Thursday 27 August 2015

In praise of slow cookers.

I love salads.  I love fresh fruit.  I love all the wonderful flavours of the summer.  But regardless of all that, there is something wonderful about the first rice pud of the season.

Image result for slow cooker tesco
Today I realised that action needed to be taken to avoid wasting some milk so I found rice, sugar and butter from my stores and I dragged the slow cooker out of the cupboard for the first time for several months.


There's something magic about cooking in a slow cooker.  Bung in a few ingredients, switch on, leave it for a few hours and voila! dinner is served.  Tough meat becomes tender, flavours meld together, and the electricity meter is scarcely troubled.  Good, wholesome food is on the table and there's always some left to freeze for another day.  I even bought mine in a Tesco Clubcard boost event so it has always been a bargain!

Truly it is one of the joys of cooler days.

16 comments:

  1. I am dragging mine out today for pork chops! I have never made rice pudding in the crock pot -- perhaps you would share your recipe.

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  2. Easy peasy. 2 pints milk. 4 oz oudding rice. (I used risotto rice today and it was lovely). 2 oz caster sugar. Bung everything in a slow cooker on high. Takes about 3-4 hours.

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    1. Sorry, that may not be helpful. I've just remembered that you are more likely to use cups than weights so I've been back to the kitchen to ferret out my rarely-used measuring cups. Try this. Half cup rice, quarter cup sugar and about one and three quarters pint milk. It's hard to do exact conversions!

      You may find that this is a little stiff but it's easy to add more milk as needed. Or you could be as naughty as me and add cream.

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  3. Thank you! Writing it down now. I am the only one who likes rice pudding but I would be more than thrilled to make it for myself. Sounds easy enough -- will let you know!

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  4. Please tell me where I'm going wrong! I bought a slow cooker and thought, "Ah, the ideal cooker ... I can plonk stuff in it of a morning and it'll be ready for supper without any further effort ..." Yes, this might be the case, but everything I put in came out tasting exactly the same whether it was a beef casserole or chicken! It's not languishing at the back of a cupboard, unwanted and unloved. Maybe I should try it again ...
    Margaret P

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    1. Are you following a recipe? I have to admit I now follow one only rarely but when I first had a slow cooker I didn't like the stuff that came out! I then followed recipes carefully until I had got the hang of it. One thing which worried me was how wet food was when it was cooked as there is very little evaporation but I've learnt to cope with that now. I'll try and post a few recipes as I make them but you could have a look at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/slow-cooker

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    2. Yes, I was following recipes from a slow cooker book, but still everything came out tasting exactly the same. I now rely on my Neff circotherm oven and things come out just fine, but I might try the slow cooker again, just once ...
      Margaret P

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    3. I also use a Czech cooker and love that. Once I get into slow cooking again for the winter I'll take more notice of how I use it but I find the food which comes out to be delicious.

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  5. Oh I love my slow cooker. Nothing nicer than in the winter before school when I bung in some stewing steak, a good glug of red, a baton of veg and some herbs and seasoning. The house smells gorgeous by lunch and tea and simple and easy by the time we want it. Mmmm.

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  6. I'm like all of your commenters - love my slow cooker (have 2 - one small and one large). I never even knew you could cook rice puddings until my cousin told me. My puds have been a bit hit and miss as my method is 'grab a handful and throw it in!' - so glad of your measurements.

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  7. When I was a child my Mum's rice pudding wasn't great.... as a result I still avoid it now. Having said that, you recipe sounds quite nice so I may 'give it a try'. Jx

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  8. Replies
    1. Great to hear! Have I converted you to home made rice pud? (It freezes quite well, given the chance.)

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  9. I'm falling in love with my new slow cooker which I bought from Lakeland. AND with the recipes from their Slow Cooker recipe book. My recent favourite was balsamic lamb stewb http://www.foodtolove.com.au/recipes/sun-dried-tomato-and-balsamic-lamb-stew-16803

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