Advice please on Slow Cookers (3 Viewers)

[vwalan]

I have a pressure cooker on board and I know how quickly they can produce the goods, however the whole point of the slow cooker is lost.

A large joint just falls apart and my slow cooker uses no Gas whatsoever. Nor do I need to be on EHU.

i hardly ever use campsites never mind ehu.
i know where you are coming from but use the leccy differently .
as for gas hardly uses any with a pressure cooker .
but a good tied joint shouldnt come apart. or are you over cooking .
certainly many big restaurants etc pressure cookers are the main tool.
but if you like slow cookers i shall never change your views .
i like pressure cookers , and a wok , mind i do use a tagine sometimes as well.

 

[bartiny]

tagine

 

[vwalan]

yes moroccan tagine .
i use one of their ally tagines , have used ceramic ones but they do break easily .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajine
i first went to morocco in 1976 . i thought the tagine a great bit of kit .
you cook and eat from it . several can eat from them .
i have 3 in my kitchen here and one in the truck .
make great party meals . you eat with bread not knives and forks . makes a great get together meal.
do one with meat one with just veg . sorts most parties out .
even better cooked over some nice ashes dragged from a fire or on charcoal.
you can cook lots of things in them . best bought in morocco though .

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[bartiny]

yes moroccan tagine .
i use one of their ally tagines , have used ceramic ones but they do break easily .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajine
i first went to morocco in 1976 . i thought the tagine a great bit of kit .
you cook and eat from it . several can eat from them .
i have 3 in my kitchen here and one in the truck .
make great party meals . you eat with bread not knives and forks . makes a great get together meal.
do one with meat one with just veg . sorts most parties out .
even better cooked over some nice ashes dragged from a fire or on charcoal.
you can cook lots of things in them . best bought in morocco though .

You like your cooking then mind you so do I, the Tajine looks interesting, I don't think I have the payload for that , How big is your bloody kitchen

 

[vwalan]

i use an aliminium tagine its very light and takes up hardly any room.
yes i like cooking . also bake bread etc when away.
mind we are very often miles away from shops etc .
best is my mate bob he bakes bread all the time .and is also expert at making ice cream when we are out in the desert or somewhere really hot .
plus he makes the best millionaires short bread you could ever taste .
cooking is all part of survival . i also am a butcher slaughterman so i have followed food from farms through markets and right through the meat trade into restaurants and hotels .
mind i prefer working at other hobbies like cars trucks driving . but i do like food . i started at about 8 working or helping in a butchers shop.
we cant live without food .

 

[bartiny]

i use an aliminium tagine its very light and takes up hardly any room.
yes i like cooking . also bake bread etc when away.
mind we are very often miles away from shops etc .
best is my mate bob he bakes bread all the time .and is also expert at making ice cream when we are out in the desert or somewhere really hot .
plus he makes the best millionaires short bread you could ever taste .
cooking is all part of survival . i also am a butcher slaughterman so i have followed food from farms through markets and right through the meat trade into restaurants and hotels .
mind i prefer working at other hobbies like cars trucks driving . but i do like food . i started at about 8 working or helping in a butchers shop.
we cant live without food .

Great, now I know who to ask for recipes

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[vwalan]

well lets be honest a pressure cooker can do a lovelly lancashire hot pot .
recipes are easy just add what you have . use fruit in all sorts of places . .
all chefs use same recipes just add and take away what you like or dislike . experiment . .
in morocco i add lea and perrins to the tagines , the moroccans love it . i swap bottles of it for bottles of argon oil . i like cooking with argon .
mackerel cooked in argon oil is mmmm.
mind i take the label off so they dont know what it is . hee hee.

 

[denisejoe]

How do you find it cooks, Denise? I have one too but haven't practised enough with it I think. Do you find you need to cut the meat quite small in order for it to tenderise?

Yes you definitely need to cut everything quite small in order for everything to be cooked properly. I only really use it when we go on our longer holidays rather than just weekends away. I'd rather just make something at home to reheat at weekends.

When we had our previous MH it had the larger fridge/freezer so could take several home cooked meals in the freezer but only have a small fridge with small freezer inside.

Denise

 

[StanandShirley]

Another vote for a Dr D use it all year round the first thing to be packed at the start of a trip

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Shrimp]

It all depends on how you go on holiday/live with your van.
If you do use some EHU places then obviously a Slow Pot is ideal as you are using the power you're paying for & saving your gas, but I would go for the Seal & Sear Slow Pot, much lighter, easier to use.
If you don't use EHU much then a Pressure cooker is probably best.
I use a Remoska & a Morphy Richards Seal & Sear. Personally I don't like Pressure cookers, mother had one that blew it's top-frightened me silly!

 

[Robert Clark]

We very rarely use EHU so wouldn't benefit from a slow cooker. I do however have a Mr D thermal cooker (www.mrdscookware.com) which is a slow cooker which doesn't use electricity. It's like a vacuum flask (a modern day hay box) - heat up the meat and veg in the inner pot on the gas and and then put in the outer and seal. Leave for several hours, usually at least 3-4 hours but longer is OK. Final heat up on stove for about 5 minutes whilst rice/pots/pasta etc is cooked to go with it.

It fits quite easily under one of the seats.

Denise

You don't need EUH for a slow cooker as they use so little energy. A cheap cigarette lighter inverter will do the job. Stick the slow cooker in the sink and dinner cooks whilst you're driving
The aromas wafting around the van at an added benefit

 

[Dave and Ginny]

We got ourselves a Morphy Richards sear and whatever one earlier this year and it did run from our modest 300w inverter when driving down through France to Spain. Only problem was, the smell of a couple of pork chops cooking made us want to stop and eat after two hours driving!

It did come in very handy though, we even discovered that you can cook meat in those roasting bags perfectly and no need to even wash the pan out! One thing we did notice is that the newer alloy sear type pans cook things quicker than the crock pot ceramic type used to. We found that a bonus, plus they are considerably lighter.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[aldhp21]

We very rarely use EHU so wouldn't benefit from a slow cooker. I do however have a Mr D thermal cooker (www.mrdscookware.com) which is a slow cooker which doesn't use electricity. It's like a vacuum flask (a modern day hay box) - heat up the meat and veg in the inner pot on the gas and and then put in the outer and seal. Leave for several hours, usually at least 3-4 hours but longer is OK. Final heat up on stove for about 5 minutes whilst rice/pots/pasta etc is cooked to go with it.

It fits quite easily under one of the seats.

Denise

In total agreement Denise. We bought a Mr D thermal cooker last Christmas. Use it a lot at home especially for home made soups when the veg is getting a bit old. Keeps it's heat for hours and no electricity.

Perfect also for the van. A nice slow cooked stew for when you arrive late on site after a long journey. Just sit the thermal cooker in the sink for safe travel on route. Also nice if you're going out leaving the van for the day. Set it up in the morning, off you go, no inverter or electric to worry about while your out.

Not cheap but well worth the money IMHO.


Cheers
Alan

 

[robnchris]

Slow cookers are (we think) invaluable in the motorhome, we use ours lots at home a 2.5ltr and also when away in the motorhome, the cheaper the better, we paid £9.99 for one reduced with no box only 1.5ltr but has so far lasted 6 years.
Perfect for curries, chillies, bolognese sauces etc etc.

Don`t understand the following for halogen cookers, they are big and you need to wear welders goggles when they light up, great for a tan but not for us.
Slow cooker and Remoska make life easy for us.

 

[JockandRita]

And yet another in favour of a small slow cooker running off a 300w inverter whilst travelling.

we even discovered that you can cook meat in those roasting bags perfectly and no need to even wash the pan out!

Rita does a gammon joint in those bags, and you can use the juices to make up either a sauce or a gravy............but the air has to be squeezed out and the bag sealed well, before placing in the hot water (within the slow cooker).

The lid is secured with a silicone seal, and the slow cooker is placed in the sink whilst travelling.

Cheers,

Jock.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Dave and Ginny]

Rita does a gammon joint in those bags, and you can use the juices to make up either a sauce or a gravy............but the air has to be squeezed out and the bag sealed well, before placing in the hot water (within the slow cooker)

We don't put any water in the slow cooker Jock when using the roasting bag, just straight in. I did initially wonder if it would harm the slow cooker but we've now done it loads of times with no ill effects. We use those Maggi spiced roast bags and they produce great results .

Now feeling peckish...

 

[JockandRita]

We don't put any water in the slow cooker Jock when using the roasting bag, just straight in. I did initially wonder if it would harm the slow cooker but we've now done it loads of times with no ill effects. We use those Maggi spiced roast bags and they produce great results .

Now feeling peckish...

Might give it a try without water some time Dave. Thanks.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[denisejoe]

I cook a whole chicken in my slow cooker at home but don't take it in the van because it is too big and heavy. That's why we bought the Mr D.

Denise

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Minxy]

I've cooked whole chickens in a 5L pressure cooker and they come out "b'utiful"! A gammon or ham cooked in it is wonderful, so juicy.

 

[Shrimp]

Gammon joint in cider, use juices when cooked to make the 'gravy' serve with mustard mash!
Dry roast a joint or a whole chicken, put joint/chicken in without any liquid cook for several hours on Med. I start the pot on High then turn down to Med, I also use the Seal & Sear so I sear the joint/chick before hand. The last small Chick I did I left it for 5 hours and it was juicy, tender and full of flavour! Yum, yum!

 

[PeteH]

There Ya Go!. I thought we where the only ones that had cracked it!!!. We had a Walmart Slow cooker which ran off the Winnebago inverter (115Volts) whilst travelling in the USA. Load it up and start it away at / Before Breakfast. Put it in the sink on the inverter and with the Engine Running for the next few Hours we had a cooked lateish Lunch on arrival next stop!. We got the idea from an American Couple (Full timers) who had been doing it for years at a site in Yuma.

Pete

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Khizzie]

Thanks, yes I was wondering if 6.5 ltr was a bit too big for the two of us, the one you have coupled with a pressure cooker (I had forgot about them ) could be the way to go

I have a nice little 3.5 ltre slow cooker which I use all the time in khizzie,.just add my ingredients in morning switch to low and forget till I get back...dinner perfectly cooked.

 

[Robert Clark]

Ours is only 1.5 litre

 

[vwalan]

I've cooked whole chickens in a 5L pressure cooker and they come out "b'utiful"! A gammon or ham cooked in it is wonderful, so juicy.

if you then quarter the chicken and stick it under the grill you can make it look roasted .
when i used my old vw t2 in morocco nobody could iunderstand how i could do roast chicken at christmas or roast spuds . cooked then fried .
first the chicken then veg . then as you eat the main course cook the xmas pud .
only had two burners and a grill. pressure cooker is king . ha ha .
and fish cooked in a pressure cooker mmmmmm.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[PeteH]

Ah! pressure cooker!. Yes I decorated the ceiling in our new First House. using one. Home on Leave Wifey at work so left in charge, remember I am an Engineer Not of the "domestic" Variety. Cooked for the time required, and Then!!!!. Yes. I took a fork and removed the Weight!!. Oh!!! Poo!. needless to say I was NOT popular!.

In my Defence, It was Market day, the Pub had been open all day. And two buddies where also on leave!!.

Spent most of the rest of my leave??? Decorating!!!

Pete

 

[vwalan]

i think this calls for same in many jobs .
if in doubt read the instructions .
i take it you havent worked on steam engines . ha ha .
the secret sometimes is put pr cooker in a bucket of water . or even a stream .
lift out then carefully lift weight or put back in water a bit longer .
you arent the first and for certain wont be the last one to have made a mistake .

 

[PeteH]

Yes Vwalan. But In vino veritas!!. I should have known. I suppose I did had I thought about it, having recently sat a paper on thermodynamics!!!. Well MY thermo got really dynamic!!

Pete

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Minxy]

I remember having to put the old style pressure cooker in the sink with the cold water on full blast to get it to cool down quickly ... good job they hadn't invented water meters then!

 

[vwalan]

if you use a bowl of water it heats the water up and you can use it for washing the plates after you eat the meal.
i do it every week .on monday. for the rest of week only have to warm it up.
next week is pork . this week was chopped up gammon with veg .
i get 3-4 meals from the first cooking .
week after beef with veg.

 

[Jandek]

Another vote for the Morphy Richards sear and cook one. Great to seal the meat throw in veg and ready at end of day whether on site or travelling. One pot to wash. My kind of cooking!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}