Food

i use the cast iron pots as a slow cooker frequently, works a treat for me. The difficulty will be judging the temperature for which you want to slowly slowly cook and not burn while you're out.

I tend to get it started when i'm in and watching it, set the temperature and alter water / fluid content to suit. I prefer putting the casserole in the oven for this purpose.

@rogan This is what I was thinking of doing. Single induction hobs are cheap, and I'm just looking at timer functions and low heat settings and er measuring the base of the pot.

@allshookup I use the oven a lot at the moment for slow cooking, which got me onto this line of thinking. I was sort of under the impression that the slow cookers are a little bit more efficient than an oven as they're just heating the pot. Although I could be really wrong about that.

I'm also thinking that a traditional slow cooker has more insulation than a cast iron casserole dish which might make a different, but I'm not sure how much this will affect the cooking process.

I have always hated touch buttons on hobs. Got a Miele induction hob with regular knobs, one for each section. Works great.

Why not just chuck it in a very low oven? I'd worry a bit if it were a gas oven but electric would be OK, no?

PS I made chicken quesadillas for the first time today... Jerked a chicken yesterday so refried some up, made a few corn tortillas from scratch and away I went with a few slices of smokey cheese... Was very, very good... 🐖

Why not just chuck it in a very low oven? I'd worry a bit if it were a gas oven but electric would be OK, no?

Because I saw this Vermicular cooker and now have kitchen gadget envy. And to have my oven on the whole day just feels a bit extravagant for what should be simple cooking.

Oof, that's a lot of cash! There must be another (cheaper!) quality option?

I used to throw a few trays of halved plum tomatoes in at the same time as a slow cook, felt like I was being a bit more energy efficient...

Why not just chuck it in a very low oven? I'd worry a bit if it were a gas oven but electric would be OK, no?

This

Oh, I'm not going to get it. Just lust from a distance. The cheaper option is to use my existing Le Creuset casserole pot and a single induction ring. Just trying to find one with a sensor like this one that goes low enough, and I get a sous vide too perhaps?

My oven kindly turns off after 4 hours which really screws slow cooking up for me.

I was tempted by the Neff hobs with touch and physical control but they don't seem to fit the gap I have. Will check out Miele and see how they measure up.

My oven kindly turns off after 4 hours which really screws slow cooking up for me.

I get a similar amount, it’s supposed to be a helpful feature in case you’ve left it on and forgotten about it. Not that great it you want to cook something for 8hrs on low.

I have a slow cooker which is essentially a cast iron pot on a heating base. It doesn't have a properly sealed lid and it isn't particularly insulated. So I'm sure you can do what you want to as long as you get a base which goes low enough and experiment with timings/heat

Anyone recommend a good Indian cookbook? I want to make some delicious veg curry goodness this week.

I miss proper curries with onion, garlic and chilli in, diet says nope... All my curries are ginger and turmeric based now, still delicious but just not the same...

Prashad 'Indian Vegetarian Cooking'

meera sodha
priya krishna
and your desi neighbors

Prashad is a great shout! Didnt know they had a book.

Cooool. thanks dudes. I went to Cafe Spice in Tower Hill last week and it has properly reignited my curry love. Looking forward to get spicy with some spinach and chick peas.

Ordered Fresh India by Sodha because I liked the cover.

We cook alot of Fresh India, great choice

When you get to the page with cauliflower chilli cheese rotis you will realise you made a superb choice.

Meera Sodha's books are excellent. I would probably recommend Made in India slightly more because it's a little more introductory but they're both great.

Yes yes yes. Man i'm salivating already.

Just cheated and googled that... looks amazing. http://www.thismuslimgirlbakes.com/2018/08/cauliflower-chilli-cheese-stuffed-roti.html
Might have to make today.

I know I'm boring, but I always recommend the RASA cookbooks by Das Sreedharan.

https://www.eatyourbooks.com/authors/9354/das-sreedharan

Copying from an old post (from the Vegan Thread, hence the vegan angle):

I always recommend the first two RASA cookbooks. The first one is omnivorous and the second one is ovo-lacto vegetarian, but most recipes are very easy to do vegan, and there are plenty of vegan ones to start with. It's a superb style of cuisine.

http://rasarestaurants.com/

The two I mean are 'Fresh Flavours of India' and 'The New Taste of India'. No need to bother with the others (they're simplified, omnivorous, and not as good).

If you're in London, you could do worse than visit RASA N16 first to see if you like this style of cooking.

Back when I first went there, in early 1997, it showed me how good vegetarian cuisine could be. I went vegan two years later.

The eatyourbooks link above has both of them in various editions.

Boring is the new rock n roll Oliver, thanks.