Re: Slow Cooker Problems


Brogden Fields wrote:
I have just bought a slow cooker and tried a recipe for paprika beef.
The recipe said to fry the onions and brown the beef first, and get
everyting simmering before transferring to the slow cooker, but the
manual said that the browning step could be omitted if time was tight.
Because I wanted to put everything on before I went to work I put the
raw sliced onions in the bottom of the pot, put the diced beef
(straight from the fridge) and other bits on top, covered the whole lot
with boiling water and put it on low.

Eleven hours later it smelled great! However, the beef was not as
tender as I expected, and was also quite dry, and the onions were tough
and stringy. I was very disappointed.

I don't really want to have to part cook things before putting them in
the pot because I can't do this in the time available in the morning
before going to work, so what can I do to get better results?

My slow-cooker is an older West Bend (not ceramic) - but I only use the
low setting after the stuff is completely done and then just use it to
keep the food warm.

When I turn mine on for an all-day or 6-hour cook, I put it at least on
"medium," and sometimes a little higher. Experiment some weekend day
when you're home.


N.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Crappy weather food
    ... large sweet onions, thinly sliced ... salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste ... Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. ... Place sweet potatoes in one bag; ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Re: Beef Stew Recipe
    ... Beef Stew ... As the beef is combined with braised onions and sauteed mushrooms, ... Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Vidalia Onion Pot Roast
    ... tablespoon dry rosemary ... Season the beef brisket well with salt and pepper. ... Heat a large saute pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high ... Add the onions to the saute pan and cook them until golden brown. ...
    (rec.food.recipes)
  • Spiced Beef And Onion Pitas With Parsley Sauce
    ... Spiced Beef And Onion Pitas With Parsley Sauce ... Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high ... heat until hot but not smoking, then saute half of onions, stirring ...
    (rec.food.recipes)
  • Re: Slow Cooker Problems
    ... The recipe said to fry the onions and brown the beef first, ... manual said that the browning step could be omitted if time was tight. ... Next without a recipe how can anybody see where you or the recipe failed. ...
    (rec.food.cooking)