Red Days Slow cooker question....

Snugglepuss

Silver Member
How long can you cook say a stew in a slow cooker on low?

OR how long would it take for a stew to cook on high temperature?

We have a small slow cooker but the OH has lost the instructions. I've got a stew in it now that i started cooking in it at 2.15pm will it be over cooked at about 6.30?

And i work nights if i throw all the ingredients in it at 7am and cook it on low all day would it be okay at 6.30ish to eat or would it have been cooking for to long?

Sorry for the questions but im new to it with no instructions..:confused:
 
cook for up to 12 hours on low I would suggest - or sometimes even longer. 6.5 hours on high (or low to be honest) should be fine! :D
 
Oooo thats excellent FA thank you, those times just fit it with my lifestyle!! :D
 
I used to put stuff on about 7.30am before work and get in at 6.30pm and it was fine - would have been nice to have given it a stir halfway through but it doesn't hurt!
 
I was wondering if i should give it a stir.......i think i will now, Thanks :) xx
 
I didn't think you were supposed to open it while it's cooking, because it takes a while to get back to temperature then.

Anyway - it's obviously been working for you. Slow cookers aren't an exact science. Beef stew can be cooked in 7 - 12 hours on the lower cook setting. (My 'Low' is just to keep things warm, not cook them).

I love using mine if we go out for the evening - it's easy to resist a take-away when you know you've got something yummy bubbling gently in the slow-cooker!
 
I know the seal is then broken if you do stir it, but especially things like sausage casserole tends to get bits of dry burnt sausage on the top, which are then inedible, so I do open it usually once per use if I'm around.
 
It's better not to open the lid in the 2 first hours of cooking but after that it's ok since it's already warm. You can open it quickly to stir without any problems.
 
I made a veg stew in my slow cooker once and it was really watery. I'm not sure what I did wrong..... will lentils thicken it up without having to use cornflour?
 
Maybe too much liquid? As there's nowhere for the liquid to evaporate to you only need about half of what you would normally use if cooking on the hob. I did a lentil dahl last week and lentil/sausage casserole this week and didn't need to thicken them at all.
 
yes just chuck anything in and it will be ready when you get in if you put it on before work. I use mine around 4 times every week and would struggle to be without it.
 
I think I'm going to try a chicken dhansak on Friday - only a few tweaks to a recipe needed. Will post it properly if it's a good'un.

Chicken and red lentil curry with tomatoes
  • 2 large potatoes, cut into walnut size chunks
  • 4-6 skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 175g/1 cup red lentils
  • Frylight
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 fat green chilli, chopped (and seeded if preferred)
  • 1/2 tsp hot chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves (i used 2 whole cloves)
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 750ml/3 cups boiling chicken stock
  • 30ml/2 tbsp malt vinegar
  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tsp sweetener
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp chopped gresh corainder
  • Boiled Rice to serve
Put the potatoes, chicken and lentils in the slowcooker/crock pot and stir well to mix together.
Dryfry the onion and garlic and fry, stirring, for a minute. Stir in the chilli and dried spices and cook, stirring, for a further minute.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the coriander, seasoning well. Bring back to the boil and pour into the pot with the chicken and lentil mixture. Stir, cover with lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours until everything is tender. Add herbs 10 mins to end of cooking.

Check for seasoning.

The sauce should be thick but not stodgy, so thin it if necessary with a little boiling water.
 
I LOVE my slow cooker!! I got a really great book from amazon. Have cooked almost everything in it - even puddings - although they're off the menu now!!! xo
 
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