking something in the oven, or because it's on low is it better?

Thanks guys, I'm so excited now!! I could become a good cook yet!! DH will be so impressed, lol.

[christy]

Okay....

Does this sound like a good plan? Yep, we use it to make larger portions and then we freeze some if needed or we save it for lunch

Is it really that easy? Would even i be able to do it?? Yes

Do you use your SC in summer or is it more of a winter thing? I use it in summer, but not as much. I do things like roast chook etc so I can have it with salad. I make some soups over summer, but mainly we make curries etc

Is it energy efficient? Having it on for so long does that use up more energy than cooking something in the oven, or because it's on low is it better? I have no idea, sorry!! Our electricity usage has been going down, but I use it when I work so I have been using it heaps more over the past quarter.... dunno.

[Bloom]

In today's slow cooker is left over roast pork, onions, carrots, pumpkin, rosemary, tinned tomatoes, stock and it will cook away till I get home. Then I will add diced capsicum and some broken up spagetti. This is my minestrone style soup! Yumo.

[Heaven]

Thankyou Christy!! I am definately getting one, I'm so excited!!

How many times a week would you say you use your SC??

[briggsy's girl]

i would say we use our slow cooker (or meals from the slow cooker) at least four days a week. we cook in bulk, and feeze a lot, so it's much more energy efficient. DH reheats his in a little cooker he has in the truck, mine defrosts and then i heat on the cooktop or make into a pasta bake type dish in the oven.

[Heaven]

I bought a slow cooker today!! I'm so excited. Had some money off some ppl from my birthday so thought I'd treat myself to a new appliance rather than not use it for anything in particular like I usually do!!
What should I make first I wonder. Off to check out the recipes now.

[sloane]

SaraJane - i never really wanted a SC myself until i joined this site! but everyone's posts about how good the meals were made me run out last week & get one! i tried a that red chicken curry first but i've just put on the moroccan beef dish that's in the recipe thread.

[Heaven]

Sloane- lol, me too, I didn't even know about slow cookers until I read this thread!!

Ok, I have a question about the Auto setting on my SC. The book says "On AUTO setting, the cooking (cycle) will begin on highest power and then will automatically switch to lowest power once the correct temperature has been reached".
So how long does it cook on high then?? When do I use Auto??

I've decided to cook Jo's Chicken Recipe first! Sounds yum.

Chicken recipe - Posted by Jo

500g chicken thigh/breast, diced
1 tin crushed tomatoes
1 onion, finely diced
1 tbsp mustard powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp tomato paste

Place chicken in slow cooker
Mix all other ingredients together and pour over chicken
Cook on low for 8 hrs or high for 6 hrs+

We had it with rice and it was yummo!

So, it really cooks for that long?? It won't be overcooked?? I can't believe it.

[Heaven]

Oh, and I'm not supposed to open the lid and stir?? Have to try to resist that one.

[mrsmac]

My friend does everything on auto and it turns out fine Sara. (I do stir every now and then I must confess LOL)

[~kellie~]

you shouldnt need to stir. Apparently, if you stir, by opening the lid, you add another 20 mins onto the cooking time.

I bought a marinated chicken from the supermarket before - should I cook it on high or low? and for how long?

[sportychick]

my guess is low for 6 hours