Cooking tips or help

[kevinr]

I am thinking of doing some spag bol tomorrow for tea and I was wondering what's the best way to go about it. I want to use some mixed herbs in the dish when everything is cooking as I have got about 6 jars of mixed herbs in my cupboard I buy these things but I never seem to know what to do with them. Same as I have got 4 jars of oregano and I don't know what you can use it in well I am certainly no Gordon Ramsey when it comes to cooking far from it. Maybe it will come to me one day and I will be able to cook anything aye reight I will that's Yorkshire talk.

 

[Drummer]

Oregano is used with many of the things on the low carb diet lists, so you can try out a pinch on various dishes, but do be sure it is not out of date, as it is plant material and it fades over time - and also if it gets damp it can go mouldy.
I do not cook herbs but wait until the food is cooked and then add the herbs and keep it covered for a little while for the flavour to infuse.

 

[Lucyr]

I’d add some mixed herbs and oregano into spaghetti Bolognese, I have one in my slow cooker now

 

[kevinr]

I didn't know you can cook spaghetti Bolognese in a slow cooker Lucyr. So how is it done due you still brown the mince in a frying pan or do you just put everything in the slow cooker and cover it with a jar of dolmio sauce or two.

 

[Lucyr]

You can brown it first yes, then put in slow cooker with onion, garlic, I don’t use dolmio I use tin chopped tomatoes, oxo cube, tomato purée, herbs, lots of recipes online. Chilli also works the same way, slow cooking mince gives it a lot of flavour.

 

[kevinr]

Lucyr you are a shinning star. I have got most of the ingredients in my cupboard so I will dig my slow cooker out and give it whirl. Thank you Lucyr

 

[mum2westiesGill]

You can brown it first yes, then put in slow cooker with onion, garlic, I don’t use dolmio I use tin chopped tomatoes, oxo cube, tomato purée, herbs, lots of recipes online. Chilli also works the same way, slow cooking mince gives it a lot of flavour.

Hi @Lucyr after you've browned the mince then put it in the slow cooker when do you add the rest of the ingredients?

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I just chuck everything in the slow cooker, I don't brown the mince, quite often it goes in frozen.
I also tend to out in an assortment of veg, whether it's fresh or frozen, as I'm trying to eat more now.
Peas, sweet corn, beans, courgette, marrow, squash, carrot, along with the onions, garlic, and mushrooms.
It all goes it together in the morning, then cook all day until I get back home.
I usually make enough to freeze.

 

[Lucyr]

Hi @Lucyr after you've browned the mince then put it in the slow cooker when do you add the rest of the ingredients?

I usually throw them all in the slow cooker whilst I’m browning the mince. Sometimes I just put the mince in without browning though and seems fine too.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

Sometimes I just put the mince in without browning though and seems fine too.

Yeah, depends on the details but sometimes browning things doesn't make a whole lot of difference. I think I read somewhere that Jamie Oliver had tried a beef casserole both ways and couldn't really tell the difference, causing some controversy at the time.

 

[Lucyr]

Yeah, depends on the details but sometimes browning things doesn't make a whole lot of difference. I think I read somewhere that Jamie Oliver had tried a beef casserole both ways and couldn't really tell the difference, causing some controversy at the time.

I think the only thing where I can really tell the difference is sausages, and only because of a psychological thing in that the outside being brown (which you get if you fry first but not if you only slow cook) just makes them seem tastier.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I think the only thing where I can really tell the difference is sausages, and only because of a psychological thing in that the outside being brown (which you get if you fry first but not if you only slow cook) just makes them seem tastier.

I'm a bit less sure, but I am pretty sure that for quite a few recipes we do it unnecessarily (just because we've always done it).

(Searing meats in general definitely makes differences (though it doesn't "seal the juices in"). I have an immersion circulator so can cook a steak for hours at, say, 60ºC which produces a uniformly well done but rather boring steak. Much nicer to fry it at least to give the thing some texture. (So a brief fry to brown the outside, then cook it at 60ºC or whatever for an hour.))

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I think the only thing where I can really tell the difference is sausages, and only because of a psychological thing in that the outside being brown (which you get if you fry first but not if you only slow cook) just makes them seem tastier.

That's the one thing I really don't like, sausage casserole. It makes the casings really unpleasant for my taste.
But, chopped into a stir fry, after being cooked works.

 

[trophywench]

We had saus casserole tonight - but I cook the sausages first then brown the onions in the same pan - cut up the sausages into 3 or 4. Tin of chopped toms in casserole, ad roughly chopped mushrooms, add saus and browned onions, a sus casserole mix made with 300ml of cold water on top, into microwave for 20 mins, dual cook at 220 degrees oven and 70% microwave for 2x 10 mins, stir after first 10.

We always dry fry sirloin steak - heat pan on high gas ring, slap seasoned raw steak in and leave a couple of mins until it freely moves, meanwhile season the raw side, then turn it over until it moves again, then turn off heat, bung on a lid if you have one otherwise cover pan with foil and leave it be for at least 5 minutes, beautiful.

 

[Leadinglights]

That's the one thing I really don't like, sausage casserole. It makes the casings really unpleasant for my taste.
But, chopped into a stir fry, after being cooked works.

I agree if cooked in the casserole, so I usually nearly cremate them on the George Forman than cut up and add to the casserole towards the end of cooking.