|
Post by bixaorellana on Oct 24, 2011 4:28:20 GMT
This thread has been quiet for too long! Just found this link for butter braised onions and it seems deliciously useful, especially after reading all the comments on this thread about cooking onions so they'd be ready to incorporate into a crock pot recipe. The writer takes off from the braised onions to a perfect use for them -- an onion soup adapted from a Julia Child recipe. The soup is not done in the crock pot, but I suppose it could be. www.stumbleupon.com/su/5Ig0p1/www.creative-culinary.com/2011/02
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Oct 26, 2011 10:36:53 GMT
could well be, bixa!
oooh, the temperatures have dropped and I think you just made me think of using my slow cooker. it'll warm up the atmosphere as well as my tummy later!
|
|
|
Post by onlymark on Oct 26, 2011 11:35:33 GMT
Annie, I'm going to buy a slow cooker in the UK and bring it back to Jordan. What is yours and is it any good? I presume it's somewhere between one and a half and three and a half litres?
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Oct 26, 2011 13:21:15 GMT
It's a Judge 3.5L that I got for a tenner from the Cookshop at the time on a special price. I can see they retail for £27.00 on Amazon.
It makes 4 main course portions. But I never fill it to the top.
When the ceramic thingie got broken (a jar fell over the ceramic handle), they replaced it no question asked. But I guess that wouldn't be an option for you.
I like mine but am terrified of not adding enough liquid and breaking the ceramic. I know that there are some that are all plastic/metal so maybe easier for you to transport (ask the troublesome one on the other place). The lid on mine is glass so another break hazard.
But I am happy with mine otherwise. it's great for soups and stews.
One thing you have to think about as well is the shape i.e. do you want a round one or an oval one. If you want to put a big chunk of meat in it, you might prefer an oval one. Mine is round.
If you were to lose your way in Britain and you and yours find yourselves in the South West, I'd be delighted to demonstrate it.
|
|
|
Post by onlymark on Oct 26, 2011 14:31:45 GMT
I take note of what you've said and I'll bear it in mind when I go to buy one, thanks.
When I come to the UK I usually arrive and depart within a few days, just long enough to see my father and tend to his immediate needs as he gets older, like sorting out his car, computer and house stuff. In the summer I stay for longer with the kids. I can see though that as I lie on my deathbed, after a living a long and fulfilling life, I will have but one sole regret. One that may render my whole life to that date as meaningless and will haunt me throughout my crossing of the River Styx into the Underworld where no doubt I shall reside for all eternity. The regret of having little time to venture south, where I do hear there are civilised people in the land of tofu, pot pourri and metrosexual men, and sampling your slow cooking. I really must make the attempt one day and remove my zero score as regards meeting a member of a forum.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Oct 26, 2011 16:18:33 GMT
I will check if you can buy one easily in a shop oop North. And otherwise you might want to order it online before you travel so you can just pick it up from your dad's when looking after him.
;D I understand. No tofu, no potpourri and NO metrosexuality allowed in this house, though. rest assured of it. There are islets of normality in the south, too!
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Oct 26, 2011 16:19:34 GMT
and lentils are for the slow cooker ... NOT the knitting needles.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Oct 26, 2011 16:20:27 GMT
I will check if you can buy one easily in a shop oop North. And otherwise you might want to order it online before you travel so you can just pick it up from your dad's when looking after him. ;D I understand. No tofu, no potpourri and NO metrosexuality allowed in this house, though. rest assured of it. There are islets of normality in the south, too! We have taramasalata. Does that count? Mind you, it's all whippets, flat caps and moustaches in the North. And you should see the men....
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Oct 26, 2011 16:48:08 GMT
hihi, Mick!
|
|
|
Post by onlymark on Oct 26, 2011 16:48:57 GMT
We have taramasalata.
We aint got none of them big spiders round our house.
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Oct 26, 2011 17:15:48 GMT
I have a big old ceramic crockpot that I use a lot in winter....bought in the early 1980s it is mostly used for braising or for making hearty stews...I tend to keep the liquid quite thin and only thicken it at the end of cooking. OH has never used it cos he's scared of it...
I also used to have a pressure cooker...it was terrifying to use and I was convinced that it would explode at any moment. OH used it when making some beer (it was the biggest pan that we had at the time) and it never worked right after that....
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Oct 26, 2011 17:17:04 GMT
;D Annie, if you get going, you can have a nice man purse all knitted for Mark when he comes to visit. Actually, I came to this thread to post about sous vide, although maybe it should go into a thread entitled "things I will never, ever even think about doing". Apparently this technique has been around for a while, but as I'm very low on the foodie scale, I only learned of it yesterday. It's very, very, very slow cooking in sealed bags. Between this & the article I read back in the 70s about using your compost heap as a slow cooker, the compost heap sounds more the way to go. Anyway: www.npr.org/2011/10/23/141611844/self-starters-eat-up-slow-cooking-techniquewww.popsci.com/diy/article/2010-01/cooking-sous-vide-inexpensive-diy-way
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Oct 27, 2011 11:36:12 GMT
ah, bixa... you are making me think... you can make your own makeshift slow cooker the following way:
Take a box (made of wood or polystyrene or something). Line the inside with paper/cardboard. Put some hay or wool inside. Start cooking your stew or soup on the hob. When it is about boiling - thoroughly hot, turn it off, put the lidded pan in the box, add some more hay or wool - the pan should be snug in the filling and you should make sure no hay/whatever filling can get into the pan, put the lid on the box and secure the lot with some weight (heavy book or stone or something). Food should be ready in another 12 or 24 hours.
|
|
|
Post by onlymark on Oct 27, 2011 12:57:24 GMT
Last night I typed up a long explanation of what me and some friends used to do when camping in the Lake District and Derbyshire. It was basically as Annie describes but using a cast iron pot, a fire, straw and a hole in the ground. Then leave it all day when off walking. A quick re-heat and it was sumptuous.
But then instead of copying it, I cut it, just before posting and couldn't be bothered to type it all again.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Oct 27, 2011 13:28:13 GMT
you do realise that when you use the cut function you can still paste?
|
|
|
Post by onlymark on Oct 27, 2011 14:56:20 GMT
Yes, but it didn't. Possibly when I right clicked I hit the delete instead. All I know is that is was gone, never to return.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Oct 29, 2011 0:38:52 GMT
I'm sure people with limited amounts of cooking fuel have perfected the hay/wool etc technique for centuries. It was also used by observant Jewish people who could do no "work", including cooking, but not opening up the cooking vessel and serving the meal, on the Sabbath.
Some kind of hearty stew was set to cook and slowly cool down, both in Central/Eastern Europe and in the Mediterranean lands. Often called a cholent in the North/East, a dafina in the south.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Feb 21, 2012 17:05:21 GMT
Just found this on facebook. The poster commented: This chai tea can warm in the slow cooker for hours and you can enjoy it throughout an entire day ... Another person suggested using whole milk and honey instead of sweetened condensed milk.
Slow-Cooker Chai Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook, Revised and Updated , page 259
1 gallon water 16 regular black tea bags 8 opened cardamom pods 9 whole cloves 3 Tbsp. ginger root, freshly grated, or chopped fine 3 cinnamon sticks 8-oz. can sweetened condensed milk 12-oz. can evaporated milk (regular or fat-free are equally good)
1. Pour one gallon water into slow cooker. Turn cooker to High and bring water to a boil. 2. Tie tea bag strings together. Remove paper tags. Place in slow cooker, submerging in boiling water. 3. Place cardamom seeds and pods, cloves, and ginger in a tea ball. 4. Place tea ball, and cinnamon sticks in boiling water in slow cooker. Reduce heat to Low and steep, along with tea bags, for 10 minutes. 5. After 10 minutes, remove tea bags. Allow spices to remain in cooker. Increase heat to High. 6. Add condensed milk and evaporated milk. Bring mixture to a boil. 7. Immediately turn back to Low. Remove spices 30 minutes later.
Serving suggestion: Serve tea from the slow cooker, but do not allow it to boil.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2014 21:28:51 GMT
I am in the midst of cooking a roast of goat, curry style, that I KNOW would be right up Lagatta's alley. It is so easy thus far, and will post the recipe and results as soon as it's complete. It's been in the crock pot overnight. It does entail having to do some on the fire, (in this case, a large cast iron pan) to finish it off, but, I'm real excited about it it and can't wait for Lagatta in particular to hear the results of. It involved a roast of goat, fresh from the butcher at the Farmer's market. I've not really experimented too much with cooking goat but, had several fabulous dishes in Miami Beach at an aforementioned Haitian Restaurant that I frequent when I am fortunate enough to visit there.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Nov 27, 2015 18:15:26 GMT
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Nov 28, 2015 10:15:02 GMT
Casimira, indeed I missed your post, but I'm reading it now. Yes, such cooking would be very much the thing in Haiti and many of the other islands!
I certainly don't make such stews every month - as you can see, they are quite the project. Yes, they involve some browning or cooking down in an iron pot before and or after the slow cooker stage, but it gets the bulk of the long cooking done without using a lot of energy. Some recipes call to cook such stews for hours on low in the oven, but in many parts of the world the cost of that would be prohibitive - far more than the (originally) humble ingredients.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Nov 28, 2015 13:04:40 GMT
Really intriguing recipe, Mich. I still don't have a slow cooker, but will send the recipe to my sister the fruitcake maker. She has perfected a "boiled" fruitcake recipe over the years, but should be very tempted by this simpler method and will reward me with the nicely booze-soaked result.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Nov 28, 2015 17:02:25 GMT
It would defnitely work for something "steamed" such as a plum pudding.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Nov 28, 2015 17:57:04 GMT
There is an interesting bit of discussion in that link about using a tea towel to prevent condensation from getting into the cake.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Nov 29, 2015 1:30:53 GMT
I too thought it might taste like a plum pudding Lagatta!
I will make sure to read the comments if I try it Bixa, I think they are right to be worried about the condensation.
Today was my mother's birthday and when visiting I mentioned this recipe and she thinks it is worth a try. She still makes the "family recipe" version but is interested in this one. Me, being the daughter with least baking skills in the family, is thinking more and more about attempting this version.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 11:59:11 GMT
A favourite of ours - I use Toulouse sausages btw.
|
|
|
Post by Kimby on Dec 27, 2015 14:59:42 GMT
We have a long-neglected crockpot from the 1980's that is getting used a lot at the lake cottage, especially on ski days. Chuck roast, pork roast, chicken in Thai-inspired sauce...
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 27, 2016 17:52:44 GMT
I found myself reading this NYTimes article this morning because of the title: The Improbable Rise of Mississippi Roast, but by the end wanted to try this version of pot roast. There is a link in the article, but here is the recipe: 1 boneless chuck roast or top or bottom round roast, 3 to 4 pounds 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste ¼ cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 8 to 12 pepperoncini 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar ½ teaspoon dried dill ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika 1 teaspoon buttermilk, optional Chopped parsley, for garnish PREPARATION Place roast on a cutting board and rub the salt and pepper all over it. Sprinkle the flour all over the seasoned meat and massage it into the flesh. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan set over high heat until it is shimmering and about to smoke. Place the roast in the pan and brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes a side, to create a crust. Remove roast from pan and place it in the bowl of a slow cooker. Add the butter and the pepperoncini to the meat. Put the lid on the slow cooker, and set the machine to low. As the roast heats, make a ranch dressing. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, dill and paprika in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Add the buttermilk if using, then whisk again. Remove the lid from the slow cooker and add the dressing. Replace the top and allow to continue cooking, undisturbed, for 6 to 8 hours, or until you can shred the meat easily using 2 forks. Mix the meat with the gravy surrounding it. Garnish with parsley, and serve with egg noodles or roast potatoes, or pile on sandwich rolls, however you like.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2016 18:25:34 GMT
We have a long-neglected crockpot from the 1980's that is getting used a lot at the lake cottage, especially on ski days. Chuck roast, pork roast, chicken in Thai-inspired sauce... Just looking at the name of this thread, I was wondering -- who still has a crockpot? I know there was a major fad in the 1980's, but it seems that it has complete dissipated. We never had these things in France (well, I'm sure we did, but they never caught on), but what did catch on were the Asian rice cookers for making steamed rice. This fad (in the 1990's) passed simply because even though they worked just fine, the French just don't eat as mùch rice as the Asians, who generally needed rice for every meal. I make excellent steamed rice in a small pot and would never need a rice cooker.
|
|
|
Post by Kimby on Jan 27, 2016 18:36:26 GMT
Bixa, my chuck roast recipe is a 4-ingredient version of the Mississippi roast. So simple, so savory, and so full of questionable ingredients!
Put roast in crockpot. Sprinkle with 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix and 1 pkg of McCormick Au Jus gravy mix, cover with 1 stick of butter cut in slabs, and top with 5 pepperoncini peppers from a jar. That's all! Don't add water. Go away and let it cook on low for 8 hours. Shred/chunk meat with two forks and serve over mashed potatoes.
Delicious! Just don't read the ingredient list on the packets!
|
|