Slow cookers
This is a general question for those of you who use a slow cooker at home and in the caravan.
Just how do you put up with the smell?
I find it's the same smell no matter what's cooking in fact it's so bad that I've just put ours in the garage.
Anyone else have this problem?
Comments
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Oooh no, that smell doesn't sound right. Our slow cooker just used to smell of what was cooking too, often the small was better than the taste. We did find that it was best for strong flavoured foods like curry and chilli; blander meals we found just used
to taste of slow cooker. We got rid of ours when OH retired, as he loves to cookand now has the time to do it, and he never liked the slow cooker anyway.0 -
Oooh no, that smell doesn't sound right. Our slow cooker just used to smell of what was cooking too, often the small was better than the taste. We did find that it was best for strong flavoured foods like curry and chilli; blander meals we found just used
to taste of slow cooker. We got rid of ours when OH retired, as he loves to cookand now has the time to do it, and he never liked the slow cooker anyway.I agree I think everything I've cooked in it so far has had the same slow cooker taste. OH not impressed ....oh how I wish I could get him to take an interest in cooking. Beans on toast is his limit.
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I use three slow cookers (for different things). Does yours have a removable inner? There might be something stuck between it and the element. Certainly mine only smell off food - but when girl friend boiled langoustines overnight I thing I would have prefered the plastic insulation smell!
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Natasha2, quick question. Do you brown your meat off first. I know in some books it just tells you to put everything in the pot and switch it on, if you brown the meat first it not only speeds up the cooking time but it adds flavour and you get a nice cooked
smell like if you do a casserole on the hob or in the oven.Would agree with others to check it out as it shouldn't have an unpleasant smell, just the nice smell of cooking food. I love using mine, going out then coming home to the kitchen smelling of yummy food.
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Natasha2, quick question. Do you brown your meat off first. I know in some books it just tells you to put everything in the pot and switch it on, if you brown the meat first it not only speeds up the cooking time but it adds flavour and you get a nice cooked
smell like if you do a casserole on the hob or in the oven.Would agree with others to check it out as it shouldn't have an unpleasant smell, just the nice smell of cooking food. I love using mine, going out then coming home to the kitchen smelling of yummy food.
Have tried it both ways, browning and non.
I've realised that the cooking pot when it's empty has the smell that permeates the whole house so for now I've left some lemon juice inside just to see if that helps. Not really expecting any improvement.
Its got put to the back of the cupboard again!!
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Natasha2, quick question. Do you brown your meat off first. I know in some books it just tells you to put everything in the pot and switch it on, if you brown the meat first it not only speeds up the cooking time but it adds flavour and you get a nice cooked
smell like if you do a casserole on the hob or in the oven.Would agree with others to check it out as it shouldn't have an unpleasant smell, just the nice smell of cooking food. I love using mine, going out then coming home to the kitchen smelling of yummy food.
Have tried it both ways, browning and non.
I've realised that the cooking pot when it's empty has the smell that permeates the whole house so for now I've left some lemon juice inside just to see if that helps. Not really expecting any improvement.
Its got put to the back of the cupboard again!!
That's a shame I wouldn't be without mine now, I have a small round one which I use just for the 2 of us, it has a pot inner, I take away in the van in the colder weather aswell. I also have a bigger one from one of the big supermarkets its inner is non
stick metal so I can brown things off in that then put it straight into the cooker bit for the slow cooking, this one is big enough for 4-6 portion depending on what it is I'm cooking.0 -
Well that was interesting. I put "slow cooker" into the main search engine and it came up with a list of CLs. So I tried again and put "slow cooker" into the search at the top of the Food and Drink Section and it produced good results. Maybe lost threads can be more easily found this way?
Anyway, I saw this on the BBC. A Christmas dinner with a slow cooker.
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My wife hates cooking smells so we use our slow cooker in our integral garage at home. We have used it very successfully in the caravan awning placed on the ground rather that a groundsheet. Last year we did that in Scotland in almost freezing temperatures and it worked really well, the best part being that my wife was not bothered by it.
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Has anyone used an electric instant pot in the caravan? They slow cook, pressure cook, cook rice etc all in the same pot. I bought one to test at home this winter and will definitely be using it in the caravan. You can't smell the food when it is cooking and it is brilliant for both slow cooking and pressure cooking.
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Cambia you didn't mention that they don't hiss and steam like the normal pressure cooker! (Mine has a moisture collection point). As long as they are gentle on amps I think they would be great in caravan. I too have been trying one out at home
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We have used a slow cooker at home for the first time this year and cooked several different dishes. I am sure that it would be very convenient in a caravan; just one problem, we don't like the way it cooks the food. Often the fat from the meat seems to permeate throughout the dish and is unpleasant. Definitely not our preferred method of cooking and it will probably end up in the local tip in due course.
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I've been using a slow cooker for a fair few years and not had this, do you brown off the meat first before adding it to the cooker.
What type of things have you made using it, I make curries,bolognese, chilli, stews, goulash, slow cooked ribs, brisket of beef is good. Lamb might be a bit on the fatty side depending on the cuts used.
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Strange you saying that because it was the same reason we gave up on the Slow Cooker we had as we didn't like the food it produced. If cooking a casserole type dish we now use a combination of microwave to get it started and then the main oven. Gave it to one of our sons and he used it for all sorts of things successfully.
David
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Don't put it on the tip Hitchglitch, hand it over to a charity shop that take electricals!
I use the slow cooker a lot in the winter as I like stews etc. I also cook a whole chicken, browning it first in a pan, putting a few sliced veg and onions (plus a spot of wine) as a base layer in the cooker for a nice gravy which I thicken up later. No wastage with the chicken, everything falls off the bone. Have this with separate roasted veg one day then a curry the next, you could do this with any large or small piece of meat.
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I use a different type of slow cooker. Its called a thermal cooker. Check out a web page called Mr D's thermal cooker.
You only cook on gas for ten minutes with it. Close it up and leave for 6 or 7 hours. Have cooked many things from stews, curries with rice at the same time, bread & butter pudding etc. Best piece of kitchen equipment I have ever purchased. I use it at least three times a week at home. And always take it away in the van.
You can prep a meal to take with you on your first day of holiday. Just pop it in the car. Then you can have a piping hot meal 6 or 7 hours later when on site and all set up.
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We are exactly the same - and don't enjoy the taste of food which has been slow-cooked. I think it does all have an underlying 'same' taste, whether you've cooked a chicken, or beef, or lamb. We were discussing whether to get rid of ours just before I saw this post - but it will be to a local charity shop which takes electrical items, not the skip.
We were given ours, unused, so if anyone one would like a very lightly used one they would be welcome to it.
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Can only presume you are doing something weird when using them as I couldn't live without my slow cooker and every meal tastes like it should and so much tastier than when cooked by quicker methods.
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I wouldn't go as far as saying I couldn't live without it but I do use mine a lot and don't have any issues with it. Everything tastes as it should and some are even better, no expensive electric or gas burning away for hours, no food drying up, no having to keep going back and checking it. Cook 2 or 3 times the amount needed then freeze for another day.
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