Slow Cooking

The oven doesn't work in our new flat. We are getting a new one but until then I was getting sick of cooking everything on the hob, with food smells and extractor fans.

Enter the slow cooker, which I bought for £20 from Robert Dyas. That shop sells everything, why are there none in Scotland?

I thought of slow cookers as being a bit depresssing 1950s housewifey but they have a fanatical following and I am starting to love mine. Incase you don't know them, it is basically an electric casserole. It is very cheap to power and can be left on all day while you go out. Plus as Autumn comes it's all about stews, hotpots and tagines for me. Facebook claims you can bake in it, make lasagne and everything so I am excited to experiment.

Things I have discovered so far: use scary horrible looking meat lumps, not nice little meat pieces.

You have to leave it on for an insanely long time, at least six hours. Try not to lift the lid too much. Use lots of liquid and get flavour in there with onion, garlic, carrots, herbs, spices, stock etc. You need lots of flavour. It's good to brown the meat first or it looks a bit peelywally (pale). You can warm your hands on it if you feel cold.