Slow cooker timing question

[Miss.September]

Gigi - I've found my slow cooker success to be only using a recipe. We started with the recipes that came in the instruction book, and then I bought a slow cooker book. If you like, I can send through some different recipes if you let me know what ingredients you like to buy

Sloane - chuck us some of those calorie-free maltesers will you?!

[Gigi]

thanks. i (rarely) buy the cheapest bolar blade roast, or silverside i can find, if i find one that is half price. Parsnip, pumpkin, carrot, potato, turnip, swede. Fresh garlic, herbs, some stock, tinned tomatoes. Would put a tin of soup in, if i knew what i was doing.

Love coconut milk and asian flavours, unsure if you can use those in the slow cooker (with beef and veg). Love indian flavours. Love moroccan flavours.

I've just put my bolar blade roast in the slow cooker (2pm), the slow cooker is filled to the brim with chopped up veg. Only one tin of tomatoes, and half of that tin, of beef stock. So veg are not covered by liquid. Is that ok?

Can i cheat, and put the whole lot in the oven at 5pm, if it's not done by then?

i have the slow cooker on high. i realise i should have started it alot earlier, so i've felt anxious all day, about HOW to do this, and how cross i will be at myself, if i mess it up. (expensive waste of ingredients, esp meat).

i messed up meatballs last night, bilby didn't eat any, i really don't want to mess up two nights in a row.

[Mak]

Gigi - I always start something new food wise with sticking to recipes for ages and then when I've worked it out a bit (read stuffed it up by rushing, wrong ingredients etc) then start to get more creative. You are one step ahead of me - I keep meaning to get a slow cooker but then get spooked by the range, price differences and different features and never make it. xx

[sloane]

gigi - there's a nice slow cooker recipe for a red thai chicken curry on the taste website. can pm you details if you'd like? it has red curry paste & coconut milk in it & i've found it to work well (and it's a nice, simple recipe).

one trick as well is to put any liquid in hot - that means it takes less time to heat up etc. well, i think that's right - i'm def no slow cooker expert!!

[peanutter]

not yet ... good idea!

[Gigi]

putting the liquid in hot? that's a great idea. i learn so much from this forum - thank you.

i love the sound of the Thai red curry chicken recipe Sloane.

The experience today, has taught me that i will avoid the "tinned tomatoes" being the liquid, for a slow cooker meal.

i think, because we eat mince so often, and always use a tomato base with that, we are just tomatoed out (taste bud wise).

Tonight's meal was a washout, i ended up giving bilby a microwaved mini quiche, as the slow cooker meal was far from ready, even when i finished it in the oven. The vegies cooked pretty unevenly. Pumpkin was almost mash, when other vegies were still hard. And i think i will brown/saute the onions, BEFORE adding them to the slow cooker. I put the onions in raw, and that didn't work out the best. The meat turned out ok-ish, but could have been more tender. i must get the courage to start the slow cooker in the MORNING, took me until 2pm today to feel brave/reckless enough to attempt it.

[Rivlas]

When cooking vegies put your longer to cook ones in first, eg. carrots, onions, then meat then other vegies.

I usually have mine on by 9am before i have left for work. If you are running short of time I have done everything the night before. Put it in the fridge then put grab it out the next morning and put into the cooker and turn on.

I tried a chicken one the other day as I had bought thighs on special.
Cut up an onion & carrot, trimmed the bits of meat, kept the chicken in rolls and put on top of vegies. Poured over a jar chicken tonight - country something and started the cooker. When I go home added a can peas & corn. It was a bit runny so I cut up a couple small spuds, took some of the juice out of the cooker and microwaved it, then tipped it all into the cooker and turned it on high.
After a bit I used a fork and shredded the chicken and cooked for a bit longer as we were not ready to eat just then. Next time I will add some garlic & curry.
It made alot so I froze some for a needed meal on the run

Have you made soup yet? Sooooooo easy