I am buying a slow cooker!!

[mrsmac]

This forum has opened my eyes to the joys of having a Crock Pot (Slow cooker) My mum had one when I was a child but they have all of a sudden made a comeback and I thought it would be perfect for me since I work full time. Tonight I went and did a paid market research thing and got $80 so tomorrow after school I am going out to get my new toy. I am really excited and wanted to share it with people who wouldn't think I was crazy!!! I'd ask about brands but US is different to here. From what I have researched online we have Breville, Sunbeam and Tiffany. I was really interested in the thread about size, I have decided to get a big one cause as a number of people said you can cook small amounts in a big cooker but not vice versa.

 

[Little Miss J]

my mum has one she loves i dont know what brand it is but it has pictures of vegetables on the outside and its newish....

(i remember all the important stuff!)

 

[GB]

It is such a great tool mrsmac. You will really love using it. The biggest brand for Crock Pots here in the US is Rival. I do not know if you have that there or maybe if it goes by a different name possibly. Let us know how you like your new toy

Here is a nice recipe to get you started...

Crockpot Lentils and Sausage



1 (16 ounce) package dry lentils
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
2 (10.75 ounce) cans water
1 carrot, chopped
2 pounds kielbasa (Polish) sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 stalk celery, chopped



1 Rinse and drain lentils, but do not soak. In a slow cooker, stir together the lentils, tomatoes, broth, water, carrot, sausage and celery.

2 Cover, and cook on High setting for 3 hours, or Low setting for 6 to 7 hours.

3 Stir well before serving.

I think when I made this it looked like too much liquid so I actually cut the liquid down quite a lot. I don't remember exactly though. You could try cutting the liquid in half and I am sure that would be OK.

 

[luvs]

i'm glad that you're getting an item that you want for your kitchen!
i love slow cookers. there's this 1-qt. one that i like the best cause i usually just cook for myself. the big one is nice, too, though. you can just cook so many things in them.

 

[mrsmac]

We don't have Rival here, I think I'm going to go with the Breville. Are there any features anyone has found really useful???
Thanks too for the recipe GB and thankyou for explaining what kielbasa is its been bothering me!!!
Luvs I wish they had them in pink cause thats what I'd get but silver or white with vegies on it seems my only option.
Little Miss J (that makes me think of my daughter cause she's Jessica) your mum prob. has the Breville or the Tiffany from what I can gather. Could you please ask her what she thinks of it?
Thanks again everybody

 

[GB]

There is one Crock Pot here that has a cool feature, but I doubt you will find this in any others (and of course it is a Rival which you don't have there). The Crock of this particular model can go from stove top to crock pot so you can brown your meat in the same cooking vessel instead of having to brown in one and then move it to the crock pot. Short of that, I like that on mine I can set it to cook on high or low for a particular amount of time (in 30 minute increments) and once it hits that time it switches to a warming mode.

 

[Bangbang]

My wife uses hers a lot and it works great for pork roast. She browns the meat first then puts it in the cooker. Great for pulled pork sandwiches.

 

[kadesma]

I use my slow cooker when I do big batches of chicken or beef or pork for enchilladas or tacos, the one feature i love is that the crock itself is removable and can be washed in the dishwasher...Enjoy your cooker it's wonderful

kadesma

 

[GB]

Yeah being dishwasher safe is a HUGE plus as most things get baked on pretty good.

 

[Corinne]

i'm glad that you're getting an item that you want for your kitchen!
i love slow cookers. there's this 1-qt. one that i like the best cause i usually just cook for myself.

I have a couple 1-qt cookers. I use them when I take hot dips & spreads to work. There are a couple things I don't like about them: the crock is not removeable so it's not real easy to clean. And it only has an On/Off Switch so I need to watch the contents constantly or else the stuff gets overcooked & sticks to the sides.
Corinne

 

[jkath]

Here's one of my all-time favorite crock pot recipes. I hope you have chili sauce in Australia!
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10359&highlight=chicken+scampi

 

[GB]

Jkath that sounds really yummy. Do you have a breakdown of the amounts if you just wanted to make this for 4 people and not have leftovers (or not a ton of leftovers)?

Also, I have never had good luck with chicken in the crockpot. I find it dries out. I have been told that if I used chicken with the bone in then it should not dry out. Do you find that the chicken dries out in this dish or does it stay juicy?

 

[mrsmac]

Here's one of my all-time favorite crock pot recipes. I hope you have chili sauce in Australia!
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10359&highlight=chicken+scampi

That looks great, we have chilli sauce but not homade I bought a sweet chilli and garlic sauce the other day I might use that.

 

[jkath]

That would work!

Here's another recipe I did/made up yesterday:

1 small turkey, (minus the legs and wings)
Coat with this marinade:

1/2 c. pear sesame viniagrette (or your favorite one that has a sweetness to it)
1 T. yellow mustard
1 T. honey
1 T. worcestershire sauce
2 T. chopped green onions
Mix together well.


Put 1 T. olive oil on the bottom of the pot, and put turkey, breast side up on a rack. Cook low till done. The drippings make a great sauce to pour over the top, or you can whisk flour into it to make a gravy.

(I use an 18qt roaster, as I love to make bigger food, generally)

 

[crewsk]

Congrats on the crock pot mrsmac! I'm sure you'll love it. I have 2 & they get used quite a bit. Here are 2 of my favorite recipes for the crock pot.

Crock Pot Mac & Cheese

1(8oz)box macaroni
1 stick butter or margarine
2 1/2C sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2C. milk
1 large can evaporated milk
salt &pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten

Cook & drain macaroni. Put in crock pot; add butter & 2 cups cheese, stir. Combine milk, beaten eggs, evaporated milk, salt & pepper. Pour into crock pot & stir. Top with 1/2 cup cheese & cover. Cook 3 hours on low setting.


Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
Makes: 6 servings
Total Time: 3hrs. 25min.
Prep: 15min.
Cook: 2hrs. 30min.
Cool: 40min.
(Total time will vary with appliance & setting)

1C. all purpose flour
1/2C. granulated sugar
2Tbsp. baking cocoa
2tsp. baking powder
1/2tsp. salt
1/2C. milk
2Tbsp. vegetable oil
1tsp. vanilla
1/2C. chopped nuts(optional)
3/4C. packed brown sugar
1/4C. baking cocoa
1 1/2C. hot water

Spray inside of 2 to 3 1/2 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix flour, granulated sugar, 2Tbsp. cocoa, baking powder, & salt in a medium bowl. Stir in milk, oil, & vanilla until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread batter evenly in slow cooker.

Mix brown sugar 1/4C. cocoa in small bowl. Stir in hot water until smooth. Pour evenly over batter in slow cooker.

Cover cook on high heat setting 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours or unti toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Turn off slow cooker. Let cake stand uncovered 30-40 minutes to cool slightly before serving. Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes. Spoon sauce over top. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

 

[mrsmac]

These are all fantastic guys, thankyou so much I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[tknaps]

I've never used a slow cooker myself before, but the idea of going home from work to a slow cooked meal sounds tempting

One question about sizes though: do these things generally work best when you almost fill them up? Or could you also make smaller portions in a larger slow cooker with any success?

 

[GB]

One question about sizes though: do these things generally work best when you almost fill them up? Or could you also make smaller portions in a larger slow cooker with any success?

You can absolutely make smaller portions. We find that we usually make a large amount though, because just about everything we have made in it freezes well so we eat our dinner and the rest goes in the freezer for another time.

 

[Paint]

I have a 5 litre slow cooker, which is just right for around 4 people, and I also have a much larger one for when we have family to stay (It's great when we are doing the 'tourist' thing with guests all day because I don't have to worry about cooking when we get back home). I would get around a 5-litre size because, as GB said, you can always freeze some of the meal for another day.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast does tend to come out a bit dry - so I always use boneless, skinless thighs instead. Even with any extra fat trimmed off, the thighs always seem to come out juicy and tender.

Most mid-range slow cookers will have around 3 or 4 settings: 'High' which will cook your meal in around 4-5 hours; 'Low' which will cook your meal in around 7-9 hours (good if you work an 8-hour day!); 'Auto' which will automatically cook on High to get the dish started, then turn back to Low after a couple of hours (this is the option I use the most); and 'Warm' which keeps the food warm if a member of the family will be late for dinner (useful for my DH who can arrive home anywhere from 4pm to midnight...). Some of the more expensive ones have automatic timers etc. too. I just have a cheap, basic model and it works just great!

Because everything is cooked so slowly, it really doesn't matter if you use fresh or frozen veggies in your recipe as they will come out soft anyway - I often use frozen for speed and just 'defrost' them a bit in the microwave first so that they don't hinder the slow cooker coming up to temperature. If you are really short of time in the morning (like on some Clinical days, I have to be up at 4am), then you can prepare everything the night before, pop the removable casserole dish in the fridge overnight and then all you have to do in the morning is transfer it to the slow cooker and switch it on.

Have fun!
Paint.

 

[Constance]

I always used my crockpots quite a bit, but now that I am handicapped, they are a real blessing for me. I can get the meat going in the morning, when I'm not hurting so much, then do the rest of the dinner in little spurts as I'm able.
I have a little baby one for dips, a medium sized one that's good for small items, and a big oval Rival with 2 interchangable crocks, one of which is divided so that you can cook meat on one side and vegies on the other.
When I cook, I almost always make extra for leftovers, and this one will hold two chuck roasts with carrots and potatoes.