introduction

If you want to prepare healthy, homely meals but feel you just don’t have time, then think again. As little as 15–20 minutes spent early in the day are all that are needed to prepare supper to go into a slow cooker, leaving you free to get on with something else.

The slow cooker is ideal for anyone who has a young family because the supper can be put on after the morning school run so that it is ready when you and the children are at your most tired at around half past five in the afternoon. If you work shifts or if you are a student, with lectures during the day, you can put on a meal before you go out so that supper is waiting when you get back. If you are new to retirement, supper can be left to cook while you enjoy a relaxing day at the golf course, or your slow cooker can leave you with the free time to tackle that DIY project you’ve been putting off.

Because the food cooks so slowly there is no need to worry about it boiling dry, spilling over or burning on the bottom, and depending on the setting it can be left for 8–10 hours. Food that has been slowly cooked has much more flavour than dishes prepared in other ways. When microwave ovens first came into use they captured everyone’s imagination as the answer to our busy working lives. And, yes, a microwave oven allows you to cook food in minutes, but the reality is that the food is often tasteless and lacking in colour. Prepared chilled meals can be reheated in minutes, but they are expensive and somewhat lacking nutritionally.

A slow cooker is environmentally friendly, too. There is no need to turn on the oven for just one dish when you can save fuel by using your slow cooker. It uses around the same amount of electricity as an electric light bulb, so they are cheap to run. In addition, the long, slow cooking transforms even the toughest and cheapest cuts of meat into dishes that melt in the mouth, and the meat quite literally falls off the bone – try for example, Slow-braised Pork with Ratatouille (pages 74–75) or Maple-glazed Ribs (pages 90–91).

Slow cookers are perfect for steaming puddings, too. Because there is no evaporation you won’t have to remember to top up the water or return to find that the pot has boiled dry.

When water is added to the pot it can also be used as a bain marie or water bath to cook baked custards, pâtés or terrines. You can pour alcoholic or fruit juice mixtures into the pot and make warming hot party punches or hot toddies.

The slow cooker pot can also be used to make chocolate or cheese fondues, preserves such as lemon curd or simple chutneys, and you can even boil up bones or a chicken carcass to make into homemade stock.

size matters

Slow cookers are available in three sizes and are measured in capacity. The size usually printed on the packaging is the working capacity or the maximum space for food:

• For two people use a mini oval slow cooker with a maximum capacity of 1.5 litres (2½ pints) and a working capacity of 1 litre (1¾ pints).

• For four people choose a round or the more versatile oval cooker with a total capacity of 3.5 litres (6 pints) and a working capacity of 2.5 litres (4 pints).

• For 6 people you will need a large oval slow cooker with a total capacity of 5 litres (8¾ pints) and a working capacity of 4 litres (7 pints) or the extra large round 6.5 litres (11½ pints) with a working capacity of 4.5 litres (8 pints).

Surprisingly, the very large slow cookers cost only a little more than the medium-sized ones, and it is easy to be swept along thinking that they are better value for money. However, unless you have a large family or like to cook large quantities so that you have enough supper for one meal with extra portions to freeze, you will probably find that they are too big for your everyday needs. Remember that you need to half-fill a slow cooker when you are cooking meat, fish or vegetable dishes.

The best and most versatile shape for a slow cooker is an oval, which is ideal for cooking a whole chicken and has ample room for a pudding basin or four individual pudding moulds and yet is capacious enough to make soup for six portions. Choose one with an indicator light so that you can see at a glance when the slow cooker is turned on.

before you start

It is important to read the handbook before using your slow cooker. Some manufacturers recommend preheating the slow cooker on the high setting for a minimum of 20 minutes before food is added. Others recommend that it is heated only when filled with food.

how full should the pot be?

A slow cooker pot must only be used with the addition of liquid – ideally it should be no less than half full. Aim for the three-quarter full mark or, if you are making soups, make sure the liquid is no higher than 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the top.

Joints of meat should take up no more than two-thirds of the space. If you are using a pudding basin, ensure there is 1.5 cm (¾ inch) space all the way round or 1 cm (½ inch) at the narrowest point if using an oval cooker.

heat settings

All slow cookers have a ‘high’, ‘low’ and ‘off’ setting, and some also have either ‘medium’, ‘warm’ or ‘auto’ settings. In general, the ‘high’ setting will take only half the time of the ‘low’ setting when you are cooking a diced meat or vegetable casserole. This can be useful if you plan to eat at lunchtime or are delayed in starting the casserole. Both settings will reach just below 100°C (212°F), boiling point, during cooking, but when it is set to ‘high’ the temperature is reached more quickly.

A combination of settings can be useful and is recommended by some manufacturers at the beginning of cooking. See your manufacturer’s handbook for more details.

what is best at what setting?

Following is a general guide to what you should cook at which temperature.

low

• Diced meat or vegetable casseroles

• Chops or chicken joints

• Soups

• Egg custard desserts

• Rice dishes

• Fish dishes

high

• Sweet or savoury steamed puddings or sweet dishes that include a raising agent (either self-raising flour or baking powder).

• Pâtés or terrines.

• Whole chicken, guinea fowl or pheasant, gammon joint or half a shoulder of lamb.

timings

All the recipes in the book have variable timings, which means that they will be tender and ready to eat at the lower time but can be left without spoiling for an extra hour or two, which is perfect if you get delayed at work or stuck in traffic.

If you want to speed up or slow down casseroles based on diced meat or vegetables so that the cooking fits around your plans better, adjust the heat settings and timings as suggested below:


Low	Medium	High
6–8 hours	4–6 hours	3–4 hours
8–10 hours	6–8 hours	5–6 hours
10–12 hours	8–10 hours	7–8 hours

(The above timings were taken from the Morphy Richards slow cooker instruction manual. Note: do not change timings or settings for fish, whole joints or dairy dishes.)

using your slow cooker for the first time

Before you start to use the slow cooker, put it on the work surface, somewhere out of the way and make sure that the flex is tucked around the back of the machine and not trailing over the front of the work surface.

The outside of the slow cooker does get hot, so warn young members of the family and don’t forget to wear oven gloves or use tea towels when you are lifting the pot out of the housing. Set it on to a heatproof mat on the table or work surface to serve the food.

If your slow cooker lid has a vent in the top, make sure that the slow cooker is not put under an eye-level cupboard or the steam may catch someone’s arm as they reach into the cupboard.

Always check that the joint, pudding basin, soufflé dish or individual moulds will fit into your slow cooker pot before you begin work on a recipe to avoid frustration when you get to a critical point.

preparing food for the slow cooker

meat

Cut meat into pieces that are the same size so that cooking is even, and fry off meat before adding to the slow cooker.

A whole guinea fowl or pheasant, a small gammon joint or half a shoulder of lamb can be cooked in an oval slow cooker pot, but make sure that it does not fill more than the lower two-thirds of the pot. Cover it with boiling liquid and cook on high. Check it is cooked either by using a meat thermometer or by inserting a skewer through the thickest part and checking that the juices run clear.

tip

As the slow cooker heats up, it forms a water seal just under the lid, but whenever you lift the lid you break the seal. For each time you lift the lid, add 20 minutes to the cooking time.

Add boiling stock or sauce to the slow cooker pot and press the meat beneath the surface before cooking begins.

vegetables

Root vegetables can (surprisingly) take longer to cook than meat. If you are adding vegetables to a meat casserole, make sure you cut them into pieces that are a little smaller than the meat and try to keep all the vegetable chunks the same size so that they cook evenly. Press the vegetables and the meat below the surface of the liquid before cooking begins.

When you are making soup, purée it while it is still in the slow cooker pot by using an electric stick blender if you have one.

fish

Whether you cut the fish into pieces or cook it in a larger piece of about 500 g (1 lb), the slow, gentle cooking will not cause the fish to break up or overcook. Make sure that the fish is covered by the hot liquid so that it cooks evenly right through to the centre.

Do not add shellfish until the last 15 minutes of cooking, and make sure that the slow cooker is set to high. If the fish was frozen it must be thoroughly thawed, rinsed with cold water and drained before use.

tip

You can make so much more than just a casserole in the slow cooker. Try soups, steamed puddings, baked custards, hot toddies and even cakes, chutneys and preserves.

pasta

For best results cook the pasta separately in a saucepan of boiling water and then mix with the casserole just before serving. Small pasta shapes, such as macaroni or shells, can be added to soups 30–45 minutes before the end of cooking.

Pasta can be soaked in boiling water for short-cook recipes, such as Macaroni with Smoked Haddock (see pages 132–3).

rice

Easy-cook rice is preferable for slow cookers because it has been partially cooked during manufacture and some of the starch has been washed off, making it less sticky.

When you are cooking rice, allow a minimum of 250 ml (8 fl oz) water for each 100 g (3½ oz) of easy-cook rice or up to 500 ml (17 fl oz) for risotto rice.

dried pulses

Make sure that you soak dried pulses in plenty of cold water overnight. Drain them, then put them into a saucepan with fresh water and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then drain or add with the cooking liquid to the slow cooker. See the recipes for details.

Pearl barley, lentils — red, Puy or green — do not need soaking overnight. If you are unsure, check the instructions on the packet.

cream and milk

Both cream and milk are generally added at the beginning of cooking only when you are making rice pudding or baked egg custard-style dishes. Use full-fat milk where milk is cooked directly in the cooker pot rather than pudding moulds as it is less likely to separate.

If you are making soup, add the milk at the very end, after the soup has been puréed. Stir cream into soups just 15 minutes before the end of cooking.

thickening stews and casseroles

Casseroles can be thickened in just the same way as if you were cooking conventionally. You can do it either before slow cooking, by adding the flour after searing meat or frying onions, or you can thicken the casserole with cornflour mixed with a little water 30–60 minutes before the end of cooking.

adapting your own recipes

If you have a favourite recipe that you would like to make in your slow cooker, look at a similar recipe in this book to give you an idea of the quantity that will fit into the slow cooker pot and the appropriate timing for the main ingredient. Because a slow cooker cooks food so gently and evenly you will find that you need to reduce the amount of liquid. Begin by using just half the amount of hot liquid, and then add to it as needed, pressing foods beneath the surface of the liquid and increasing the amount until just covered. Recipes that contain fresh tomatoes will turn to pulp during cooking, so you will not need quite so much liquid.

In the slow cooker the steam condenses on the lid and returns to the pot, so there is no danger of recipes boiling dry. If you find you have reduced the amount of liquid too much, add a little more boiling stock or water at the end of cooking to compensate.

tip

Whether or not you brown the ingredients first, make sure you always add hot liquid to the cooker pot.

It is usually best to add milk or cream at the end of the recipe unless the recipe uses the slow cooker pot as a bain marie or water bath, when hot water is poured around a cooking dish. Rice pudding and porridge is the exception to this, and you should use UHT or full-fat milk and not semi-skimmed or skimmed milk for these. Refer to individual recipes in the book for guidance.

When you are adapting a recipe remember:

• Foods cooked in a slow cooker must contain some liquid.

• Foods will not brown during cooking, so fry off foods before they go in or brown the top by transferring the slow cooker pot from its housing to the grill just before serving or by using a cook’s blowtorch.

changing recipes to suit a different model

All the recipes in this book have been tested in a standard sized slow cooker with a total capacity of 3.5 litres (6 pints). You might have a larger 5 litre (8¾ pint) six-portion sized cooker or a tiny 1.5 litre (2½ pint) two-portion cooker, and to adapt the recipes in this book you can simply halve for two portions or add half as much again to the recipe for more portions, keeping the timings the same. All those recipes made in a pudding basin, soufflé dish or individual moulds may also be cooked in a larger slow cooker for the same amount of time.

for the freezer

The majority of soups and stews in this book can be frozen successfully, and if you have do not have a large family or if you live on your own, freezing individual portions for another meal can be a great time saver. After all, it requires only a little extra effort to make a casserole for four than it does to make one for two. Defrost portions in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 4 hours, then reheat thoroughly in a saucepan on the hob or in the microwave on full power.

tip

So that you can easily lift a hot basin out of the slow cooker, tear off two long pieces of foil. Fold each into thirds to make a long, thin strap. Put one on top of the other to make a cross, then sit the pudding basin in the centre. Lift up the straps, then lower the basin into the slow cooker pot carefully. Alternatively, you can buy macramé string pudding basin bags, but do make sure that they will comfortably hold a 1.25 litre (2¼ pint) basin before you buy one.

If you are using raw frozen foods make sure that they are thoroughly thawed before you add them to the slow cooker. Exceptions to this rule are frozen peas and sweetcorn. Raw food that was frozen and is then thawed and cooked in the slow cooker can be refrozen in its cooked and cooled state.

caring for your slow cooker

If you look after it carefully you may find that your machine lasts for 20 years or more.

Because the heat of a slow cooker is so controllable it is not like a saucepan with burned-on grime to contend with. Simply lift the slow cooker pot out of the housing, fill it with hot soapy water and leave to soak for a while. Although it is tempting to pop the slow cooker pot and lid into the dishwasher, they do take up a lot of space, and check with your manual first, because not all are dishwasher proof.

Allow the machine itself to cool down before cleaning. Turn it off at the controls and pull out the plug. Wipe the inside with a damp dish cloth, removing any stubborn marks with a little cream cleaner. The outside of the machine and the controls can be wiped with a dish cloth, then buffed up with a duster or, if it has a chrome-effect finish, sprayed with a little multi-surface cleaner and polished with a duster. Never immerse the machine in water to clean it. If you are storing the slow cooker in a cupboard, make sure it is completely cold before you put it away.