Useful guide to cooking times

I though that today I would post this useful little chart from The Thermal Cooker site. It will give you a basic idea of cooking times for your own menues. Most slow cooker recipes can be used in the thermal cooker and by using either the times in a similar recipe or the times below you should end up with a perfectly cooked meal.

Food:	Simmer time after bringing to the boil:	Thermal cooking time:
Rice	5 mins	1 to 1.5 hours
Potatoes	5 mins	1 to 2 hours
Soup & Stock	10 mins	2 to 3 hours
Green Lentils	10 mins	3 to 4 hours
Pintos	10 mins	3 hours
Split Peas	10 mins	2 hours
Quinoa	5 mins	1.5 hours
Millet	5 mins	1 hours
Polenta	1 mins	1 hours
Winter Squash	5 mins	1 to 2 hours
Steamed bread	30 mins	3 hours
Chicken	6 mins	2 to 3 hours
Beef	13 mins	3 to 4 hours

Useful Tip 1 - How to cook for two people.

I was looking at Thermal Cookware site this morning and found this question and answer which I though may be of use to many who use a thermal cooker to cook for only two people.

Question:
Is it possible to cook a small meal as sometimes I do not have enough ingredients to fill a whole pot or I may just want to have enough for one or two people?

Answer:
If you are using the one pot Shuttle Chef you can certainly cook a smaller meal however it would only retain it's core temperature above 60 degrees (food safety standards) for less than 6 to 8 hours, therefore you could prepare a smaller meal in the morning to eat at lunch time or at lunch time to eat at dinner (say 4 hours later). Or you can bring the inner pot back up to the boil 4 hours later so that it would have another 4 hours before dropping below food safety standards.

When I have been cooking a small amount I have often put this in my cake tin which I cover with baking parchment and then put this on a trivet in the inner pot filled with enough water to come 3/4 of the way up the side of the tin. This system seems to work well. This is the same method that is used to cook cakes.

Master stock - Mr D's Thermal Cook Book

Last night I didn't use the Shuttle Chef as we still had some of the Biriani left so I have decided to add my recipe for Master Stock.

Master stock refers to an aromatic, reusable stock used a lot in Cantonese cooking. Once the base stock has been prepared it is then used as a poaching or braising liquid for meat. Chicken is the most common meat cooked in master stock, although duck and pork are also often used.
I have read that in some restaurants in Beijing use master stock that is over 100 years old and it is a wonderful thought that maybe flavours that were created all those years ago are being handed down from generation to generation.

My stock is fairly new and I don't know if in a hundred years someone will still be cooking chicken in it but I do know it gives food a divine texture and flavour.

KEEPING THE STOCK: After use, if the master stock is not be immediately reused it should be boiled, skimmed, strained and cooled quickly to minimise the potential for bacterial growth. The stock should then be refrigerated or frozen until required. Refrigerated stocks may be kept for up to three days, while frozen stocks may be kept for up to a month. If the stock is to be kept longer it must be boiled before being reused.


THE INGREDIENTS:

• 2 L Water.


• 4 Cloves Garlic Sliced.


• 4cm piece of Ginger sliced.


• 6 spring onions chopped in half.


• 1 piece of cassia bark (you can substitute cinnamon stick for this).


• 3 star anise.


• 3 pieces of dried orange peel. You can buy this at an Asian supermarket or peel an orange (without the white pitch as this is bitter) and dry it slowly in the oven on a very low heat.


• 250 ml light Soy sauce.


• 250 ml Shoaxing wine (Chinese cooking wine).


• 75 g Chinese rock sugar (granulated sugar can be used ).

THE METHOD:

1. Fill a saucepan with the water. Add the sliced garlic, ginger and shallots, followed by the aromatics.


2. Add the light soy, shaoxing wine and Chinese rock sugar.


3. Bring to the boil and taste the stock for balance of flavours. If it requires more salt add a little more soy sauce.


4. Allow the stock to cool, if not using straight away, strain it through a fine sieve and refrigerate until needed.


5. Master stock, once cooled, strained and refrigerated can be used again and again.

Replenish the stock with fresh garlic, ginger, shallots and aromatics each time you use it and the flavour will continue to intensify in strength and flavour.

Lamb (or Mutton) Biriani - from Mr D's Thermal Cook Book

This Indian biriani, adapted for the Shuttle Chef, can be served on its own as a scrumptious meal, or dressed up for a festive occasion with fresh tomato chutney, vegetable curry side-dishes and crunchy popadoms. The lamb (mutton) needs to marinade for an hour at least (overnight if convenient). If you are cooking in the morning and want to save time
then brown the onions the night before.


Ingredients for 6 - 8 servings (halve the ingredients for 3 people).

• 1 kilo lamb (or muttton) cut into 2 cm cube pieces (I prefer shoulder)
  

For the marinade

• 4 green chillies (seeded and finely chopped)


• Coriander leaves (chopped - about 1 cup full)


• 1 clove garlic (crushed with salt)


• 2 teaspoons cumin powder


• 1 teaspoon chilli powder


• 1 teaspoon garam masala


• 1 small carton plain yoghurt (approximately 2 large serving spoons)

For the biriani:

• 4 medium onions (thinly sliced)


• Oil or ghee (about 1 desertspoon)


• 1/2 kilo potatoes (can be either old potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks, or new potatoes halved)


• Pinch of saffron (optional, but adds a suble flavour)


• 3 cups of long grain Basmati or Patna rice

For garnish

• 100 gms cashew nuts (or shredded almonds)


• 125 grams sultanas
  
  

Method:

1. Cut the lamb (mutton) into cubes.


2. Chop the chillies finely, crush the garllic, chop the coriander leaves and mix all with the spices and yoghurt.


3. Coat the meat with the marinade, cover and put in the fridge for 1 hour or longer.


4. Chop the onions, then fry in ghee or oil until golden with some browning (they should taste sweet). Remove from pan.


5. Add a little ghee or oil to the pan and heat marinaded lamb to seal the meat. (I prefer to add the meat a third at a time so that it is easier to turn.)


6. When the lamb is simmering hot, add the potatoes and 1/2 the fried onions. Stir well and bring back to simmer.


7. Mix the rice with 5 cups of boiling water and 1 desertspoon of salt.


8. Put the saffron in 1/2 cup hot water.


9. Stir 1/2 the rice into the lamb and potatoes, then spoon the other 1/2 of the rice and water on top.


10. Sprinkle the saffron water onto the top of the rice.


11. Make sure it is all simmering hot, put the lid on the Shuttle Chef pan and place it in the Shuttle Chef.


12. Leave to cook in the Shuttle Chef for 2 1/2 hours to get really tender, succulent meat. (You can leave the biriani cooking in the Shuttle Chef for up to 7 hours - the tatse is superb and the rice is still separate.)
    
    

To serve

Heat the remaining 1/2 of the browned onions, then add the nuts and sultananas. Stir occasionally until heated (the sultanas will plump). Open the Shuttle Chef and stir the onion, nuts and sultana garnish into the top layer of rice. Serve with Tomato Chutney.

Tomato Chutney

• 1 small green chilli (deseed and chop very finely)


• 1/2 medium onion (chop finely) I prefer sweet red onion.


• 3 large or 4 medium toamtoes (chopped)


• 1 desertspoon vinegar1 teaspoon sugar


• Good pinch salt
  

Method:

Stir all ingredients together, cover and leave in a cool place for flavours to blend.