ship wrote:

...

> One of the best stews I ever had was cooked by my uncle in the plate
> warmer section of
> an old Aga. I dont know what the temperature was but he brought it to
> the boil on the top
> and then left it there for about 2-3 DAYS.
>
> I think you'd need to make sure you had an EVEN COOLER slow cooker for
> such
> long cooking periods.
>
> That reminds me - what range of temperatures are these slow cookers
> supposed to
> be running at in any case? Anyone know?

I have left stew overnight on the stovetop BUT I knew what I was doing.
The pot, a Wagner Drip-Drop roaster, has a smoothly machined cover-pot
interface, making for a nearly hermetic seal. Before putting the stew to
bed for the night, I brought it to a vigorous boil with the cover in
place, sterilizing it, Then I let it sit without opening the cover. In
effect, the stew was canned. When it came time to serve it for lunch, I
again brought it to a boil just in case. Stew and soup are almost always
better the day after they're made. This didn't depart from that perception.

Your uncle's wonderful stew didn't sit raw for half a day before heating
began. I don't think it addresses Stephanie's point.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
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