I realise this really fits into the Chuck Wagon but I need a fairly immediate answer and that forum doesn't see as much traffic as this does. A few years back my aunt gave us a crock pot style slow cooker from the early 80s which apparently still worked but she never used. I dug it out the other day and gave it a good clean before putting the ingredient to a very mild beef & bean chilli in it and turning it on. Thing is, after 8 hours it seemed little to being cooked. That was 10pm on Sunday. It's now 2am on Tuesday morning and it smells very good. I pulled a bit of meat out of the slow cooker and it breaks up easily. But what I DON'T want is food poisoning. So, how long is it safe to cook things? Is it going to be safe to eat?

8hrs should have cooked it....at least mine will

Keep food above 140 F (60C) and you will be fine as long as it wasn't poisoned first. SOME, not all, food-borne poisons are rendered "inert" by heating. In other words, you can't "over-cook" something in a slow cooker.

I find minimum times for tough meat to be two hours. 8 hours is NOT too long.

Paul

Should be safe, I cannot stand the results of a slow cooker, just never tastes actually cooked to me.

Well, it's heading for 36 hours now! I think I may throw the food and the cooker. Over the past month I had a severe digestive illness. I've no wish to get food poisoning.

If you are worried about it, or want to improve the flavor (drinksgin) brown/caramelize the meat in a hot skillet first.  
Also, heat any liquid you intend to use in it, first, whether it be water or canned soup etc.  That way it is up to temp before it gets into the slow cook phase.

Ahhhhhh, that makes more sense. Maybe I'll have another crack at it.

What Jamie said.

I cannot quite emulate Rachel Ray, but I can usually feed 2-6 people in 1 hour or less with what ever I can jerk out of the refrigerator and freezer.
Just never had the forethought to plan a meal 8-12 hours ahead!



Everything I have been served from a crock pot was, indeed , a crock!

:undecided:

No, either can I organise myself that well but I want to try cooking hares in particular in the slow cooker as they're generally quite tough and can do with the tenderising. Venison caseroles, curries and chilli con carne are also said to be great dishes for it so I think it's worth the effort.

BTW, who's Rachael Ray? As long as she's not like Martha Stewart. That woman sets my back up the moment she opens her mouth.

Slow cookers are great for us mornin' folks.  
It's easy to put something together before work, toss it in the slow cooker, and it's done when the workday is over, and you're tired, and don't feel like cooking.

They are perfect for what you want to do Kombi, but just like anything else, it takes a little practice before things come out perfect every time.

The problem is, "practice" involves 6-10 hours, before you find out if your efforts were worth it!

But hey, at least you aren't "slaving over a hot stove" the whole time.

Rachel Ray is a cute little cajun/italian from up state NY who has made several million dollars showing how to feed 4 in 30 minutes, relies on a LOT of pasta and ground meats with huge amounts of onion and garlic.

Normal Italian fare then, must admit after having an Italian girl here for a few years I did tire of pasta with everything...
I'm back to normal pasta mode, only in a blue moon!

Might have to buy some tesco's hoss mince and do a Bolognese...

Quote from: Jamie.270;127762Slow cookers are great for us mornin' folks.  
It's easy to put something together before work, toss it in the slow cooker, and it's done when the workday is over, and you're tired, and don't feel like cooking.

They are perfect for what you want to do Kombi, but just like anything else, it takes a little practice before things come out perfect every time.

The problem is, "practice" involves 6-10 hours, before you find out if your efforts were worth it!

But hey, at least you aren't "slaving over a hot stove" the whole time.

+1

Absolutely agree, plus wild game works well as it don't dry out - last muntie was ace!

My wife does a great spaghetti bolognese. I've never liked it much myself but she seems to nail it each time and I find myself internally cheering every time she says she's making it.