@contradevian Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 Yes that's true about cheaper cuts of meat. A slow cooker will break down any tough meat which is why you are best to go for the unfashionable and therefore cheaper cuts - shoulder of the pig etc. The best rice I have come across is the Veetee microwave range, it tastes far better than any I have cooked myself and with no preparation/ washing up. I thought, being a cyclist you would be a big rice eater - I think it's claimed to be the most efficient food for getting carbohydrates into your muscles. Some teams have ditched traditional pasta as the after stage meal on recent Grand Tours in favour of rice. *Contador had his own food supplies apparently. Possibly, but I don't regard myself as being in the Bradley Wiggins class. Poddling along at 15 mph for a couple hours, usually an apple or banana would suffice for my kind of rides, and I've known better riders go 100 miles or so on half a Soreen loaf, so its not a big issue. Maybe I could bit of rice back into my diet and see how it goes. If I start to put on fat, then stop. Also I've noticed you can microwave rice makers now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyMe Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I think you are supposed to with red kidney beans, but I'm not a fan of legumes anyway. Horrible stuff and along with grains/cereals best avoided. Give me meat, fish, veg, butter, cream any day! Also I bought it so you could cook cheaper cuts of meat. Too much so called quality meat is lacking in decent fat, and its far more palatable if that fat is rendered down into the cooking juices and absorbed by the veg. On another thread a poster suggested a rice cooker. Now I'm not a big rice eater, however I presume a pressure cooker would be the way to go? However Lidl are currently selling rice cookers for £14.99 Rice cooker - I think this is basically pretty similar to a slow cooker, multi-hour job to do iirc. Pressure cookers can make amazing curries - onion base takes a lot of doing to get it into nice puree - much, much quicker in a pressure cooker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 OMG! Bought three ham shank joints today on the market for a fiver! Bit much for me, as I can only get one at a time in the slow cooker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ascii Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 OMG! Bought three ham shank joints today on the market for a fiver! Bit much for me, as I can only get one at a time in the slow cooker. If you can get uncured shanks, then you can make Scweinhaxe. That very good, though takes some time. I do two of them for a family of four - lots of cracking. I braise it as well until it falls apart then chuck it in a gumbo sauce. That's nice. It's also very good if braised for a while in chinesey spices then roasted until it falls apart in pancakes like they do with duck at chinese restaurants, just a lot cheaper. I can get 10 for a tenner here but you do need freezer space. Same with lamb breast; make good curries with that. Less than a pound a piece if you buy enough, about £3.50 at the big supermarkets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 If you can get uncured shanks, then you can make Scweinhaxe. That very good, though takes some time. I do two of them for a family of four - lots of cracking. I braise it as well until it falls apart then chuck it in a gumbo sauce. That's nice. It's also very good if braised for a while in chinesey spices then roasted until it falls apart in pancakes like they do with duck at chinese restaurants, just a lot cheaper. I can get 10 for a tenner here but you do need freezer space. Same with lamb breast; make good curries with that. Less than a pound a piece if you buy enough, about £3.50 at the big supermarkets. where is here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ascii Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 On another thread a poster suggested a rice cooker. Now I'm not a big rice eater, however I presume a pressure cooker would be the way to go? If I'm doing dhal, then I quite often cook the rice in a sealed pot above the dhal on a trivet (two things cooked for the price of one). In general though haybox (or duvet cooking as someone here called it) works quite well too. Get it in a pan bring it up to the boil, hold for a minute or so then put a lid on it and wrap in towels etc. It's cook fine in 30-40 minutes (while you're cooking everything else) and won't stick to the pan. You have to get the liquid content right though. Doing rice in the bottom of a pressure cooker is likely to result in having to scrub quite hard to unstick the remaining mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ascii Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 where is here? The market specifically is Chesterfield but I don't live there - a few miles out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 I can get 10 for a tenner here but you do need freezer space. Same with lamb breast; make good curries with that. Less than a pound a piece if you buy enough, about £3.50 at the big supermarkets. I'm going to start one off now, and soak another overnight for tomorrow. Yes it was one shank for £2.38 or 3 x £5. Some good deals on local market. Should be a weeks meat hopefully cooked over 2/3 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 If you really want to be ultra frugal, build a rocket stove, bring the food up to temp using a few sticks and then stick it in a haybox to cook. 58mm or 47mm evacuated glass tubes used on Solar water heaters if filled with a liquid will boil in about 45 minutes in direct sunshine even in the UK. Back in 2008 in my ultra TFH days I made a beef casserole in a tube for 6 heated entirely by sunlight! the 58mm x1800mm tube will hold about 3.5 litres, the 47 x 1500mm about 1.8 litres. You can also get shorty 58mmx1000mm tubes. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Solar-vacuum-water-heater-tubes-boil-water-sun-/320745491595?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aadebcc8b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ascii Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 interesting, bit of a pain to clean though I imagine. Just had a thought, might be able to make pork bazookas out of those by ramming a shank in the end and the ensuing increase in pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R K Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Compulsory wedding present list item c 1983 g/f tells me they're brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 not read the tread ,but has anyone done the joke "bought? i married one" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 not read the tread ,but has anyone done the joke "bought? i married one" I was saving it for the next thread about old boilers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 interesting, bit of a pain to clean though I imagine. Just had a thought, might be able to make pork bazookas out of those by ramming a shank in the end and the ensuing increase in pressure. As long as you dont let the contents burn very easy to clean - the glass is pyrex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 interesting, bit of a pain to clean though I imagine. Just had a thought, might be able to make pork bazookas out of those by ramming a shank in the end and the ensuing increase in pressure. I've seen one Youtube video where they use a polythene liner for "easy clean up." Only the lid then. Apart from that, just like cleaning a casserole dish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ascii Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I've seen one Youtube video where they use a polythene liner for "easy clean up." Only the lid then. Apart from that, just like cleaning a casserole dish. My bad was referring to the glass tubes; I'm pretty familiar with slow cookers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I have it on my list to build a sun oven this year. Now where I live, that is bound to be a very slow cooker! No pics I'm afraid, but I recollect in Iceland seeing folks with pressure cookers powered by volcanic hot water. Just suspend it in a robust string cage! Once upon a time I had a slow cooker. Not sure where it went: most likely my ex. got it when we split. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Don't you soak the beans overnight and then rinse them to get rid of the toxins on the skin? I have used dried broad beans, pinto and chick peas in a slow cooker and the results were edible. They can be excellent! I've had people asking for recipes for dishes I've cooked along those lines. As for overnight soaking, it's more necessary for some pulses than others. Some like kidney beans can (AIUI) do real harm if inadequately prepared. Others may do semi-harm (like giving you wind) but mostly just need to hydrate. While lentils (most of them) don't need soaking at all, provided you boil them up for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I think that's only a partial fix in the general case as some beans have mild toxins in that are broken down by being cooked hot enough. I graduated to tinned beans some time back though, I just can't be ar5ed with all that soaking and stuff. The slow cooker thing is great because I can dump a few tins in along with some vegetables and get three days food in one go with almost no further prep. I gave up a lot of that soaking, not because it's too much hassle, but because so many beans lack real taste. I just use a few staples now (lentils, chickpeas, mung beans for sprouting). I'll take others when encountered in food I didn't prepare, but I no longer give them cupboard space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ascii Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 They can be excellent! I've had people asking for recipes for dishes I've cooked along those lines. As for overnight soaking, it's more necessary for some pulses than others. Some like kidney beans can (AIUI) do real harm if inadequately prepared. Others may do semi-harm (like giving you wind) but mostly just need to hydrate. While lentils (most of them) don't need soaking at all, provided you boil them up for a while. You get a little immune to the gaseous nature or beans after you've been eating them for a while, though discarding soaking water helps (anecdotally so does asafoetida, and I think I would agree with that). That said though, most beans have nasties if they aren't cooked enough. Green beans (and I think dried too) contain prussic acid which, if I remember my chemistry and history correctly, are either the same or the precursor to Zyklon B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ascii Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I gave up a lot of that soaking, not because it's too much hassle, but because so many beans lack real taste. I just use a few staples now (lentils, chickpeas, mung beans for sprouting). I'll take others when encountered in food I didn't prepare, but I no longer give them cupboard space. I use: Red, green and yellow lentils. Rose coca Red Kidney Haricot Butter beans Chickpeas Marrowfat peas Black eye beans Mung beans so not that many really. They keep for ages and are dirt cheap (especially when bought from Asian supermarkets). Rose coca are definitely worth a try if you've nver given them a go. Would still never do them in a slow cooker though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I use: Red, green and yellow lentils. Rose coca Red Kidney Haricot Butter beans Chickpeas Marrowfat peas Black eye beans Mung beans so not that many really. They keep for ages and are dirt cheap (especially when bought from Asian supermarkets). Rose coca are definitely worth a try if you've nver given them a go. Would still never do them in a slow cooker though. I always try to use peas, beans and lentils if I can, pearl barley is great in a good stew....last year grew some borlotti beans, so easy to grow, dried them, they keep for ages.... Delicious, if you can't grow them I do recommend you try them, good with tomatoes, garlic, meat such as chorizo, bacon or simply with any veg..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted April 28, 2012 Author Share Posted April 28, 2012 Well I got up and my ham shank was cooked nicely. Done in water, seasoned, some herbs, added some white wine (anything I had to hand really) on a bed of root veg and had completely come off the bone. I've now extracted the leanish meat and veg and just rendering down the remaining bones and gunge to create a soup or more likely stock. Not for the squeamish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 How slow is it? Have you managed to make a meal since this thread started? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 I can see the Daily Mail article now - "Man Starves Waiting for Slow Cooker" Along with a McDonald's token? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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