General Chat

I have a neighbour with a shopping problem.Yesterday she gave me a slow cooker because the thing she gave me in the summer that we thought was a slow cooker, turned out not to be.

We think it might be a rice-steamer but she can't remember what it is and does not still have any instructions for it!

Anyway,she has given me an enormous slow-cooker she bought.(There are only two of them!)

Of course,she does not have the instructions so I am having to wing it.
I am a veggie and I just know some of you will be able to tell me how to use it.e;g Can I sweat the onions in it before I make some nourishing concoction?

Thank you. I have a concoction on, which they will eat and will pretend to enjoy!
It contains butterbeans which I soaked yesterday.It has been on high for about three hours now and smells pretty good.
If the beans are crunchy I will tell them that is how they are meant to be.

You think I am talking about children don't you? Well no,they are 91,63,58 and 55.

Sharron, Pop into Tesco, you can buy ready fried onions by the can,use what you like and put the rest in the fridge for later. Re the "Rice Cooker. Go into Currys or some shop like it and ask if they have one,Have a look at the instrction manual, take a note of the address of the manufactureres,then send for a copy from them.**M**.

Hi Sharron,
We got one from Tesco, very few instructions so we picked up "Slow Cooking Properly Explained" from a local book shop, I see Amazon do it for £3.89. We found it useful.
Best Wishes,
Mayfield

There are lots of things you can do with slow cookers. There was a thread some time ago. I will try to find it for you.

Thanks Ann for finding it, I couldnt, though I came across a lot of people we dont see nowadays.

I cook lasagne in my slow cooker,

just make sure you start with the browned meat at the bottom, layer dry pasta then white sauce. Repeat these layers, finishing with the white sauce at the top.
It tastes even better the next day.

Pat

Thanks everybody.

Well, I have already learned something. Butterbeans need to be cooked before they go in the slow cooker.

I had to pick them all out and boil them for about an hour.

Dumplings took ages too, and werer a bit heavy. They are not usually because I only make them with flour and baking powder and water.( Mean or what?)

I make my dumplings with suet and flour and herbs - always light in slow cooker. You can get veggie suet. Try in the library and see if they have a slow cooker book. I bought a very good one in garden centre - just reading it earlier today - covers all right down to cakes and puddings. Interesting ideas for vegs.

Thanks Chris. I do have some vege suet but I don't use it for dumplings because I don't need to and I am very mean. I have even toyed with the idea of trying to make a roly-poly without suet.

I make scrambled egg with egg and water too.

Will probably buy a slow cooker book(if I can find one reduced somewhere!) but I thought I would ask on here first as I will not be going anywhere in the next couple of days and I wanted to play with the new toy.

Sharron, I nudged up the very long thread on slow cookers yeaterday, did you see it?