Snowy Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Just got my freecycle slow cooker, but it's got no instructions! It's a swan, with 3 settings, low, high and auto I thought I could just chuck stuff in and switch it on, but I'm not sure now. Can anyone give me a brief synopsis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I do exactly that snowy! (bung it in, turn it on) I brown my meat before putting it in though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 If you want to pm me an address to send it to, I can photocopy the book that came with my Morphy Richards one (same 3 settings and there's recipe suggestions). Hope it helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 I do exactly that snowy! (bung it in, turn it on) I brown my meat before putting it in though. thanks Chelsea! Anyone know what the high, low, auto settings are for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 Ooh thanks DC! PM on the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I tend to use the high for "last minute" slow cooking (say I decided on the spur of the moment in the afternoon to do a slow cook recipe) - it cooks it faster and hotter. Low I use if I am going to do a pre-planned "all day" cook, (say on something really tough like brisket or something that needs slow roasting), it will do it on a lower heat over a long period of time (all day - several hours or overnight if you wished) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I use the high to start off (especailly if I didn't have all the ingredients hot) and then put it on low. As as I remember high is the shortest time (ie from lunch to dinner time), medium is middling and slow is all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickvic Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I just bung it in with stock and stick it on low all day Doesn't matter what meat I cook in there - it always smells lovely when I get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I think Auto if for keeping it hot once it's cooked. When I get rouind to chucking the cat off my knee I'll see if I can find the instructions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygerna Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I think Auto if for keeping it hot once it's cooked. When I get rouind to chucking the cat off my knee I'll see if I can find the instructions On my old one Auto cooked it on high untill it reached a certain temperature, then droped it down to low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 One thing that I have learned from slow-cooking is to use much less liquid because there is much less evaporation and loads of liquid comes out of veg etc I had mine on overnight once, but I just couldn' sleep for the nice smells Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I do whole chickens in mine and also cooked half a leg of lamb in it this weekend. My method is : Bung it in with no liquid, cook for an hour on full then around 7 hours on medium. Delicious I'm never roasting lamb or chicken again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Thank you all for your suggestions, and many thanks to Dancing Cloud for the copy of your instructions! Tried it yesterday - beef casserole went on about 8am until 5pm on low. Very tasty! The beef (shin) was still a bit chewy (not as tender as it would be after 3 hours in the oven) so beef probably needs to be done longer on low, or on high instead. Other than that it was great! I'll keep trying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 You might find that it had actually dried out over that time. I cooked some spag.bol. sauce overnight in mine on low and the mince was really dry. I tend to cook beef casseroles for about 6 hours on low, if everything is hot when it goes in, if not cook on high for about an hour then turn it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I was going to say about 6 hours for beef too. I usually buy casserole beef and pop it in cold for an hour on high then turn it down to low and leave it for 5 hours or so. After that long, it usually falls apart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hm, the meat was OK, possibly a bit dry, but it was the fatty connective tissue that normally disappears with an oven cook, that was still there. I did read somewhere that you need to cut off any surplus fat - have you all found that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 You do get a bit of an oil slick on top if you have too much fat or oil. I think because it bubbles less it is less likely to emilsify into the sauce. I usually mop it up with some kitchen roll or skim it if there is a lot. IMO slow cookers are convenient but don't make quite such succulent stews as you get from an oven cooked version in a heavy casserole dish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
