The FastDay Forum

After our discussion about the microwave, I wondered how to use my slow cooker I have for years but never used.

Mine is a basic one with "high", "low", "keep warm" no timer, no gadget, just the basic stuff. It's a small one as well, only for two, so no way I could cook a whole chicken in it, for example.

I would like to try to cook chicken legs for tomorrow lunch so, I guess I will have to put them on tonight ? Could you give me some ideas on how to prepare them ? What kind of veg can I put in it at the same time ? Do I put some seasonning ? How long does it need to cook for ?

Also, is it possible to put some potatoes in it ?

If I really can find a good use of it it could replace my electric oven, which would be great...

Thanks

hi Manderley, my slow cooker just has 3 settings too, high, low and auto. I bought a few recipe books initially but honestly found my best results were from trial and error!
The surprising thing is that veg take longer to cook than meat so if you're using root veg cut them fairly small or on the diagonal, place UNDER the meat and make sure they are covered in BOILING liquid (stock, water, wine, fruit juice etc). Use about half the liquid you would use in a conventional recipe and season lightly as the flavours will be intensified.
You can brown your meat (and veg if you like) in oil in a frying pan first, but I just tend to bung everything in and still get good results. Chicken legs should take 5-6 hours on LOW, but won't come to any harm if left longer. Give me shout if you want any recipes! x

I use the slow cooker mainly for one pot meals and potatoes cook fine with the rest. We love a lamb hotpot / beef stew / chilli / chicken casserole. All good winter food. Great to come home to.

Here's a slow cooker thread on another (foodie) forum I belong to

http://www.wildfood.info/viewtopic.php? ... 66&start=0

I hope it's some help to you.

With regard to your chicken legs, @Manderley I would make sure that you preheat your slow cooker and put everything into all prewarmed (you can lightly brown it in a frying pan and boil the water for the stock). I would make a soffrito (onions, carrot, courgettes, peppers, garlic etc) and put that in the base of your cooker, as @callyanna says. Add a good bouquet garni. Place your chicken on top, add your stock et, voila! You can also parboil the potatoes and add them early tomorrow morning. However, if they are not too large, you could try adding them at the same time as the chicken without the parboil stage.
What time, is lunch? I'll be there at midday shall I?

Today was invited to a special event and wanted a no fuss dinner. So I just prepared a curry as I would and bunged it into slow cooker. Lovely to come home to dinner done

Slow cookers are so good Manderley just don't need as much fluid and 5 + hours with the small dice is excellent advice. Just google for recipes as well. Don't do 5 hours on high or will be too hot and dry the meal out.

Just do favourite recipe lower fluid content set low and comeback hours later and dinner is done

[wildmissus]

Mine has the same settings as your Manderley. I use it with a plug in timer and prepare everything the night before and just set the timer so that when I come home from work everything is ready.

Thanks for the recipes, I am completly lost with that thing. I had to look what a soffrito is as I didn't know it at all

Didn't know we could pre heat the slow cooker either

So if I understand correctly, I'll put potatoes on the bottom - they are grenailles so fairly small), with onions, carrots (don't have peppers), put the chicken legs on them, 250 ml chicken stock (it sounds like 500 ml would be too much), and put it on slow for the night.

Penny, lunch will be around 1:00PM but as it will be my first try at it, I wonder if it even will be eatable

I could probably make it tomorrow morning but better safe than sorry concerning the time needed and it will give the occasion to try the "keep warm" thingy

Another question, I want to make some mash squash to make a cake or bread with it and to eat as a veg as well, can I prepare it in the slow cooker ?

[carieoates]

Mine has the same settings as your Manderley. I use it with a plug in timer and prepare everything the night before and just set the timer so that when I come home from work everything is ready.

Now that's a brilliant idea. Using a timer, that's something I've never thought of. Going to try that this week. Having said that. Aren't slow cookers ok to leave on all day anyway?

For your squash, @Manderley, I would dice it into chunks, season them and wrap them with baking foil, then pop them on top of the chicken. They should cook along with the rest of the ingredients, but retain their own taste/texture for the mash.
Don't worry, it will all taste fine and you can build on this with some more delicious slow cooker recipes!

There are tons of great recipes online too Manderley, try googling 'crockpot' too for American websites. A friend gave me tons of cooking apples yesterday so I'll be baking some of them stuffed with sultanas and spices in my slow cooker later on!

Agree that the time is a great idea but I manage enough just with the slow setting and prebrown for added flavour, such a great appliance so convenient

I make veg and lentil slo-hotpots by frying onions, peppers, courgettes and mushrooms for a few minutes then bunging them into the already on low setting pot with pre-soaked overnight green lentils in half a pint of stock made with veg Kallo stock cube and half teaspoon of marmite. I add carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, swedes until it's almost full.
I leave it on for eight hours then eat it.
Yum.

[wildmissus]

carieoates, I use the time when say I want to put it on for 6 hours and I'm at work all day so I'll have it going on at 11am and off at 5pm or if I'm out one evening and there is alcohol involved I'll prep up that evening and set the timer and at least I'll have a proper evening meal for the next day when I've got a fuzzy brain.

Mine is at least 30 years old! I put a simple casserole in the night before and leave it until I want it next day-in the evening. It doesn't have a timer, I make sure the food is covered in liquid and it never dries out and is always cooked. There is no timer and I use the high setting. Been doing it for the afore mentioned 30 years with no problems except when I tried it with a ready made sauce. That didn't work!

I especially love it for bean soups. I love the Food Network here in the US.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/deleg ... hType=site

I always read the comments though. Some people give it 5 stars then comment how they changed the whole recipe. But you do get good info. If all say it's too salty, it probably is. Too spicy? That's different. I like spicy. I've been able to remake recipes to ones I love by starting with the highly rated recipe and modifying it based on the comments and my preferences.

The Navy Bean soup recipe on the link is good as is.