Craft Forum

Hi everyone. I was just wondering if anybody had any good slow cooker recipes? I have just got my slow cooker out and dusted it off but I can’t find the instruction booklet so if you do have any recipes you can recommend can you please also let me know whether to set it on slow, medium or high and another other slow cooker tips you may have. I have heard that you can chuck a chicken in one and slap the slow cooker on for a few hours and then come back to a chicken that literally falls off the bone. Has anybody ever done this and if so how? do you have to put any water or stock in too?

Cheers ears

I have a booklet here and can photo copy it in work next week & send you a copy. Ghxo

Ickle Pickle,
I just love my slow cooker and use it nearly every week.
2 important things:
1. You don’t need as much juice in as normal oven made casserole or stew - about a mugful is all you need, because it doesn’t evaporate away.
2. Any seasoning or flavours that you want to use - you need more - about 3 times more than normal or the taste just disappears. So herbs and spices get 2-3 tsps where you might normally only go for a half tsp! Quite often a whole garlic bulb goes in. Scrummy.
You are absolutely right about the chicken idea.
I’ll get the slow cooking books out and send you some of my faves.
What sort of things do you like making?

Oh thanks ladies I’m on a Slimming World diet but my biggest thing is habitual snacking LOL. I never eat a full meal as I feel full very quickly but then I could eat a scabby dog an hour later LOL. So I figured to stop my grazing on bad stuff. I’d make some filling stews atc that I can keep on dipping into. Plus my OH is back working away agin tomorrow and with my arm and bad back from the crash. I want to attempt to chucking something in the slow cooker in the morning and then it will be ready for myself and the kids at tea time. Nothings out of bounds foodwise on SW and if there is a ingredient that isn’t very healthy I can just substitute it I’m getting pretty good at that LOL.

I made the most gorgeous soup I have ever tasted today to snack on. I didn’t think it looked like it was going to thicken up until I blended it. OMG it was so thick and creamy tasting and not even low fat but no fat it was a spicy carrott and pasnip soup. It was kind of sweet with a spicy savoury afterkick. My OH has almost devoured it LOL. Going to make another batch tonight.

How do you cook a chicken in it Kate?

Might have to follow same route as you Ickle and make loads a soups, as my SW diet has gone haywire these past 2 weeks. Ate a big bag of Chocolate buttons today while ironing. OH after saying to me- do you want a glass of red wine & I shouted, NOOOOOOOO. Knowing I would love one- did not tell him about the choccy buttons.Another lovely soup is Vine tomatoes & red pepper. If you want recipe I will get it for you.GH

Shame on you I adore chocolate buttons how may syns are they? I do have a tomato and red pepper soup recipe out of a low fat cook book so it may be different to mine. I’m just about to tuck into a cup of carrot and spicy parsnip soup actually. It’s deeeeeelicious, I’ll take a piccie for you and pop the recipe on for you later

Here’s 2 stew recipes that get regular outings in our home.
Both take about 6-8 hours but are extremely flexible - we need that!
Add salt and pepper after cooking not during.

First - Lamb with garlic and rosemary.
Joint of lamb leg if you can afford
(or shoulder if you are prepared to let it cool and skim off fat after cooking)
Chop 1 or two onions roughly and lay in bottom of slow cooker.
Cut small pockets in leg of lamb to take garlic cloves and tufts of fresh rosemary.
Lay on bed of onions.
Pour on 1 cup of lamb stock (cube and hot water)
Switch on to high power for half an hour just after breakfast and then reduce to low power to be ready any time between 5pm and 9pm. Probable turn off about 6pm if not eating right away, but stays hot a long time! Falling apart and so succulent. Yum.
How flexible and easy is that for a start?
If you are doing shoulder of lamb, put it on a when you go to bed, so that you switch off at breakfast and skim when cooled. Then microwave or oven for tea/supper as required.

Or if you like pork:

Lay a bed of root vegetables on the bottom of slow cooker - whatever you have. We select from parsnip, carrot, onion and sweet potato
Fillet of pork cut into small pieces (about 50cm or 2 inches) on top.
Add 10 garlic cloves peeled and rough chopped and about 20 juniper berries.
Add one cup of rough cider.
Second cup of rough cider on cornflakes into chef!
High power for half an hour after brekkies then reduce to low power. Ready for tea time whenever that is!

Did you know slow cookers use the power of a light bulb for the 6-8 hour cooking period. Much cheaper to run than the oven for 2 hours in the energy conscious times we live in now.
More to follow if you are interested. we also do chicken regularly veggie soups and red cabbage!

these sound interesting I haven’t used mine in ages.

I did find it really handy on bonfire night for the mulled wine though

I’ve taken piccies of my soup I’ll pop it on tomorrow with the recipe

Thanks Kate they both sound divine The lamb recipe how long do you have it on high for before turning it down to low? and do you usually brown the meat first?

Wow I knew that slow cookers were low cost running but not that low. Must use it more often.

Your other recipes sound delicious too. How do you cook a chicken in one (lost my instruction and recipe book that it came with) do you have to put it on a bed of veggies or pop stock or water in so that the bottom won’t burn and still to the dish, or does this not happen with slow cookers? Also is it the same for other meats too such as beef? I have read that you can cook meats on top of foil balls too have you ever done this?

Sorry for the 20 questions, I bet your wishing that you’d never answered this thread

Oooops sorry , last question, honest, well on this thread anyway I love home made rice pudding and I usually cook it for hours in the oven. I pressume I could do this in my slow cooker too, do you know how long this would take? and would I have to put it on low, medium or high?

Cheers ears

Mulled wine, oh please tell me more Carolyn? I was onlt talking about mulled wine on another thread a couple of days ag
o. I always make it at Christmas.

Would be keen on doing the mulled wine myself. Great about the recipe for the soup too. Look forward to seeing it. Will pop my instruction book copies in post 2moro. GH xo

Hi Ickle Pickle,
Lamb recipe has been edited (high for half an hour before turn down). And no I don’t brown meat first - it doesn’t seem to be necessary as all the flavour stays in the pot.
The reason we go for the bed of veggies is that the meat gets a gentler heat that way and also the veggies don’t poke out of the juice at the top and get dried out at the edges!

Chicken question:-
I have a fabby recipe for whole chicken in the slow cooker - also very simple to do. It is slightly different in terms of heat systems because of the need to really cook chicken at high temps. But this just means it cooks quicker.
Chicken with 40 garlic cloves! (honestly)
2oz butter
1 3lb chicken
salt and pepper
one glass of white wine (for the pot!!!)
40 unpeeld cloves of garlic
fresh herbs of your choice for garnish
serve with fresh toast, hot rice and ratatouille.

Brown chicken all over in half the butter in a frying pan.
Place 20 garlic cloves in chicken body cavity ( I sometimes add half a lemon or onion wedges into body cavity).
Place chicken in slow cooker.
Scatter remaining cloves over bird.
Add remaining butter and glass of white wine.
Cook on HIGH setting for 3-5 hours.
Serve with toast, rice and ratatouille.

I do brown chicken first to give it eye appeal. OH doesn’t and the flavour is still great.

I love rice pudding too, but have to admit not tried in my slow cooker. Will look to see if I have a recipe for this.

Don’t mind the questions at all. I love my Slow cooker because it frees me from standing over the stove; and the flexibility of it being ready over a long time period. Coming in from work or a day’s walk or collecting kids from school, all you have to do is a few fresh veg to go with and its ready. Very time efficient in all our busy lives.

Wow Kate, how big is your slow cooker to fit a 13 lb chicken in it, I bet you get to dine for at least a fortnight on that

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm I love garlic I have been growing it and dug a load up over the weekend. Off shopping tomorrow so I think I’ll buy a chicken and try it. Wine on slimming world is too many syns to waste chucking it on a chicken I’d rather have the glass of wine instead of throwing it on the chuck Would you replace it with either the equiv in water or stock? 

Pickles is on the rampage, just off to sort him out will be back shortly with my soup recipe

Hi Ickle Pickle
We breed big chickens up here in Scotland
No, it meant to say just (one) 3 pound chicken!  3 pound chick only just fits in my slow cooker honestly.
Even a 3lb chicken keeps us going for days, so once cooked I tend to freeze some for reserve for crazy busy days.
If wine is too sinful try a third of a pint of chicken stock or a tin of chopped tomatoes for a change.
Will get back soon with rice pudding recipe but have not made it myself so no guarantees I’m afraid.
Looking forward to your soup recipe.
Good luck with your chicken with home grown garlic.

if you breed 13 pound chickens in Scotland I’d love to see how big your turkeys grow

Thanks for that I am going to raid my cupboards later and see if I have any pudding rice in and just chuck it all in there and hope for the best

wow all thats made me hungry Kate!!  I have a slow cooker and they are fab.its really good for cheaper cuts of meat like brisket you put it on a bed of veg any stock but just small amount and then leave for hours its delicious. great for hotpots too .Isabelle