yeah, more slow cooker questions! :)

[jag5000]

hi all,

I have a chicken-y, mushroom-y, wine-y thing bubbling away in my slow cooker right now (smells amazing!) .. I wanted to add a bit of cream to it. Does anyone know if I can add it now and still cook it for another hour or so? will it curdle or go yuk?

also... how do you cook a roast in there? what does it end up like/taste? what cuts of meat do you use?

oh and one more.. my mum just bought a slow cooker ($40 at aldi if anyones looking) and it's huge. Can she cook 2 person sized meals in it still? is a smaller one better for smaller meals?

thanks heaps!

[Myztik]

When I made soup a few weeks ago it said when it is ready to serve, remove about 2 cups of the soup (sauce in your case) and turn the cooker on high. Add the cream to the soup removed then add it all back into the slow cooker.

I dont think they recommend adding cream until the last minute.

[jag5000]

great tip Myztik - cheers for that! :)

[Myztik]

No worries :D I've only just started using mine and am addicted to it :o

Am also interested in seeing how you do a roast in it :yes:

[crafty_gnome]

I've done a leg of lamb in mine a couple of times. I just put some onions and potatoes (just halved) on the bottom with a little bit of water, then put the leg on top of them and turn it onto low for 6-8hrs, depending on when we want to eat and how late I've left it. Turns out sooooooo tender it falls off the bone. Did do a small piece of pork in it but that didn't really turn out, I'd probably still do that in the oven. Was a bit dry.

Also have put the leg of lamb in straight from the freezer and it turns out just as nice!

[Myztik]

oh cool, I have contemplated using frozen meat and then thought it might not turn out (coz I forget to take it out of the freezer the night before :rolleyes:).. Will definately give the lamb roast a try though :thumbsup:

[jag5000]

bugger! i bought a pork roast to try in slow cooker tomorrow :(

maybe I'll just do it in the oven

or nah.. I'll do it in the slow cooker and if it doesn't turn out too great... well too bad! DH will live! LOL

[Lastcenturymum]

Oh I love mine! Got some pork with onions and moroccan seasoning in at the moment. Will add some vine tomatoes a bit later on and some apple chunks I think. The white wine is making it smell great! Will serve with couscous and steamed broccoli!

I asked a q on another slow cooker thread about pork recipes, didn't find any, if this is ok I will add it to the recipes.

Oh and I used to do roast chicken in mine years ago. Just sprinkled it with paprika so it kinda looked browned and I think I put vegies around it, I can't recall.

[jag5000]

LCM - I'd love any pork recipes you are willing to share!

what cut of pork do you use?

[GummyBear]

Sorry to hijak, but to those who have done a roast from frozen, did you just leave it on low for 8 hours?

I was thinking about doing a pot roast but I didn't take it out of the freezer. Maybe it would be ok anyway?

Back to the question the OP asked, I always do roast lamb in my slow cooker, I put it on a couple of foil balls so it doesn't sit in the fat too long, then scoop a couple of tablespoons of the juices out for gravy.

Never fails... Ever!

[Jif]

thats clever Jane! Might try a lamb roast next week. i need a bigger slow cooker!!
we have meatballs in the SC at the mo - I LOVE having dinner sorted by lunchtime!!:yelclap:

[jag5000]

I've got my pork roast in there now.. will report back after dinner for a thumbs up or down :)

[BoyCrazy]

omg im so hungry..i so shouldnt have looked in this section :laughing:

the balls of foil is a fantastic idea!!! im gonna have to copy when i do a lamb next! :D

how do you make gravy from the juices?

[Jenko]

Mmmm, I've got a beef casserole in my slow cooker atm.

For the roast. Not sure about the frozen part, but I put my leg of lamb on a small saucer turned upside down in the bottom of the slow cooker. I rubbed in some marrocan and garlic seasoning and popped it in. It was the best roast I've ever cooked.

I tried a roast beef and it was looking good, but I let it cook for another few hours and it dried out. Better luck next time :fingerscrossed:

[KatiesMum]

mmmm thanks for that - I have just put my leg of lamb in the sc.

The saucer idea is fantastic.

Have never cooked a roast in it before, so we'll see how it turns out :D

[GummyBear]

how do you make gravy from the juices?

I take a two or three tablespoons of the juices from the bottom of the slow cooker just before I'm ready to serve it. Put them in a small saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of gravox or flour and cook it up on low heat to brown up the flour a bit. Then slowly add (whisking constantly so it doesn't get too lumpy) about 1 cup of water. Up the heat a bit so it thickens. You may need a touch more water.

Can't have roast lamb without pan juice gravy!

[crafty_gnome]

I use meat from frozen in mine all the time (can you tell it's always a last minute decision for me??? hehehe) I've done a few of the packet mixes you buy, just the normal ones, and they turn out ok too. I did the Devilled Sausages one, my fav, with frozen sausages and it was perfect. Also do the Lamb Ragout quite regularly. We made the slow cooker packet mix, Beef and Mushroom Ragout the other night and it was really nice. Even DH loved it, had a bit of a spice which he doesn't normally like and was fine with it.