[madcat]

Mushroom cups are one of the last things I put in - they take so little cooking.  And I mix them in well - if they sit on the top they arent nice.  But I'm known to chop the stalks up and put them in with the chopped onions at the beginning.  They cook down into the gravy and give it a lovely flavour.

[Sue33]

that might be it then, I tend to leave them whole, maybe chop them up more 

[soupbox]

ok does anyone else have this problem?
When I am making a pot roast in the slow cooker, about halfway through the cooking time the lid starts lifting and it spits out water.  Am I doing something wrong?  Is there a way to fix this?
thanks!

[mumofstig]

It's just that as the meat cooks a lot of moisture evaporates. If the lid is very tight fitting the only way for the steam to escape if for the lid to lift. You could try leaving the lid wedged up very slightly on a spoonhandle or something similar. Then most of the moisture runs back down into the pot but some can escape if needs be

[madcat]

ok does anyone else have this problem?
When I am making a pot roast in the slow cooker, about halfway through the cooking time the lid starts lifting and it spits out water.  Am I doing something wrong?  Is there a way to fix this?
thanks!

Mine does it too, particularly if it is on high or doing soup.  Mostly I leave it to it, but if the rattling annoys me, I do what MoS says and just tuck a teaspoon handle under the edge to give it a little steam vent.

[Chappers]

I must admit the smell of frying meat any time of the day is unpleasant to me but I REALLY can't stomach it first thing so if this works I'll be well pleased

You can always brown the meat the night b4, then chuck it all in the slow cooker in the morning.

Paul

[Poolfield2]

I just bought my sister in law a slow cooker for her birthday, they are only £10 on line from Tes*o, maybe in store as well.

[wighty]

Thanks Carol for rubbing it in.  We bought ours after reading about them on here at the  £11.97 price.  (Wouldn't be without it though). Saw this week that they had reduced them.   Can this forum claim any 'reward' from Tesco for its advertising their product?

[Poolfield2]

Well it was a bargain at £11.97

I made good old fashioned coq au vin (well turkey actually) in my slow cooker today, we fed 7 people and have enough left for tomorrow for 2 people by padding it out with some chestnuts. I must point out here that we have a 6litre slow cooker (£10 unused from an add in the local paper). I'm actually considering buying a smaller one as well while they are such good value.

[madcat]

I have a little (about 2pt) Prestige one my mother gave me 29 years ago ( :blink:     gulp!) which is still going strong and I wouldn't be without it.  I also have a bigger one (medium sized chicken size) from Tesco that is only a couple of years old and also works for its living.  Why do I have an oven?

But then I am a good organised casserole cook, though I say it myself, and a poor pastry / cake / baking type person .    Horses for courses as they say!

[mumofstig]

strange, but in the week I cooked a casserole in the oven (haven't done this for ages) and it tasted better than in the slow cooker.......can't think of any reason why. Only difference would be stainless steel casserole pot instead of slow cooker crock?  :blink:

Won't stop me using the slow cooker though...it is just so convenient

[noshed]

I had a big bit of brisket yesterday, yum

[Spana]

I cant get on with mine at all,I must be doing something wrong.
We are beef farmers so eat quite a bit of beef as roasts and casseroles but they are just not the same out of a slow cooker, they even smell different to me when cooking.
Is it just me or does anyone  else prefer the oven method.

[Val H]

Is it just me or does anyone  else prefer the oven method.

Me. I bought a slow cooker in a sale but I still tend to use the oven - especially for meat joints and slow cook casseroles. They seem to me to taste better. However, if you're out all day, I can see the slow cookers would be a god send. We work from home so it's no problem to just go and add things at the right time.

[madcat]

You don't get the caramelisation of the sugars with the slow cooker, which means you don't get the 'roasting' smell or the depth of flavour that goes with it.  Also you don't get the risk of burning, the need to pay attention and you dont need the fats ....  Like everything in life, there upsides and down ....

In an ideal world and if I'm around and I can fill the oven, then I use that.  But .....  if I'm going to to be out for hours and / or it would mean leaving an oven burning fuel without being full or ....  I try to work out how to use the slow cooker.  Meat is generally better sealed in fat first for a casserole - 'cos then it does the caramelising thing - so I fry it off first before putting it in the slow cooker and ideally soften the onions in the fat too.  But sometimes it isn't possible (I can't do it first thing in the morning -heave!)  and then I need a marinade to provide the effect (red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard and worcester sauce overnight as my default for beef).  

If you do a boeuf bourginion in the slow cooker for example, fry the bacon till the fat runs, soften the onion and the chopped mushroom stalks in the bacon fat with it and add the garlic for the last few mins.  Tip into the slow cooker.  Then seal the beef which has been tossed in flour, deglaze the pan with a splash of cooking brandy and add to the cooker.  Add black pepper and red wine and water to taste.  Bring up to simmer and then set to low where it will simmer for anything from 6 hours to - I think the longest I have left it (unintentionally) was 17 hours.  Later add the whole shallots and about an hour before serving the mush caps.  Salt just before serving.

But things that need long simmering and no caramelisation such as bacon hock or daal or chick pea curry, even better, as there is no risk of them boiling dry or going to fast.