Slow Cooker & Haybox Recipes & Ideas

[jennyjj01]

Like you jen we try and batch cook now so make meals for 3 days at a time , this time of year it is sou pand stew as they are my fav i love hot warm and liquid food , but i do like the odd chicken in sweet and sout with rice as a change .

In the summer i am going to cut the cost of cooking more as i will be going to the bbq area and it will be batch cook loads of stuff so we can have chicken wing nibbles for 3 days and ribs and so on , but i am loving the food sharing ideas i will pop you a recpie on in a few jen to do inthe slow cooker lol

Internet is full of plagiarised incorrect running costs and temperatures for slow cookers.

Low setting is typically 75C - 80C. Remarkable stuff cooks fine at that low temperature.
High setting is typically 99C - 100C
It can't run above 100C while any water remains.

Opening the lid to peek in, can waste 30 minutes of cooking time. So Don't
Pop a tea towel over the top if your lid is a poor seal.

Here's a cost comparison for my measured usage. 3.5L slow cooker, subsidised tariff 36.4p/kWh

	Wattage	Cost per Hour	4 Hours	6 Hours	8 Hours
Electric Oven	2200W	80p	£3.20	£4.80	£6.40
Ceramic Hob	2300W	84p	£3.35	£5.02	£6.70
Slow Cooker Keep Warm	50W	2p	7p	11p	16p
Slow Cooker Low	125W	5p	18p	27p	36p
Slow Cooker High	175W	7p	25p	38p	50p
Small Deep Fat Fryer	2000W	72p

E & OE
It's actually cheaper to cook on high for 4 hours than low for 8 hours. But on low, you'll get better food out.

[steptoe]

Like you jen we try and batch cook now so make meals for 3 days at a time , this time of year it is sou pand stew as they are my fav i love hot warm and liquid food , but i do like the odd chicken in sweet and sout with rice as a change .

In the summer i am going to cut the cost of cooking more as i will be going to the bbq area and it will be batch cook loads of stuff so we can have chicken wing nibbles for 3 days and ribs and so on , but i am loving the food sharing ideas i will pop you a recpie on in a few jen to do inthe slow cooker lol

E & OE
It's actually cheaper to cook on high for 4 hours than low for 8 hours. But on low, you'll get better food out.

Hi jen thanks for the times , yes some of the booksi have you get different times , i was toying with the idea of making a polystrene box to sit the whole unit in as tight as i can 4inch below and round the sides then have a 4inch think lid on top and see how much they helps the cooking times , i wonder if putting it in the box of poly which i could line with thin sheet ally to lower the risk of fire or melting and being in such a closed in space would it help rather than in a huge klitchen with cold air all round .

[jennyjj01]

Hi jen thanks for the times , yes some of the books i have you get different times , i was toying with the idea of making a polystyrene box to sit the whole unit in as tight as i can 4inch below and round the sides then have a 4inch think lid on top and see how much they helps the cooking times , i wonder if putting it in the box of poly which i could line with thin sheet ally to lower the risk of fire or melting and being in such a closed in space would it help rather than in a huge kitchen with cold air all round .

I had one failed attempt at making a big foam enclosure with that squirty foam that builders use. I made a sort of mould first. The foam burst out of the mould and just succeeded in making a big mess. I reckon that with enough lagging, it might boil/cook even set on lowest setting. But don't block the vent underneath. If I can blag a hot water tank lagging blanket, that will get modified as a big tea cosy.

[Kiwififer]

Not much to look at but I came in to mushroom, beef and Stilton stew. Currently boiling tatties to go along with it, it’s what every Scot needs this time of year!

[jennyjj01]

Not much to look at but I came in to mushroom, beef and Stilton stew. Currently boiling tatties to go along with it, it’s what every Scot needs this time of year!

Thanks.
Don't knock it. Looks delish and I'm wanting to dip some crusty bread into the screen.
I just snarfed the last portion of slow cooked braised steak, left over from Saturday. In deference to my tasting panel, I'm now eating some sort of leftovers at least every other day.
Soon as I get this weeks cheap supermarket veg, I'll be doing a massive batch of 'Lobby'. Staffordshire version of 'stew' or Liverpool 'scouse': Leftover meat from a Sunday roast, Spuds, root veg, an OXO cube and a few herbs. The 3.5L crockpot will make at least 8 portions. Doesn't need much meat

[Kiwififer]

I actually don’t have bread in the house Jenny, I did have sourdough and proper Jersey butter but that never lasts!