Slow Cooker recipes

Romantic Rose

I bought a slow cooker last week and I'm a bit scared of it! My hubby made a stew in it at the weekend and it was delicious. I need to just get stuck in with it.

Romantic Rose

SoupyNorman wrote: »

I entered the world of Slow Cooking yesterday. It arrived in the morning and I had a lovely piece of fresh pork waiting to go in. I really wasnt sure if it was going to come out like pulled pork but 5 hours had passed and I to check.

Let me tell you, the satisfaction I got when that pork just melted off the fork...im sold for life.

Going to throw a chicken in tomorrow!

What kind of cut did you put in? For 5 hours in total? Would love to cook something like that this weekend.

breakfast roll

Bought a 2kg ham today. Has anyone any ideas on how long should it cook in the slowcooker on high or low?

jay0109

jay0109 wrote: »

What sized can of condensed milk? The standard 400g or so tin?

Also, the price of Terry's chocolate orange :eek: Is there a generic alternative or maybe even put in some orange peel zest for future attempts?

Anyways, bought the ingredients so will try this tonight.

I used the Aldi chocolate orange pieces. They're pretty tasty, and come in a "sharing" bag:p

jay0109

Dónal wrote: »

I used the Aldi chocolate orange pieces. They're pretty tasty, and come in a "sharing" bag:p

Not overly impressed with the outcome. Tastes a bit gooey and fairly soft despite adding in extra chocloate to avoid the outcome others experienced. Kids love it of course!
I think I'll stick to the stews!

Markcheese

breakfast roll wrote:

Bought a 2kg ham today. Has anyone any ideas on how long should it cook in the slowcooker on high or low?

I'd usually simmer hams... Never tried one in slow cooker.. Its the saltiness I'd be worried about (I usually blanch it first) but after that, I suppose go for it..
6 hours ish... Chuck in a bit of cider or apple juice(or white wine) , bay leaf and what ever else you have around...

breakfast roll

Markcheese wrote: »

I'd usually simmer hams... Never tried one in slow cooker.. Its the saltiness I'd be worried about (I usually blanch it first) but after that, I suppose go for it..
6 hours ish... Chuck in a bit of cider or apple juice(or white wine) , bay leaf and what ever else you have around...

Thanks. Think I'll soak it overnight n blanch it before putting it in slow cooker n hope it's not too salty!
Have oxtail stew in it for tonight. Getting great use out of this thing!

readyletsgo

Hello all! I went med and bought this Slow Cooker from Amazon this morning https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00BCHH4MC

Very excited to try to simple recipes in about a week.

You guys got any links to some simple, first timer recipe's I could try out when it arrives? Any secret tips I should take note of?
This is just for me so I'm hoping to get two or three meals out of each use

Gloomtastic!

readyletsgo wrote: »

Hello all! I went med and bought this Slow Cooker from Amazon this morning https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00BCHH4MC

Very excited to try to simple recipes in about a week.

You guys got any links to some simple, first timer recipe's I could try out when it arrives? Any secret tips I should take note of?
This is just for me so I'm hoping to get two or three meals out of each use

My first recipe on the Slow Cooker was The Sausage & Apple Casserole listed in the first post. It’s so easy and slow cooked sausages are manna from heaven!

It’s nearly a weekly favourite in our house, kids love it with crusty bread.

rubadub

jay0109 wrote: »

What sized can of condensed milk? The standard 400g or so tin?

Also, the price of Terry's chocolate orange :eek:

as above dealz or €2 shops will have them, dealz will always have some chocolate orange stuff, so if melting it is not an issue.

They have a pouch of mini ones, probably more suited to melting, €1.50 for 125g. 3 bars are 1.50 too, no weight mentioned.

breakfast roll

breakfast roll wrote: »

Bought a 2kg ham today. Has anyone any ideas on how long should it cook in the slowcooker on high or low?

Not sure really but made this before with a pork loin and might be worth considering

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155731586373761&id=225525523760

cobham

breakfast roll wrote: »

Bought a 2kg ham today. Has anyone any ideas on how long should it cook in the slowcooker on high or low?

Yes I put ham in cold water to rinse off brine... then in pot and bring to boil point then into slow preheated cooker and on high for about hour, turn down to low for 3 or 4 hours. I turn down temp when lid starts popping with escaping steam.

dastardly00

Has anyone ever made porridge in their slow cooker before?

delboythedub

A good tip before cooking is to remove the seal off the lid and place this rubber seal in a pot and pour boiling water and leave it for a few minutes so you don't get a light taste of rubber. Well worth doing.

delboythedub

dastardly00 wrote:

Has anyone ever made porridge in their slow cooker before?

Yes

dxhound2005

dastardly00 wrote: »

Has anyone ever made porridge in their slow cooker before?

Type porridge into the Search this Thread box and you will get some ideas. I make it all the time. I posted this "recipe" in the Recommend me a Slow Cooker thread earlier this year.

Porridge recipe. One measure of porridge e.g. pint glass, two measures of water, handful of golden raisins. Allow to soak overnight, add some milk and give it about 8 hours on low (in my oval slow cooker). Stir at about 6 hours to break up the skin that forms. Allow to cool completely and it is easy to remove to a container for the fridge. One pint makes about 5 or 6 portions which keep well for a few days. Heat a portion in the microwave, add some cold milk and a banana and it is a very quick and tasty breakfast.

cobham

delboythedub wrote: »

Yes

I used to make porridge with whole oats. One cup of oats to 5 of boiling water.... leave in slow cooker for few hours. This would make enough for a week.... reheat portion then top with some molasses brown sugar and Greek yogurt. It was hard to find the whole oats also called groats.

Lu Tze

rawn wrote: »

I put in a small tin but I'm going to add more than that next time as i found mine a little soft, so hopefully this will help! I'm going to omit the water too and try to get it silky by mixing it til my arm falls off i got the Terry's in Dealz! I have a Ferrero Rocher one to try next, the price of those was steeper but hopefully it will pay off once you have the butter, condensed milk and chocolate you can add pretty much anything else

Cheers for the recipe, based on your advice I left out the water, and used a bit of extra chocolate. Turned out really well, though I think I left it in a bit long without stirring as it started to dry out on top! Another good stirring, and it was all shiny again.

400g tin of condensed milk
450g Dr oetker chocolate
Big tablespoon of butter
1/2 chocolate orange (somebody at the other half before I made the fudge!)

dastardly00

I might as well post the recipe that I have been using for porridge made in the slow cooker since I asked about it here a few weeks ago.

Ingredients (1 serving):
40g pinhead oats (I use Odlums)
150 ml milk
150 ml water
1 pinch of salt

Method:
Get a glass bowl (eg. Pyrex) that can fit into the slow-cooker but can still allow the lid of the slow-cooker to fit on.
Add 40g of pinhead oats, 150 ml of milk, 150 ml of water and a pinch of salt to the bowl and stir.
Put glass bowl in slow-cooker. Add enough cold water to come halfway up the side of the bowl.
Put on lid and switch on 'low'.
Leave for ~8 hours.

It will need a good stir before eating. Add whatever toppings you like. I had raisins and chopped apple this morning

LirW

Does anyone have a good idea for a nice festive last minute slow cooker dessert? Ideally for 6 people, I need it as a treat on Stephen's day and preferably not fudge.

rawn

LirW wrote: »

Does anyone have a good idea for a nice festive last minute slow cooker dessert? Ideally for 6 people, I need it as a treat on Stephen's day and preferably not fudge.

Slow Cooker Marble Cake!!

Marble cake!!

8oz caster sugar
8oz softened butter
7oz self raising flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
Half a teaspoon of icing sugar

Preheat slow cooker (high)
In a bowl mix sugar, self raising flour, then add in 2 eggs and butter, mix then add in the other egg, mix again then add baking powder.

Pour the other half of the mixture into a cake case in the slow cooker.

Place the of mixture into a seperate bowl and add cocoa powder and icing sugar into it, mix gently.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the rest and gently swirl it around.

Cook on high for 1hr 45mins (tea towel under lid.)

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Mint Aero Chocolate Cake
8oz caster sugar, 8oz softened butter, 4 eggs, 7oz self raising flour, 1oz cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence. Place into a large paper cake case and cook on high for 1hour 40mins (timings may vary depending on your slow cooker) I tend to turn the pot half way through to prevent the sides from burning and place a tea towel underneath the lid!! Add crushed up aero pieces or aero bubbles once the mixture is in the case (freeze them first) add extra half way through cooking!!

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Raspberry & peach sponge cake!!

In a bowl mix up 6oz caster sugar, 6oz softened butter, 3 eggs, 6oz self raising flour, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence. Mix well then drop in some raspberries & some chopped up peach and gently mix. Pour into a large paper cake case in the slow cooker and cook on high for 1hour 40mins (tea towel underneath lid) xx

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Coffee and walnut cake.

CoffeeCake...

1 teaspoon coffee
1 tablespoon boiling water
175g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons milk

Dissolve coffee in the boiling water. Cream butter, sugar, coffee mixture and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and baking powder together and fold a little at a time into the creamed mixture. Stir in milk. Pour into a lined warm sc. I used baking paper that was scrunched up and slightly wet. I also sprayed the baking paper with coconut oil. I cooked it on high for one hour, then low for about 30 minutes. I think next time I will cook on high for about 30 minutes and an hour or so on low. My sc (6L) runs pretty hot.

Once cooled, add the icing...

2 cups icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon butter, softened (don't melt)
2 tablespoons water (depending on the texture of the icing that you like)
2 teaspoons coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoons of hot water. Mix into icing mixture.

Crush some walnuts on top to decorate.

Sit back with a cuppa coffee and slice of cake and enjoy!!!!

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Christmas Cake

1 kilo of mixed dried fruit. 750mls of Bailey's (or I use a cheaper version). 16 ounces self raising flour. Soak fruit in liquid for 16-24 hours. Mix in flour. I use a 7 inch loose bottom metal cake tin. Line it with cling film and lightly grease. Pop in slow cooker with water half way up tin, put tea towel under the lid and leave for 8 hours on low.

CastielJ

Slow-Cooker Red Wine Beef Stew

Ingredients
2 c. beef stock
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 lb. carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, halved if large
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
2 large celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp. canola oil
3 lb. pot roast, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 c. dry red wine
1 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions
Whisk together stock, flour, and mustard in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add carrots, mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic, and thyme; stir to combine.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to slow cooker. Add tomato paste to skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, scraping up browned bits, 30 seconds; add to slow cooker.
Cover and cook until beef is tender, on low heat 7 to 8 hours or high for 5 to 6 hours.
Discard thyme. Remove beef and shred with 2 forks; return to cooker. Stir in butter.

breakfast roll

Put round roast in slow cooker for 8 hours on low today. I seared it first and put it on a bed of onions and veg. Came out terribly tough! Fork stuck in it. Any ideas what went wrong?

Cheshire Cat

breakfast roll wrote: »

Put round roast in slow cooker for 8 hours on low today. I seared it first and put it on a bed of onions and veg. Came out terribly tough! Fork stuck in it. Any ideas what went wrong?

Did you not add any liquid? If not that's your problem solved.

breakfast roll

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

Did you not add any liquid? If not that's your problem solved.

I did. Around 100ml. Plenty of liquid when it finished cooking

LirW

Maybe it was just the meat itself.
In general pot roasts can turn out quite tough in the slow cooker.
I prefer using housekeepers cut for it but honestly, while it's alright, it's not particularly something I need.

km79

Got a bigger slow cooker over Xmas as we had started using the other one more and more so will use it in conjunction with new one at times

So this weekend we were gonna try a bourbon rib recipe we had spotted with some potatoes and salad
The recipe says beef short ribs ? Not sure how easy these are to get
A lot of other Rib recipes are for pork ribs .
Is there a particular type I need to ask butcher for ?

Gloomtastic!

km79 wrote: »

Got a bigger slow cooker over Xmas as we had started using the other one more and more so will use it in conjunction with new one at times

So this weekend we were gonna try a bourbon rib recipe we had spotted with some potatoes and salad
The recipe says beef short ribs ? Not sure how easy these are to get
A lot of other Rib recipes are for pork ribs .
Is there a particular type I need to ask butcher for ?

You’ll probably have to order them from your butcher and he may need some notice. Alternatively, if you’re near North Dublin, O’Mahony Meats in Coolock Industrial Estate have had them in stock the last couple of times I’ve been there.

km79

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

You’ll probably have to order them from your butcher and he may need some notice. Alternatively, if you’re near North Dublin, O’Mahony Meats in Coolock Industrial Estate have had them in stock the last couple of times I’ve been there.

Thanks for that
Can't say I've ever had them so may not even like them
Maybe I'll go with pork ribs so !
Is it baby back ribs I ask for ? Want meat not just bone as it will be a dinner

cbreeze

breakfast roll wrote: »

I did. Around 100ml. Plenty of liquid when it finished cooking

best mistake I ever made with the slow cooker was when I was making a beef and Guinness stew with shin beef and left it on low for 15 hours instead of 8. The meat just dissolved and the gravy was very rich. Worcester sauce added to the Guinness, with a bit of the grated rind of an orange, thinly sliced carrots, onions and mushrooms.

I followed the usual tip of putting on cooker to high for 20 minutes, and having all the ingredients at the same temperature.

On the other hand, I did a stew with rib steak on high for 6 to 8 hours and while the meat was not tough it was a bit chewy

odyssey06

km79 wrote: »

Thanks for that
Can't say I've ever had them so may not even like them
Maybe I'll go with pork ribs so !
Is it baby back ribs I ask for ? Want meat not just bone as it will be a dinner

Beef short ribs are fantastic, but if you are going to heavily glaze them then it's probably not worth paying the premium for beef.

For pork, I think you want pork spare ribs which should be meatier than baby back ribs.

I find the FX Buckley site very good for figuring out the different cuts...
http://www.fxbuckleybutchers.ie/meat/pork/pork-spare-ribs.html
v
http://www.fxbuckleybutchers.ie/meat/pork/baby-pork-ribs.html
v
http://www.fxbuckleybutchers.ie/meat/pork/bbq-rack-of-ribs.html

km79

odyssey06 wrote: »

Beef short ribs are fantastic, but if you are going to heavily glaze them then it's probably not worth paying the premium for beef.

For pork, I think you want pork spare ribs which should be meatier than baby back ribs.

I find the FX Buckley site very good for figuring out the different cuts...
http://www.fxbuckleybutchers.ie/meat/pork/pork-spare-ribs.html
v
http://www.fxbuckleybutchers.ie/meat/pork/baby-pork-ribs.html
v
http://www.fxbuckleybutchers.ie/meat/pork/bbq-rack-of-ribs.html

Thanks for that it is very helpful
Also gonna try some chicken thigh recipes and lamb shanks over next week

LirW

I tried a few chicken thigh recipes, one was a garlic honey recipe with veg in it as an all in one meal and it was awful. I think I only made one recipe with chicken thighs that turned out well.

rawn

Does anyone have any tips for beef strognaoff in the SC? I made one the other day and I was so disappointed. I used stir-fry beef (which was actually nice and tender), mushrooms and onions. I was 2 packs of Schwartz Strgonaoff mix (which goes against my religion, I never usually use any of these packet sauces but I said f&*k it). I made the sauce with milk and added a whole tub of soured cream at the end. It was very watery, not very pleasant, and despite the packaged sauce it was very bland (I added salt and cracked pepper which helped). I had to add cornflour to thicken it! I'm absolutely craving a thick, creamy Strognaoff, is it just not suited for the SC?

Gloomtastic!

rawn wrote: »

Does anyone have any tips for beef strognaoff in the SC? I made one the other day and I was so disappointed. I used stir-fry beef (which was actually nice and tender), mushrooms and onions. I was 2 packs of Schwartz Strgonaoff mix (which goes against my religion, I never usually use any of these packet sauces but I said f&*k it). I made the sauce with milk and added a whole tub of soured cream at the end. It was very watery, not very pleasant, and despite the packaged sauce it was very bland (I added salt and cracked pepper which helped). I had to add cornflour to thicken it! I'm absolutely craving a thick, creamy Strognaoff, is it just not suited for the SC?

Did you flour the beef and then brown it before putting in the SC? The flour can help thicken the sauce.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

mrsdewinter

I would have thought beef stroganoff was one of those dishes that aren't really suited to the slow cooker - like, the recipe calls for lean meat & a quick fry of the meat.
The slow cooker works best with cheaper cuts with high fat content. When making a curry a few weeks ago, I ended up using lean beef (I'd asked for stewing beef in the butcher's and got lean beef pieces instead - I should have walked away) and the final dish had meat that was pretty tough.
The slow cooker is a great gadget but it has its limits.

beertons

I've done Stroganoff twice. Second time I did it in the oven, and it beat the same recipe in the slow cooker hands down. I'll track down the recipe when I get home if you want to give it a go. Do plenty, and invite me for tasting.

ellejay

I made a beef pie last night but I slow cooked stewing beef in the slow cooker overnight.Strained it, set the meat aside and I used the juice to make the sauce, It's so tasty and melt in the mouth.

Maybe you could do something like that?
So tenderise the meat overnight in the slow cooker.
Thne use the juices / liquid to add to the packet and it should work out fine.

threein99

Can someone recommend a cut of beef to use in my slow cooker ?

I want to make a really tender beef roast, fairly new to slow cooking so any recipe to follow would be nice too ? thank you

Gaia Mother Earth

I'm making slow cooker chilli at the moment and I'm getting a real woody taste from it. Not sure where that's coming from. This is my first time using it.

Gaia Mother Earth

beertons wrote: »

I've done Stroganoff twice. Second time I did it in the oven, and it beat the same recipe in the slow cooker hands down. I'll track down the recipe when I get home if you want to give it a go. Do plenty, and invite me for tasting.

I always use the Lean in 15 Beef Stroganoff recipe. It's so simple and it hasn't been beaten for taste and convenience yet.

threein99

threein99 wrote: »

Can someone recommend a cut of beef to use in my slow cooker ?

I want to make a really tender beef roast, fairly new to slow cooking so any recipe to follow would be nice too ? thank you

Anyone ?

odyssey06

threein99 wrote: »

Anyone ?

Havent had good experience with full beef joint in slow cooker... rib steak pieces, shin beef pieces, oxtail, short rib beef in a slow cooked stew are lovely and tender though.

threein99

odyssey06 wrote: »

Havent had good experience with full beef joint in slow cooker... rib steak, shin beef, oxtail, short rib beef in a slow cooked stew are lovely and tender though.

I tried Round Roast before but it didnt turn out very tender

Any tips on what to put in with in terms of liquid and seasoning ?

odyssey06

threein99 wrote: »

I tried Round Roast before but it didnt turn out very tender

Any tips on what to put in with in terms of liquid and seasoning ?

A can of 59 cents Tesco Oxtail soup... a splash of red wine, and seasoning as you like really. I think some people put in a dash of worcester sauce.

Update: You could use this recipe as a starter, with the Oxtail soup instead of beef broth, and if you don't have red wine vinegar, leftover "dead" red wine will do - browning the ribs on the pan can be skipped if you find it unnecessary:
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-short-ribs-32147

the beer revolu

Stroganoff is not a dish to be done in the slow cooker or oven. It is not a stew or slow cooked dish.
It should be done with tender, lean beef and cooked quickly. Fillet steak is the ideal cut for stroganoff.

rawn

Yeah i won't be trying it in the SC again! The beef was actually lovely and tender though, it waz the sauce that let it down. I will try the lean one that was suggested, it sounds perfect, thanks for the tips

threein99

odyssey06 wrote: »

A can of 59 cents Tesco Oxtail soup... a splash of red wine, and seasoning as you like really. I think some people put in a dash of worcester sauce.

Update: You could use this recipe as a starter, with the Oxtail soup instead of beef broth, and if you don't have red wine vinegar, leftover "dead" red wine will do - browning the ribs on the pan can be skipped if you find it unnecessary:
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-short-ribs-32147

Got a round roast on Saturday and tried it in the slow cooker.

I left it for on for 10 hours and it was really tasty, not quite falling a part but nicely tender, might try it for 12 hours next time or cut the piece of beef in half . I had beef stock in it but I'm going try with the oxtail soup for next Sundays roast as that sounds really nice.

Mystery Egg

The key to excellent 'roast' beef in the slow cooker is to choose a very fatty piece (like rolled rib roast, which is not cheap) sear it first on all sides, slather in mustard, and slow cook it in gravy (beef stock, red wine, worcestershire sauce etc) which can be thickened at the end.