How did the chicken in coke go mrsmac? :)
Was thinking about doing this tomorrow night...
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How did the chicken in coke go mrsmac? :)
Was thinking about doing this tomorrow night...
The flavour was nice but i think there is something wrong with my sc. After 7 hours on low the white meat was really dry and stringy, even the dark meat was a bit dry. This has happened with lots of things I have made, any more than 4 hours on low and they dry out which defeats the purpose of being able to leave it all day while I am at work.
I would make it again though Holly it was quite tasty.
Thanks, will give it a go I think ;)
I asked DH about just using chicken breast instead of the whole chicken, but he seems to think it won't be the same.. it probably needs the juices from the whole chicken???
Will do it as the recipe says ;) and then fiddle with it next time :D
I hope your sc fixes itself.... Its crap when you get to the point in time that you have to replace expensive appliances :rolleyes:
The thing is Holly its only 2 years old and it has done it since I got it!
we have two diff slow cookers - one is always hotter than it should be - needing to be stirred, needing to add more fluid to some dishes - and always ready way too quick (well, not too quick - but in less than two thirds the time on the recipe)
the other seems to meet the recipes...
If you have a thermometer then you can check to see what temperature you are actually getting in your slow cooker - it makes quite a difference over a long cooking time.
Re the cheap cuts of meat, here are a few of my favourites
Beef - Skirt, Cheek, Oxtail, Shin (the same as gravy, but including the bone)
Lamb - Shoulder, Shank (although these can sometimes get pricey)
Pork - Belly, Cheek, Neck, Knuckle
If you are able to buy in bulk then there are an increasing number of farmers that will deliver bulk meat directly to your door - this makes all your meat much, much cheaper.
Lamb - $9 per kilo
Beef - $6-$7 per kilo
Pork - $8-$9 per kilo
Looking at the discussion on stocks - have any of you tried using your slow cookers to make stocks?
Long simmering of stocks helps get all the gelatine out of the bones which will thicken your sauces and give them a wonderfully deep flavour.
I have a candy thermometer could I just put that in during cooking to check? What temp should it be??
Bear I did a chicken stock in my SC that turned out devine! Super gelatenous (sp?)
Mrsmac with chicken whenever I have breast meat in the SC for over 5 hours it goes stringy, but if its still on the chicken & I'm doing a roast its okay as long as I baste it heaps or rub stuff on the skin to keep it moist. BUT chicken meat on the bone like legs or darker meat like thighs generally doesn't go as stringy. I personally don't like more than the breast so I try to do it on low for 4 hours. If its in a curry I will usually start the curry on low for a few hours before adding the chicken. HTH
I did a chicken yellow curry in the sc yesterday & DH was supposed to turn it on when he left for work because I left the house at 7am, and I got a call from him saying he left the SC on high! I left surgery to run home & turn it off. I was on for 4 hours on high & the chicken was bordering on stringy. I left it in the SC & the neighbour put it in the fridge for me after an hour. It was good in the end, but I'm lucky I could leave work to save our dinner.
Wow Christy, that was lucky!!!
Mrsmac - Hoping that the thermometor helps you out :hug:
Our slow cooker has been really good - I know a lot of people on here have said that they have to add extra liquid when they do some things - I've found mine to work exactly as its supposed too... its only a few months old though, so I guess it should be doing the right thing?!
I guess yours is probably not in warranty any more?
Saying that though, I cooked silverside in it for the first time last night - put it on low yesterday at 8.30am and ate it at 7.30pm (so 11hrs) - it still felt to me like it could have been in there another few hrs?!!!
I've only ever boiled it though - it was beautiful (Cailins recipe in the recipe thread ;)) but a little tougher than I expected.
I kept it on low until DH came home (at 11.30pm so 15hrs!) - and his was perfect :cryinglaugh: 15hrs... so it should have been!!!!
Am going to try the chicken in coke tonight & see how that goes :)
Low should be around 80 degree, High should around 90 - you can use a thermometer to see if yours runs a little over or under.
If you are pot roasting a whole chook, then the breasts will survive much better if you put the bird in upside down (breasts down) for most of the cooking time, just put it the right way up for the last 45 minutes or so to get a nice finish on the top.
There is very little you can do stop chicken pieces becoming stringy - it is just overcooked!
If you are doing a chicken curry or something like that, the think about pre-frying the chicken to part cook it in a sauce pan, then remove the chicken, and fry the onions, spices and then deglaze the pan with a little stock...most of the chicken flavour will some from the gooey bits stuck to the frying pan, so if they make it into the slow cooker at the start, then you can leave the part cooked chicken pieces in the fridge until the last hour of slow cooking. If you use a good home made stock for the curry, then you will have an abundance of chicken flavour in the sauce.
I'm glad the chicken stock worked out, what about beef stocks?
Making good beef stock is one aspect of cooking that I'm a bit over, so I'm curious to see if a slow cooker might make it a bit easier. Currently I do it in big batches using an outdoor stockpot (50-60l) on a camping gas ring sitting on the balcony of our flat, which takes about 2-3 days to cook down to the required state, then pour it into jelly moulds so it can be stored - it's so thick that it becomes completely solid at room temperature.
So I made my chicken in coke tonight... OMG it was soooo good!!! :D
I actually found a recipe that used BBQ sauce instead of ketchup, so opted for that one as DH likes his BBQ sauce ;)
I didn't end up using the whole chicken either, as all of the ones in the shops this morning looked a little cruddy... :p
So I just used breast pieces, and they were fantastic - served them over brown rice.. yummo :)
Am very keen to try the ketchup now.. maybe one night next week - it was the easiest meal ever, I love it! :D
Great glad it worked out Holly!! Maybe DH can add it to the menu LOL
ok, so I am very tempted to get us a slow cooker. All this yummy talk has convinced me it could be just the thing to try for simmering something to get it real tender or to put a meal on earlier in the day so every day in late afternoon I dont have to be starting on a meal. Could be good when baby arrives too....and when DH starts work and me and DS want to eat before he gets home!
...anyway, what I need to ask is advise about the different types of cookers about. Brands, prices, sizes, quality all that stuff.
we just had the mccormacks meditterian chicken with pasta - it was delicious!
Salsa - cant really offer too much advice as I've only had mine for about 3 weeks, but I'd suggest getting a big one, the few times I've used it already, I've made dinner for one night, and then had another meal for the freezer.
I would second a large one, also get one with a timer which switches it to warm after the cooking time has finished.
With a growing family a big one will never go astray. There is nothing better than getting a meal out of the freezer when you need to. I have the 5.5litre (I think) and that is plenty big enough for 3 adults. Talk to the shop assistants and see if they have one and find out why they bought that brand against another. Am cooking tomato & onion sausages for tea tomorrow in it if I get up early enough before work.
I would say a big one as well. I have a 6l or maybe it's 6.5l and it's big enough to fit a decent sized lamb leg in for roasting (if the shank is cut and bent over). If it's not big enough to put a roast in it's not enough IMO.
I know that a couple of the girls have a big one and a small one but I don't really have enough money or space in my kitchen to justify going down that path.
we use a large one - it's big enough to do a decent meal for four adults, three kids, and have leftovers for someone next day. i wouldn't go smaller than a 5.5L but would probably lean toward a 6L or larger.
from a 6L, i can get 7 or more large meals to freeze for DH to take to work...
I have the largest one you can get (I think). I can fit 2 size 16 chooks in it side by side, with vegies underneath. I always double recipies and freeze half so that when I don't feel ike cooking there is something in the freezer for us to eat. I looooove it! Get a big one!!!
yea - a big one sounds great. We do not have a big freezer though, so may not need the largest, but I will look for one around 6.
And one with a timer sounds good, for the purpose of keeping DH food warm if he ends up working later than me and DS want to eat.
Are there any brands that are a bit shonky that would be good to avoid?
Could something like chickpeas be cooked in one and then other things added, or would you need to do the chickpeas in a pot first?
And how much do you use one in summer? Are there some real good things to make during warmer weather in one?
I saw a slow cooker recipe book at the post shop a few weeks ago for about $10, so I wonder if I should go back and get one...?
I don't know about brands to avoid but mine is a Russel Hobbes and it's great.
I think the slow cooker is best for winter foods but I like it in summer because if I feel like a curry but I don't want to slave away near a stove it's perfect. I have thing for curry in summer - I'm not sure why. It makes no sense to eat hot food in hot weather......
IMO there few things that go together as well a hot curry, a cold drink and a summer evening.
I soak chick peas, beans etc overnight (in the fridge) before cooking them and I also keep a few tins for the times that I don't have any pre-soaked.
How hot?:
My father use to tell me that something hot in hot weather is good for cooling you down...? cause it makes you sweat...not sure about the logics but he has lived in some hot places, so I guess he has some idea :dunno:
DH loves a curry and cold larger anytime of year - and I do too (though I cant eat as hot as I used to since spending a few months in Bangladesh), but we`ll see if that still applies once we have our first summer in Australia ;)
I usually keep some dried and tinned chickpeas too, but was hoping a slow cooker might be a easy/lazy way of doing the dried one.
I make heaps of roast chooks in summer in my slow cooker to eat with salad.... my easy dinner. The other thing I like in summer is to make my refried beans for mexican. I make heaps of mexican spicy food in summer. YUM!
Hi everyone.
Got my slow cooker for my birthday after months of looking around for one I wanted. DH just went out and did it all by himself, clever bugger. he did verry well. Got a Russell Hobbs one...Amity Lane range or something like that. Is 6l and is an great size. Can't go wrong with a big one I reckon!
Just wondering what everyones favourite cut of meat is for their slow cooker? I did African Beef (same as the Morrocan Beef recipe that is listed here on BB but using African spice mix instead of Morrocan) and I used whole oyster blade. OMG, I have never eaten such tender beef before!
Going to try to do either the coca cola chicken or maybe the batchelors roast tomorrow. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Whenever a recipie calls for lamb or pork I like to use shoulder. The meat is less expensive than other cuts, and more flavoursome than the leg of the beast, IMHO. I am getting quite good at getting it off the bone now, but you can always ask the butcher to bone it for you.
Kellie - I made this one during the week as well - did you find that you needed to add salt though? I found it was a little bland, but once I added the salt is was great :):
Well it's about time I pop in here now that I have had my slowcooker for the last few days.
I bought a Breville Banquet Meal Maker 6.5ltr. I have a hard time knowing where to start so I am hoping to get my P's in this thread :D
I do have a question, at about 5pm tonight I decided to make a massive batch of vegetable soup, I thought the slow cooker would be ideal because of its size and the fact it will take ages to cook. Is it fine to leave it on low all night so the soup is ready for tomorrow or should I partly cook it and turn it off until the morning?
I look forward to chatting with you all :D
lms - i cook soup overnight all the time on low!
Thanks BG, I just had a taste of it then and I wish it was ready now :( The veggies are still hard :(:(:(
hollybolly - no we found it ok, although I did put parmesan cheese over it, cause we had it with pasta, which would have given it more of a salty flavour I guess
LMS - the temp only gets to 80degrees so it takes a lot longer to cook - but it's worth it for the flavour at the end!
Hmmm I had a spoonful this morning and it tasted over-cooked. I had just woken up though. We will see how I feel at lunch.
Now I just need to track down some recipes for vegetarians or ones that only have ham. I think I am borderline on mince now. I might eat it I might not. Every few years I alternate eating meat and not. I just go off of it for some reason :doh:
I found a recipe for Tomato Chickpea Soup that has my mouth watering but of course it is a US site and we don't have a few of the ingredients...
LMS, What ingredients does it ask for? Surely there should be something you could substitute them for? And I'm sure if you put them on here that we could come up with some yummy alternatives.
I figured out last week when I cooked my 2nd silverside that I should try and get the butcher to give me a flat square piece of meat, instead of something that's triangular and sits up no matter how you turn it in the sc, and requires the pot to be FULL of water. I think this affected how it cooked, unless the cut wasn't as nice as the first one I got. The first silverside I did in the sc was to die for (except for the onion), and the second.... well it was okay.
This is the recipe for the Tomato Chickpea Soup
* 1 cup dried garbanzo beans, OR 2 16 oz cans, drained & rinsed
* Bean cooking directions below
* 6 ripe plum tomatoes
* 2 - 3 large carrots
* 2 stalks celery
* 2 celery stalks, diced
* 2 cloves garlic
* 2 tsp cumin
* 2 tsp spicy paprika
* 2 large bay leaves
* 1 Tbsp raw cane or turbinado sugar
* 1 Tbsp tahini
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 can tomato paste
* 4 Tblsp olive oil
* 2 Tblsp dried basil, or 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
* 2 Tblsp Braggs liquid aminos
* 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley or cilantro
How To Cook Garbanzo Beans*
1. Sort and clean the dried beans
2. Soak the beans in hot water for four hours, or overnight in cold water
3. Drain and rinse
4. Place in medium saucepan, cover with cold unsalted water
5. Bring to boil uncovered, boil for ten minutes, skim the foam
6. Stove Top: Cover and simmer for 2 hours
7. Pressure cooker: 9 minutes at high pressure
8. Slow cooker or crock pot (large size): After boiling and skimming the beans, cook for 6 - 8 hours covered on low.
Soup Directions:
1. Dice tomatoes, carrots and celery
2. Add to beans and bean stock with bay leaves, basil, salt, tomato paste, tahini, and sugar
3. If using canned beans, drain and rinse, then add 4 cups water and 2 veggie cubes
4. Heat olive oil on medium low
5. Peel, core and mince the garlic cloves, and brown in the oil
6. Stir the cumin and paprika into the oil and heat for five minutes
7. Add 1/2 cup hot water to the spice mixture to make a smooth paste, then transfer to the beans and veggies
8. Stovetop: Bring to boil, simmer covered for one hour
9. Crockpot: Turn heat to high, cook for 2 hours
10. Blend soup with a blender stick, or in batches in a blender
11. Add Braggs, fresh minced herb, more salt and pepper to taste
12. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired
13. Serve with chunks of fresh chewy artesan bread to dip in the soup
I am not sure what the tahini or liquid aminos is. I think the aminos would be an alternative to adding meat so I am sure that can be skipped.
I'm pretty sure tahini is sesame seed paste or something like that. Its avail here, either in supermarkets or health food shops.
No idea what the aminos thing is????
You could substitute worcester sauce for the liquid aminos, or a little bit of vegemite would do the same thing. It adds a little saltiness and depth of flavour to the aromatic herbs and spices.
Tahini is just a sesame paste, it's available in most deli's and supermarkets here.
Yummy, I know what is on the shopping list next weekend then. :D:D Thanks Netix and Bear!!!
Do you think it will freeze well?
I freeze my soup all the time and sometimes its nicer second time round.
I made the McCormacks tomato & onion recipe with double the sausages, which I cooked under the grill first, and found it to be quite salty so had to cook a couple of spuds in the microwave to add. Anyone else had this problem? Hope to make soup today to use up our pumpkins that we grew.
i've found the mccormac packets to be rather uninspiring - made them for DH, but can't stomach them myself (thankfully he will eat anything - so takes them to work with him!)
good luck with the soup - we tend to give away half a pumpkin when we cut into them (we grew qld blue, and they're rather large), use a quarter-ish for general veg cooking, and make at least 6L of soup with the other quarter.
anyone with a good vegetarian curry recipes they want to share? i don't much like the coconut type curries most of the time... needs to be something that freezes and reheats ok
I made a cauliflower and split pea curry last week, but not in the slow cooker. Steph and I ate a bit while it was still hot, and I froze the rest in servings, but we haven't tried reheating it yet. I have been meaning to post it out in the other section, so can do sooner rather than later if you really want it.