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mac1

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5 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Do you like a steak?

Try cooking one on a really low heat for about 6 or 7 minutes. It will be cooked through and grey. 

Now try cooking one the traditional way on a high heat for about 4 minutes. It will have caramelised bits on the outside. 

See if you can tell the difference.

Yup, as per my post 9 hours previously ;)

 

Yeah I did notice and tried to quote/link the post but being a Numpty I couldn't work out how to do it ;)

So yup first dibs to WotEver :)

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I have two Tower slow cookers a very old one that must be about 30 years old, it just has high and low settings. and a newer Tower cooker that has hi--low -auto settings I have no idea what the auto setting is for. I tend to use the older one most of the time on the low setting, If I want it to cook faster I just cover it with some towels to give it better insulation and it cooks much hotter.

As for browning the meat I would agree it does taste better, I have a super insulated Sous-vide bath as well. I only cook ox cheek in the bath over a very long time but it does look bland but tastes scrummy . I tend to use the Sous-vide bath more now as you can cook lots of different things in it at once and freeze them down for later.

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1 hour ago, I Spartacus said:

As for browning the meat I would agree it does taste better, I have a super insulated Sous-vide bath as well. I only cook ox cheek in the bath over a very long time but it does look bland but tastes scrummy . I tend to use the Sous-vide bath more now as you can cook lots of different things in it at once and freeze them down for later.

When chefs cook sous vide they generally give the meat a very hot flash fry afterwards in order to both make it look more appetising and give a bit of caramelising flavour. 

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45 minutes ago, WotEver said:

When chefs cook sous vide they generally give the meat a very hot flash fry afterwards in order to both make it look more appetising and give a bit of caramelising flavour. 

Yes they would stick it on a griddle after cooking it sous vide, I tend to cook steaks the old fashioned way, I use it for stews if cooking red meat. I mostly cook chicken sous vide as I can cook Thai and Indian or what ever I fancy all together in the same bath instead of cooking just one big pot full .Remember you can turn your slow cooker into a sous vide bath for about £10. Stuff paying the hundreds of pounds they are asking for them.

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4 hours ago, I Spartacus said:

 Tower cooker that has hi--low -auto settings I have no idea what the auto setting is for.

If it is anything like the slow cooker we had with an auto function it brings it up to a certain temp for a period and then drops it to low for the rest of the time.  I suspect the idea is that it ensures the food has reached the required temperature without you hanging around to turn it down.

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5 hours ago, Jerra said:

If it is anything like the slow cooker we had with an auto function it brings it up to a certain temp for a period and then drops it to low for the rest of the time.  I suspect the idea is that it ensures the food has reached the required temperature without you hanging around to turn it down.

Thanks for that information, I was told something like that, but how does know what is cooking ! chicken fish or beef

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19 minutes ago, I Spartacus said:

Thanks for that information, I was told something like that, but how does know what is cooking ! chicken fish or beef

I don't think it does after all anything you are going to leave for a long time and unattended will probably be the sort of thing which can stand a long slow cook e.g. meat.   To be honest we have never worried about times being too long rather make sure it is long enough to cook.

Never tried fish in the slow cooker however.

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On 3/22/2017 at 20:39, magictime said:

Just as an alternative - a much more expensive alternative, unfortunately! - you might look into 'thermal cookers' like these:

http://mrdscookware.com/

We had one on our boat and found it did perform as advertised. They're basically oversized vacuum flasks. You get your stew, curry or whatever simmering on the hob for a few minutes, then stick the pot in the outer container with the lid down for several hours while your food cooks in its own retained heat. Probably not as convenient as an electric slow cooker, because you do need to start off as if you're just cooking in a pan - brown the meat etc., add the sauce/stock, stir and simmer for maybe ten minutes - but the next best thing if saving electricity is a concern.

If you're wondering about spending £17 on an electric slow cooker for home use though, I'd say go for it. Yes, they are very easy to use - you can literally put your ingredients in raw and leave them to cook unattended - and again, they do perform as advertised in terms of making meat very tender. Slow-cooked mutton hotpot... mmm!

Thanks for the link, that is now on my birthday must have list.  

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10 hours ago, I Spartacus said:

Thanks for that information, I was told something like that, but how does know what is cooking ! chicken fish or beef

It has the same circuitry as a thermos flask uses to know whether to keep its contents hot or cold ;)

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