BEVS

I need good recipes for my new slow cooker. I followed one for a beef casserole but when I dished it up , it looked and tasted like a 1960's school dinner. Even the hens turned their beaks up.

Help !

NermaltheCute

I've got half an old cow in my freezer and it needs slow cooking! I've bought a couple of those packet mixes in Countdown specially for slow cookers and they are really nice, still all fresh veggies and my own meat but the packet really helps! Other than that try a Jamie oliver stew recipe and just chuck it all in.

mickey_d

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/b...and-ale-stew-1
This one is really nice
Do all the frying & then chuck it in the slow cooker.

This is a good site as well.
http://allrecipes.com.au/recipes/slo...r-recipes.aspx

weejie

I just bought one too! Got a great recipe from AngelaandJim as follows ( hope you don't mind Angela) :-

you can put any kind of meat in it I usually put root veg in it doesn't go to mush! usually just put garlic worcester sauce salt & pepper stock cubes and a bay leaf in enough water to cover and leave for at least 5 hrs then add bisto. Easy peasy!! This is my kind of recipe

I also bought a book called "crockpot cooking for New Zealand homes" it is a maggi book and the recipes use their products of course but given me some good ideas to use as basics.

another good thread started me feels.........bring on the ideas and recipes please.

Phyl x

Bo-Jangles

Is it your first time with a slow cooker Bevs? What was wrong with the stew you made, too mushy / watery or what? It will probably take a few goes for you to sort out the consistency that you like.

You can adapt almost any of your existing stew or casserole type of recipes, but just not add quite so much liquid as you will find it doesn't evaporate and thicken as much as other conventional cooking methods. You can always add a bit more juice later if it starts to look a little too dry, or add some gravy powder or flour to thicken near to the end of cooking.

My favourite at the moment is to buy a cheap as hunk of beef topside, chuck it in the slow cooker with no liquid at all, sprinkle a bit of pepper, salt and mustard powder on and leave it for most of the day untouched. Mr Bo says it's the best 'roast' beef he ever had. It comes out very tender and it doesn't shrink at all and it makes lots of juice of it's own - good for lashings of gravy.

Gill and Rob

Really good stock can be made from a can of beer.
I love my slow cooker, we call my beef caserole ..... Melt in the mouth.

Gill

AngelaandJim

Off course not Phyl the more the merrier. The best thing about a slow cooker is you can come in from a hard day's work and add bisto (if needed) and dish it up then leave the hubby to sort the dishes

BEVS

Yes. It's my first time with a slow cooker. The thing is sitting on the kitchen workbench at the moment threatening me to give it another go.
I tried to make a beef casserole but it came out watery and tasteless. I then tried adding a couple of oxo cubes and more seasoning but that didn't do much TBH.

It didn't come with a recipe book which was a surprise , so I googled the length of time for a casserole and then chucked in the usual bits and bobs.

Result = yuksville.

Bo-Jangles

That's most unusual, perhaps google the make and model and see if you can come up with a manual for it as they usually include a few basic recipes to get you started.

Had a shufti around this site http://www.slowcookerrecipes.org.uk/...er_manuals.htm and it looks like a good resource, it also has some links to some manuals and recipes.

There's a couple of pretty good Kiwi crockpot books (Alison Holst), I have the 100 Ways one and keep meaning to look at the other one

http://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/Y...okers/2620960/

Try the library and see what they have as with all recipe books it's best to have a leaf through one before buying to see if it has things in that you like.

Charismatic

You have to use only the tender children, by the time they’ve kissed their first boy/girl friend they are ruined. Then feed them on a diet of Haribo and Kinder surprised, then straight into the pot while they are still sweet.

pricklykina

I used mine today
I chucked him
2 big kumera and 3 potatoes chopped up and briefly fried in some oil first
then I fried of onion and garlic and chucked that on top
sliced mushies on top of that
then browned some chicken pieces in a pan and put on top
I mixed 4tbsp of tom paste with a tablespoon of flour
Mixed that with a cup of hot chix stock and chucked on top and left in the crock pot for 8 hours
I had some left over peas and corn so chucked those in for the last half hour

seemed to work

BEVS

Riiigght

My idea of a slow cooker is no cooking by me. Just chuck it in.

Charismatic

You bought the wrong thing, you need a wife for that.

I suggest Russianbrides.com, hope you like cabbage and vodka .

Zootalaws

You only need a very small amount of liquid with a slow cooker. A lot of liquid comes out of the ingredients that would normally be 'steamed' off with higher speed cooking.

I also brown the meat separately for the best flavour.

Have a look here; http://slowcookerrecipes.org.uk/

weejie

Bevs I made a fantastic Thai pumpkin soup on Monday and a leg of lamb with a gravy to die for yesterday in the slow cooker. Going to make a lamb hotpot today in it.I will let you know how it goes. All recipes (with my wee twist ) from that book I was telling you about.

Phyl x